SURAH AN-NISA (AYAH 141 to 150)

الَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَعَكُمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَسْتَحْوِذْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَنَمْنَعْكُمْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ وَلَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا {4:141}

[Q4:141] Allazeena yatarab basoona bikum fa in kaana lakum fathum minal laahi qaalooo alam nakum ma'akum wa in kaana lilkaafireena naseebun qaalooo alam nastah wiz 'alaikum wa nammna'kum minal mu'mineen; fallaahu yahkumu bainakum Yawmal Qiyaamah; wa lai yaj'alal laahu lilkaafireena 'alal mu'mineena sabeelaa. 
[Q4:141] Those who wait for (some misfortune to befall) you then If you have a victory from ALLAH (SWT) they say: Were we not with you? And is there a chance for the unbelievers, they say: Did we not acquire the mastery over you and defend you from the believers? So ALLAH (SWT) shall Judge between you on the day of resurrection, and ALLAH (SWT) will by no means give the unbelievers a way against the believers.

[Q4:141] (Mereka yang munafik itu ialah) orang-orang yang sentiasa menunggu-nunggu (berlakunya sesuatu) kepada kamu; maka kalau kamu mendapat kemenangan dari ALLAH (SwT) (dalam sesuatu peperangan), berkatalah mereka (kepada kamu): Bukankah kami turut berjuang bersama-sama kamu? (Oleh itu kami juga berhak menerima bahagian dari harta rampasan perang) dan jika orang-orang kafir pula mendapat bahagian (yang menguntungkan dalam peperangan), berkatalah mereka (kepada orang-orang kafir itu): Bukankah kami turut membantu kamu dan mempertahankan kamu dari (serang balas) orang-orang yang beriman (dengan mendedahkan rahsia perpaduannya)? Maka ALLAH (SwT) akan menghakimi di antara kamu semua pada hari kiamat dan ALLAH (SwT) tidak sekali-kali akan memberi jalan kepada orang-orang kafir untuk membinasakan orang-orang yang beriman. 

"ALLAH (SWT) will never give the unbelievers a way over the believers", IS A DIVINE PROMISE TO ALWAYS KEEP AN INDIVIDUAL, AMONG THE BELIEVERS, AS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TRUE FAITH, who is from the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), AND LIKE him in purity of mind and soul. "I and Ali are from one divine light", said the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad). It points to the existence of an Imam in every age.

Ù  THE LAST SENTENCE OF THIS VERSE LAYS DOWN A VITAL DECREE OF LEGISLATION which governs the *social, *economic and *political life of the Muslim community.

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(4:141) These hypocrites watch you closely: if victory is granted to you by Allah, they will say: 'Were we not with you?' And were the unbelievers to gain the upper hand, they will say: 'Did we not have mastery over you, and yet we protected you from the believers?' *171 It is Allah Who will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and He will not allow the unbelievers, in any way, to gain advantage over the believers.

*171. This is typical of the hypocrites of every age. Such people try to avail themselves of all the benefits which can accrue from a verbal profession of Islam and identification with the Islamic community. They also try to secure the advantages to be obtained by associating with the unbelievers, by assuring them in every possible way about themselves that they are not 'fanatic Muslims', that their association with the Muslims is only nominal. On the other hand, they never fail to assure the unbelievers that their loyalties and concerns are the same as theirs, that in mental outlook, cultural orientation and taste they are in harmony with them, and that if a decisive conflict between Islam and unbelief were to take place, their weight will certainly be on the side of the latter. 

SECTION 21

Fate of the Hypocrites

      Deceitfulness of the hypocrites---Friendship with the enemies---Fate of the hypocrites.

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا{4:142}

[Q4:142] Innal munaafiqeena yukhaadi'oonal laaha wa huwa khaadi'uhum wa izaa qaamooo ilas Salaati qaamoo kusaalaa yuraaa'oonan naasa wa laa yazkuroonal laaha illaa qaleelaa. 
[Q4:142] Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive ALLAH (SWT), and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember ALLAH (SWT) save a little.

[Q4:142] Sesungguhnya orang-orang munafik itu melakukan tipu daya (terhadap agama) ALLAH (SwT) (dengan perbuatan pura-pura beriman sedang mereka kafir pada batinnya) dan ALLAH (SwT) pula tetap membalas tipu daya mereka (dengan membiarkan mereka dalam keadaan munafik). Mereka pula apabila berdiri hendak sembahyang, mereka berdiri dengan malas. Mereka (hanya bertujuan) riak (memperlihatkan sembahyangnya) kepada manusia (supaya disangka bahawa mereka orang yang beriman) dan mereka pula tidak mengingati ALLAH (SwT) (dengan mengerjakan sembahyang) melainkan sedikit sekali (jarang-jarang).

Refer to the commentary of al-Baqarah 2:8 to 20.

Huwa khadi-uhum implies that He outwits them or requites them for their deceit. The literal meaning of khada is to deceive, BUT USE OF DECEPTION IS NOT APPLICABLE TO ALLAH (SWT). He gives the hypocrites and the unbelievers’ respite which ultimately cause their downfall.

§  The psychological state of some of the new converts has been discussed in the commentary of verses 2:8 to 20 of al-Baqarah.

Ali was the only one whose wajh (face) has been glorified by ALLAH (SWT) BECAUSE he never turned to anyone or anything save ALLAH (SWT). Even today the Muslims acknowledge this unique merit of Ali by referring to him as karramallahu wajhahu (ALLAH (SWT) generously honoured his face), WHEREAS to others they refer to as radi-allahu anhu (may ALLAH (SWT) be pleased with him).

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(4:142) Behold, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is they who are being deluded by Him. When they rise to Prayer, they rise reluctantly, and only to be seen by men. They remember Allah but little. *172

*172. In the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) no one, unless he prayed regularly, could be reckoned as belonging to the Islamic community. We know that secular associations consider the absence of any member from their meetings, without a valid excuse, a sign of lack of interest, and that in the event of continued absence, they cancel his membership. The early Islamic community did the same with those who absented themselves from congregational Prayers. In those days a person's absence from congregational Prayers was considered a clear indication of his indifference towards Islam: if he absented himself from them repeatedly he was no longer held to be a Muslim. In those days, therefore, even the worst hypocrites had to attend the five daily Prayers in the mosque. What distinguished a true believer from the hypocrite was that the former came to the mosque with devotion, fervour and eagerness, came there well before the appointed time for the Prayer, and did not rush out of the mosque as soon as the Prayer was over. IN SHORT, everything about him indicated that his heart was in the Prayer. Whereas the call to the Prayer for the hypocrite seemed like the announcement of an unavoidable calamity. When such a person set off for the mosque, he seemed to do so in spite of himself. He walked as if he were dragging the entire weight of his being. No wonder, then, that as soon as the Prayer was over, he escaped like a prisoner released from jail. His entire demeanour testified that the remembrance of God was not what he really had his heart in. 

مُذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ سَبِيلًا {4:143}

[Q4:143] Muzabzabeena baina zaalika laaa ilaa haaa' ulaaa'i wa laaa ilaa haaa'ulaaa'; wa mai yudlilil laahu falan tajida lahoo sabeela. 
[Q4:143] Wavering between that (and this), (belonging) neither to these nor to those; and whomsoever ALLAH (SWT) causes to err, you shall not find a way for him.

[Q4:143] Mereka berkeadaan "muzabzab" (tidak mempunyai pendirian yang tetap) antara (iman dan kufur) itu; mereka tidak berpihak terus kepada golongan (kafir) dan tidak pula berpihak kepada golongan (yang beriman) dan sesiapa yang disesatkan oleh ALLAH (SwT), maka engkau (wahai Muhammad) tidak sekali-kali akan mendapat jalan untuk menyelamatkannya. 

(see commentary for verse 142)

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(4:143) They dangle between the one and the other (faith and disbelief), and belong neither to these nor to those completely. And he whom Allah lets go astray, for him you can find no way. *173

*173. Here an important fact has been stated about the person who remained unguided to the Truth despite his acquaintance with the Book of God and with the life of His Prophet (peace be on him). He was a person who was so disinclined to the Truth and so infatuated with error that even God let him go forth along the same erroneous direction that he had chosen for himself, a person on whom the door of true guidance had been shut and the way towards error had been made smooth by God. It is virtually beyond the power of human-beings to direct such a person to the Truth.
We may be able to grasp this if we consider the case of man's livelihood. God controls all the sources of man's livelihood. Thus, anyone who receives any portion of livelihood receives it from God alone. At the same time, God grants every man livelihood through the means he has himself sought. If a man seeks his livelihood through lawful means and strives accordingly, God opens the door to honest living to him and closes the avenues of dishonest earnings in proportion to his earnestness. On the other hand, there is the person who is bent upon fattening himself on dishonest earnings and strives accordingly. God permits such a person to continue making an unlawful living, and no one has the power to help him secure an honest means of living.
The same applies to man's belief and conduct in this life. In this respect too, the ultimate control rests with God. No human being can proceed along any path, whether it be good or evil, unless God lets him proceed along it, and bestows upon him the means to do so. However, it is up to man himself to choose his own path, and after he has made the choice, God will let him proceed along it, and will even pave the way for him. If a person really cares about God, genuinely seeks the truth and earnestly tries to pursue the path charted by God, God permits him to follow his choice, and even provides the means necessary to proceed along his chosen path. On the other hand, God shuts the door of true guidance on the person who chooses error and strives to proceed only along wrong paths, and further enables him to follow the path of his choice. It is beyond the power of any human being to prevent such a person from thinking wrongly, acting wrongly and using up his energies in wrong directions. If a man loses the road to his success and is subsequently deprived of true guidance by God, in whose power does it lie, then, to restore to him his lost treasure? 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا {4:144}

[Q4:144] Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tattakhizul kaafireena awliyaaa'a min doonil mu'mineen; aturee doona an taj'aloo lillaahi 'alaikum sultaanam mubeenaa. 

[Q4:144] O you who believe! Do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to ALLAH (SWT) a manifest proof against yourselves?
[Q4:144] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, janganlah kamu mengambil orang-orang kafir menjadi teman rapat dengan meninggalkan orang-orang yang beriman. Adakah kamu hendak mengadakan alasan yang terang nyata bagi ALLAH (SwT) untuk (menyeksa) kamu?

Refer to the commentary of verse 139 of this surah.

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(4:144) Believers! Do not take the unbelievers as your allies in preference to the believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a clear proof of guilt against yourselves?

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا {4:145}

[Q4:145] Innal munaafiqeena fiddarkil asfali minan Naari wa lan tajjida lahum naseeraa. 

[Q4:145] Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest stage of the fire and you shall not find a helper for them.
[Q4:145] Sesungguhnya orang-orang munafik itu ditempatkan pada tingkatan yang terkebawah sekali dari (lapisan-lapisan dalam) Neraka dan engkau tidak sekali-kali akan mendapat sesiapa pun yang boleh menolong mereka.

THE HYPOCRITES ARE THE HIDDEN ENEMIES OF *ALLAH (SWT), *HIS MESSENGER AND *HIS AHLUL BAYT; therefore, they will be more severely punished than the open enemies, the infidels.

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(4:145) Surely the hypocrites shall be in the lowest depth of the Fire and you shall find none to come to their help,

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا {4:146}

[Q4:146] Illal lazeena taaboo wa aslahoo wa'tasamoo billaahi wa akhlasoo deenahum lillaahi faulaaa'ika ma'al mu'mineena wa sawfa yu'til laahul mu'mineena ajran 'azeemaa. 

[Q4:146] Except those who repent and amend and hold fast to ALLAH (SWT) and are sincere in their religion to ALLAH (SWT), these are with the believers, and ALLAH (SWT) will grant the believers a mighty reward.
[Q4:146] Kecuali orang-orang yang bertaubat (dari perbuatan munafik itu) dan memperbaiki amalan mereka (yang salah) dan mereka pula berpegang teguh kepada (agama) ALLAH (SwT), serta mengerjakan agama mereka dengan ikhlas kerana ALLAH (SwT), maka mereka yang demikian itu ditempatkan bersama-sama orang-orang yang beriman (di dalam Syurga); dan ALLAH (SwT) akan memberikan orang-orang yang beriman itu pahala yang amat besar. 

THOSE WHO [1] SINCERELY TURN REPENTANT TO ALLAH (SWT), [2] AMEND, [3] HOLD FAST TO ALLAH (SWT) AND [4] MAKE THEIR RELIGION PURE FOR ALLAH (SWT) ARE WITH THE BELIEVERS.

Ì  Holding fast to ALLAH (SWT) is not possible unless a wasila (approach) is available as per verse 5:35 of al-Ma-idah.

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(4:146) except those who re-pent and mend their ways and hold fast to Allah and make their faith exclusive to Allah. *174 Those people shall be numbered with the believers and Allah will certainly bestow on the believers a great reward.

*174. To make one's faith exclusively to God means to concentrate one's loyalties, concerns, affections, and adorations on God, and not to allow any attachments to strike such deep roots in one's heart that one may cease to be capable of sacrificing them for His sake.

مَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا {4:147}

[Q4:147] maa yafa'lul laahu bi 'azaabikum in shakartum wa aamantum; wa kaanal laahu Shaakiran 'Aleema. 

[Q4:147] Why should ALLAH (SWT) chastise you if you are grateful and believe? And ALLAH (SWT) is the Multiplier of rewards, Knowing.
[Q4:147] Apa gunanya ALLAH (SwT) menyeksa kamu sekiranya kamu bersyukur (akan nikmatNya) serta kamu beriman (kepadaNya)? Dan (ingatlah) ALLAH (SwT) sentiasa Membalas dengan sebaik-baiknya (akan orang-orang yang bersyukur kepadaNya), lagi Maha Mengetahui (akan hal keadaan mereka).

The most benign ALLAH (SWT) is not like the vindictive deities of paganism. *MERCY, *COMPASSION and *LOVING KINDNESS ARE PART AND PARCEL OF HIS ESSENCE, WHILE HIS RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE IS ONLY CALLED FORTH BY THE HANDIWORK OF THE REBELLIOUS CREATURES who follow the accursed Shaytan. He is responsive to gratitude.

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(4:147) Why should Allah deal chastisement to you if you are grateful *175 to Him and believe? Allah is All-Appreciative, *176 All-Knowing.

*175. Shukr denotes an acknowledgement of benefaction and a feeling of gratitude. This verse states if a person does not behave ungratefully towards God then there is no reason why God should punish him.
The attitude of gratefulness to God consists of acknowledging His benefaction in one's heart, in confessing it in one's speech and by manifesting it in one's deeds. It is the sum-total of these which is termed shukr. This attitude requires:
(1) that a person should ascribe the benefaction to its real source, letting no one share in either the gratitude or the acknowledgement of benevolence; 
(2) that his heart should be overflowing with love for, and loyalty to, the Benefactor, and that he should have no attachment to His opponents;
(3) that he should obey the Benefactor and should not use His bounties contrary to His directives.
*176.The word used here is shakir which we have translated as 'All-Appreciative'. In the context of the God-man relationship, when the word shukr is used in respect of God, it denotes 'appreciation of services'. When it is used in respect of man, it denotes his acknowledgement of God's benefaction and his sense of gratitude to Him. To say that God 'thanks' His creatures stresses that God is fully appreciative of the services which His servants have rendered and will recompense them liberally. This contrasts sharply with the attitude of human beings, who are generally slow and uncharitable in appreciating the services rendered to them, and quick and severe in censuring people for their omissions. As for God, He is lenient and prone to overlook man's omissions. On the contrary, He rewards man manifold for his good deeds.

لَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ الْجَهْرَ بِالسُّوءِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ إِلَّا مَنْ ظُلِمَ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا {4:148}

[Q4:148] Laa yuhibbullaahul jahra bis sooo'i minal qawli illaa man zulim; wa kaanallaahu Samee'an 'Aleeman. 
[Q4:148] ALLAH (SWT) does not love the public utterance of hurtful speech unless (it be) by one to whom injustice has been done; and ALLAH (SWT) is Hearing, Knowing.

[Q4:148] ALLAH (SwT) tidak suka kepada perkataan-perkataan buruk yang dikatakan dengan berterus-terang (untuk mendedahkan kejahatan orang); kecuali oleh orang yang dianiayakan. Dan (ingatlah) ALLAH (SwT) sentiasa Mendengar, lagi Maha Mengetahui.

ISLAM BANS ALL FORMS OF [1] CALUMNY and [2] SLANDER, and [3] INTERDICTS THE UTTERANCE LIKELY TO DEFAME OTHERS UNLESS IT BE FOR JUSTIFIABLE REASON OR TO DISTINGUISH TRUTH FROM FALSEHOOD- as done in verse 2:159 of al-Baqarah and verse 3:87 of Ali Imran wherein ALLAH (SWT), His servants and His angels curse those who conceal the clear signs and the guidance.

THEREFORE, the followers of Muhammad ali Muhammad curse the enemies of ALLAH (SWT) and of His messenger and his Ahlul Bayt.

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(4:148) Allah does not like speaking evil publicly unless one has been wronged. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

إِنْ تُبْدُوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ أَوْ تَعْفُوا عَنْ سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا قَدِيرًا {4:149}

[Q4:149] in tubdoo khairann aw tukhfoohu aw ta'foo 'an sooo'in fa innal laaha kaana 'afuwwan Qadeeraa. 

[Q4:149] If you do good openly or do it in secret or pardon an evil then surely ALLAH (SWT) is Pardoning, Powerful.
[Q4:149] Jika kamu melahirkan sesuatu kebaikan atau menyembunyikannya atau kamu memaafkan kesalahan (yang dilakukan terhadap kamu), maka sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) adalah Maha Pemaaf lagi Maha Kuasa.  

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(4:149) (Even though you have the right to speak evil if you are wronged), if you keep doing good -whether openly or secretly -or at least pardon the evil (then that is the attribute of Allah). Allah is All-Pardoning and He has all the power to chastise. *177

*177. This verse embodies a moral directive of very high value to the Muslims. The hypocrites, the Jews and the polytheists were all bent on placing all kinds of obstacles in the way of the spread of Islam: They eagerly persecuted the Muslims and used all possible means, however malicious, against them. Such an attitude inevitably created anger and resentment. It was in the context of this storm of bitter feelings that God told the Muslims that He did not consider speaking ill of people as praiseworthy. No doubt the Muslims had been wronged, and if a wronged person speaks out against a wrong-doer, he is quite justified in doing so. Even though this is a person's right, it is more meritorious to continue to do good both in public and in private, and to ignore the misdeeds of others. For one's ideal should be to try to approximate to God's way as far as possible. God with whom one wants to be close is lenient and forbearing; He provides sustenance even to the worst criminals and seeks mitigating circumstances in even the most serious offences. In order to become close to God, one ought to be generous in spirit and full of tolerance.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا {4:150}

[Q4:150] Innal lazeena yakkfuroona billaahi wa Rusulihee wa yureedoona ai yufarriqoo bainal laahi wa Rusulihee wa yaqooloona nu'minu biba'dinw wa nakfuru biba'dinw wa yureedoona ai yattakhizoo baina zaalika sabeelaa. 
[Q4:150] Surely those who disbelieve in ALLAH (SWT) and His messengers and (those who) desire to make a distinction between ALLAH (SWT) and His messengers and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and desire to take a course between (this and) that.

[Q4:150] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang kufur ingkar kepada ALLAH (SwT) dan Rasul-rasulNya, dan (orang-orang yang) hendak membeza-bezakan iman mereka di antara ALLAH (SwT) dan Rasul-rasulNya dan (orang-orang yang) berkata: Kami beriman kepada setengah Rasul-rasul itu dan kufur ingkar kepada setengahnya yang lain, serta bertujuan hendak mengambil jalan lain antara iman dan kufur itu: 

Refer to the commentary of al-Baqarah 2:136 and 177.

THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) WAS SENT TO MANKIND FOR ALL TIMES. To say that his authority came to an end after his departure AND THEREAFTER the book of ALLAH (SWT) is sufficient for us, is a declaration of revolt against ALLAH (SWT) and His messenger.

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(4:150) There are those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and seek to differentiate between Allah and His Messengers, and say: 'We believe in some and deny others, and seek to strike a way between the two.'