Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 4 An-Nisa, Ayat 113-115

وَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكَ وَرَحۡمَتُهٗ لَهَمَّتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ اَنۡ يُّضِلُّوۡكَ ؕ وَمَا يُضِلُّوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ​ وَمَا يَضُرُّوۡنَكَ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ ​ؕ وَاَنۡزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡكَ الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡحِكۡمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمۡ تَكُنۡ تَعۡلَمُ​ؕ وَكَانَ فَضۡلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكَ عَظِيۡمًا‏ ﴿4:113﴾ لَا خَيۡرَ فِىۡ كَثِيۡرٍ مِّنۡ نَّجۡوٰٮهُمۡ اِلَّا مَنۡ اَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ اَوۡ مَعۡرُوۡفٍ اَوۡ اِصۡلَاحٍۢ بَيۡنَ النَّاسِ​ ؕ وَمَن يَّفۡعَلۡ ذٰ لِكَ ابۡتِغَآءَ مَرۡضَاتِ اللّٰهِ فَسَوۡفَ نُـؤۡتِيۡهِ اَجۡرًا عَظِيۡمًا‏ ﴿4:114﴾ وَمَنۡ يُّشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَـهُ الۡهُدٰى وَ يَـتَّبِعۡ غَيۡرَ سَبِيۡلِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ نُوَلِّهٖ مَا تَوَلّٰى وَنُصۡلِهٖ جَهَـنَّمَ​ ؕ وَسَآءَتۡ مَصِيۡرًا‏ ﴿4:115﴾

(4:113) (O Messenger!) But for Allah's favour and mercy upon you, a party of them had resolved to mislead you,yet they only misled them selves, and could not have harmed you in any way.142 Allah revealed to you the Book and Wisdom, and He taught you what you knew not. Great indeed has been Allah's favour upon you. (4:114) Most of their secret conferrings are devoid of good, unless one secretly enjoins in charity, good deeds, and setting the affairs of men right. We shall grant who ever does that seeking to please Allah a great reward. (4:115) As for him who sets himself against the Messenger and follows a path other than that of the believers even after true guidance had become clear to him, We will let him go to the way he has turned to,143 and We will cast him into Hell - an evil destination.


Notes

142. Even if some people succeeded in their design to obtain from the Prophet (peace be on him) a wrong judgement in their favour by presenting a false account of events, the real loss would have been theirs rather than the Prophet's (peace be on him). For the real criminals in the sight of God are the perpetrators of that fraud and not the Prophet (peace be on him) who might in good faith have delivered a verdict that actually did not conform to the facts. Whoever obtains a judgement in his favour by tricking the courts deludes himself into believing that by such tricks he can bring right to his side; right remains with its true claimant regardless of judgements obtained by fraud and deception. (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, (Surah 2, n. 197.)

143. When, after revelation from God, the Prophet (peace be on him) delivered his verdict in favour of the innocent Jew rather than the dishonest Muslim, the latter was so seized by un-Islamic, egotistic and chauvinistic considerations that he left Madina, went straight to Makka to join the ranks of the enemies of Islam and of the Prophet (peace be on him), and undertook open opposition. The verse alludes to that incident.