Surah 4. An-Nisaa'

But when you are greeted with a greeting [of peace], answer with an even better greeting, or [at least] with the like thereof.¹⁰⁵ Verily, God keeps count indeed of all things.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "greet with better than it, or return it". In the above context, this obviously refers to an offer of peace by people with whom the believers are at war as well as to individual persons who, while possibly belonging to the enemy, have, to all outward appearances, peaceful intentions. In accordance with the injunctions, "if they incline to peace, incline thou to it as well" ( 8:61 ), and "if they desist [from fighting], then all hostility shall cease" ( 2:193 ), the believers are obliged to make peace with an enemy who makes it clear that he wants to come to an equitable understanding; similarly, they must show every consideration to individual persons from among the enemies who do not actively participate in the hostilities (see also verse {94} of this surah).

When anyone greets you in a courteous manner, let your greetings be better than his - or at least return the same. Allah keeps account of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a better than it or return it. Lo! Allah taketh count of all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

God - save whom there is no deity - will surely gather you all together on the Day of Resurrection, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: and whose word could be truer than God's?

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah! There is no god besides Him. He will certainly gather you all together on the Day of Resurrection; there is no doubt in it, and who can be more truthful in his words than Allah?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah! There is no God save Him. He gathereth you all unto a Day of Resurrection whereof there is no doubt. Who is more true in statement than Allah?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

How, then, could you be of two minds¹⁰⁶ about the hypocrites, seeing that God [Himself] has disowned them because of their guilt?¹⁰⁷ Do you, perchance, seek to guide those whom God has let go astray - when for him whom God lets go astray thou canst never find any way?

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "two parties".

Lit., "seeing that God has thrown them back in result of what they have earned". There are various conjectures, almost all of them of a historical nature, as to the identity of these hypocrites. Some of the commentators think that the verse refers to the hypocrites at Medina in the early years after the hijrah; others (e.g., Tabari) prefer the view expressed by Ibn 'Abbas, according to whom this refers to certain people of Mecca who, before the hijrah, outwardly accepted Islam but secretly continued to support the pagan Quraysh. It seems to me, however, that there is no need to search after "historical" interpretations of the above verse, since it can easily be understood in general terms. The preceding verse speaks of God, and stresses His oneness and the obvious truth inherent in His revealed message, as well as the certainty of judgment on Resurrection Day. "How, then," continues the argument, "could you be of two minds regarding the moral stature of people who go so far as to pay lip-service to the truth of God's message and are, nevertheless, not willing to make a sincere choice between right and wrong?"

What is the matter with you, why are you divided into two groups concerning the hypocrites, while Allah has cast them off on account of their misdeeds? Do you wish to guide those whom Allah has confounded? Whomever Allah has confounded you cannot find a way for them to be guided.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

What aileth you that ye are become two parties regarding the hypocrites, when Allah cast them back (to disbelief) because of what they earned? Seek ye to guide him whom Allah hath sent astray? He whom Allah sendeth astray, for him thou (O Muhammad) canst not find a road.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

They would love to see you deny the truth even as they have denied it, so that you should be like them. Do not, therefore, take them for your allies until they forsake the domain of evil¹⁰⁸ for the sake of God; and if they revert to [open] enmity, seize them and slay them wherever you may find them. And do not take any of them¹⁰⁹ for your ally or giver of succour,

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {2}, note [203], as well as note [124] of this surah.

I.e., any of those who have not "forsaken the domain of evil" and are wavering between belief and disbelief.

Their real wish is to see that you become a disbeliever, as they themselves have disbelieved, so that you may become exactly like them. So you should not take friends from their ranks unless they immigrate in the way of Allah; and if they do not, seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and do not take any of them as protectors or helpers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

unless it be such [of them] as have ties with people to whom you yourselves are bound by a covenant, or such as come unto you because their hearts shrink from [the thought of] making war either on you or on their own folk - although, if God had willed to make them stronger than you, they would certainly have made war on you.¹¹⁰ Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you to harm them.¹¹¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "if God had so willed, He would indeed have given them power over you, whereupon...", etc. - implying that only the lack of requisite power, and not true good will, causes them to refrain from making war on the believers.

Lit., "God has given you no way against them": a reference to the ordinance laid down in verse {86} above.

The exception to this is for those who take refuge with your allies or come over to you because their hearts restrain them both from fighting against you and from fighting against their own people. If Allah had wanted, He would have given them power over you and they might easily have fought against you; therefore, if they withdraw from you and cease their hostility and offer you peace, in that case Allah has not granted you permission to fight against them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Except those who seek refuge with a people between whom and you there is a covenant, or (those who) come unto you because their hearts forbid them to make war on you or make war on their own folk. Had Allah willed He could have given them power over you so that assuredly they would have fought you. So, if they hold aloof from you and wage not war against you and offer you peace, Allah alloweth you no way against them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

You will find [that there are] others who would like to be safe from you as well as safe from their own folk, [but who,] whenever they are faced anew with temptation to evil, plunge into it headlong.¹¹² Hence, if they do not let you be, and do not offer you peace, and do not stay their hands, seize them and slay them whenever you come upon them: for it is against these that We have clearly empowered you [to make war].¹¹³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "whenever they are returned to temptation (fitnah), they are thrown back into it", or, "thrown headlong into it".

Lit., "that We have given you clear authority (sultan)" - a solemn reiteration of the ordinance which permits war only in self-defence (cf. 2:190 ff. as well as the corresponding notes [167] and [168]).

You will find other hypocrites who wish to be safe from you as well as from their own people; but who would plunge into mischief whenever they get an opportunity. Therefore if they do not keep distance from you and neither offer you peace, nor cease their hostilities against you, you may seize them and kill them wherever you find them, against such people We give you absolute authority.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Ye will find others who desire that they should have security from you, and security from their own folk. So often as they are returned to hostility they are plunged therein. If they keep not aloof from you nor offer you peace nor hold their hands, then take them and kill them wherever ye find them. Against such We have given you clear warrant.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND IT IS not conceivable that a believer should slay another believer, unless it be by mistake.¹¹⁴ And upon him who has slain a believer by mistake there is the duty of freeing a believing soul from bondage and paying an indemnity to the victim's relations,¹¹⁵ unless they forgo it by way of charity. Now if the slain, while himself a believer, belonged to a people who are at war with you,¹¹⁶ [the penance shall be confined to] the freeing of a believing soul from bondage; whereas, if he belonged to a people to whom you are bound by a covenant, [it shall consist of] an indemnity to be paid to his relations in addition to the freeing of a believing soul from bondage.¹¹⁷ And he who does not have the wherewithal shall fast [instead] for two consecutive months.¹¹⁸ [This is] the atonement ordained by God: and God is indeed all-knowing, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

On the strength of this verse, read in conjunction with verse {93}, some of the Mu'tazilite scholars are of the opinion that a believer who deliberately kills another believer must be considered an unbeliever (Razi). This does not, of course, apply to the execution of a death sentence passed in due process of law.

Lit., "his people" - i.e., the heirs or dependents of the victim. The "freeing of a believing soul from bondage", mentioned three times in this verse, refers in the first instance to persons who have been taken captive in war (cf. surah {8}, note [72]) But see also note [5] on 58:3 .

Lit., "who are hostile to you" - implying that they are in an actual state of war.

This relates to cases where the victim is a non-Muslim belonging to a people with whom the Muslims have normal, peaceful relations; in such cases the penalty is the same as that imposed for the killing, under similar circumstances, of a fellow-believer.

I.e., in the way prescribed for fasting during the month of Ramadan (see {2:183-187}). This alleviation applies to a person who cannot afford to pay the indemnity and/or purchase the freedom of a slave (Razi), or cannot find a slave to be freed, as may be the case in our times (Manar V, 337).

It is not befitting for a believer to kill a believer except by accident, and whoever accidently kills a believer, he is commanded to free a believing slave and pay bloodwit to the family of the victim, unless they forgo it as a charity. If the victim is from a hostile nation, then the freeing of a believing slave is enough, but if he belonged to a nation with whom you have a treaty, then bloodwit must be paid to his family along with the freeing of a believing slave. Those who do not have the means (bloodwit and or a slave) must fast two consecutive months: a method of repentance provided by Allah. Allah is the Knowledgeable, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is not for a believer to kill a believer unless (it be) by mistake. He who hath killed a believer by mistake must set free a believing slave, and pay the blood money to the family of the slain, unless they remit it as a charity. If he (the victim) be of a people hostile unto you, and he is a believer, then (the penance is) to set free a believing slave. And if he cometh of a folk between whom and you there is a covenant, then the blood money must be paid unto his folk and (also) a believing slave must be set free. And whoso hath not the wherewithal must fast two consecutive months. A penance from Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But whoever deliberately slays another believer, his requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and God will condemn him, and will reject him, and will prepare for him awesome suffering.

  - Mohammad Asad

Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his punishment is hell to live therein forever. He shall incur the wrath of Allah, Who will lay His curse on him and prepare for him a woeful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose, his reward is Hell for ever. Allah is wroth against him and He hath cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[Hence,] O you who have attained to faith, when you go forth [to war] in God's cause, use your discernment, and do not - out of a desire for the fleeting gains of this worldly life - say unto anyone who offers you the greeting of peace, "Thou art not a believer":¹¹⁹ for with God there are gains abundant. You, too, were once in the same condition¹²⁰ - but God has been gracious unto you. Use, therefore, your discernment: verily, God is always aware of what you do.

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "and therefore one of the enemies". This verse prohibits the treating of noncombatants as enemies and using their supposed unbelief as a pretext for plundering them. The injunction "use your discernment" (tabayyanu) imposes on the believers the duty of making sure, in every case, whether the persons concerned are actively engaged in hostilities or not.

Lit., "thus have you [too] been aforetime". Since the preceding injunction refers to the whole community, it would seem that the above clause, too, bears the same implication: namely, a reference to the time when the Muslim community was, because of its weakness and numerical insignificance, at the mercy of enemies endowed with greater power. Thus, the believers are told, as it were: "Remember your erstwhile weakness, and treat the peacefully-minded among your enemies with the same consideration with which you yourselves were once hoping to be treated."

O believers! When you struggle in the way of Allah, investigate carefully, and do not say to anyone who offers you a salutation: "You are not a believer" in order to seek worldly gain by this. Allah has abundant spoils for you. Remember that you yourselves were in the same condition before, Allah has conferred His favors on you. Therefore, make a thorough investigation before considering someone an unbeliever. Allah is well aware of all your actions.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou are not a believer;" seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever informed of what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

SUCH of the believers as remain passive¹²¹ - other than the disabled - cannot be deemed equal to those who strive hard in God's cause with their possessions and their lives:¹²² God has exalted those who strive hard with their possessions and their lives far above those who remain passive. Although God has promised the ultimate good unto all [believers], yet has God exalted those who strive hard above those who remain passive by [promising them] a mighty reward -

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who sit [at home]" - i.e., who do not participate in the struggle in God's cause, be it physical or moral.

The term mujahid is derived from the verb jahada, which means "he struggled" or "strove hard" or "exerted himself", namely, in a good cause and against evil. Consequently, jihad denotes "striving in the cause of God" in the widest sense of this expression: that is to say, it applies not merely to physical warfare (qital) but to any righteous struggle in the moral sense as well; thus, for instance, the Prophet described man's struggle against his own passions and weaknesses (jihad an-nafs) as the "greatest jihad" (Bayhaqi, on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah).

Those believers who stay at home - having no physical disability - are not equal to those who make Jihad (struggle) in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their persons. Allah has granted a higher rank to those who make Jihad with their wealth and their persons than to those who stay at home. Though Allah has promised a good reward for all, Allah has prepared a much richer reward for those who make Jihad for Him than for those who stay at home

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have a (disabling) hurt, are not on an equality with those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. Unto each Allah hath promised good, but He hath bestowed on those who strive a great reward above the sedentary;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[many] degrees thereof - and forgiveness of sins, and His grace; for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

- they have special higher ranks, forgiveness and mercy. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Degrees of rank from Him, and forgiveness and mercy. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, those whom the angels gather in death while they are still sinning against themselves, [the angels] will ask, "What was wrong with you?"¹²³ They will answer: "We were too weak on earth." [The angels] will say: "Was, then, God's earth not wide enough for you to forsake the domain of evil?"¹²⁴ For such, then, the goal is hell - and how evil a journey's end!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in what [condition] were you?" - i.e., while alive. This refers to people who evade without valid excuse, all struggle in God's cause.

Lit., "was not God's earth wide, so that you could migrate therein?" The term hijrah (lit., "exodus"), derived from the verb hajara ("he migrated"), is used in the Our'an in two senses: one of them is historical, denoting the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to Medina, while the other has a moral connotation - namely, man's "exodus" from evil towards God - and does not necessarily imply the leaving of one's homeland in the physical sense. It is this wider, moral and ethical meaning of the term hijrah to which the above passage refers - just as the preceding passage (verses {95-96}) referred to "striving hard in God's cause" (jihad) in the widest sense of the term, embracing both physical and moral efforts and the sacrifice, if need be, of one's possessions and even one's life. While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H., the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam: in other words, a person who does not "migrate from evil unto God" cannot be considered a believer - which explains the condemnation, in the next sentence, of all who are remiss in this respect.

When the angels of death cause those people to die who have wronged their souls, they ask: "What was your condition?" They reply: "We were oppressed in the earth." The angels say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate and go somewhere else?" Hell will be their abode and it is a very evil refuge!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they wrong themselves, (the angels) will ask: In what were ye engaged? They will say : We were oppressed in the land. (The angels) will say: Was not Allah's earth spacious that ye could have migrated therein? As for such, their habitation will be hell, an evil journey's end;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But excepted shall be the truly helpless - be they men or women or children - who cannot bring forth any strength and have not been shown the right way:¹²⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "cannot find the [right] way" - implying that they are helplessly confused and cannot, therefore, grasp this basic demand of Islam; or, alternatively, that the message relating to this demand has not been adequately conveyed and explained to them.

However, those helpless men, women and children who have neither the means to migrate nor strength to escape,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Except the feeble among men, and the women, and the children, who are unable to devise a plan and are not shown a way.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

as for them, God may well efface their sin - for God is indeed an absolver of sins, much-forgiving.

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah may pardon them. Allah is the Pardoning, Forgiving.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As for such, it may be that Allah will pardon them. Allah is ever Clement, Forgiving.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And he who forsakes the domain of evil for the sake of God shall find on earth many a lonely road,¹²⁶ as well as life abundant. And if anyone leaves his home, fleeing from evil unto God and His Apostle, and then death overtakes him - his reward is ready with God: for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

The word muragham is derived from the noun ragham ("dust") and is connected with the idiomatic expression raghima anfuhu, "his nose was made to cleave to dust", i.e., he became humbled and forced to do something against his will. Thus, muragham denotes "a road by the taking of which one leaves one's people against their will" (Zamakhshari), it being understood that this separation from one's famililar environment involves what is described as muraghamah, the "breaking off [from another]" or the "cutting off from friendly or living communion" (see Lane III, 1113). All this can best be rendered, in the above context, as "a lonely road" - a metaphor of that heartbreaking loneliness which almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets forth on his "exodus from evil unto God". (Regarding this latter expression, see note [124] above as well as surah {2}, note [203].)

He who emigrates in the path of Allah shall find numerous places of refuge in the Earth and abundant resources. He who leaves his home to migrate for Allah and His Rasool and dies on the way, his reward becomes due and sure with Allah. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Whoso migrateth for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whoso forsaketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtaketh him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall