4. An-Nisaa

O you who believe take your precautions against your enemy that is be wary of him and be vigilant against him; then move forward prepare to fight him in companies in separate groups one raiding party followed by the next; or move forward all together in one assembly.

Verily there are some of you who tarry who indeed hesitate to join the fighting such as ‘Abd Allāh b. Ubayy the hypocrite and his companions — counting him the one who tarries as one of them the Muslims is from the perspective of outward appearances — the lām in the verb la-yubatti’anna ‘verily … who tarry’ is for oaths; then if an affliction befalls you such as slaughter or defeat he says ‘God has been gracious to me for I was not a witness with them’ present at the fighting lest I should be hurt.

But if wa-la-in the lām is for oaths a bounty from God befalls you such as a conquest or booty he will surely cry in regret as if ka’an is softened its subject having been omitted in other words it should be ka’annahu there had never been read lam yakun or lam takun any affection any acquaintance or friendship between you and him this statement refers back to the words in the previous verse ‘God has been gracious to me’ and comes as a parenthesis between the statement ‘that he will cry’ and the very words he cries which are ‘Oh yā is for exclamation would that I had been with them so that I might have won a great triumph!’ that is that I might have taken a good share of the booty.

God exalted be He says So let them fight in the way of God to elevate His religion those who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of God and is slain dies a martyr or conquers overcomes his enemy We shall give him a great wage a plentiful reward.

What is wrong with you that you do not fight this is an interrogative of rebuke in other words there is nothing to prevent you from fighting in the way of God and for the deliverance of the oppressed men women and children whom the disbelievers persecuted and prevented from emigrating. Ibn ‘Abbās may God be pleased with him and his father said ‘My mother and I were among them’; who say supplicating ‘O our Lord bring us forth from this town Mecca whose people are evildoers through unbelief and appoint for us a protector from You to take charge of our affair and appoint for us from You a helper’ to defend us against them. God responded to their supplication and facilitated escape for some of them while others remained behind until Mecca was conquered — in charge of them the Prophet s placed ‘Attāb b. Asīd who proceeded to seek justice for the wronged from those that had wronged them.

Have you not seen those to whom it was said ‘Restrain your hands from fighting the disbelievers when they desired it at Mecca because of the harm the disbelievers had inflicted upon them — and these were a group from among the Companions — and establish the prayer and pay the alms’? Then as soon as fighting was prescribed was made obligatory for them lo a party of them fear people the disbelievers that is they fear punishment at their hands through death as they would fear the punishment of God or with more fear than their fear of Him ashadda ‘more’ is in the accusative because it is a circumstantial qualifier; the response to the lammā ‘as soon as’ is indicated by idhā ‘lo’ and what follows in other words they are taken aback by fear and they said frightened of death ‘Our Lord why have You prescribed fighting for us? Why not lawlā is to be understood as hallā defer us to a near term?’ Say to them ‘The enjoyment of this world that which is enjoyed therein or enjoying it the world is trifling it will end up by perishing; and the Hereafter Paradise is better for him who fears God’s punishment by avoiding disobedience to Him; and you shall not be wronged lā tuzlamūna may also be read lā yuzlamūna ‘they shall not be wronged’ you shall not be diminished of your deeds a single date-thread as much as the peel on a date-stone so struggle in the way of God.

Wherever you may be death will overtake you though you should be in raised-up lofty towers’ forts so do not shrink from fighting for fear of death. And if a good thing such as fertility and abundance befalls them the Jews they say ‘This is from God’; but if an evil thing such as drought or misfortune befalls them as it did with them when the Prophet s arrived in Medina they say ‘This is from you’ O Muhammad (s) that is from the bad luck you bring. Say to them ‘Everything good and evil is from God.’ What is wrong with this people that they do not understand that is they do not come close to comprehending any words delivered to them the mā ‘what’ of mā li-hā’ūlā’ ‘what is wrong with these’ is an interrogative intended to provoke amazement at their extreme ignorance; to state that one cannot even come close to doing something is rhetorically more intense than saying that he cannot do it.

Whatever good hasana means khayr befalls you O man it is from God it has come to you from His bounty; whatever evil misfortune befalls you is from yourself it has come to you as a necessary consequence of sins you have committed. We have sent you O Muhammad (s) to people as a messenger rasūlan is a circumstantial qualifier for emphasis and God suffices as Witness of your Mission.

Whoever obeys the Messenger verily obeys God; and whoever turns his back whoever avoids obedience to you do not be concerned with them We have not sent you as a watcher over them to keep watch over their deeds but as a warner. Their affair is Ours to deal with and We will requite them. This statement was before the command to fight them was revealed.