4. An-Nisaa

After a person accepts God’s religion, he repeatedly encounters such situations in his life whereby the sincerity of his decision is tested. ‘Migration’ is one such test. It implies that when worldly gains and convenience appear to be obstacles in the path of religion, one should thrust them aside and move ahead towards God. If the situation demands, the individual should abandon his relatives and home as well. If he is able to move ahead in the path of truth in the moment of trial, by ignoring personal gains and expediency, he consolidates his attachment to truth. One who adopts this course, enhances his sensitivity to truth and continues to move closer to it. But one who does not, diminishes his receptiveness to truth. The hard demands of religion divide people into several groups: simple people, opponents and hypocrites. Muslims must deal with them accordingly. They should be firm in eradicating evil through peaceful means but lenient in the discharge of moral responsibilities. They should be considerate to the weak and try to influence others instead of becoming swayed themselves. They should not challenge a group who wants to make peace with them.

Killing is a heinous and irreversible crime. One who deliberately kills another therefore brings down upon himself the wrath of God. Such an act leaves no scope for atonement. God will reject him, and he will be rewarded with eternal hell fire. Accidental killing, however, is more leniently punished. If one unintentionally kills someone, but then, fully realizing the gravity of the crime, sincerely seeks God’s forgiveness and makes due monetary compensation, one may hope for divine clemency. One positive development arising from having faced up to the enormity of the crime is the desire for self-reform. To this end God has given man His directives. Self-punishment is a starting point and may be achieved by the observance of a continuous fast.

Killing is a heinous and irreversible crime. One who deliberately kills another therefore brings down upon himself the wrath of God. Such an act leaves no scope for atonement. God will reject him, and he will be rewarded with eternal hell fire. Accidental killing, however, is more leniently punished. If one unintentionally kills someone, but then, fully realizing the gravity of the crime, sincerely seeks God’s forgiveness and makes due monetary compensation, one may hope for divine clemency. One positive development arising from having faced up to the enormity of the crime is the desire for self-reform. To this end God has given man His directives. Self-punishment is a starting point and may be achieved by the observance of a continuous fast.

In essence, these verses primarily lay down the law on premeditated and unpremeditated modes of crime, but they also suggest ways, under the divine law, of dealing with and checking other serious crimes in the public realm. Just as it is our duty not to deprive our fellow men of their lives, we are also commanded that we should not disgrace others, or rob or deprive them of their livelihood or victimize them in any manner such as would seriously disturb their peace of mind. If one commits any such damaging acts against others by mistake, one should be quick to accept the blame. Proof of the realisation of guilt would be sincere repentance before God and providing compensation for the loss of the affected person. But if one indulges in acts such as are deliberately intended to harm and harass others, this would be regarded as the equivalent of an act of deliberate homicide, the only difference being in its degree of gravity.

Muslims broadly fall into two categories as far the level of their actions is concerned. One category is comprised of those who adopt the Islamic way of life, remaining within the confines of obligatory injunctions. They worship God and live discreetly, heeding what is lawful and what is unlawful. The second category includes those who live at the level of sacrifice. They follow Islam and exert themselves to convey its message to other people, willingly enduring the difficulties of their endeavour. They place their lives and prossessions in jeopardy for the cause of Islam. They do not confine themselves to obeying obligatory injunctions, but move far beyond—offering their very existence for the sake of Islam. Muslims in both the categories are sincere and will be recipients of their respective shares of God’s grace; however, the status of the second category of Muslims is different from the first. Their offerings in the path of God were not in measurable terms, so neither will God’s requital of their efforts be measurable. These Muslims joined the mission of God without any consideration for expediency; accordingly, God’s grace and mercy will, in return, be immeasurable.

A believer naturally wants a free environment where his believing personality may find full opportunities to express itself. If he finds the environment unfavourable, he had better change his surroundings. This change of place is called hijrah (emigration). Thus, in the real spirit of hijrah, one should remove oneself from an unfavourable to a favourable situation. Let us take the example of a person who is associated with an organisation which is dominated by certain personalities. He realises that he may exist there only as a glorifier of those personalities and not as a glorifier of God. Now, if for the sake of self-interest he compromises with that atmosphere and fails to proclaim the truth as he sees it, and then, still in the same state, he breathes his last, it might be said that in that case, he had perpetrated an injustice against his soul.

A believer naturally wants a free environment where his believing personality may find full opportunities to express itself. If he finds the environment unfavourable, he had better change his surroundings. This change of place is called hijrah (emigration). Thus, in the real spirit of hijrah, one should remove oneself from an unfavourable to a favourable situation. Let us take the example of a person who is associated with an organisation which is dominated by certain personalities. He realises that he may exist there only as a glorifier of those personalities and not as a glorifier of God. Now, if for the sake of self-interest he compromises with that atmosphere and fails to proclaim the truth as he sees it, and then, still in the same state, he breathes his last, it might be said that in that case, he had perpetrated an injustice against his soul.

A believer naturally wants a free environment where his believing personality may find full opportunities to express itself. If he finds the environment unfavourable, he had better change his surroundings. This change of place is called hijrah (emigration). Thus, in the real spirit of hijrah, one should remove oneself from an unfavourable to a favourable situation. Let us take the example of a person who is associated with an organisation which is dominated by certain personalities. He realises that he may exist there only as a glorifier of those personalities and not as a glorifier of God. Now, if for the sake of self-interest he compromises with that atmosphere and fails to proclaim the truth as he sees it, and then, still in the same state, he breathes his last, it might be said that in that case, he had perpetrated an injustice against his soul.

When a call of truth is raised, which demands that the believers respond to the call and expend their energies and their wealth on spreading this message, they refuse to come out of their cocoons of self-interest and expediency. Thus they fail to join the caller for truth and become his supporters. If they continue to remain in this state till the moment of their death, they will appear before God as having done an injustice to their own lives. However, those who are really helpless and incapable of extending any support are exempted from this condition.