4. An-Nisaa

The following was revealed regarding Ka‘b b. al-Ashraf and other such scholars from among the Jews when they came to Mecca and saw those killed at Badr and began to incite the idolaters to avenge them their dead by waging war against the Prophet s Have you not seen those who were given a share of the Book how they believe in al-Jibt and al-Tāghūt two idols belonging to Quraysh and say to the disbelievers to Abū Sufyān and his companions when they the latter said to them ‘Are we who are the guardians of the House who give drink to the pilgrim offer hospitality to the guest set free the captive and do such and such … not more rightly guided than Muhammad he who has contravened the religion of his forefathers severed the ties of kinship and abandoned the Sanctuary?’ ‘These in other words you are more rightly guided upon a more upright way than the believers’?

Those are the ones whom God has cursed; and he whom God has cursed you will never find for him any helper anyone to protect him from His chastisement.

Or have they a share in the Kingdom? that is to say they have no share in it whatever and even if they did then they would not give the people a single date-spot that is not even something as worthless as the tiny spot on the back of a date-pit because of the extent of their niggardliness.

Or nay are they jealous of people namely of the Prophet s for the bounty that God has bestowed upon them in the way of prophethood and abundance of women? In other words they wish that he be deprived of such things saying ‘If he were truly a prophet he would not be concerned with women’. For We gave the House of Abraham his forefather the likes of Moses David and Solomon the Book and wisdom and prophethood and We gave them a mighty kingdom David had ninety–nine women and Solomon had a thousand free women and slavegirls.

And there are some of them who believe in him in Muhammad (s) and some of them who bar from him who reject him and do not believe. Hell suffices for a blaze as a chastisement for those who do not believe.

Surely those who disbelieve in Our signs — We shall expose them We shall admit them to a Fire wherein they shall burn; as often as their skins are consumed burnt We shall replace them with other skins restoring them to their initial unburnt state that they may taste the chastisement that they may suffer its severity. Surely God is ever Mighty nothing being beyond His power Wise in His creation.

And those that believe and perform righteous deeds We shall admit them to Gardens underneath which rivers flow wherein they abide they shall have therein spouses purified of menstruation and every impurity and We shall admit them to plenteous shade that is everlasting shade never replaced by any sun and this is the shade of Paradise.

Verily God commands you to restore trusts that is the rights entrusted to you by others back to their owners this was revealed when ‘Alī may God be pleased with him took the key of the Ka‘ba from its keeper ‘Uthmān b. Talha al-Hajabī by force upon the arrival of the Prophet s in Mecca in the year of the Conquest after he ‘Uthmān had tried to prevent him ‘Alī from taking it saying ‘If I had known that he was the Messenger of God I would not have prevented him’. The Messenger of God s then ordered him ‘Alī to give it back to him ‘Uthmān saying to him ‘Here you are it is yours now and always’. He ‘Uthmān was amazed by this whereupon ‘Alī recited to him this verse and he accepted Islam. Upon his death he ‘Uthmān gave it the key to his brother Shayba and thus it remained in the keep of his descendants. Although the verse was revealed regarding a specific occasion it holds true in general on account of the plural person to which it is addressed. And when you judge between people He commands that you judge with justice. Excellent is ni‘immā the mīm of ni‘ima has been assimilated with the indefinite particle mā which is the object described in other words na‘ima shay’an ‘an excellent thing is’ the admonition God gives you to restore a trust and to judge with justice. God is ever Hearer of what is said Seer of what is done.

O you who believe obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you that is rulers when they command you to obey God and His Messenger. If you should quarrel disagree about anything refer it to God that is to His Book and the Messenger while he lives and thereafter refer to his Sunna in other words examine these disputes with reference to these two sources if you believe in God and the Last Day; that reference to the two sources is better for you than quarrelling or adhering to personal opinions and more excellent in interpretation in the end.

The following verse was revealed when a Jew and a hypocrite fell into a dispute. The hypocrite called on Ka‘b b. al-Ashraf to arbitrate between them while the Jew called on the Prophet s. When they came to him the Prophet ruled in favour of the Jew. But the hypocrite was not satisfied and so they went before ‘Umar. The Jew told him what had happened whereupon he ‘Umar turned to the hypocrite and asked him ‘Is this true?’ and when he replied ‘Yes’ he ‘Umar killed him. Have you not seen those who claim that they believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you desiring to take their disputes to a false deity tāghūt one excessive in tempting others to falsehood tughyān namely Ka‘b b. al-Ashraf when they have been commanded to renounce him? and not to associate with him. But Satan desires to mislead them far astray from the truth.