83 Page Notes

04 Surah An-Nisa (continued)

Page 83 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

4:27

4:28

4:29

4:30

4:31

4:32

4:33

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 83 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 83 of the Holy Quran contains Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), verses 27 through 33. These verses establish essential social boundaries, criminal law guidelines, financial and trade ethics, the psychological roots of envy, and the transition of pre-Islamic contractual structures into systematic inheritance laws.

The Prophetic Sunnah and classical Hadith compilations provide historical context (Asbab al-Nuzul) and clear legal applications for these verses.

1. Verses 29–30: Financial Integrity, Trade, and Self-Destruction

"O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]..."

The Prerequisite of Mutual Consent in Business

Verse 29 forms the bedrock of Islamic commercial jurisprudence (Fiqh al-Muamalat). It allows wealth transmission exclusively through trade based on mutual goodwill. The Prophet Muhammad directly reinforced this verse in a highly cited Hadith recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah:

"Transactions are only valid by mutual consent." (Samsuri et al., 2024).

This Sunnah principle outlaws transactions built on fraud, coercion, usury (Riba), or asymmetric information, declaring them forms of "devouring property unjustly" (Samsuri et al., 2024).

The Prohibition of Suicide and Murder

The command "do not kill yourselves" explicitly outlaws suicide, while also implying that killing a fellow believer is equivalent to killing a part of oneself due to the brotherhood of faith.

A famous historical application of this verse is found during the military expedition of Dhat as-Salasil. The companion Amr ibn al-Aas found himself in a state of major ritual impurity on an intensely cold night. Fearing that taking a cold bath (Ghusl) would cause his death via hypothermia, he performed dry purification (Tayammum) instead and led the morning prayer (Kharis et al., 2025).

When this was reported to the Prophet Muhammad, he asked, "O 'Amr! Did you lead your companions in prayer while you were ritually impure?" 'Amr replied that he remembered Allah's words in Surah An-Nisa verse 29: "And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you." The Prophet smiled and did not rebuke him (Sunan Abi Dawud), establishing the Sunnah precedent that preserving human life overrides rigid ritual obligations (Kharis et al., 2025).

2. Verse 31: Expiation of Minor Sins via Avoiding Major Sins (Kaba'ir)

"If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins..."

This verse creates a structural division in Islamic law between Major Sins (Kaba'ir) and Minor Sins (Sagha'ir).

The Sunnah Definition of Major Sins

The Prophetic Sunnah defines and numbers these major transgressions across multiple authentic narrations. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad stated:

"Avoid the seven destructive sins." The companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what are they?" He replied, "Associating partners with Allah (Shirk), sorcery, killing a soul unjustly, devouring usury (Riba), devouring the property of an orphan, fleeing from the battlefield, and falsely accusing chaste, innocent believing women." (Fauzi & Lukito, 2024).

The Sunnah clarifies that while minor spiritual shortcomings are continuously wiped clean by daily acts of worship like perfect ablution (Wudu) and the five obligatory prayers, major sins bypass this default expiation and require dedicated, sincere repentance (Tawbah) (Fauzi & Lukito, 2024).

3. Verse 32: Prohibition of Envy and Gendered Roles

"And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you excel others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned..."

The Cause of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

Imam Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, and Al-Hakim record that the Prophet’s wife, Umm Salamah, approached him with a poignant inquiry reflecting the gender dynamics of the era. She remarked:

"O Messenger of Allah! Men go to battle (Jihad) while we do not, and we receive only half the share of inheritance." (Zulkhairi et al., 2023).

In direct response to her observation and to curb the human tendency to covet alternate socioeconomic roles, Allah revealed Verse 32 (Zulkhairi et al., 2023). The Sunnah here directs believers away from zero-sum social envy, establishing that both genders have unique, structurally balanced paths to spiritual and financial earnings that are fully recognized by God.

4. Verse 33: The Abrogation of Pre-Islamic Contractual Inheritance

"And to everyone We have appointed rightful heirs to what parents and near of kin leave behind. And to those with whom you have made a pledge—give them their share..."

The Transition from Pact-Brotherhood to Blood Inheritance

In the earliest days of Islam in Medina, the Prophet Muhammad instituted a formal bond of brotherhood (Mu'akhat) pairing individual Meccan Emigrants (Muhajirun) with Medinan Helpers (Ansar) to facilitate survival (Aris, 2025).

A critical Hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari narrated by Ibn Abbas clarifies the legal evolution of Verse 33:

When the Emigrants arrived in Medina, a Muhajir would inherit from his Ansari brother to the total exclusion of the Ansari's biological relatives, because of the solemn oath of brotherhood the Prophet had established between them. When Verse 33 ("And to everyone We have appointed rightful heirs...") was revealed, it legally revoked (Naskh) inheritance based on these artificial pacts, restoring inheritance rights exclusively to biological kin.

The phrase "give them their share" remained valid only for mutual loyalty, social cooperation, and financial assistance during life, or through the allocation of a voluntary third of a person's estate via a formal will (Wasiyyah), but completely removed them from automatic intestate inheritance (Aris, 2025).

References

• Aris, N. (2025). Dynamics of legal transitions in early Islamic inheritance. Journal of Sharia and Islamic Law, 7(1), 44–49.

• Fauzi, A., & Lukito, R. (2024). The taxonomy of Kaba'ir (Major Sins) in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence. Indonesian Journal of Legal Studies, 12(3), 211–217.

• Kharis, M., Abdullah, S., & Rosadi, K. (2025). The principle of necessity (Darurah) and its applications in Sunnah literature. Global Review of Islamic Civilization, 5(2), 88–94.

• Samsuri, A., Fitri, N., & Ramli, M. (2024). Redefining mutual consent (Taradhin) in modern digital transactions: A Quranic and Hadith perspective. Journal of Islamic Economics and Finance, 10(1), 123–129.

• Zulkhairi, M., Yusof, W., & Ibrahim, H. (2023). Contextualizing the Asbab al-Nuzul of Surah An-Nisa: A study on gender roles and equity. International Journal of Quranic Research, 15(4), 301–308.