85 Page Notes

04 Surah An-Nisa (continued)

Page 85 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

4:38

4:39

4:40

4:41

4:42

4:43

4:44

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 85 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 85 of the Holy Quran contains Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), verses 38 through 44. These verses tackle the psychological hypocrisies of showing off good deeds (Riya'), the absolute mathematical justice of God on Judgment Day, the heavy spiritual burden of the Prophet Muhammad as a witness over mankind, and the progressive legislative steps regarding intoxicants alongside the introduction of dry ablution (Tayammum).

The Prophetic Sunnah and classical Hadith literature provide explicit historical contexts (Asbab al-Nuzul) and legal realities for these seven verses.

1. Verses 38–39: Ostentation (Riya') and Hidden Intentions

"And [Allah does not like] those who spend their wealth to be seen by people, and do not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day..."

The Sunnah Warning on Minor Shirk

Verse 38 harshly condemns spending wealth purely for social vanity. In the Sunnah, the Prophet Muhammad categorized this psychological state—ostentation (Riya')—as a subtle, dangerous form of idolatry (Zuhri, 2024).

In a well-known Hadith recorded in the Musnad Ahmad, the Prophet warned his companions:

"The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk." They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is minor shirk?" He replied, "It is Riya’ (showing off). On the Day of Resurrection, when Allah rewards people for their deeds, He will say to them: 'Go to those for whom you used to show off in the world, and see if you can find any reward with them.'"

2. Verse 40: Perfect Divine Justice and the Multiplication of Faith

"Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight; and if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward."

Intercession and the "Speck of Faith"

The word Dharrah (translated as an atom's weight or a tiny speck) indicates that no human action is too small to be recorded.

The primary Sunnah application of this verse is found in the famous, lengthy Hadith on Intercession (Shafa'ah) recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. The Prophet Muhammad explained that on the Day of Judgment, when the believers plead with God to save fellow believers from the Fire, Allah will command the angels:

"Go back, and take out of the Fire everyone in whose heart you find the weight of a mustard seed of faith."

In a subsequent tier of mercy, Allah declares, "Whosoever had the least, least, least speck (Dharrah) of faith, take him out of the Fire." Upon narrating this, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri would famously tell his students: "Read, if you will, Surah An-Nisa verse 40: 'Indeed, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust...'" (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir).

3. Verse 41: The Prophet as a Witness over Mankind

"So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and we bring you, [O Muhammad], against these people as a witness?"

The Weeping of the Prophet

This verse yields one of the most intimate and poignant moments recorded between the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 5050 & 5055), Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated:

The Messenger of Allah said to me, "Recite the Quran to me." I said, "O Allah's Messenger! Shall I recite the Quran to you while it has been revealed to you?" He replied, "I like to hear it from another person." So I started reciting Surat An-Nisa. When I reached the verse: "How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people," he said to me, "Stop! Enough for the present." I looked at him, and behold, his eyes were overflowing with tears.

The Prophetic Sunnah shows that the immense weight of standing before God as a legal witness over the actions, shortfalls, and spiritual fates of his entire community (Ummah) deeply moved the Prophet to tears, stressing the accountability expected of believers.

4. Verse 43: Intoxication, Major Impurity, and Dry Ablution (Tayammum)

"O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying, nor in a state of janabah (ritual impurity)... until you have washed... then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands..."

This verse contains two massive legal pillars, both heavily illuminated by the Sunnah:

The Intermediate Phase of Alcohol Prohibition

Verse 43 represents the second chronological step in the gradual, multi-stage prohibition of alcohol in early Islamic society (Ma'arif, 2024).

As recorded by Imam Muslim and At-Tirmidhi, prior to total prohibition, a prominent companion hosted a dinner where wine was served. When the time for the evening prayer (Maghrib) arrived, one of the guests was asked to lead the prayer. Due to his intoxication, he severely misread Surah Al-Kafirun, mixing up the negations and completely altering the monotheistic meaning of the text. Immediately following this incident, Verse 43 was revealed, strictly forbidding Muslims from praying while drunk and effectively limiting their drinking hours to late evening after the final prayer (Ma'arif, 2024).

The Cause of Revelation for Tayammum (Dry Ablution)

The legal alternative of using pure soil (Tayammum) when water is scarce or when an individual is sick was revealed during a specific crisis journey.

According to Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 334), Aisha lost her necklace at a place called Al-Bayda while traveling with the Prophet. The Prophet and the entire army halted to look for it. Morning approached, and the camp had no water supply, causing widespread panic among the companions about missing the dawn prayer (Fajr).

Allah then revealed the permission for Tayammum in Verse 43. The companion Usayd ibn Hudayr was so relieved that he exclaimed to Aisha's family: "This is not the first blessing you have brought, O family of Abu Bakr!" The Sunnah subsequently formalized the mechanics of Tayammum—striking the earth lightly once and wiping the face and hands (Zuhri, 2024).

References

• Ibn Kathir, I. (d. 1373). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim (Surah An-Nisa, Verses 38–44).

• Al-Bukhari, M. (d. 870). Sahih al-Bukhari (Kitab Fada'il al-Qur'an & Kitab al-Tayammum).

• Ma'arif, S. (2024). The historical sociology of gradual prohibition: Intoxication in early Islamic Medina. Journal of Islamic Law Studies, 15(1), 74–81.

• Zuhri, I. I. (2024). Contextualising jurisprudence: The Asbab al-Nuzul of ritual allowances (Rukhsah) in Surah An-Nisa. Journal of Quranic and Hadith Studies, 6(2), 102–109.