88 Page Notes

04 Surah An-Nisa (continued)

Page 88 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

4:60

4:61

4:62

4:63

4:64

4:65

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 88 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 88 of the Holy Quran contains Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), verses 60 through 65. This section addresses a critical systemic vulnerability in the early Medinan community: the presence of hypocrites (Munafiqun) who outwardly claimed Islam but actively sought to subvert the legal, civil, and theological authority of the Prophet Muhammad by bypassing his judiciary in favor of pre-Islamic pagan tribunals or outside arbitration.

The Prophetic Sunnah and classical Hadith literature provide extensive contextual background (Asbab al-Nuzul) and definitions of true faith for this passage.

1. Verses 60–63: The False Arbitrator (Taghut) and Hypocrisy

"Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you... they wish to refer legislation to 'Taghut' while they were commanded to reject it?..."

The Sabab al-Nuzul (Cause of Revelation)

Classical commentators, including Al-Wahidi, Ibn Kathir, and Al-Baghawi, record multiple distinct historical disputes that occurred simultaneously in Medina, which collectively prompted the revelation of these verses.

• The Dispute Between a Hypocrite and a Jewish Citizen: A man who outwardly professed Islam had a bitter financial dispute with a local Jewish man (Ahmad, 2024). The Jewish man, knowing the absolute, unbribable integrity of the Prophet Muhammad, insisted: "Let us take our dispute to Muhammad." The hypocrite, fearing an honest ruling that would not favor his fraudulent claim, refused and argued: "No, let us instead go to Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf (the pagan chief of the Banu Nadir)" or to local tribal fortune-tellers (Kuhhan) who practiced pre-Islamic customary law (Taghut) (Ahmad, 2024).

• The Judgment of Umar ibn al-Khattab: In a continuation of this narrative recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, when the hypocrite refused to accept the Prophet's subsequent ruling against him, he dragged the Jewish man to Umar ibn al-Khattab hoping for a different outcome. When Umar learned that the Prophet Muhammad had already issued a formal judgment which the "Muslim" man was actively rejecting, Umar went inside his house, brought out his sword, and executed the hypocrite on the spot, declaring: "This is how I judge whoever does not accept the judgment of Allah and His Messenger."

The Dynamic of Fabricated Oaths

Verse 62 exposes the behavior of these individuals when caught: "How will it be when disaster strikes them... then they come to you swearing by Allah, 'We intended nothing but good and reconciliation'?"

The Sunnah maps out this psychological blueprint across multiple narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The Prophet warned that the defining hallmark of a hypocrite (Munafiq) is that "when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks it; and when he disputes, he resorts to obscene, wicked language and false oaths." The text explicitly reveals that their pleas for "reconciliation" were merely calculated damage control to maintain social status within the Muslim state.

2. Verse 64: The Prophet’s Intercession and Asking Forgiveness

"And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah . And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful."

The Sunnah of Seeking Prophetic Supplication

This verse establishes a unique spiritual protocol during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. When companions fell into sin or made severe errors in judgment, they would explicitly approach the Prophet, layout their missteps, and beg him to supplicate to God on their behalf.

The practical application of this is recorded extensively across the books of Sunan. For instance, during the aftermath of the military expeditions where certain companions lagged behind without a valid excuse, they tied themselves to the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque, waiting for the Prophet to personally untie them, accept their apologies, and pray for their divine forgiveness (Nasser, 2026). The Sunnah demonstrates that the Prophet's structural role as a living spiritual mediator and intercessor (Shafi') was essential to repairing communal fractures.

3. Verse 65: The Absolute Test of True Faith (Iman)

"But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full submission."

This verse is universally classified by Islamic jurists as one of the most legally heavy verses in the Quran, establishing that true faith is contingent upon absolute internal and external submission to Prophetic decrees.

The Primary Cause of Revelation: The Water Dispute of Az-Zubayr

A highly authentic, detailed Hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4585), Sahih Muslim, and Sunan an-Nasa'i provides the precise backdrop for this divine oath:

Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (the Prophet's cousin and a Meccan Emigrant) had a bitter land dispute with a native Medinan companion (Ansar) who had fought at the Battle of Badr. They argued over a natural stream in the volcanic tract (Al-Harrah) used to irrigate their respective date-palm orchards. Because Az-Zubayr's land was located upstream, closer to the source, he wanted to block the water until his trees were watered before letting it pass. The Ansari insisted that the water flow freely to him immediately.

They brought the case to the Prophet Muhammad for arbitration. Seeking an equitable, generous compromise that would preserve communal harmony, the Prophet issued an initial lenient suggestion to his cousin: "O Zubayr! Irrigate your land first, and then let the water flow swiftly to your neighbor."

Hearing this, the Ansari companion became deeply defensive, allowed his emotions to flare up, and snapped at the Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah! Is it simply because he happens to be your cousin?"

Upon hearing this accusation of familial nepotism, the Prophet's facial expression completely changed color out of intense anger. Because his divinely guided justice had been directly insulted, he revoked his previous lenient compromise and applied the strict, full letter of property law: "O Zubayr! Hold back the water completely until it reaches the base of your retaining walls, and only then release it to your neighbor."

Az-Zubayr later stated: "By Allah, I am certain that this exact verse was revealed concerning this very incident: 'But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them...'"

Legal and Theological Implication

The Sunnah emphasizes that the Ansari was a genuine believer who had a human slip of the tongue under emotional stress—which the Prophet ultimately pardoned—but the incident was permanently preserved via revelation to teach the global community a lesson (Iftaa Department, 2023).

True Iman (faith) is not merely an intellectual or abstract acknowledgment of God; it requires an active silencing of the ego when a final, clear text of the Quran and authentic Sunnah issues a ruling on any matter, whether personal, financial, or political (Nasser, 2026).

References

• Ahmad, Y. A. H. (2024). The Socio-Political Realities of Medina's People of the Book: A Scriptural Analysis. Kalamullah Publishers.

• Al-Bukhari, M. (d. 870). Sahih al-Bukhari (Kitab At-Tafsir [Book of Commentary] & Kitab al-Ahkam [Book of Judgments]).

• Iftaa' Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (2023). The Rulings and Contextual Analysis of Surah An-Nisa Ayah 65. Fatwa No. 1879.

• Nasser, A. (2026). The Concept of Rida (Contentment) and Legal Submission in Early Medinan Society. Hyder Publications.