4:146 An-Nisaa (The Women)

يخبر تعالى عن مآل المنافقين أنهم في أسفل الدركات من العذاب، وأشر الحالات من العقاب. فهم تحت سائر الكفار لأنهم شاركوهم بالكفر بالله ومعاداة رسله، وزادوا عليهم المكر والخديعة والتمكن من كثير من أنواع العداوة للمؤمنين، على وجه لا يشعر به ولا يحس. ورتبوا على ذلك جريان أحكام الإسلام عليهم، واستحقاق ما لا يستحقونه، فبذلك ونحوه استحقوا أشد العذاب، وليس لهم منقذ من عذابه ولا ناصر يدفع عنهم بعض عقابه، وهذا عام لكل منافق إلا مَنْ مَنَّ الله عليهم بالتوبة من السيئات. { وَأَصْلَحُوا } له الظواهر والبواطن { وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ } والتجأوا إليه في جلب منافعهم ودفع المضار عنهم. { وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ } الذي هو الإسلام والإيمان والإحسان { لِلَّهِ } فقصدوا وجه الله بأعمالهم الظاهرة والباطنة وسلِمُوا من الرياء والنفاق، فمن اتصف بهذه الصفات { فَأُولَئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ } أي: في الدنيا، والبرزخ، ويوم القيامة { وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا } لا يعلم كنهه إلا الله، مما لا عين رأت، ولا أذن سمعت، ولا خطر على قلب بشر. وتأمل كيف خص الاعتصام والإخلاص بالذكر، مع دخولهما في قوله: { وَأَصْلَحُوا } لأن الاعتصام والإخلاص من جملة الإصلاح، لشدة الحاجة إليهما خصوصا في هذا المقام الحرج الذي يمكن من القلوب النفاق، فلا يزيله إلا شدة الاعتصام بالله، ودوام اللجأ والافتقار إليه في دفعه، وكون الإخلاص منافيا كل المنافاة للنفاق، فذكرهما لفضلهما وتوقفِ الأعمال الظاهرة والباطنة عليهما، ولشدة الحاجة في هذا المقام إليهما. وتأمل كيف لما ذكر أن هؤلاء مع المؤمنين لم يقل: وسوف يؤتيهم أجرا عظيما، مع أن السياق فيهم. بل قال: { وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا } لأن هذه القاعدة الشريفة -لم يزل الله يبدئ فيها ويعيد، إذا كان السياق في بعض الجزئيات، وأراد أن يرتب عليه ثوابًا أو عقابا وكان ذلك مشتركًا بينه وبين الجنس الداخل فيه، رتب الثواب في مقابلة الحكم العام الذي تندرج تحته تلك القضية وغيرها، ولئلا يتوهم اختصاص الحكم بالأمر الجزئي، فهذا من أسرار القرآن البديعة، فالتائب من المنافقين مع المؤمنين وله ثوابهم.

فقال تعالى "إلا الذين تابوا وأصلحوا واعتصموا بالله وأخلصوا دينهم لله" أي بدلوا الرياء بالإخلاص فينفعهم العمل الصالح وإن قل. قال ابن أبي حاتم: حدثنا يونس بن عبدالأعلى قراءة أنبأنا ابن وهب أخبرني يحيى بن أيوب عن عبيد الله بن زحر عن خالد بن أبي عمران عن عمران عن عمرو بن مرة عن معاذ بن جبل أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال " أخلص دينك يكفك القليل من العمل " "فأولئك مع المؤمنين" أي في زمرتهم يوم القيامة "وسوف يؤت الله المؤمنين أجرا عظيما" ثم قال تعالى مخبرا عن غناه عما سواء وأنه إنما يعذب العباد بذنوبهم.

The Prohibition of Wilayah with the Disbelievers

Allah forbids His believing servants from taking the disbelievers as friends instead of the believers. This includes being friends and associates of the disbelievers, advising them, being intimate with them and exposing the secrets of the believers to them. In another Ayah, Allah said,

لاَّ يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَىْءٍ إِلاَ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَـةً وَيُحَذِّرْكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ

(Let not the believers take the disbelievers as friends instead of the believers, and whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself). meaning, He warns you against His punishment if you fall into what He has prohibited. This is why Allah said here,

أَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَجْعَلُواْ للَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَاناً مُّبِيناً

(Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest Sultan against yourselves) meaning, proof against you that warrants receiving His torment. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Ibn `Abbas commented;

سُلْطَاناً مُّبِيناً

(manifest Sultan), "The word Sultan in the Qur'an means proof. " There is an authentic chain of narration for this statement, which is also the saying of Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi and An-Nadr bin `Arabi.

The Hypocrites and the Friends of Disbelievers are in the LowestDepth of the Fire, Unless they Repent

Allah then states that,

إِنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ فِى الدَّرْكِ الاٌّسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ

(Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire;) on the Day of Resurrection due to their tremendous Kufr. Al-Walibi `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said,

فِى الدَّرْكِ الاٌّسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ

(in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire;) means, in the bottom of the Fire. Other scholars said that the Fire has ever lower depths just as Paradise had ever higher grades. Ibn Jarir recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that,

إِنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ فِى الدَّرْكِ الاٌّسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ

(Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire), "Inside coffins of Fire that surround them, for they are closed and sealed in them." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that when Ibn Mas`ud was asked about the hypocrites, he said, "They will be placed in coffins made of fire and they will be closed in them in the lowest depth of the Fire."

وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيراً

(no helper will you find for them. ) to save them from their misery and painful torment. Allah then states that whoever among the hypocrites repents in this life, Allah will accept his repentance and sorrow, if his repentance were sincere and he then follows it by performing righteous deeds, all the while depending on his Lord. Allah said, a

إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُواْ وَأَصْلَحُواْ وَاعْتَصَمُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُواْ دِينَهُمْ للَّهِ

(Except those who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, depend on Allah, and purify their religion for Allah) replacing showing off with sincerity, so that their good deeds will benefit them, even if they were minute.

فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(then they will be with the believers.) on the Day of Resurrection,

وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْراً عَظِيماً

(And Allah will grant to the believers a great reward.) Allah then states that He is too Rich to need anyone and that He only punishes the servants because of their sins,

مَّا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَءَامَنْتُمْ

(Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him.) by correcting your actions and having faith in Allah and His Messenger ,

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَـكِراً عَلِيماً

(And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.) Allah appreciates those who appreciate Him, and has knowledge of those whose hearts believe in Him, and He will give them perfect rewar.

Save those who repent of hypocrisy and make amends in their deeds and hold fast to put their trust in God and make their religion purely God’s free from any pretence; those are with the believers in terms of what they shall be given; and God will certainly give the believers a great wage in the Hereafter and that is Paradise.

The purpose in previous verses was to point out to some ugly traits of the hypocrites, though their punishment of being in Hell with disbelievers was also mentioned as a corollary to another subject.

From this stage onwards, the purpose is to state their punishment clearly. Since the inherent effect of such impending punishment generates a sense of fear in a good-natured person which usually becomes the reason for early repentance, therefore, exemption from punishment has been promised to those who repent alongwith the incentive of good reward for them.

The Meaning of sincerity

The statement: وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ (Make their Faith pure for Allah) in verse 146 shows that a deed in order to be acceptable with Allah has to be free of hypocrisy and exclusively for His sake and pleasure, for Muslim jurists have enunciated the meaning of Mukhlis (translated with the weaker equivalent 'sincere' ) as follows:

اَلَّذِی یَعمَلُ للہ لَا یُحِبُّ اَن یُّحمَدَہُ النَّاسُ عَلَیہِ

A sincere person is one who acts for Allah alone and does not like that people praise him for it. (Mazhari)