4:163 An-Nisaa (The Women)

تفسير الايات من 163 حتى 165 :ـ يخبر تعالى أنه أوحى إلى عبده ورسوله من الشرع العظيم والأخبار الصادقة ما أوحى إلى هؤلاء الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام وفي هذا عدة فوائد: منها: أن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم ليس ببدع من الرسل، بل أرسل الله قبله من المرسلين العدد الكثير والجم الغفير فاستغراب رسالته لا وجه له إلا الجهل والعناد. ومنها: أنه أوحى إليه كما أوحى إليهم من الأصول والعدل الذي اتفقوا عليه، وأن بعضهم يصدق بعضا ويوافق بعضهم بعضا. ومنها: أنه من جنس هؤلاء الرسل، فليعتبره المعتبر بإخوانه المرسلين، فدعوته دعوتهم؛ وأخلاقهم متفقة؛ ومصدرهم واحد؛ وغايتهم واحدة، فلم يقرنه بالمجهولين؛ ولا بالكذابين ولا بالملوك الظالمين. ومنها: أن في ذكر هؤلاء الرسل وتعدادهم من التنويه بهم، والثناء الصادق عليهم، وشرح أحوالهم مما يزداد به المؤمن إيمانا بهم ومحبة لهم، واقتداء بهديهم، واستنانا بسنتهم ومعرفة بحقوقهم، ويكون ذلك مصداقا لقوله: { سَلَامٌ عَلَى نُــوحٍ فـِي الْعَـالَمِيـنَ } { سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ } { سَلَامٌ عَلَى مُوسَى وَهَارُونَ } { سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِلْ يَاسِينَ * إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ } فكل محسن له من الثناء الحسن بين الأنام بحسب إحسانه. والرسل -خصوصا هؤلاء المسمون- في المرتبة العليا من الإحسان. ولما ذكر اشتراكهم بوحيه ذكر تخصيص بعضهم، فذكر أنه آتى داود الزبور، وهو الكتاب المعروف المزبور الذي خص الله به داود عليه السلام لفضله وشرفه، وأنه كلم موسى تكليما، أي: مشافهة منه إليه لا بواسطة حتى اشتهر بهذا عند العالمين فيقال: \"موسى كليم الرحمن\". وذكر أن الرسل منهم من قصه الله على رسوله، ومنهم من لم يقصصه عليه، وهذا يدل على كثرتهم وأن الله أرسلهم مبشرين لمن أطاع الله واتبعهم، بالسعادة الدنيوية والأخروية، ومنذرين من عصى الله وخالفهم بشقاوة الدارين، لئلا يكون للناس على الله حجة بعد الرسل فيقولوا: { مَا جَاءَنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلَا نَذِيرٍ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُم بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ } فلم يبق للخَلْق على الله حجة لإرساله الرسل تترى يبينون لهم أمر دينهم، ومراضي ربهم ومساخطه وطرق الجنة وطرق النار، فمن كفر منهم بعد ذلك فلا يلومن إلا نفسه. وهذا من كمال عزته تعالى وحكمته أن أرسل إليهم الرسل وأنزل عليهم الكتب، وذلك أيضا من فضله وإحسانه، حيث كان الناس مضطرين إلى الأنبياء أعظم ضرورة تقدر فأزال هذا الاضطرار، فله الحمد وله الشكر. ونسأله كما ابتدأ علينا نعمته بإرسالهم، أن يتمها بالتوفيق لسلوك طريقهم، إنه جواد كريم.

قال محمد بن إسحاق عن محمد بن أبي محمد عن عكرمة أو سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال: قال سكن وعدي بن زيد يا محمد ما نعلم أن الله أنزل على بشر من شيء بعد موسى فأنزل الله في ذلك من قولهما " إنا أوحينا إليك كما أوحينا إلى نوح والنبيين من بعده " إلى آخر الآيات وقال ابن جرير حدثنا الحارث حدثنا عبدالعزيز حدثنا أبو معشر عن محمد بن كعب القرظي قال أنزل الله " يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنزل عليهم كتابا من السماء " إلى قوله " وقولهم على مريم بهتانا عظيما " قال فلما تلاها عليهم يعني على اليهود وأخبرهم بأعمالهم الخبيثة جحدوا كل ما أنزل الله وقالوا: ما أنزل الله على بشر من شيء ولا موسى ولا عيسى ولا على نبي من شيء قال فحل حبوته فقال ولا على أحد فأنزل الله عز وجل "وما قدروا الله حق قدره إذ قالوا ما أنزل الله على بشر من شيء" وفي هذا الذي قاله محمد بن كعب القرظي نظر فإن هذه الآية التي في سورة الأنعام مكية وهذه الآية التي في سورة النساء مدنية وهي رد عليهم لما سألوا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ينزل عليهم كتابا من السماء قال الله تعالى "فقد سألوا موسى أكبر من ذلك" ثم ذكر فضائحهم ومعايبهم وما كانوا عليه وما هم عليه الآن من الكذب والافتراء ثم ذكر تعالى أنه أوحى إلى عبده ورسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم كما أوحى إلى غيره من الأنبياء المقدمين فقال "إنا أوحينا إليك كما أوحينا إلى نوح والنبيين من بعده" إلى قوله "وآتينا داود زبورا" والزبور اسم الكتاب الذي أوحاه الله إلى داود عليه السلام وسنذكر ترجمة كل واحد من هؤلاء الأنبياء عليهم من الله أفضل الصلاة والسلام عند قصصهم من سورة الأنبياء إن شاء الله وبه الثقة وعليه التكلان.

Revelation Came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Just as it Came to the Prophets Before Him

Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated that Muhammad bin Abi Muhammad said that `Ikrimah, or Sa`id bin Jubayr, related to Ibn `Abbas that he said, "Sukayn and `Adi bin Zayd said, `O Muhammad! We do not know that Allah sent down anything to any human after Musa.' Allah sent down a rebuttal of their statement,

إِنَّآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ كَمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ

(Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad) as We inspired Nuh and the Prophets after him.)" Allah states that He sent down revelation to His servant and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ just as He sent down revelation to previous Prophets. Allah said,

إِنَّآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ كَمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ

(Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad) as We inspired Nuh and the Prophets after him,) until,

وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُوراً

(...and to Dawud We gave the Zabur. ) The `Zabur' (Psalms) is the name of the Book revealed to Prophet Dawud, peace be upon him.

Twenty-Five Prophets Are Mentioned in the Qur'an

Allah said,

وَرُسُلاً قَدْ قَصَصْنَـهُمْ عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَرُسُلاً لَّمْ نَقْصُصْهُمْ عَلَيْكَ

(And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and Messengers We have not mentioned to you) Before the revelation of this Ayah. The following are the names of the Prophets whom Allah named in the Qur'an. They are: Adam, Idris, Nuh (Noah), Hud, Salih, Ibrahim (Abraham), Lut, Isma`il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya`qub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joesph), Ayyub (Job), Shu`ayb, Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Yunus (Jonah), Dawud (David), Sulayman (Solomon), Ilyas (Elias), Al-Yasa` (Elisha), Zakariya (Zachariya), Yahya (John) and `Isa (Jesus), and their leader, Muhammad . Several scholars of Tafsir also listed Dhul-Kifl among the Prophets. Allah's statement,

وَرُسُلاً لَّمْ نَقْصُصْهُمْ عَلَيْكَ

(and Messengers We have not mentioned to you,) means, `there are other Prophets whom We did not mention to you in the Qur'an.'

The Virtue of Musa

Allah said,

وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيماً

(and to Musa Allah spoke directly.) This is an honor to Musa, and this is why he is called the Kalim, he whom Allah spoke to directly. Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah recorded that `Abdul-Jabbar bin `Abdullah said, "A man came to Abu Bakr bin `Ayyash and said, `I heard a man recite (this Ayah this way): وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهَ مُوسَى تَكلِيمًا "and to Allah, Musa spoke directly." Abu Bakr said, `Only a disbeliever would recite it like this.' Al-A`mash recited it with Yahya bin Withab, who recited it with Abu `Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami who recited it with `Ali bin Abi Talib who recited with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ,

وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيماً

(and to Musa Allah spoke directly.)"' Abu Bakr bin Abi Ayyash was so angry with the man who recited the Ayah differently, because he altered its words and meanings. That person was from the group of Mu`tazilah who denied that Allah spoke to Musa or that He speaks to any of His creation. We were told that some of the Mu`tazilah once recited the Ayah that way, so one teacher present said to him, "O son of a stinking woman! What would you do concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَى لِمِيقَـتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ

(And when Musa came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him,) 7:143" The Shaykh meant that the later Ayah cannot be altered or changed.

The Reason Behind Sending the Prophets is to Establish the Proof

Allah said,

رُّسُلاً مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ

(Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning,) meaning, the Prophets bring good news to those who obey Allah and practice the good things that please Him. They also warn against His punishment and torment for those who defy His commandments. Allah said next,

لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزاً حَكِيماً

(in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.) Allah sent down His Books and sent His Messengers with good news and warnings. He explained what He likes and is pleased with and what He dislikes and is displeased with. This way, no one will have an excuse with Allah. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوْلا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولاً فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَى

(And if We had destroyed them with a torment before this, they would surely have said: "Our Lord! If only You had sent us a Messenger, we should certainly have followed Your Ayat, before we were humiliated and disgraced.") and,

وَلَوْلا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ

(And if (We had) not (sent you to the people of Makkah) in case a calamity should seize them for (the deeds) that their hands have sent forth. ) It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Ibn Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَا أَحَدَ أَغْيَرُ مِنَ اللهِ، مِنْ أَجْلِ ذلِكَ حَرَّمَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، وَلَا أَحَدْ أَحَبْ إِلَيْهِ الْمَدْحُ مِنَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، مِنْ أَجْلِ ذلِكَ مَدَحَ نَفْسَهُ، وَلَا أَحَدَ أَحَبْ إِلَيْهِ الْعُذْرُ مِنَ اللهِ، مِنْ أَجْلِ ذلِكَ بَعَثَ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِين»

(No one is more jealous than Allah. This is why He prohibited all types of sin committed in public or secret. No one likes praise more than Allah, and this is why He has praised Himself. No one likes to give excuse more than Allah, and this is why He sent the Prophets as bearers of good news and as warners.) In another narration, the Prophet said,

«مِنْ أَجْلِ ذلِكَ أَرْسَلَ رُسُلَهُ وَأَنْزَلَ كُتُبَه»

(And this is why He sent His Messengers and revealed His Books.)

لَّـكِنِ اللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكَ أَنزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ يَشْهَدُونَ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيداً - إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ ضَلَـلاَ بَعِيداً - إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَظَلَمُواْ لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلاَ لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ طَرِيقاً

We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him and as We revealed to Abraham and his two sons Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob the son of Isaac and the Tribes his Jacob’s children and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon and We gave to his father David the Inscribed Book read zabūran it would denote the name of the revealed Book cf. the Psalms; read zubūran would make it a verbal noun meaning mazbūran that is to say maktūban ‘inscribed’.

1. These are the names of the prophets Biblically spelt respectively as follows:

Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Israel, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon and David.

Zabur is the name of the Book revealed to David, Biblically known as the Psalms.

If we refer back to Verse يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ (The People of the Book ask you...), it will be noticed that a silly question asked by the Jews was responded to in the mode of reproach. Here, in the present verse, the same question is being proved false in a different manner. It takes up their condition which they place before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، that is, they would believe in him if he brings before them a Book, all written up, from the heavens. They are being asked to realize that they do not make such demands before believing in the great prophets mentioned in the verse, prophets they too accept. Keeping this in view, it is necessary that they keep to the line of argument they use in favour of these great prophets, that is, they accept them on the basis of their miracles. As for miracles, Sayyidna Muhammad ﷺ has his miracles as well, therefore, there is no reason why they cannot step forward and believe in him too. But, the truth of the matter is that the demand they are making is no quest for truth. On the contrary, it is rooted in prejudice and hostility.

Then comes a delineation of the wisdom behind the sending of prophets and an address to the Holy Prophet ﷺ assuring him that Allah and His angels are witnesses to his prophethood and those who do not believe in him do nothing but ruin their own end. (Bayn a1-Qur'an)

Commentary

Verse 163 begins with the words: إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ 'Surely, We have revealed to you as We have revealed to Nuh (علیہ السلام) (Noah) and to the prophets after him ...'It tells us clearly that Wahy (revelation) is a command of Allah, unique and inimitable, and His message sent to prophets; and that Almighty Allah sent His Wahy to Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ just as it was sent to the past prophets; and that whoever believed in the Wahy sent to past prophets must believe in this too; and that whoever rejects this becomes so to say, a rejecter of all those revelations.

The reason for striking a similarity between Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) and those who came after him is probably that the Wahy at the time of S:ayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) was at an initial stage which reached its perfection with the prophethood of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) . It can be said that the first state was an state of educational initiation while by the time of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) that state reached a stage of development under which people could be tested with the incentive of reward for the obedient and the warning of punishment for the disobe-dient. Thus, it was from Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) himself that the chain of great prophets began and it was from his time too that the first punishment descended on those who transgressed against Divine revelation.

In short, punishment would not descend upon people for their hostility against Divine commandments and prophetic teachings. They were considered rather excusable and allowed to learn in due time through good counsel. Once religious education became fully widespread and people were left with no hidden reason to avoid following the dictates of Divine will, punishment did descend upon the disobedient ones. The Great Flood came during the time of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) followed by different kinds of punishment visiting disbelievers during the times of prophets Sayyidna Salih, Sayyidna Shu'ayb and many others, may peace be on them all. Thus, by likening the Wahy which came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ with the Wahy of Sayyidna Nuh and of those who came after him, full warning has been served on the People of the Book and on the. disbelievers of Makkah that anyone who will not believe in the Wahy (that is, The Qur'an) of the Last of the Prophets ﷺ will deserve the greatest punishment.

(Exegetical notes of Maulana Shabbir Ahmad ` Usmani)

Before we move to the next verse, it would be useful to keep in mind that the personal presence of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) whose name appears first in this verse, was a miracle by itself. He was blessed with an age of nine hundred and fifty years. He had lost none of his teeth and had no streaks of white hair on his head and had faced no deficiency in his physical strength - yet, he spent his whole life time braving the pain inflicted by his people on him with matching patience and fortitude. (Mazhari)

Surely We have revealed to thee as We revealed to Noah, and the prophets after him. The two worlds are built on the foundation of prophethood's exaltedness, and prophethood's fruit is the beauty of the Shariah. The Shariah is the right path, and the prophets are the marks of the path. Until the leader sees the road, he does not lead. I invite to God upon insight, I and whosoever follows me [12:108]. The Exalted Lord sent the prophets to the people so that they would make apparent the road of obedience, and the servants, on the basis of that obedience, might reach gener- ous bestowal and reward; and, so that they would make apparent the road of disobedience and warn against it. Then the servants may avoid disobedience and not be deemed worthy for punishment. This then is infinite bounty and endless generosity. If He had left the servants in place, not sent the Messenger, and not held the lamp of guidance with the hand of the Messenger in their road, the servants would have remained within the wrap of their createdness and the darkness of their own opinions. They would have eaten everything that is their poison and done everything within which is their destruction. So, you should believe that the prophets are mercy and leaders for the world's folk. They are the best of the creatures and the chosen among mortal men. They are the callers at the top of the street of friendship and the cupbearers at the lip of the water of life. They are the title-page of the Shariah and the proof of the Haqiqah. If there is a goal in creating the engendered beings, it is they. If the Haqiqah has a treasure, they are its keepers. Surely We have revealed to thee…. The command came, “O paragon of east and west, O emulated in the two realms of being! A shining light has reached you from the world of revela- tion called 'messengerhood.' Before you We gave to the messengers, each in his own measure. As for that which is beyond the world of messengerhood and accords with the drinking place of your good fortune, it was not fitting to reach any wrongdoer or be grasped by the good fortune of any traveler.” The allusion to this by the paragon of the world was this: “I was given the Qur'an and the like of it along with it.” In other words, “As much as I have spoken to you from the world of prophethood with the tongue of messengerhood, just as much has been spoken to me from the world of the Haqiqah with the tongue of revelation.” This is exactly what he said elsewhere: “I have a moment with God embraced by no proximate angel, nor any sent prophet.”