4:168 An-Nisaa (The Women)

{ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَظَلَمُوا } وهذا الظلم هو زيادة على كفرهم، وإلا فالكفر عند إطلاق الظلم يدخل فيه. والمراد بالظلم هنا أعمال الكفر والاستغراق فيه، فهؤلاء بعيدون من المغفرة والهداية للصراط المستقيم. ولهذا قال: { لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ طَرِيقًا * إِلَّا طَرِيقَ جَهَنَّمَ } وإنما تعذرت المغفرة لهم والهداية لأنهم استمروا في طغيانهم، وازدادوا في كفرانهم فطبع على قلوبهم وانسدت عليهم طرق الهداية بما كسبوا، { وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ } { وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا } أي: لا يبالي الله بهم ولا يعبأ، لأنهم لا يصلحون للخير، ولا يليق بهم إلا الحالة التي اختاروها لأنفسهم.

"ولا يهديهم طريقا" أي سبيلا إلى الخير.

إِنَّآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ

(Verily, We have inspired you...) emphasized the Prophet's prophethood and refuted the idolators and People of the Scripture who denied him. Allah said,

لَّـكِنِ اللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكَ

(But Allah bears witness to that which He has sent down unto you,) meaning, even if they deny, defy and disbelieve in you, O Muhammad, Allah testifies that you are His Messenger to whom He sent down His Book, the Glorious Qur'an that,

لاَّ يَأْتِيهِ الْبَـطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلاَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ

(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise.) Allah then said,

أَنزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ

(He has sent it down with His knowledge,) The knowledge of His that He willed His servants to have access to. Knowledge about the clear signs of guidance and truth, what Allah likes and is pleased with, what He dislikes and is displeased with, and knowledge of the Unseen, such as the past and the future. This also includes knowledge about His honorable attributes that no sent Messenger or illustrious angel can even know without Allah's leave. Similarly, Allah said,

وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَآءَ

(And they will never compass anything of His knowledge except that which He wills.) and,

وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْماً

(but they will never compass anything of His knowledge.) Allah's statement,

وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ يَشْهَدُونَ

(and the angels bear witness.) to the truth of what you came with and what was revealed and sent down to you, along with Allah's testimony to the same,

وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيداً

(And Allah is All-Sufficient as a Witness.) Allah said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ ضَلَـلاَ بَعِيداً

(Verily, those who disbelieve and prevent (others) from the path of Allah, they have certainly strayed far away.) For they are disbelievers themselves and do not follow the truth. They strive hard to prevent people from following and embracing Allah's path. Therefore, they have defied the truth, deviated, and strayed far away from it. Allah also mentions His judgment against those who disbelieve in His Ayat, Book and Messenger, those who wrong themselves by their disbelief and hindering others from His path, committing sins and violating His prohibitions. Allah states that He will not forgive them;

وَلاَ لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ طَرِيقاً

(nor will He guide them to a way (that is, of good).)

إِلاَّ طَرِيقَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَداً

(Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein forever...) and this is the exception. Allah then said,

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ بِالْحَقِّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَـَامِنُواْ خَيْراً لَّكُمْ

(O mankind! Verily, there has come to you the Messenger with the truth from your Lord, so believe in him, it is better for you.) This Ayah means, Muhammad ﷺ has come to you with guidance, the religion of truth and clear proof from Allah. Therefore, believe in what he has brought you and follow him, for this is better for you. Allah then said,

وَإِن تَكْفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ للَّهِ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(But if you disbelieve, then certainly to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth.) Allah is far too rich than to need you or your faith, and no harm could ever affect Him because of your disbelief. Allah said in another Ayah,

وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِن تَكْفُرُواْ أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ

(And Musa said: "If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily, Allah is Rich (Free of all needs), Owner of all praise.") Allah said here,

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيماً

(And Allah is Ever All-Knowing,) He knows those who deserve to be guided, and He will guide them. He also knows those who deserve deviation, and He leads them to it,

حَكِيماً

(All-Wise) in His statements, actions, legislation and all that He decrees.

Surely those who disbelieve in God and who have done wrong to the Prophet by concealing his descriptions it is not for God to forgive them neither to guide them to any path whatever

Then comes verse رُّ‌سُلًا مُّبَشِّرِ‌ينَ وَمُنذِرِ‌ينَ (-- Messengers giving good tidings and warning...) which succinctly tells that Almighty Allah consistently sent messengers to convey good tidings to all believers and to warn all disbelievers so that there remains no room for the excuse that they did not know the will of God and His Messengers --had they known about it, they would have certainly followed it! Now, that Almighty Allah has sent messengers with miracles and His messengers have shown the straight path of truth, the option of not accepting the true faith cannot be accepted from anyone, under any pretext or excuse. Such is the nature of Divine Revelation. Wahy is an absolute argument, final, conclusive and disarming. No argument stands operative against it. In fact, all arguments lie surrendered under its weight. And this is the wisdom of Allah and His modus operandi.

It has been narrated by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ عنہما that a group of Jews came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He said to them: Surely, you do know that I am a true messenger of Ajllah? They refused to accept that whereupon came the following verse (166): لَّـٰكِنِ اللَّـهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَا أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكَ. 'But Allah bears witness (to your prophethood) through what He has revealed to you ...' The verse addressed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ declares that Allah is a witness to his prophet-hood through the miraculous Qur'an, a perfect message from out of His Knowledge. The Book has been revealed to him with full realization that he is deserving of it, and the angels too join in the testimony. After the very witnessing of the All-Knowing, All-Aware Allah, there is nothing left to argue about.

The text, after having confirmed the veracity of the glorious Qur'an and the noble Prophet ﷺ ، turns to those who still deny them, conceal his character traits and circumstantial indicators of his appearance present in the Torah .and, sordidly enough, try to keep others away from the true faith by bringing out before them things which are not there or things .which have .been jumbled together to distort the truth. For such people, there shall be no forgiveness and no guidance either. Thus, it becomes very clear that guidance or the ability to find the straight path depends on following the Holy Prophet ﷺ and straying away, whatever be its nature, is nothing but hostility towards him. This, then, comprehensively refutes all erroneous ideas of the Jews.