The following article discusses 5 verses from Surah Nisa, which the famous companion Abdullah Ibn Masood [Allah bless him] found extremely uplifting. These verses give hope in the mercy of Allah. Added to the end of the article, are additional comments by the authour, which are reflections by the authour, some words of the Quran explained and a brief explanation of a mustadrak compliation, as this word features in the article.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: إِنَّ فِي سُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ لخمسُ آيَاتٍ مَا يَسُرّني أَنَّ لِي بِهَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ﴾ الْآيَةَ، وَ ﴿إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ﴾ الْآيَةَ، وَ ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾ وَ ﴿وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ﴾ الْآيَةَ، وَ ﴿وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا﴾
Abdullah Ibn Masood [Allah Bless Him] states:
‘In Surah An-Nisa there are 5 verses, it does not please me that I have the entire world and whatever it contains, [in exchange] of these 5 verses.’
These 5 verses are:
1st Verse
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ ۖ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَـٰعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِن لَّدُنْهُ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
Translation: Surely, Allah does not wrong (anyone), even to the measure of a particle. If it is a good deed, He multiplies it, and gives a great reward out of His Own pleasure. [4:40]
2nd Verse
إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا
Translation: If you abstain from the major (sins) out of what you have been forbidden from, We shall write off your minor sins, and shall admit you to a noble entrance. [4:31]
3rd Verse
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Translation: Surely, Allah does not forgive that a partner is ascribed to Him, and He forgives anything short of that for whomsoever He wills. Whoever ascribes a partner to Allah commits a terrible sin. [4:48]
4th Verse
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوكَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
Translation: We did not send any Messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah. Had they, after having wronged themselves, come to you and sought forgiveness from Allah, and had the Messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would certainly have found Allah Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful. [4:64]
5th Verse
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Translation: Whoever commits evil or wrongs themselves then seeks Allah’s forgiveness will certainly find Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [4:110]
[This chain is authentic if Abdur-Rahman heard it from his father, however they have differed regarding this]
In another narration of Abdur-Razak from Abdullah Ibn Masood [Allah bless him], instead of verse 64, it is verse 152. Which is:
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Translation: Those who have believed in Allah and His Messengers, and have made no division between any of them, to them He will give their rewards. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [4:152]
Ibn Jarir [Allah bless him] narrates from Ibn Abbas [Allah bless him] that he said:
ثماني آيَاتٍ نَزَلَتْ فِي سُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ هِيَ خَيْرٌ لِهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ مِمَّا طَلَعت عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ وَغَرَبَتْ، أُولَاهُنَّ: ﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ وَالثَّانِيَةُ: ﴿وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلا عَظِيمًا﴾ وَالثَّالِثَةُ: ﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ وَخُلِقَ الإنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا﴾ .
ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ قَوْلَ(٩) ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ سَوَاءً، يَعْنِي فِي الْخَمْسَةِ. الْبَاقِيَةِ.
8 verses that are revealed in Surah Nisa are better for this nation than whatever the Sun rose upon and set [i.e – the entire world]. The first one of these verses is:
1st Verse
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
Translation: Allah intends (through this Qur’ān) to explain to you (the rules) and to guide you to the ways of those (prophets who passed) before you, and to turn graciously towards you. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [4:26]
2nd Verse
وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ أَن تَمِيلُوا۟ مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا
Translation: Allah intends to turn graciously towards you, while those who follow desires want you to deviate (from the right path), a huge deviation. [4:27]
3rd Verse
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًا
Translation: Allah intends to make things easy on you. And man has been created weak. [4:28]
Then he mentioned the other 5 verses mentioned by Abdullah Ibn masood [Allah bless him]
Imam Hakim narrates in his mustadrak from Abi Mulaikah [Allah bless him], that I heard Ibn Abbas [Allah bless him] saying:
سَلُونِي عَنْ سُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ، فَإِنِّي قَرَأْتُ الْقُرْآنَ وَأَنَا صَغِيرٌ.
Ask me regarding Surah An-Nisa, for surely I learned the Quran whilst I was a child. [Authentic according to the conditions of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim].
Refelctions:
- Surah An-Nisa was revealed after Hijrah and contains many glad tidings for this nation. Such that the Sahabah like Abdullah Ibn Masood and Abdullah Ibn Abbas [Allah bless them both] prefered these glad tidings over the entire world. This shows the great love and passion the Sahabah had for The Noble Quran, the preference they gave for the religion and the ‘akhirah’ over the world.
- Allah is the most just and the all-merciful and this is reflected in verse 4:40.
- In verse 4:31 ‘a noble entrance’ means paradise.
- The extreme humility of the sahabah is reflected in these narrations. Verses of forgiveness gives them great pleasure, despite them living a life of ‘taqwa’ and God-Consciousness.
- Ibn Abbas [Allah bless him] learnt the Quran from a young age, this shows his noble upbringing and righteousness from a young age.
- Mustadrak is a compilation of hadiths in which the compiler has added to the work of one or more earlier compilers. The method of a mustadrak is firstly the new compiler follows the same conditions set out by the previous compiler. Then he includes hadiths in which could have been added in, but were left out. Examples are ‘The Mustadrak ‘ala al-sahihayn’ of Imam al-Hakim al-Naysaburi [405 AH]. He included hadiths in his book that could have been added to the Sahih of Imam Bukhari [256 AH] and the Sahih of Imam Muslim [261 AH]. Ibn Hajar Asqalani [852 AH] mentions that whilst he was reviewing it, he passed away so not all the hadiths in his book meet the conditions of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim. There are other reasons also given. Allah knows best and complete knowledge is only with Almighty Allah.
– Extracted from Tafsir Ibn Kathir
