Surah an-Nisa' (Women ) 4 : 172

لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ ٱلْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْدًا لِّلَّهِ وَلَا ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَسْتَنكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ جَمِيعًا

Translations

 
 Muhsin Khan
 Pickthall
 Yusuf Ali
Quran Project
Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allāh, nor would the angels near [to Him]. And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant - He will gather them to Himself all together.

1. Lessons/Guidance/Reflections/Gems

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Explanatory Note

Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God’s servant, nor do the angels who are near to Him. Those who feel too proud to worship Him and glory in their arrogance will He gather all together before Himself, then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty; while those who feel too proud and glory in their arrogance He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from God and none to bring them any help. (Verses 172-173)

Jesus, son of Mary, will never be too proud to accept his position as God’s servant. Being God’s Prophet and Messenger, Jesus (peace be upon him) was the best one to recognise the true nature of Divinity and that of servitude and that the two cannot be combined. He knew very well that he was only God’s creature and that God’s creatures cannot be like God or part of Him. He also knew that it is not merely that servitude to God is the only established fact, but also that it does not lower his position in any way. Indeed, no one rejects such servitude to God except an unbeliever who does not recognise the grace involved in the very process of being created. It is also the rank God assigns to His messengers, when they occupy their highest positions. The same applies to favoured angels, including Gabriel, the Holy Spirit. As has already been said, this is a rank that applies to Jesus as well as to all prophets. It is certainly strange that a section of Jesus’s followers do not accept for him what he himself accepts and knows full well.

“Those who feel too proud to worship Him and glory in their arrogance will He gather all together before Himself, then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty.” (Verses 172-173) Their pride will not stop them being gathered by God who has the total authority of Godhead over His servants. His power over them is the same as His power over those who acknowledge their servitude and surrender themselves to Him. Those are likely to do good works, because this is the natural result of such knowledge and submission. These will be granted their reward in full and will be given an increase in addition to that.
 

2. Linguistic Analysis

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Frequency of Root words in this Ayat used in this Surah *


3. Surah Overview

4. Miscellaneous Information

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5. Connected/Related Ayat

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6. Frequency of the word

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7. Period of Revelation

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This Surah comprises several discourses which were revealed on different occasions during the period ranging probably between the end of year 3 A.H. and the end of 4 A.H. or the beginning of 5 A.H. Although it is difficult to determine the exact dates of their revelations it is possible to assign to them a fairly correct period with the help of the Commandments and the events mentioned therein. A few instances are given below by way of illustration:

1. We know that the inheritance law for those martyred and protection for the rights of the orphans was sent down after the Battle of Uhud (in which 70 Muslims were martyred). From this we conclude that v. 1 -28 were revealed on that occasion.

2. We learn from the traditions that the ruling regarding the prayer (Salah) during war time was given on the occasion of the Zat-ur-Riqa’aan expedition. This took place in 4 A.H. From this we conclude that the discourse containing v. 102 was revealed on that occasion.

3. The last warning to the Jews was given before the Banu-Nadheer were exiled from Madinah in Rabi’-ulAwwal 4 A.H. It may therefore be assumed that the discourse containing v. 47 was revealed before that date.

4. The permission about performing ablution with dust in the event of no water (tayammum) verse 43, was given during the Bani-al-Mustaliq expedition which took place in 5 A.H. [REF: Mawdudi]

8. Reasons for Revelation

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Let us now consider the social and historical considerations of the period in order to understand the Surah. All the discourses in this Surah deal with three main problems which confronted the Prophet at the time. First of all he was engaged in bringing about an all round development of the islamic Community that had been formed at the time of his migration to Madinah. For this purpose he was introducing new moral cultural social economic and political ways in place of the old ones of the pre-islamic period. The second thing that occupied his attention and efforts was the bitter struggle that was going on with the polytheist Arabs, the Jewish clans and the hypocrites who were opposing tooth and nail his mission of reform. Above all, he had to propagate Islam in the face of the bitter opposition of these powers of evil with a view to capturing more and more minds and hearts.

Accordingly detailed instructions have been given for the consolidation and strengthening of the islamic Community in continuation of those given in Surah 2: Al-Baqarah (The Cow). Principles for the smooth running of family life have been laid down and ways of settling family disputes have been taught. Rules have been prescribed for marriage and rights of wife and husband have been apportioned fairly and equitably. The status of women in the society has been determined and the declaration of the rights of orphans has been made. Laws and regulations have been laid down for the division of inheritance and instructions have been given to reform economic affairs. The foundation of the penal code has been laid down, drinking has been prohibited and instructions have been given for cleanliness and purity. The Muslims have been taught the kind of relations good men should have with their God and fellow men. Instructions have been given for the maintenance of discipline in the Muslim Community.

The moral and religious condition of The People of the Book (Jews and Christians) has been reviewed to teach lessons to the Muslims and to forewarn them to refrain from following in their footsteps. The conduct of the hypocrites has been criticized and the distinctive features of hypocrisy and true faith have been clearly marked off to enable the Muslims to distinguish between the two. In order to cope with the aftermath of the Battle of Uhud, Inspiring discourses were sent down to urge the Muslims to face the enemy bravely, for defeat in the Battle had so emboldened the polytheist Arab clans and the neighbouring Jews and the hypocrites at home, that they were threatening the Muslims on all sides. At this critical juncture God filled the Muslims with courage and gave them such instructions as were needed during that period of war clouds. In order to counteract the fearful rumours that were being spread by the hypocrites and the Muslims of weak faith they were asked to make a thorough enquiry into them and to inform the responsible people about them. Then they were experiencing some difficulties in offering their prayer during the expeditions to some places where no water was available for performing their ablutions etc. In such cases they were allowed to cleanse themselves with pure earth and to shorten the prayer or to offer the “Prayer of Fear” when they were faced with danger. Instructions were also given for the solution of the puzzling problem of those Muslims who were scattered among the unbelieving Arab clans and were often involved in war. They were asked to migrate to Madinah the abode of Islam.

This Surah also deals with the case of Banu nadir who were showing a hostile and menacing attitude in spite of the peace treaties they had made with the Muslims. They were openly siding with the enemies of Islam and hatching plots against the Prophet and the Muslim Community even at Madinah itself. They were taken to task for their inimical behaviour and given a final warning to change their attitude and were at last exiled from Madinah on account of their misconduct.

The problem of the hypocrites, who had become very troublesome at that time, was involving the Believers in difficulties. Therefore, they were divided into different categories to enable the Muslims to deal with them appropriately. Clear instructions were also given regarding the attitude they should adopt towards the non-belligerent clans. The most important thing needed at that time was to prepare the Muslims for the bitter struggle with the opponents of Islam. For this purpose greatest importance was attached to their character building, for it was obvious that the small Muslim Community could only come out successful, nay, survive, if the Muslims possessed high moral character. They were, therefore, enjoined to adopt the highest moral qualities and were severely criticized whenever any moral weakness was detected in them.

Though this Surah mainly deals with the moral and social reforms, yet due attention has been paid to propagation of Islam. On the one hand, the superiority of the islamic morality and culture has been established over that of the Jews, Christians and polytheists; on the other hand, their wrong religious conceptions, their wrong morality and their evil acts have been criticized to prepare the ground for inviting them to the way of the Truth. 

9. Relevant Hadith

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10. Wiki Forum

Comments in this section are statements made by general users – these are not necessarily explanations of the Ayah – rather a place to share personal thoughts and stories…

11. Tafsir Zone

 

Overview (Verses 172 - 173)

Was Jesus Too Proud?
 
The sūrah goes on to establish the most important issue of the true faith. It states one direct result of the concept of God’s oneness, namely, that all creatures are His servants. This means in effect that there is one Godhead to whom everything in the universe, every living creature is a servant. At this juncture, the Qur’ān shows the fallacy of Christian concepts as well as every concept which considers angels to be the children of God or His partners.
 
Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God’s servant, nor do the angels who are near to Him. Those who feel too proud to worship Him and glory in their arrogance will He gather all together before Himself, then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty; while those who feel too proud and glory in their arrogance He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from God and none to bring them any help. (Verses 172-173)
 
Islam has taken much care to state God’s oneness in the clearest of terms so that no trace of partnership with God or similarity to Him in any shape or form may be entertained. It has also taken care to explain that there is absolutely nothing which has any similarity with God — limitless is He in His glory. Nothing has any element, attribute or quality in common with God. Islam also takes care to explain that the true relationship between God and all things, including living creatures, is one between the Creator who is the Lord of the universe and His servants, a description which applies to everything in the universe. When we study the Qur’ān carefully we will not fail to notice the great care it takes to state these facts, or indeed this single fact in all its aspects, so that no trace of ambiguity or suspicion is left.
 
Islam makes it clear that this is the truth which all God’s messengers have stated in the clearest of terms. It includes it in the Qur’ānic account of every messenger and his approach to his people. This is the central principle of all Divine messages from the time of Noah, to the time of Muĥammad, the last of all prophets. Every single one of them has declared very clearly: “My people, worship God alone, for you have no deity other than Him.” (11: 61)
 
It is indeed singular that followers of Divine religions which emphasise this fact most strongly have distorted it and alleged that God may have sons and daughters or may be united with one or more of His creatures in one form or another. In this way, they borrow concepts from pagan religions.
 
There is, then, an all-pervasive rule that applies to everything in the universe. God is the only deity and all creatures are His servants. People’s faith and concepts, and indeed their whole lives, will not be set right unless this basic principle is made absolutely clear, untarnished, pure. To achieve that clarity, people must realise that God is their Lord and they are His servants. He is the Creator and they are creatures; He is the Owner and they belong to Him. In relation to Him they are all the same.
 
No one is His son and no one has a position of favour with Him except through something that is available to all. They only need to have the will to achieve this position and then they can easily have it through being God-fearing and doing good works.
 
Their roles, relationships, and indeed their lives generally will not be set on the right footing until the notion has been firmly settled in their minds that they are all servants of one Lord, which means that they are all in the same position towards Him. The means to draw closer to Him is available to everyone, because all human beings are equal and they stand in the same rank towards God. All claims to act as an intermediary between people and God are false. Equally false is every privilege claimed by any individual, group, family or clan. This is, indeed, essential to give credence to the principle that all mankind are equal and their social systems must he established on the basis of this equality.
 
We are not talking, then, of a mere question of faith considered intellectually before it is finally settled on this firm basis. It is a question of a complete system of life that defines social ties and establishes a complete code for human relationships. It heralds a new birth for man at the hands of Islam, which liberates man from being enslaved by other creatures so as to be a servant of only the Lord of all Creatures. At no time in the history of Islam was there a clerical order that subjugated people under the pretext that it represents God’s son who imparts to it a considerable measure of authority. Nor has Islam ever known any form of theocratic government claiming a Divine right alleged to be delegated to it by God.
 
The Divine right was enjoyed by the Church and popes on the one hand and, on the other, by emperors who claimed for themselves a similar right. Both rights were exercised under the name of the son until the Crusaders launched their campaigns to conquer the land of Islam. On their way back, they carried with them the seeds of rebellion against this Divine right. This has led to the revolts of Martin Luther, Calvin, and others, which are given the general title of a Reform Movement. They were all influenced by Islam and its clear concept which denies to all human beings any holy position and denies the delegation of Divine authority to man or woman in any way, shape or form. According to Islam, there is only the general relationship which applies to all creatures alike, namely, that Godhead belongs to God alone and everyone else is His servant.
 
The Ultimate Truth About Jesus
 
Now the sūrah makes a final and decisive statement concerning the claims about the Divine nature of Jesus Christ, his alleged sonship and the divinity claimed for the Holy Spirit. It provides a final and decisive word about every legend claiming that God has any son whatsoever, or that anyone other than God has any element of divinity in any shape or form. This the Qur’ān does by stating that Jesus, son of Mary, is only God’s servant who will not disdain to acknowledge his position as such. Similarly, the angels who are favoured with being near to God are also His servants and they will not disdain to be so named. It also states that all creatures shall be gathered together before God and that those who disdain to be described as His servants will have grievous suffering awaiting them. As for those who acknowledge their servitude to God, these shall have great reward.
 
Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God’s servant, nor do the angels who are near to Him. Those who feel too proud to worship Him and glory in their arrogance will He gather all together before Himself, then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty; while those who feel too proud and glory in their arrogance He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from God and none to bring them any help. (Verses 172-173)
 
Jesus, son of Mary, will never be too proud to accept his position as God’s servant. Being God’s Prophet and Messenger, Jesus (peace be upon him) was the best one to recognise the true nature of Divinity and that of servitude and that the two cannot be combined. He knew very well that he was only God’s creature and that God’s creatures cannot be like God or part of Him. He also knew that it is not merely that servitude to God is the only established fact, but also that it does not lower his position in any way. Indeed, no one rejects such servitude to God except an unbeliever who does not recognise the grace involved in the very process of being created. It is also the rank God assigns to His messengers, when they occupy their highest positions. The same applies to favoured angels, including Gabriel, the Holy Spirit. As has already been said, this is a rank that applies to Jesus as well as to all prophets. It is certainly strange that a section of Jesus’s followers do not accept for him what he himself accepts and knows full well.
 
“Those who feel too proud to worship Him and glory in their arrogance will He gather all together before Himself, then, to those who believe and do good deeds, He will grant their reward in full, and will give them yet more out of His bounty.” (Verses 172-173) Their pride will not stop them being gathered by God who has the total authority of Godhead over His servants. His power over them is the same as His power over those who acknowledge their servitude and surrender themselves to Him. Those are likely to do good works, because this is the natural result of such knowledge and submission. These will be granted their reward in full and will be given an increase in addition to that.
 
On the other side, “those who feel too proud and glory in their arrogance He will cause to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from God and none to bring them any help.” (Verse 173) God — limitless is He in His glory — does not want His servants to acknowledge their servitude and to serve Him alone because He needs their service or their worship. Nor does that acknowledgement and submission increase His kingdom in any way. He only wants them to realise the true nature of Divinity and servitude in order to have clear concepts, feelings and systems. Human life with all its systems and concepts cannot be established on a sound basis without this knowledge, acknowledgement and submission.
 
God wants this principle, with all the aspects we mentioned earlier, to be well established in people’s minds and lives, so that they free themselves from the worship of creatures and worship God alone. They will then know who has the final authority in the universe, submit to Him alone and implement His law and system which governs their existence anyway. He wants them to realise that all His creatures are His servants, so that they can face up to anyone other than Him, and prostrate themselves to Him alone. They then stand proud, confident in front of tyrants and despots, while at the same time bowing and prostrating themselves to Him, glorifying Him alone. He wants them to know that winning favour with Him does not come through family relations, but through good works. They will then do well and build the earth in order to win favour with God. Moreover, when they appreciate the true nature of Divinity and servitude, they will rise to defend God’s authority on earth when others try to usurp it for themselves, either in His name or otherwise. They will accept nothing of this, but will defer to His authority alone, and their life will become nobler and more honourable when it is conducted on this basis.
 
When this great principle is fully appreciated, when people’s hearts and minds look up to God alone, seeking His pleasure and watching Him before every step or action and establishing their systems on the basis of His guidance, it will add to human life a great credit of goodness, dignity, freedom, justice and honesty. This is the sort of elevation which life on earth experiences as a result of people’s submission to God alone. As for God’s reward to those who acknowledge His Divinity and Lordship and exert themselves in doing good, this is certain to come when they meet Him. Whatever He gives them is an aspect of His grace that He bestows on whom He wills.
 
It is in this light that we should look on the issue of faith as it is explained clearly and lucidly by Islam. We should remember that this is the true basis of all Divine messages and it is the same principle that was central to all Divine messages before they were distorted by those who claimed to be their followers. As we have already said, it represents a new birth of man guaranteeing him dignity, justice, and liberation from all sorts of servitude to creatures, so that he remains free to serve God alone. That servitude is reflected in his worship as well as in his system of life.
 
Those who disdain to acknowledge their servitude to God are indeed humiliated by other forms of servitude that know no end. They submit to their desires and succumb to superstition and to human beings as well. They recognise that those are human like them, but they nevertheless bow their heads to them and accept their authority over their lives, systems, laws, values and standards. Both groups of people, the ones who are worshipped and the ones who worship them are alike in God’s view. The one group humiliate themselves so as to serve the other in this life, but in the life to come, “He will cause [them] to suffer a grievous punishment. They shall find none to protect them from God and none to bring them any help.” (Verse 173)
 
This is the greatest issue of faith, which is presented in the above passage so as to provide the final judgement on the distortion perpetrated by Christians at the time of the revelation of the Qur’ān. It continues to be the final word against all distortions that may be perpetrated at any future time.


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