Surah an-Nisa' (Women ) 4 : 81

Overview (Verses 81 - 82)

Contemplating the Qur’ān
 
The sūrah goes on to portray, in brief statements, the state of another group of Muslims, or it may be a group of hypocrites, highlighting with such repugnance new aspects of their behaviour. This is also given as part of the process of educating and guiding the rest of the Muslims.
 
And they say, “We do obey you,” but when they leave you, some of them devise, in secret, something different from what you advocate. All the while God records what they thus devise in secret. Leave them, then, alone, and place your trust in God. Sufficient is God for a guardian. Will they not, then, try to understand the Qur’ān? Had it issued from any but God, they would surely have found in it many an inner contradiction! (Verses 81-82)
 
These people would sit with God’s Messenger, listen to him as he recited the Qur’ān and respond in his presence by saying: “We do obey you.” They would say this without any hesitation, qualification or objection. But no sooner had they left the Messenger than some of them would change their position, conspire to act differently and seek to extricate themselves from all obligations.
 
It is also possible that the Qur’ān is describing the state of the Muslim community as a whole, with the exception of a particular group that follows a different line. This would mean that the Muslims, as a whole, would respond to the Messenger by affirming their obedience but a certain group would change their stance immediately upon leaving his company. The picture is one of evident dislocation within Muslim ranks. Those people actually joined the Muslim ranks, and their behaviour was bound to harm the whole Muslim community at a time when it was fighting hard on several fronts.
 
God reassures the Prophet and his sincere followers that He is monitoring the treacherous elements. This certainly boosts the Muslims’ confidence and puts their minds at rest that no harm shall reach them. The assertion is also a threat to the schemers that they will not succeed nor will they escape punishment. “God records what they thus devise in secret.” (Verse 81)
 
God’s advice to the Prophet in dealing with the hypocrites was to take them at face value, rather than judge them by their intentions, and to ignore and overlook their behaviour. Eventually, the approach wore them out, debilitated their effect and dissipated their influence. The plan, therefore, was to: “Leave them, then, alone....” (Verse 81) But also to lean on God and trust Him: “... and place your trust in God. Sufficient is God for a guardian.” (Verse 81) Indeed, God is sufficient for a guardian and protector. Whoever is under His guardianship is fully protected and shielded against any scheming or conspiracy.
 
It seems as though the renegades doubted the source of the Prophet’s instructions, and believed that he was the Qur’ān’s author. Once such suspicion is entertained even for one moment, the instructions lose their authority altogether. The credibility of the Messenger depends completely on the firm and total belief that God is the origin of what he delivers, and that he does not act out of personal whim or desire. Hence, the strongly repeated emphasis of this fact.
 
At this point, the Qur’ān offers them a proposition that indicates God’s highest possible regard for man, his intelligence and insight, bestowed upon him by God Himself. It invites them to judge the Qur’ān by their own intelligence and intellectual appreciation. It points out the proper approach to adopt and identifies the key aspect by which they can judge the Qur’ān. When they do this, they will have ample, irrefutable evidence that the Qur’ān originates with God Almighty: “Will they not, then, try to understand the Qur’ān? Had it issued from any but God, they would surely have found in it many an inner contradiction!” (Verse 82)
 
This invitation to reflect on the Qur’ān and consider it carefully is particularly significant. Full and absolute harmony and integrity is an unmistakeable feature of the Qur’ān. It is a feature that allows different people and generations to benefit by the Qur’ān according to, and within, their respective aptitudes, education, experience and piety.
 
This verse addresses all people and all generations, everyone of whom is capable of appreciating as much of the harmony and congruity of the Qur’ān as their ability, education, experience and piety allow. The first generation of Muslims were being addressed with ideas they understood and were able to verify within their own existing intellectual environment.
 
A Pointer to the Author of the Qur’ān
 
The harmony and consistency of the Qur’ān are clear methods of expression and literary style. In human expression and language one comes across various levels of excellence, power, lucidity and brilliance, as well as constant fluctuation in mood. This is clearly apparent when we examine the works of any literary personality, thinker, artist, politician or military commander, etc. Variation and inconsistency are inherent features of human expression and behaviour.
 
The opposite is true of the Qur’ānic literary style. It is harmonious and consistent. The surpassing excellence of the language of the Qur’ān maintains the same scope and level of perfection throughout without any of the fluctuations or alterations known in human language. The Qur’ān carries the stamp of its origin, reflects the fact that it comes from God and points to the Creator who is not affected by changes and conditions.
 
Perfect consistency and harmony are also manifested in the message of the Qur’ān and the system it outlines. It is a message of education and enlightenment for human souls and societies. It is a system of organisation and discipline for individual and collective human activity in all walks of life throughout history. It is a message for the guidance of human understanding itself and for the harnessing of all human faculties for the enhancement of that understanding. It is a system for co-ordinating and harmonising human beings of all societies, generations and phases and the world in which they exist; between man’s life here and in the hereafter. It also regulates the countless ramifications and consequences of that relationship in the life of every individual and the life of mankind as a whole.
 
The difference between Divine and human proficiency is evident enough with respect to linguistic and artistic expression; it is even more evident in relation to thought, regulation and law-making. Human theories and doctrines remain typically human, influenced by partial vision and transient conditions as well as a lack of understanding of the inherent contradictions that may exist. This is bound to lead, sooner or later, to conflict within the various elements of any theory or doctrine. It could also cause damage to certain aspects of the human personality which had been ignored. Numerous deficiencies and paradoxes emerge as a result of limited human understanding and ignorance of what the future holds, in addition to man’s inadequate comprehension of the present. The Qur’ānic approach is totally different, being comprehensive and perfect, with firm, solid and universal foundations and criteria that allow perpetual motion and progress.
 
Examination of these aspects may not be available to everyone or to every generation, and it is certain that people will appreciate them at varying levels of understanding, each generation making its contribution in one or more fields of knowledge or experience. However, beyond all these human differences, a universally agreed repertoire of understanding and knowledge accumulates. The essence of such knowledge accumulation is that the language of the Qur’ān is not the product of any human being. Human literary excellence is one thing and the Qur’ān is a totally different thing. It is a perfectly made piece of consistent, coherent and homogeneous composition, even though people may differ greatly in their understanding of the extent of such harmony.
 
In these verses God refers that sceptic group, and everyone else besides, to the results of their own reflection. Indeed He invites all people in all generations to judge the Qur’ān, on the basis of their common understanding. This is sufficient to reaffirm the fact that the Qur’ān can only be from God. It could not have originated from anyone else.
 
The Role of Human Understanding
 
It may be useful at this point to reflect very briefly on the role of human comprehension with respect to this particular point, and with respect to religion as a whole. The honour God has granted to human beings in this context ought not to tempt man to become arrogant or exceed safe boundaries. If he does, then he will go too far astray.
 
These Qur’ānic exhortations, and their scope, are so often misunderstood. Some Muslim intellectuals, past and present, go so far as to grant the human mind the privilege of the final word in the interpretation of religious rules and principles, elevating man’s judgement to that of God Almighty, or giving man an overriding authority over God’s legislation.
 
The truth is rather different. The human intellect is a great faculty, so highly respected by God Almighty that He made it the means by which man recognises Islam as being a God-given religion. Certain phenomena arc easy to comprehend and they are, by themselves, sufficient evidence that Islam originates with God Almighty. Once man understands this profound truth, the same rationale leads him to accept Islam in its totality, regardless of whether or not he is able to identify or recognise the hidden purpose of its individual rules. Since it originates from God, it has a definite purpose. Furthermore, the human mind does not stand rival to God. It is certainly not qualified to judge God’s wisdom, because its capacity for comprehension remains limited. It cannot look at any question from all angles, neither for a single moment nor for the rest of time.
 
On the other hand, God’s legislation proceeds from an all- encompassing view and no judgement on it, or on any of its established rulings, should be entrusted to the human intellect. The most that the human mind can aspire to achieve is to comprehend the Divine message and how it applies to different situations. It cannot determine its purpose and the wisdom behind it. That a Divine rule serves the interests of the community is an undoubted fact, because it emanates from God. It is when no revealed text is available, with respect to new issues, that the human mind may exercise judgement. We have already pointed out that reference must initially he made to God and His Messenger. In addition to trying to understand the text, this is the other area for the application of human powers of deduction and reasoning, or ijtihād. The human intellect is not to be used to determine the purpose of Divine statements and rulings but its greatest arena, which is a vast arena indeed, is the understanding of the laws of nature and life and the pursuit of excellence in the material world.
 
We must give the human intellect the credit and reverence God has granted it, within its sphere of excellence, and not more than that. When we exaggerate its importance, we are liable to lose direction and proceed without guidance.