^{Surah Name:} An-Nis'aa ^Meaning: The Women

Key Points

Surah An-Nis'aa

Secrets Of Revelation

Allaah^-SWT desires to expound to you... and man has been created a weakling

Allaah^-SWT does not intend to burden the believers, rather by great favour He desires to guide them to the path of salvation. In clear words He indicates that the path of Prophets^-AS and the righteous leads to the land of peace and salvation. Many nations in the past have been destroyed because of going astray; but for the believers the option of repentance has been kept open, the women, who have been declared as forbidden in marriage, were not lawful even in the pre-Islamic days and also during the Prophethood of Prophet Ibrahim^-AS.The laws pertaining to the lawful and unlawful aspects of life were not only laid down for the Muslims, but also existed for nations before them. People who were righteous won the Pleasure of Allaah^-SWT and were successful. Allaah^-SWT has made things comparatively much easier for the believers, for He is All-Knowing and the Wisest He prefers to be kind to them and to forgive them for their mistakes, and has, therefore, guided them onto the straight path. By following it they shall achieve success in both this and the eternal life. People who have met their ill fate at the hands of their vain desires wish to misguide the believers and lead them astray. The contemporary Western society is bent upon luring the Muslims into transgression and the Muslims although born in Muslim families, are highly impressed by the western life style due to the lack of knowledge about their own Din. They consider the Islamic laws lo be primitive, and wish lo mould themselves into modernism. May be they should go to the West and see what their modernism and culture has given them: how it has stripped them of peace and inner satisfaction; how it has destroyed the family system! Honour and chastity have long ago vanished.

These Qura'an's Ayat are not only words but also strong feelings, which impart a balance and stability to human life, comforting the heart. They have purity and chastity, otherwise freedom in the satisfaction of carnal desires and lust is the quality common to animals. The progress achieved by the West is that it has plunged man from the zenith of humanity into the depths of beastliness. Remember that Allaah^-SWT makes tailings easier for the believers. For that reason, He has not only permitted Nikah, but also has encouraged them to perform it. He has laid down the limits concerning Nikah and has promised reward in the Hereafter for raising children. He has even allowed a man to keep four wives at the same time, provided that justice can be done to all of them. He has ordered men to be kind to their wives. Nikah with bondswomen was permitted if the expenses of marriage to a free woman could not be met. Moreover, for Muslims Allaah^-SWT has promised great rewards against very minor acts of piety and vie little struggle.

According to Kashf al Asrar a very special quality of the Muslim nation is that a believer can lead a busy life and yet can enlighten his heart by receiving a single Tawajjuh from an accomplished Shaikh the Divine lights can actually be seen while otherwise are not visible to the physical eye, whereas formerly people would spend their entire lives in isolation and struggle to achieve this state. Human beings are created weak by nature. Their origin is from clay, which is dense and impure, whereas Allaah^-SWT has housed all power in subtlety. Therefore, Allaah^-SWT has taught them such ways of life that not only can they enlighten the Ruh but also illuminate the physical body and attain such levels of spiritual progress and power that a handful of dust can acquire the attributes of the Angels.

O’ you who believe!... and with Allaah^-SWT that is ever easy

The Curse of Illegitimate Earnings

In order to enlighten this physical body with spiritual excellence and the Divine Lights, it is imperative that the wealth is not adulterated with any illegally earned income, for a building plastered with slime and mire cannot exhibit the grandeur one expects. Therefore, by "your wealth ' it is indicated that the wealth of every Muslim should be as sacred to the other as his very own.He should protect it against plunder, just the way he protects his own. Secondly, food earned by illegal ways gets absorbed in the blood, and the energy it generates is supplied to all the organs. Now, if this reservoir of energy is illegitimate it will certainly affect the eyes, the ears, the limbs, the speech and the heart, which will result in a decline of the tendency to do good The power to implement righteousness upon oneself will diminish and it will become difficult to hear, comprehend and follow the truth. The elevated spiritual stations which should have been attained by a believer, shall become inaccessible to him. Therefore, he should never earn his living by any forbidden way. When a person errs in his belief or faith, his repentance washes away his sin, but the blunder of eating the unlawful circulates through the body. Atonement of this offense is very difficult since it involves a very long process. The person, whose wealth was usurped unlawfully must be found and it must be restored to him or forgiveness be begged of him. If that person has expired or cannot be located, the money should be given in the Name of Allaah^-SWT and the reward be intended to the owner's soul, 'forgiveness must be asked from Allaah^-SWT In a saying of the Holy Prophet^-SW's it is emphasized that the part of flesh nourished by unlawful earnings deserves only to be set ablaze. Such people even when forgiven will enter the Paradise only after the flesh made by illegitimate wealth has been burnt away in Hell.

Many Facets of Illegal Earnings

The flow of money is necessary for sustenance. It is. Therefore, allowed to earn profits by trading, which is the name of transactions mutually agreed upon it may be a transaction involving commodity in exchange for another or work in exchange for money, as in a service or labour. Buying, selling and renting are all forms of trading. Mutual agreement in transactions means that no one should be compelled, as in case of hoarding, in which a commodity is amassed by one person and he demands a price of his choice, and people have no option but to buy from him. Apparently they are not forcibly dragged to his shop, but their willingness is just another name for their need and helplessness. Therefore, hoarding is forbidden. Similarly wealth earned by fraud, lies and false promises is forbidden. For example it will be wrong if a trader does not provide the quality of goods he has promised to his customers, or adds poor quality stuff to the better one. Furthermore, transactions in which the wealth in question is fictitious, such as in gambling and betting, are forbidden. Such transactions involve no tangible goods and the deal is made reviving entirely on imaginative terms. It is so because one party is paying the price whereas the other side does not offer any material commodity in exchange.

Similar is the case with interest in which the money is charged for the term of interest, and the term itself is not a commodity or a form of wealth, so it is forbidden All these situations in which there is a commodity at one end of the transaction and none or uncertain at the other, have been declared as invalid transactions by Islamic jurists. Another type of transaction in which there is a commodity at both ends, but one of the parties is compelled to be part of it is also an invalid transaction. Such is the case of hoarding and bribery. If a person, by bribing someone, wants to acquire something, which cannot be rightfully his, he and the recipient of bribe shall both reside in Hell. But if a person is left option less and has to offer money in order to acquire what is rightfully his, he is not guilty. In this case the person taking the bribe is a dacoit, provided the giver tried his best to find a lawful solution to his problem and did not resort to bribery merely out of laziness, in which ease he will be considered as an accomplice to the sin.

Similarly, making a wife forgo her Mehr under duress, or withholding the shares of sisters and daughters by forcing them to surrender the same are all forms of illegal wealth The Ahadith explaining this Ayah have been quoted by the jurists in Kitab al Bayu" (Book of Trading) and Kitab al ljarah (Book of Leasing and Contracts). But here we shall adhere just to the text. While discussing the women's rights, the basic thing being reiterated is that the threatens of human beings lies in their diligent discharge of duties.

Humanity is a level higher than the Angels^-AS. But to attain the subtleties of the celestial world mere worship is not enough. Rather, fair dealings with fellow beings are equally important. It is imperative that the nourishment provided to the body be earned by legitimate means. This particular Ayah is often translated as "do not kill yourself. In fact the expression it carries is that earning by unlawful means and usurping the rights of others amounts to killing one's self, since such deeds deprive a person of the spiritual excellence he could have attained. This in a way is killing of the spirit. People whose hearts are oblivious of Allaah^-SWT's Zikr are counted among the dead by spiritual connoisseurs, and their bodies are the tombs of their Rub.,which have a gloomy, morbid and desolate atmosphere. The same gloominess and desolation is seen in the society. The commentators have explained that this Ayah also forbids suicide and murder, whereas orders pertaining to these two have been revealed in other Ayah too, A very clear indication given by this Ayah is that the usurper of the rights of others deprives himself of high spiritual stations and every type of goodness, which is one form of slaying the soul. All these Commandments are for their welfare since Allaah^-SWT is very Gracious and Merciful for mankind: His Mercy is infinite. But if someone knowingly transgresses these limits and disobeys Allaah^-SWT, he surely will be condemned to fire. In fact such a person will be guilty of disdainfully refusing Allaah^-SWT's Mercy, and willfully diving into the depths of His Wrath. Remember that it is no big deal for Allaah^-SWT to punish such transgressors. But if a person has erred, unintentionally or forgetfully, he is not liable, provided he repents and begs His forgiveness.

If you shun the grievous sins... Verily Allaah^-SWT is Knower of everything

The Degrees of Sin

Sins are of two types: Kabirah (the capital) and Saghirah (the minor). Scholars have drawn long lists. Some identity three or so as capital sins while others count seven. However, there is no conflict over these amongst them. The Qura'an lays down a rule to differentiate between the capital and the minor sins, that is. The former includes those, which are discreetly prohibited. According to the scholars all those sins for which condemnation to Hell has been announced are capital sins: the rest are minor. Remember that every sin is fundamentally a sin; it is only named as minor in comparative terms, but it still is a sin. If a person keeps striving to eschew heinous crimes, his minor misdeeds are forgiven in return for his worship. The Holy Prophet^-SW is reported to have said, "Ablution washes away the misdeeds of the limbs." But if a person indulges in what has beer forbidden, this concession cannot be availed. Each sin is a courier of rejection of faith and leaves a black spot on the heart. If the heart is covered with darkish it results in the seizure of faith, a grave punishment indeed. Sadly enough, it is a common sight in Muslim society today.

A general neglect of obligations and worship, polytheism in the form of attribution any or all the Divine Attributes to any of the creations: killing children for fear of poverty, which includes abortions done without a genuine reason after the fetus has become viable: adultery, intoxication, murder, misappropriation of the orphans' assets, abusing one's parents or the parents of others to invoke abuses in return, interest income, bribery, desertion from Jihad, slandering chaste women, hoarding provisions of life, sinning fearlessly, being arrogant, telling lies while being in power, resorting to soothsayers for fortune telling or taking oath at the hands of saints for mundane benefits, and to desert relatives, are all forms of capital sins. Further details may be seen in the books of Fiqh.

And last but not the least, do remember that a disrespectful behavior towards K'abah is the gravest of all capital sins and it cannot be expected of a Muslim.

Therefore, it is enjoined that it the believers avoid capital sins, their minor mistakes shall be forgiven because to err is human. And they shall be admitted to a honourable place and achieve the eternal bliss of human excellence.

And to everyone We have... Allaah^-SWT is ever a Witness over everything

Jealousy Contentment and Envy

Matters in which Allaah^-SWT has blessed some people more than others, should not be the reason for jealousy. Never covet what the others have been blessed with. Besides, affairs that are beyond one's control should never be interfered with, for example, a woman desirous of being a man-a predominant trend under the cover of equality now-a-days. Coveting what others have such as high status or beauty etc it results in nothing else but jealousy. This jealousy induces restlessness in life and is ruinous in the Hereafter. Men shall be rewarded keeping in view the performance of duties assigned to them and women shall be judged according to their deeds. Both shall be accountable to Allaah^-SWT. Equality in Islam means that everyone must get his or her rights without any hindrance, and everyone regardless of gender must perform the respective duties honestly.

This Ayah does not provide any justification for inactivity to those who do not wish to work due to sheer laziness, and blame the destiny. Efforts must be exerted to excel in knowledge and profession in a healthy competition. It would be extremely unfair to attain success by conspiring against other competitors.

Whatever status Allaah^-SWT has given to men or women in the society, they should carry out their duties diligently and get what is rightfully theirs. In situations beyond control, they should not intervene, as it would be a cause of trouble for them as well as for the whole society. Therefore, within one's limits, one must seek Allaah^-SWT's blessings. The wealth left behind by parents or other relatives must be divided amongst the heirs in accordance with the laws laid down by Him. He knows what is best for mankind and He is very Gracious and Merciful. Human beings would not have known the end results of their actions. So Allaah^-SWT has very generously fixed the rights and duties of everyone. Be it a man or a woman by obeying Him. Both can attain human excellence, which is the very goal of life.