An-Nisaa 4:26

"Allāh wants to make clear to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And Allāh is Knowing and Wise."

وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ

(And to show you the ways of those before you,) meaning their righteous ways and how to adhere to the commandments that He likes and is pleased with.

وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ

(and accept your repentance) from sin and error,

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

(and Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.) in His commands, decrees, actions and statements. Allah's statement,

وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَتِ أَن تَمِيلُواْ مَيْلاً عَظِيماً

(but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the right path)) indicates that the followers of Shaytan among the Jews, Christians and the adulterous, wish that you would take the horrendous path of falsehood instead of the truth.

يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ

(Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you") His legislation, orders, what He prohibits and what He decrees for you. This is why Allah has allowed free men to marry slave girls under certain conditions, as Mujahid and others have stated.

وَخُلِقَ الإِنسَـنُ ضَعِيفاً

(and man was created weak.) and this is why it is suitable in his case that the commands are made easy for him, because of his weakness and feebleness. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Tawus said that,

وَخُلِقَ الإِنسَـنُ ضَعِيفاً

(and man was created weak), "Concerning women". Waki` said, "Man's mind leaves when women are involved."

Всевышний напомнил о Своей великой милости, величественном благодеянии и той удивительной заботе, которую Он проявил к Своим верующим рабам, когда сделал их религию легкой. Аллах пожелал разъяснить вам истину и ложь, дозволенное и запрещенное, а также все то, в разъяснении чего вы нуждаетесь. Он пожелал повести вас путем пророков и их верных последователей, которым была оказана великая милость, и указал вам на их славный путь, правильные поступки, безупречные качества и твердую приверженность прямому пути. Он сделал то, что пожелал, и разъяснил вам истину самым совершенным образом, подобно тому, как Он разъяснил ее вашим предшественникам, которые были наставлены на путь истинных познаний и праведных деяний. Он смилостивился над вами, когда установил для вас законы, которые вы способны не нарушать. Благодаря этому вы можете довольствоваться тем, что вам дозволил Аллах, и не совершать множества грехов, что является проявлением Его снисходительного отношения к Своим рабам. Это отношение проявляется и тогда, когда человек совершает прегрешение, а Всевышний Аллах открывает для него врата Своей милости и внушает ему принести покаяние и смириться перед Ним, после чего Аллах принимает от него покаяние, которое Он сам помог ему принести. Хвала же за это надлежит только Ему! Он обладает совершенными знаниями и совершенной мудростью. Благодаря Своим знаниям Он научил людей тому, чего они не знали прежде, в том числе религиозным предписаниям и ограничениям. А благодаря Своей мудрости Он прощает и милует тех, кто заслуживает прощения, и лишает Своей поддержки тех, кто не заслуживает прощения. При этом Он поступает мудро и справедливо.

Sequence

Mentioned in the previous verses were details of injunctions. Now, in the present verses, Allah Almighty points to his blessings and favours saying that your being obligated with these injunctions is for your own good, even though you may not be able to understand its manifestation in details. Then, along with it, there is the motivation to follow the divine injunctions. Finally, there is the message of alert against the evil intentions of the misguided who wish ill of you and would like you to stray far away from the straight path.

Commentary

Following the description of several injunctions relating to marriage, the present verses say that Allah Almighty is making His injunctions very clear and explicit for you, and He is putting you in line with the ways of the noble prophets and the righteous who have come earlier. Do not think that these details of what is unlawful and what is not are there for you alone. The fact is that communities, earlier than you, were also charged with such injunctions. Those who acted in accordance with them were rewarded with Allah's favour.

As for those who follow the dictates of their desires, which includes fornicators, adulterers and nations and peoples adhering to false creeds who just do not recognize the restrictions of halal and haram and make no distinction between lawful and unlawful would very much like you too to move away from the straight path and start giving ear to their false intentions and crooked ways. Be on your guard against them. There are creeds where it is all right to marry women - marriage with whom is not proper. Then there are many atheists who favour the very elimination of the institution of marriage as something out of tune with modern times. Not content with what they call "living together", there are people in some countries who are talking about women as a shared item of enjoyment. All this comes from people who take orders from their desiring self. Some Muslims, subscribing to Islam yet weak in their faith, when they keep company with disbelievers and atheists of such inclinations, fall a prey to their lustful claims and begin to think that their own religion is out-dated and that the position of the enemy is the very epitome of human progress. They do not realize that they have been framed into believing that people with such ideas are modern and forward-looking, something they start wishing their own religion could have permitted. Refuge with Allah from such spineless surrendering! The best policy is to take the warning given by Allah Almighty and stay away from owning and practicing ideas and ways of people with dispositions so wicked.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary