of Nokounam, (Session 955)
Verses 29 to 31 of Surah An-Nisa from the Holy Quran, like a brilliant beacon, unfold before humanity a guide to a just and spiritual life. These verses, with profound and sagacious expression, delineate the foundations of the Islamic economic, ethical, and social system and summon mankind towards equitable commerce, abstention from injustice and aggression, and avoidance of major sins. In this treatise, by contemplating these verses and providing detailed commentary, we have endeavoured to depict the sublime Quranic meanings in a lucid and dignified language. This examination, with reference to social, ethical, and jurisprudential concerns, seeks to portray a system wherein justice, Divine mercy, and human felicity are interwoven. Much like a ball rolling on a smooth path towards its destination, these verses guide humanity towards a life in which every action bears a proportionate consequence.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
O you who have believed, do not consume one anothers wealth unjustly, except through trade by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you.
Verse 29 of Surah An-Nisa, like a multifaceted prism, outlines the structure of Islamic life on three fundamental axes: avoidance of consumption of wealth by unlawful means, commitment to trade based on mutual consent, and abstention from killing and slaughter. This verse introduces an economic system in which justice, consent, and social peace act as steadfast pillars preserving the society from collapse. The prohibition of consuming wealth unjustly, as stated in this verse, is not only limited to the wrongful seizure of others possessions but, in a deeper interpretation, encompasses any economic act devoid of consent and justice. Such conduct acts like a lethal poison, disrupting the spiritual and physical constitution of man and driving social order towards ruin.
Key Point: Consuming wealth unjustly, like a hidden fire, burns the spirit and psyche of man and propels society towards destruction. Trade based on consent, like pure water, irrigates social trust and solidarity.
Trade based on mutual consent (tijratun an tarin), as a golden key, opens the doors of trust and economic vitality. Consent in transactions, not only from a jurisprudential perspective but also from psychological and sociological viewpoints, strengthens social bonds and reduces conflicts. This principle, like a revitalising breeze, purifies the economic environment from the pollutants of injustice and greed. Moreover, the prohibition of killing (wa l taqtul anfusakum) serves as a warning to humans to avoid violence and mutual destruction through adherence to economic justice. This verse, with the promise of Divine mercy (inna Allha kna bikum raman), proclaims that commitment to this system brings blessing and prosperity.
The Islamic economic system, as depicted in this verse, has suffered numerous damages throughout history, especially in Islamic countries. The influence of colonialism and profiteering groups, like a destructive storm, has uprooted this structure and deprived Islamic societies of economic justice. Religious knowledge, which could have acted as a guiding light, has at times been reduced to superficiality and formalism, devoid of depth and dynamism. This superficiality, rooted in estrangement from rationality and logic, has deprived society of profound understanding of Divine rulings and led to decline.
Verse 29 of Surah An-Nisa provides a comprehensive blueprint for a just life in which economy, ethics, and social peace are intertwined. Avoidance of consuming wealth unjustly, adherence to consensual trade, and abstention from killing, like three firm pillars, guide society towards felicity. Divine mercy, like spring rain, descends upon a society committed to these principles and rescues it from destruction.
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا
And whoever does that in aggression and injustice then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah, is [always] easy.
Verse 30 of Surah An-Nisa, with decisive wording, threatens the perpetrators of aggression and oppression with severe punishment. The term dhlika in this verse refers to the violation of the injunctions in the preceding verse: consuming wealth unjustly, trading without consent, and committing murder. Aggression, rooted in internal and carnal enmity such as greed, covetousness, and rancour, stems from spiritual deviations. This state, like a fire in the heart, draws a person towards sin and ruin. Conversely, oppression refers to external acts such as destruction, breaking, and annihilation of others property, which disrupt social order.
Key Point: Aggression, like a fire in the heart, originates from greed and enmity, whereas oppression, like a destructive storm, annihilates others possessions and rights. Both lead humanity towards Divine punishment.
The Divine punishment (fa-sawfa nulhi nr) promised in this verse refers not only to the fire of the Hereafter but also to worldly consequences. The word sawfa implies the gradual nature of this punishment; as if from the moment a person commits injustice and aggression, he embarks on a downhill path towards destruction. This punishment, like a ball rolling on a smooth road towards its destination, gradually drives man to ruin. The phrase wa kna dhlika al Allh ysr indicates that the implementation of this punishment is, for Allah, as effortless as turning the universe. This Divine ease is a sign of the Almightys power who governs the cosmos with wondrous precision.
The world, in the Quranic view, is like a paved road on which Allah guides human deeds towards their outcomes. Just as a ball on a slope rolls unimpeded towards its destination, human actions reach their natural results. Oppression and aggression propel man on this road towards fire, whereas justice and consent lead to mercy and felicity. This metaphor beautifully illustrates Divine power and ease in governing the world.
Ignorance of God, like a dark veil, prevents the comprehension of Divine ease. A godless person is as if trapped in the darkness of ignorance and cannot perceive the wondrous order of the world. This ignorance is the root of many moral and social deviations. In contrast, Divine knowledge, like a shining lamp, guides man towards purity and felicity. The repeated mention of wa kna dhlika al Allh ysr, like a spiritual key, opens the heart to knowledge and tranquillity.
Verse 30 of Surah An-Nisa, by clarifying the concepts of aggression and oppression, warns humanity against internal and external deviations. Aggression stems from carnal impulses while oppression disrupts social order. Divine punishment, gradually encompassing this world and the Hereafter, is the natural consequence of these sins. Divine ease is a sign of the miraculous order that guides human deeds towards their results.
إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden from, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance.
Verse 31 of Surah An-Nisa, like a Divine promise, shows mankind the path to felicity. Avoidance of major sins (kabir), which include grave offences such as intentional and persistent murder, falsehood, and oppression, is a prerequisite for the forgiveness of minor sins (sayyitikum) and admission to a noble status (mudkhalan karman). Major sins, especially murder, lying, and deliberate oppression, act as the roots of corruption that lead society to ruin. When committed with intent and persistence, these sins may lead to disbelief and apostasy, thereby excluding the individual from Divine mercy.
Key Point: Major sins, such as murder, lying, and deliberate oppression, are the roots of social corruption. Avoiding them, like a golden key, opens the doors of forgiveness and felicity.
