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Qur'an 4:78
Verse's Information
Suraal-Nisa'
Verse78
Juz'5
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Muslims under pressure from the polytheists in Mecca, after the migration to Medina, complained to the Prophet (s) about the oppression of the Quraysh tribe. The Prophet (s) was initially not commanded to fight, but with the command to fight, some hesitated, and a verse was revealed in this regard.
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicBelief
AboutRebuking the weak-of-faith believers and the hypocrites protesting against war


Qur'an 4:78 rebukes the believers with weak faith and some hypocrites who, out of fear of being killed, protested against the command of Jihad with the infidels. This verse responds to their mistake of attributing every problem and unpleasant incident to the Prophet Muhammad (s) and holding him responsible for bad events.

The verse refers to the inevitability of death and the incorrect belief of the hypocrites who thought that by fleeing from war or hiding in sturdy structures, they could escape death, oblivious to the fact that death is a definitive divine decree and no one has the power to delay it. Therefore, an honorable death on the field of Jihad is superior to a death accompanied by humiliation while fleeing.

The Ash'arites have inferred Determinism from the concluding passages of this verse, while the Mu'tazila have inferred the free will of man.

Introduction of the Verse

Qur'an 4:78, which was revealed in Medina,[1] calls the believers to Jihad in the way of God and fearlessness toward death on the battlefield. This verse is also a response to the negative outlook and ill-omening of the hypocrites who, instead of a logical and precise analysis of events, attributed failures to the Prophet Muhammad (s).[2]

Cause of Revelation

A group of Muslims who were under the oppression and harassment of the polytheists in Mecca, after the migration to Medina, came to the Prophet Muhammad (s) and complained about past pressures. They said: "O Messenger of God, when we were polytheists, we lived in honor and respect, but by accepting faith, we have fallen into humiliation and worthlessness." The Prophet (s) replied: "I am commanded to forgive, therefore do not fight." However, when the command to fight in the Battle of Badr was issued, its execution was difficult and heavy for some of them. At this time, Qur'an 4:78 was revealed.[3]

Qur'an 4:78 is about a group of hypocrites or weak-of-faith believers who hastily wanted to start a war with the polytheists.[4] It also rebukes those who were not aware of the theological requirements of monotheism and protested against the command of fighting the infidels.[5]

Inevitability of Death and Superiority of Honorable Death in Jihad

According to some Shia exegetes, the allegory in the verse refers to the inevitability of death,[6] and challenges the incorrect belief of the hypocrites who thought that by fleeing from war or hiding in sturdy structures they could escape death, oblivious to the fact that death is a definitive divine decree and no one has the power to delay it.[7]

According to the view of Makarem Shirazi, the Qur'an in this verse and the previous one gives two answers to those who feared and were aggrieved by presence on the battlefield: first, reminding them of the fleeting nature of worldly life and the peerless value of otherworldly rewards; and then emphasizing that death comes to man in any case, even if he has taken refuge in high and fortified towers.[8] Consequently, an honorable death on the field of Jihad is preferred over a death accompanied by humiliation while fleeing.[9] Based on some narrations, Imam al-Husayn (a), in response to the Jinn who had come to help him in the Event of Karbala, cited this part of the verse: "Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you were in fortified towers."[10]

Exegetes have interpreted the word "burj" in this verse as palaces, castles, or houses with strong walls.[11]

All Matters are from God

The second part of the verse, "and if ill fortune befalls them, they say, 'This is from you,'" refers to another of the vain delusions and baseless words of the hypocrites; those who attributed every victory and good to God, but attributed evil and bad to the Prophet Muhammad (s).[12]

According to Abdullah Jawādī Āmulī, some of these individuals who did not believe in superstitions thought the problems resulted from the weak management and leadership of the Prophet (s); the group that believed in superstitions attributed ill fortune to the presence of the Prophet (s) of God.[13] He considers good and ill omens to be the result of distancing oneself from intellect and tradition, and considers this type of attitude similar to the view of some of the Bani Isra'il toward Prophet Moses (a).[14] The similarity of the hypocrites' words to the beliefs of the Bani Isra'il is stated to be due to the closeness in their way of thinking and psychological makeup.[15]

Some exegetes have considered Qur'an 4:78 to be observant of the behavior of Jews who, after the entry of the Prophet (s) into Medina, considered pleasant events to be from God and unpleasant events to be from the presence of the Prophet (s).[16]

Theological Interpretations

Theological movements have had different interpretations of this verse:

  • The Ash'arites, relying on the passage "Say, 'All is from Allah,'" have raised the view of Determinism and considered all goods and evils to be from God.[17]
  • The Mu'tazila, in response to the Ash'arites, citing the continuation of the verse "What is the matter with these people that they would not understand any matter?" argued that if man lacks free will, divine rebuke regarding the lack of reflection and distinction between good deeds and sins would be meaningless.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 3.
  2. ↑ Qirā'atī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 112.
  3. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 119; Ṭabarī, Jāmi' al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 5, p. 108.
  4. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 542.
  5. ↑ Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i dirakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 4, p. 125.
  6. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1402 AH, vol. 5, p. 7.
  7. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 562.
  8. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 17.
  9. ↑ Thaqafī Ṭihrānī, Rawān-i jāwīd, 1398 Sh, vol. 2, p. 86.
  10. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 44, p. 330.
  11. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 120.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 20.
  13. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 566.
  14. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 566.
  15. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 566.
  16. ↑ Farrā', Ma'ānī al-Qur'ān, 1980, vol. 1, p. 278.
  17. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 567.
  18. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 19, p. 567.

References

  • Thaqafī Ṭihrānī, Muḥammad, Rawān-i jāwīd fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān al-majīd, Tehran, Burhan, second edition, 1398 Sh.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, 'Abd Allāh, Tasnīm, Qom, Isra, 1389 Sh.
  • Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Muḥammad, Anwār-i dirakhshān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, research by Muḥammad Bāqir Bihbūdī, Tehran, Lutfi, first edition, 1404 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan, Majma' al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, corrected by Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabā'ī and Hāshim Rasūlī, Tehran, Nasir Khusraw, third edition, 1372 Sh.
  • Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr, Jāmi' al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, Beirut, Dār al-Ma'rifa, first edition, 1412 AH.
  • Farrā', Yaḥyā b. Ziyād, Ma'ānī al-Qur'ān, research by Muḥammad 'Alī Najjār and Aḥmad Yūsuf Najātī, Egypt, al-Hay'at al-Miṣriyya al-'Āmma li-l-Kitāb, second edition, 1980.
  • Qirā'atī, Muḥsin, Tafsīr-i nūr, Tehran, Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshā-yi az Qur'ān, first edition, 1388 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, Beirut, Mu'assisa al-A'lamī li-l-Maṭbū'āt, second edition, 1390 Sh.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir, Biḥār al-anwār, research by a group of researchers, Beirut, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, second edition, 1403 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i nimūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, tenth edition, 1371 Sh.
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