Qur'an 4:74
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4) |
| Verse | 74 |
| Juz' | 5 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Jihad in the way of Allah and the value of Martyrdom |
| Related Verses | 4:73 and 4:75 |
Qur'an 4:74 exhorts Muslims to engage in jihad in the way of Allah,[1] describing the warriors as those who exchange the life of this world for the Hereafter.[2] According to Majma' al-bayan, the imperative phrase "let those fight in the way of Allah" (fal-yuqatil fi sabil Allah) indicates the obligation of striving for the religion of God.[3] Some jurists cite this verse as evidence for the obligation of jihad,[4] while others rely on it to classify jihad among the essentials of the religion.[5]
| “ | فَلْيُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يَشْرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا بِالْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيُقْتَلْ أَوْ يَغْلِبْ فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of Allah, and then is slain or conquers, soon We shall give him a great reward.
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” |
| — Qur'an 4:74 | ||
Exegetes interpret Qur'an 4:74 as a continuation of Qur'an 4:73, which addresses the hypocrites' refusal to participate in jihad.[6] 'Allama Tabataba'i notes that the preceding verses urge Muslims to engage in jihad while rebuking those who hesitate or delay joining the battlefield.[7]
'Allama Tabataba'i posits that God mentions martyrdom prior to victory because the reward for being martyred in the way of God is superior and more enduring.[8] Conversely, Muhsin Qara'ati, in his commentary, argues that the rewards for both the martyr and the victorious fighter are equivalent.[9]
The verse concludes with God's promise that those who fight in His way—whether they attain victory or martyrdom—will receive a great reward.[10]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 418.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 115.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 115.
- ↑ Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 1, p. 346.
- ↑ Najafī Jawāhirī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 21, p. 8; Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ, vol. 4, p. 294.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 7.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 418.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 419.
- ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 106.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, vol. 1, p. 270.
References
- Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Abū ʿAbd Allāh. Kanz al-ʿirfān fī fiqh al-Qurʾān. Najaf: al-Maktabat al-Ḥaydariyya, n.d.
- Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Jaʿfar. Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ ʿan mubhamāt al-sharīʿat al-gharrāʾ. Tehran: Maktab al-Iʿlām al-Islāmī, n.d.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
- Najafī, Muḥammad Ḥasan. Jawāhir al-kalām fī sharḥ sharāʾiʿ al-Islām. Edited by Abbas Quchani and Ali Akhundi. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1362 Sh.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin. Tafsīr-i nūr. Tehran: Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Dars-hā-yī az Qurʾān, 1388 Sh.
- Sepah Pasdaran. Representative of Wali Faqih. Islamic Research Center & Taquizadeh Akbari, Ali. Jihad dar ayine-yi Quran. Qom: Zamzam-i Hidayat, 1386 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1352 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. al-Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. Qom: Hawza Ilmiyya Qom, 1412 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 AH.