Qur'an 4:76
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4) |
| Verse | 76 |
| Juz' | 5 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Jihad in the way of God |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 4:74 • Qur'an 4:75 |
Qur'an 4:76 delineates the fundamental distinction in warfare between the faithful and the faithless, asserting that believers fight in the way of God, whereas disbelievers fight in the cause of Taghut (tyrannical idols).[1] The verse characterizes the adversaries of the faithful as those who align themselves with satanic forces,[2] possessing no guardian or support other than Satan.[3] It concludes with a divine injunction to combat the allies of Satan, proclaiming the inherent frailty of his stratagems.[4]
| “ | الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ الطَّاغُوتِ فَقَاتِلُوا أَوْلِيَاءَ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا
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| “ | Those who have faith fight in the way of Allah, and those who are faithless fight in the way of fake deities. So fight the friends of Satan; indeed the stratagems of Satan are always flimsy.
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| — Qur'an 4:76 | ||
This verse serves as an exhortation for Muslims to undertake Jihad in the path of God.[5] According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, the verse juxtaposes the motivations for warfare among believers and disbelievers to elucidate the inherent nobility and superiority of the believer's way of life.[6]
Commentators have posited that the superiority of the believers over the followers of Taghut stems from their objectives—such as the liberation of humanity and the eradication of oppression—which are in harmony with the laws of creation.[7] Furthermore, fortified by spiritual reliance, believers attain a tranquility that facilitates their triumph. Conversely, the followers of Taghut embark upon a path defined by domination, retribution, lust, and societal destruction, leaving them without firm support.[8]
In his exegesis Jawami' al-jami', al-Tabrisi (d. 548/1153) observes that the grammatical construction utilizing the verb "kana" (was/is) following "inna" (indeed) at the verse's conclusion signifies that the weakness of satanic forces against the believers is an immutable reality, applicable across all states and epochs.[9]
Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita' (d. 1228/1813) classifies this verse, alongside Qur'an 4:74 and Qur'an 4:75, as scriptural evidence establishing the obligation of Jihad.[10] He asserts that these verses demonstrate that Jihad is among the essentials of the religion (daruriyyat al-din).[11]
Notes
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 11.
- ↑ Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Mihr, vol. 4, p. 206.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, vol. 1, p. 271.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Nimūna, vol. 4, p. 11.
- ↑ Fayḍ Kāshānī, al-Ṣāfī, vol. 1, p. 471.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 420.
- ↑ Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Mihr, vol. 4, p. 206.
- ↑ Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Mihr, vol. 4, p. 206; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 108.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, vol. 1, p. 271.
- ↑ Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ, vol. 4, p. 294.
- ↑ Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ, vol. 4, p. 294.
References
- Fayḍ Kāshānī, Muḥammad b. Shāh-Murtaḍā al-. Al-Ṣāfī fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Maktabat al-Ṣadr, 1415 AH.
- Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Jaʿfar b. Khiḍr. Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ ʿan mubhamāt al-sharīʿa al-gharrāʾ. Tehran: Maktab al-Iʿlām al-Islāmī, [n.d].
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin. Tafsīr-i nūr. Tehran: Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshāyī az Qurʾān, 1388 Sh.
- Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Muḥammad ʿAlī. Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr. Qom: Markaz-i Pizhūhish-hā-yi Tafsīr wa ʿUlūm-i Qurʾān, 1387 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1393 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. Qom: Seminary of Qom, 1412 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 AH.