Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:140
And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together -
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: And He has already sent down to you in the Book that, when you hear the signs of Allah being disbelieved in and mocked, you must not remain sitting with them until they proceed to some other discourse; you would otherwise be like them. Indeed, Allah will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers together in Hell (jahannam) (140)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means — exalted be His praise —: Announce to the hypocrites (munāfiqīn) = those who take the disbelievers (kāfirīn) as allies instead of the believers, = "and He has already sent down to you in the Book." He says: He has informed the one among these hypocrites who took the disbelievers as helpers and allies — after there had been sent down to them of the Qurʾān: "that, when you hear the signs of Allah being disbelieved in and mocked, you must not remain sitting with them until they proceed to some other discourse" — meaning: after they had heard Allah's prohibition against sitting together with the disbelievers who disbelieve in the proofs of Allah and the signs of His Book and mock them; = "until they proceed to some other discourse," whereby with His word "proceed (yakhūḍū)" He means: engaging in some other discourse = for them there is a painful chastisement (ʿadhāb alīm).
And His word: "you would otherwise be like them" means: And there has already been sent down to you that if you sit together with whoever disbelieves in the signs of Allah and mocks them, while you listen, then you are like him = meaning: you are, if in that state you do not rise up [and leave] from among them, like them in their deed, because you have disobeyed Allah by your sitting together with them while you hear that the signs of Allah are being denied and mocked, just as they have disobeyed Him by their mocking of the signs of Allah. You have then performed of disobedience to Allah what they have performed of it, and you are then like them in your committing of disobedience to Allah and your performing of that which Allah has forbidden you.
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And in this verse lies the clear proof for the prohibition against sitting together with the people of falsehood of every kind, from the adherents of reprehensible innovation (mubtadiʿa) and the corrupt (fasaqa), during their plunging into their falsehood.
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And in accordance with that, a group of the bygone imams used to speak, thereby explaining this verse in such a way that by it is meant the prohibition against attending any falsehood when its adherents plunge into it.
*Mention of who said that:
10708 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Hārūn related to us, on the authority of al-ʿAwwām ibn Ḥawshab, on the authority of Ibrāhīm al-Taymī, on the authority of Abū Wāʾil, who said: Indeed, a man speaks in the gathering a word of falsehood in order thereby to make his companions laugh, whereby Allah becomes wrathful with them. He said: I mentioned that to Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, and he said: Abū Wāʾil has spoken the truth; is that not in the Book of Allah: "that, when you hear the signs of Allah being disbelieved in and mocked, you must not remain sitting with them until they proceed to some other discourse; you would otherwise be like them"?
10709 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Minhāl, on the authority of Hishām ibn ʿUrwa, who said: ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz seized a number of people at the drinking [of wine] and flogged them, and among them was one who was fasting. They said: "This man is fasting!" Whereupon he recited: "you must not remain sitting with them until they proceed to some other discourse; you would otherwise be like them."
10710 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, [concerning] His word: "that, when you hear the signs of Allah being disbelieved in and mocked," and His word: And do not follow the [various] paths, lest they cause you to split off from His path [Surah al-Anʿām: 153], and His word: Establish the religion and do not be divided therein [Surah al-Shūrā: 13], and the like from the Qurʾān. He said: Allah has commanded the believers to unity (al-jamāʿa) and has forbidden them dissension and division, and He has informed them: Indeed, those who were before you perished only through wrangling and disputation concerning the religion of Allah.
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And His word: "Indeed, Allah will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers together in Hell (jahannam)" — He says: Indeed, Allah will gather the two parties of the people of disbelief and hypocrisy on the Day of Resurrection in the Fire, and He will bring them together in His chastisement in Hell (jahannam) and in His painful torment, just as they were of one mind in this worldly life and united in enmity against the believers and aided one another in discouraging [people] concerning the religion of Allah = and concerning that which He has been pleased with and commanded = and its adherents.
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And the readers (of the Qurʾān) differed regarding the reading of His word: "and He has already sent down to you in the Book (wa-qad nuzzila ʿalaykum fī l-kitāb)."
The majority of the readers read it with a ḍamma on the "nūn" and with strengthening and doubling (tashdīd) of the "zāy," in the form of [a verb] whose agent is not named (passive).
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And some of the Kufans read it with a fatḥa on the "nūn" and doubling of the "zāy," in the meaning: and Allah has already sent it down upon you.
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And some of the Meccans read: (wa-qad nazala ʿalaykum) with a fatḥa on the "nūn" and lightening (takhfīf) of the "zāy," in the meaning: and there has already come to you from Allah that when you hear.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: In none of these three readings is there an aspect whose meaning deviates from what the wording allows. Except that what I prefer to read with is the reading of whoever read: (wa-qad nuzzila) with a ḍamma on the "nūn" and doubling of the "zāy," in the form of [a verb] whose agent is not named. For the meaning of the wording therein encompasses the fronting [of sentence-parts] in the manner which I have described earlier, in the meaning: Those who take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers = "and He has already sent down to you in the Book that, when you hear the signs of Allah being disbelieved in" up to His word: "some other discourse" = Do they seek power with them?. For His word: Indeed, power belongs entirely to Allah signifies the placing-after [in the sentence order]. For this reason the ḍamma on the "nūn" of His word "nuzzila" is, in our view, the most correct in this place.
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And likewise they differed regarding the reading of His word: And the Book which He has sent down upon His Messenger, and the Book which He sent down before.
The majority of the readers read it with a fatḥa on (nazzala) and (anzala), in the meaning: and the Book which Allah has sent down upon His Messenger, and the Book which He sent down before.
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And some of the readers of Basra read it with a ḍamma in both words together, in the meaning of [a verb] whose agent is not named (passive).
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And the two [readings] are close to one another in meaning. Except that the fatḥa therein is more agreeable to me than the ḍamma, because the mention of Allah preceded it in His word: Believe in Allah and His Messenger.
