Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:165
[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.
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 the words of Allah: Messengers as bearers of glad tidings and as warners, so that mankind would have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise (4:165)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted means by this: Verily, We have revealed to you just as We revealed to Nūḥ and the prophets after him, and to those whom He has mentioned of the messengers — "messengers." He placed "the messengers" in the accusative case because of the separation (qaṭʿ) from the names of the prophets whose names He has mentioned — "as bearers of glad tidings," that is to say: I have sent them as messengers to My creatures and My servants, as bearers of glad tidings about My reward to whoever obeys Me and follows My command and believes My messengers, and as warners of My punishment to whoever disobeys Me and contradicts My command and denies My messengers — "so that mankind would have no argument against Allah after the messengers," that is to say: I have sent My messengers to My servants as bearers of glad tidings and as warners, so that whoever disbelieves in Me and worships partners besides Me, or has strayed from My path, would not put forward an argument when I would will his punishment, by saying: If only You had sent a messenger to us, so that we could have followed Your signs before we were humiliated and disgraced [Sūrat Ṭāhā: 134]. Thus He has cut off the argument of every wrongful denier who introduced innovation regarding His oneness and contradicted His command, with all forms of arguments that sever his excuse — as a warning from Him to them thereby, so that to Allah belongs the decisive argument against them and against all His creatures.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have spoken.
Mention of who said that:
10849 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "so that mankind would have no argument against Allah after the messengers," so that they would not say: You did not send messengers to us.
— "And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise," that is to say: And Allah is ever the possessor of power in His vengeance upon whomever of His creatures He takes vengeance, because of his disbelief in Him and his disobedience to Him, after He has established His argument against him by means of His messengers and His proofs — "All-Wise," in His disposal over them of that which He has decreed.
