Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:69
And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.
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 discourse on the explanation of His statement: wa-man yuṭiʿi llāha wa-r-rasūla fa-ulāʾika maʿa lladhīna anʿama llāhu ʿalayhim mina n-nabiyyīna wa-ṣ-ṣiddīqīna wa-sh-shuhadāʾi wa-ṣ-ṣāliḥīna wa-ḥasuna ulāʾika rafīqan (69) ("And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous — and how excellent are these as companions.") (4:69)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means, exalted is His praise: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger" by submitting to the command of them both, by sincerely contenting himself with the judgment of them both, by adhering to the order of them both, and by refraining from that which they both have forbidden of disobedience toward Allah — such a one is then together with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor through His guidance and through His enabling them to obey Him in this world among His prophets, and in the Hereafter when he enters Paradise = "and the truthful (al-ṣiddīqīn)," and that is the plural of "ṣiddīq."
People have differed concerning the meaning of "al-ṣiddīqīn."
Some said: "al-ṣiddīqūn" are the followers of the prophets, those who believed them and followed their path after them, until they joined them. It is as though "al-ṣiddīq," according to this view, is the form "fiʿʿīl," derived from "al-ṣidq" (truth), as one says: "a man who is a sikkīr" derived from "al-sukr" (intoxication), when he is addicted to it, and "shirrīb" (a heavy drinker) and "khimmīr."
Others said: rather, it is the form "fiʿʿīl" derived from "al-ṣadaqa" (almsgiving). And there has been related from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ something that agrees with the explanation of the one who said this, and it is the following: -
9923 - Sufyān ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Khālid ibn Makhlad related to us, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Yaʿqūb, who said: my aunt Qarība bint ʿAbd Allāh ibn Wahb ibn Zamʿa informed me, on the authority of her mother Karīma bint al-Miqdād, on the authority of Ḍubāʿa bint al-Zubayr — and she was the wife of al-Miqdād — on the authority of al-Miqdād, who said: I said to the Prophet ﷺ: There is something I have heard from you about which I am in doubt! He said: When one of you is in doubt about a matter, let him ask me about it. He said: I said: Your statement concerning your wives: "Truly, I hope for them after me to be among the truthful (al-ṣiddīqīn)." He said: Whom do you reckon among the truthful? I said: Our children who die young. He said: No, rather the truthful (al-ṣiddīqīn) are those who affirm the truth (al-muṣaddiqūn).
This is a report which, had its chain of transmission been sound, we would not have permitted ourselves to deviate from it toward anything else, even though there were in its chain some defect such as there is in it.
Since this is so, what is most fitting for "al-ṣiddīq" is that its meaning is: the one who confirms his word by his deed as true. For "al-fiʿʿīl," in the language of the Arabs, when it is derived from a verb, occurs only in the meaning of exaggeration, whether in praise or in blame. And of this is His statement, exalted is His praise, in the description of Maryam: wa-ummuhu ṣiddīqatun (and his mother was a truthful woman) [Surah al-Māʾidah: 75].
And since its meaning is as we have described, there falls under it everyone who is described with what we have said in the description of those who give alms and who affirm the truth.
= "and the martyrs (al-shuhadāʾ)," and that is the plural of "shahīd," and that is the one who has been killed in the path of Allah. He is so named because of his standing up with the witnessing of the truth for the sake of Allah, until he was killed.
= "and the righteous (al-ṣāliḥīn)," and that is the plural of "ṣāliḥ," and that is everyone whose inner and outer being are righteous.
And as for His statement, exalted is His praise: "and how excellent are these as companions (rafīqan)," it means: and how excellent are these whom He has described and characterized, as companions in Paradise.
And "al-rafīq" is used in a single word-form with the meaning of the plural, as the poet said:
They called upon love, and then they shot our hearts with the arrows of enemies, while they were female friends (ṣadīq)
in the meaning of: while they were female friends (ṣadāʾiq).
And as for the accusative case of "al-rafīq," the linguists differ concerning it.
Some grammarians of Basra held that it is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier (ḥāl), and they say: it is like the statement of the man: "Zayd was noble as a man (rajulan)," and they thereby diverge from the meaning of "what an excellent man," and they say: "niʿma" (what excellent) falls only upon a noun in which there is "alif and lām" (the definite article), or upon an indefinite noun.
Some grammarians of Kufa held that it is in the accusative as a specification (tamyīz), and they deny that it is a circumstantial qualifier, and they argue for this by the fact that the Arabs say: "Zayd was noble as a man (min rajulin)" and "how excellent are these as companions (min rufaqāʾa)," and that the insertion of "min" is an indication that "al-rafīq" is its specification. He said: and there has been related from the Arabs: "you were merciful as men (rijālan)," and that indicates that this corresponds to His statement: "and you were excellent as companions (rufaqāʾa)."
Abū Jaʿfar said: And this view is the most fitting with the correct one, on account of the reason we have mentioned for those who hold it.
And it has been mentioned that this verse was revealed because some people were grieved over the loss of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ out of fear that they would not see him in the Hereafter.
The mention of the report concerning that:
9924 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb al-Qummī related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Abī l-Mughīra, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, who said: A man of the Anṣār came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was grieved, and the Prophet ﷺ said to him: O so-and-so, why do I see you grieved? He said: O prophet of Allah, something about which I have been thinking! He said: What is it? He said: We come to you morning and evening, we look upon your face and sit with you; tomorrow you will be raised up with the prophets and we will not be able to reach you! The Prophet ﷺ gave no reply. Then Jibrīl, peace be upon him, came to him with this verse: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous — and how excellent are these as companions." He said: Then the Prophet ﷺ sent for him and gave him the good tidings.
9925 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abī l-Ḍuḥā, on the authority of Masrūq, who said: The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O Messenger of Allah, it is not fitting for us to be separated from you in this world, for were you to die, you would be raised above us and we would not see you! Then Allah revealed: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger," the verse.
9926 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets" — it has been related to us that some men said: This is the prophet of Allah, we see him in this world, but in the Hereafter he will be raised up and we will not see him! Then Allah revealed: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger" up to His statement: "as companions."
9927 - Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor" the verse. He said: People of the Anṣār said: O Messenger of Allah, when Allah admits you into Paradise and you are in the highest part of it, while we long for you, what then are we to do? Then Allah revealed: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger."
9928 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His statement: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger," the verse. He said: The companions of the Prophet ﷺ said: We already know that the Prophet ﷺ has his excellence over whoever believes in him with respect to the ranks of Paradise, over whoever follows him and affirms him as true; how then will it be for them, when they gather together in Paradise, that one sees another? Then Allah revealed concerning this. It is said: The highest-placed descend to those who are lower than they, and they gather together in his gardens, and they recall that with which Allah has bestowed favor upon them and they praise Him, and to them descend the people of the ranks and they strive for them with what they desire and ask for. Thus are they in his garden, made glad and taking delight therein.
