Surah An Nisa Tafseer

Prohibiting Unlawfully Earned Money

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ

O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent.

Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, prohibits His believing servants from illegally acquiring each other's property using various dishonest methods such as Riba, gambling and other wicked methods that appear to be legal, but Allah knows that, in reality, those involved seek to deal in interest.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas commented on a man who buys a garment, saying that;

"if he likes it he will keep it, or he will return it along with an extra Dirham."

This is what Allah meant, when He said,

لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ

Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,

"When Allah sent down,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ

(O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly) some Muslims said, `Allah has forbidden us from eating up each other's property unjustly, and food is our best property. Therefore, none among us is allowed to eat from anyone else's food.'

After that Allah sent down,

لَيْسَ عَلَى الاَْعْمَى حَرَجٌ

(There is no restriction on the blind) until the end of the Ayah. (24:61)"'

Qatadah said similarly.

Allah's statement,

إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ

except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent.

means, do not revert to illegal ways and means to acquire money. However, there is no harm in commercial transactions that transpire between the buyer and the seller with mutual consent, so that money is legally earned from these transactions.

Mujahid commented on the Ayah,

"By selling and buying, or giving someone a gift."

Ibn Jarir recorded this statement.

The Option to Buy or Sell Before Parting, is Part of `Mutual Consent' in Trading

Mutual agreement in various transactions is attained when both parties have the right to uphold or dissolve the agreement before they part.

In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

الْبَيِّعَانِ بِالْخِيَارِ مَالَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا

The seller and the buyer retain the (right to change their mind) as long as they have not parted.

Al-Bukhari's wording for this Hadith reads,

إِذَا تَبَايَعَ الرَّجُلنِ فَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِالْخِيَارِ مَالَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا

When two men conduct a transaction, they retain their (right to change their mind) as long as they have not parted.

Forbidding Murder and Suicide

Allah said,

وَلَا تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ

And do not kill yourselves.

by committing Allah's prohibitions, falling into sin and eating up each other's property unjustly,

إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا

Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.

in what He commanded you and prohibited you from.

Imam Ahmad recorded that `Amr bin Al-`As said that;

when the Prophet sent him for the battle of Dhat As-Salasil, "I had a wet dream during a very cold night and feared that if I bathed, I would die. So I performed Tayammum (with pure earth) and led my company in the Dawn prayer. When I went back to the Messenger of Allah, I mentioned what had happened to me and he said,

يَا عَمْرُو صَلَّيْتَ بِأَصْحَابِكَ وَأَنْتَ جُنُب

O `Amr! Have you led your people in prayer while you were in a state of sexual impurity?

I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I had a wet dream on a very cold night and feared that if I bathed I would perish, and I remembered Allah's statement,

وَلَا تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا

(And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you). So I performed Tayammum and prayed.' The Messenger of Allah smiled and did not say anything."

This is the narration reported by Abu Dawud.

Ibn Marduwyah mentioned this honorable Ayah and then reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بَحَدِيدَةٍ فَحَدِيدَتُهُ فِي يَدِهِ يَجَأُ بِهَا بطْنَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself with an iron tool, then his tool will be in his hand and he will keep stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Jahannam, forever and ever.

ومَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِسُمَ فَسُمُّهُ فِي يَدِهِ يَتَحَسَّاهُ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself with poison, then his poison will be in his hand and he will keep taking it in the Fire of Jahannam forever and ever.

وَمَنْ تَرَدَّى مِنْ جَبَلٍ فَقَتلَ نَفْسَهُ فَهُوَ مُتَرَدَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself by throwing himself from a mountain, will keep falling in the Fire of Jahannam forever and ever.

This Hadith was also collected in the Two Sahihs.

Abu Qilabah said that Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِشَيْءٍ عُذِّبَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة

Whoever kills himself with an instrument, will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.

This Hadith was collected by the Group.

This is why Allah said