Surah 4: Al Nisa' (Day 4) | Original English Commentary | Project Illumine

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl presents his Quranic commentary on Surah 4: Al Nisa’ (Day 4) as part of the ongoing Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series at The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org). The verses covered in Day 4 are roughly, forty-two to fifty-four.
Project Illumine is a year-long intensive immersion into the unique moral messages in each of the 114 surahs (chapters) of the Quran, the fruit of this scholar's lifetime relationship with the Quran. This is the seventy-fourth chapter in the series. This is not the traditional line-by-line exegesis, but a chapter-by-chapter thematic approach that seeks to rediscover the original meaning received by the early Muslims that sparked their passion such that they transformed from desert dwellers to civilization builders. It is an investigation of the timeless moral and ethical lessons of the Quran then applied to our modern day. In the introduction, our Executive Director Grace Song draws attention to the latest Khutbah, Learning Not to be Selfish and the Legacy of Killing the Prophet's Grandson: • Learning Not to be Sel... ​​and shares a beautiful message from a viewer. Recorded at The Usuli Institute on 12 January 2022.
Please support the Usuli Institute at www.usuli.org/donate to help us continue in our endeavors. Your donation to The Institute for Advanced Usuli Studies will help fund important work to combat extremism and ignorance. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity dedicated to research and education to promote humanistically beautiful and morally elevating interpretations of Islam. We seek to support our brightest minds to advance knowledge and to build a community of individuals founded on dignity, respect and love for all of God's creation.
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[@stephenconnolly1830]

TIMESTAMPS Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem [Grace Song's preamble until 8:17] 10:00 summary of Surah al-Nisa' recapping what has been covered to date, up to Ayah #42. 14:52 the report concerning Umm Salamah's complaint to the Prophet - about men having all the favours; going to war with the chance of martyrdom and inheriting more than women - supposedly resulting in the revelation of Ayah #32: (Do not covet what God has given to some of you in preference to others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask God of his bounty. God has knowledge of everything). 16:15 the logic of the complaint - men getting a bigger share in this world (i.e. inheritance) and the next (i.e. martyrdom). 17:15 the stealth characteristic of the report in question - apparently pro-female, but actually anti-feminine because of God's apparent response via Ayah #32 (effectively saying to women to stay in their place). 18:48 the historical inaccuracy of the report - women being allowed to fight and gain martyrdom + women don't always get half the inheritance of men. 20:49 using the science of Rijal\transmission to perform a critical examination of the Isnad\chain of narrators of reports discussed ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biographical_evaluation#:~:text=Biographical%20evaluation%20(Arabic%3A%20%D8%B9%D9%90%D9%84%D9%92%D9%85%D9%8F%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%90%D9%91%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%84,narrators%20of%20hadith%20are%20evaluated. ). 21:19 historical analysis using tools to check whether the report makes sense. 21:55 the Professor "the science of transmission itself was not ideologically neutral" - surveying Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi shows their tendency to favour transmitters who were politically pro-Ummayyad. 23:20 the meagre number of reports transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt\Prophet's family and the companions at the battle of Badr - because the collectors and compilers of the Hadith literature avoided running foul of the Ummayyad authorities (a case of unconscious bias and self-censorship). 24:00 pro-Mu'awiya and pro-Yazid transmitters versus those not so being well documented... 24:20 ...versus the paucity of gender bias documented. 25:07 the known misogyny of some of the collectors of Hadith versus those collectors sympathetic to the opposite gender. 27:20 the Prophet's empowering of women in his lifetime favouring the traditions of Medina because these were less restrictive than the customs of Mecca... 27:55 ...Qurayshi misogyny and classism in Mecca - low status women as entertainers versus high status women of honour and wealth but secluded... 30:15 ...contrasted with the relative mobility of the women of Medina who worked to help their families. 31:04 many of the people of Quraysh wanting the Prophet to order women to emulate Meccan practice - which he actively resisted. 32:12 reversal of the gains from the cultural clash due to imperial Islam under the influence of Qurayshi aristocrats like Mu'awiya... 33:48 ...effecting state support for the circulation of corrupt and fabricated Ahadith eports like: “...You will listen to the Amir and carry out his orders; even if your back is flogged and your wealth is snatched, you should listen and obey.” [Sahih Muslim, #1847b] etc. 34:50 Imam Ali, a product of the school of the Prophet, standing against the superimposition of Qurayshi practices on early Islam/women. 36:00 the concoction & circulation - under Ummayyad/Qurayshi auspices - of spurious traditions attributed to the Prophet by way of subversion of the original context of the tradition; in this case Ayah #34 where the power of disciplining an errant wife is removed from the husband... 37:35 ...and instead regulated as a judicial/legal process which is the authentic Qur'anic prescription here... 38:03 ...counter-subversion traditions used to mitigate the impact of the state - explaining the advocation of legal fictions (the administration of a beating using a Miswak\toothbrush to a wife after her sexual impropriety). 41:10 the extreme danger of taking Rijal\the science of transmission of Hadith & the reports themselves at face value without sufficient thought and scrutiny. 41:50 the incongruity of people connected to Bani Ummayyad transmitting more prophetic reports than the Prophet's own family. 44:27 the sacrifice and moral obligation toward the less fortunate demanded of God from believers (our test) to attain His satisfaction - Ayah #36: (Worship God, and ascribe no partners to Him, and be good to the parents, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and the neighbour next door, and the distant neighbour, and the close associate, and the traveler, and your servants. God does not love the arrogant showoff). 48:55 the sad irony of the Qurayshi aristocracy - who murderously opposed the Prophet - seizing power to take over the Islamic state. 49:15 Muslims failing like the Jews described in the Qur'an - the corrupting influence of power... 50:00 ...the alternative Islam of Satan - imperial Islam; less demanding, selfish, egotistical and narcissistic... 53:30 ...mirroring the marginalisation and rejection of the prophets of old - prophetic emulation only in the most superficial of ways. 54:42 Ayah #37: "alladheena yabkhaloona wayamuroona an-nasa bil-bukh'li..." (Those who are stingy, and exhort people to stinginess, [and conceal what God has given them from His bounty. We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful punishment]). 55:07 Ayah #38: (And those who spend their money to be seen by people, and believe neither in God nor in the Last Day. Whoever has Satan as a companion-what an evil companion). 56:54 Ayah #38: "...wamay yakuni ash-shaytanu lahu qareenan fasa-a qareena" (...Whoever has Satan as a companion-what an evil companion). 1:01:50 the paradigm shift entailed - bearing witness in the hereafter against the evil perpetrated by other people... 1:04:40 ...the reaction of tyrants - hatred toward being reminded and the silencing of those reminding them of their injustice. 1:08:00 the extremely empowering concept to the Muslim of persevering to join the ranks of those close to the Prophet - Ayah #42: "yawma-idhin yawaddu alladheena kafaroo wa'asawoo ar-rasoola law tusawwa bihimu al-ardu wala yaktumoona al-laaha hadeetha" (On that Day, those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that the earth were leveled over them. They will conceal nothing from God). 1:11:50 Ayah #43: "yaayyuha alladheena amanoo la taqraboo as-salata wa-antum sukara hatta ta'lamoo ma taqooloona wala junuban illa abiri sabeelin hatta taghtasiloo wa-in kuntum marda aw ala safarin aw ja-a ahadun minkum mina al-ghaiti aw lamastumu an-nisa-a falam tajidoo ma-an fatayammamoo sa'idan tayyiban fam'sahoo biwujoohikum wa-aydikum inna al-laaha kana afoowwan ghafoora" (O you who believe! Do not approach the prayer while you are drunk, so that you know what you say; nor after sexual orgasm-unless you are travelling-until you have bathed. If you are sick, or traveling, or one of you comes from the toilet, or you have had intercourse with women, and cannot find water, find clean sand and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God is Pardoning and Forgiving). 1:14:30 as established in Ayah #43, the commonly held belief announcing the first stage of the prohibition of alcohol: "...la taqraboo as-salata wa-antum sukara..." (...Do not approach the prayer while you are drunk...)... 1:16:40 ...the Professor in agreement that alcohol was prohibited in stages - by 3 AH the widespread knowledge among Muslims of the Prophet's complete sobriety and aversion to the substance due to its satanic connections... 1:18:30 ...the profound unlikelihood that the Prophet's close companions continued to drink... 1:19:20 ...a fabricated pro-Ummayyad tradition attributed to Ali recounting his misreading Surah al-Kafirun in prayer while inebriated which precipitated the revelation of Ayah #43... 1:21:10 ...the Isnad\chain of transmitters containing someone who fought on the side of the tyrant Yazid against Ali's son Hussain at Karbala... 1:22:15 ...the related tradition being a lie invented to malign Ali despite the fact that he, like the Prophet, also did not drink alcohol. 1:24:45 the word سُكٰرٰی \ "sukara" not just meaning alcohol or intoxication - instead, meaning anything impinging on being mentally present... 1:25:40 ...the expectation of the Ayah that the believer must ensure they pay attention when praying - avoiding being absent minded... 1:27:20 ...obviating the claim the Ayah is abrogated by another later Ayah. 1:29:24 the shift in the chapter in Ayah #44: "alam tara ila alladheena ootoo naseeban mina al-kitabi yashtaroona ad-dalalata wayureedoona an tadilloo as-sabeel" (Have you not considered those who were given a share of the Book? They buy error, and wish you would lose the way). 1:29:32 Ayah #45: "wal-laahu a'lamu bi-a'da-ikum wakafa bil-lahi waliyya wakafa bil-lahi naseer" (But God knows your enemies best. God is sufficient as a Protector, and God is sufficient as a Supporter). 1:31:28 Ayah #44 the challenge of hypocrisy faced by the Jews, Christians AND Muslims: "...alladheena ootoo naseeban mina al-kitabi..." (...those who were given a share of the Book?...) 1:32:32 the different circles of believers... 1:37:27 ...the very worst, most nominal, hypocrites identified in the same Ayah with the following real intent: "...yashtaroona ad-dalalata wayureedoona an tadilloo as-sabeel" (...They buy error, and wish you would lose the way) - wanting Muslims to be, like themselves, non-Muslims... 1:37:47 Ayah #45 repeated, wherein Muslims are not aware of who these characters are, but God and, by inference, His Prophet do. [Surah al-Nisa', Day 4 timestamps continued - PART 2]

[@chegeuvera]

Stephen, you are doing some good work man.

[@stephenconnolly1830]

@@chegeuveraAlhamdulillah and thanks man - it's only good if it's useful though, may God help make it so...

[@maryam8615]

So powerful. Thank you

[@goodtree6228]

La ilaha ilallah wa ashhadouhana Muhammad a rasoulallah

[@stephenconnolly1830]

[PART 2 - Surah al-Nisa', Day 2 timestamps continued] 1:39:50 Ayah #46: "min alladheena hadoo yuharrifoona al-kalima an mawadi'ihi wayaqooloona sami'na wa'asayna was'ma' ghayra mus'ma'i wara'ina layyan bi-alsinatihim wata'nan fid-deeni walaw annahum qaloo sami'na wa-ata'na was'ma' wanthur'na lakana khayran lahum wa-aqwama walakin la'anahumu al-laahu bikuf'rihim fala yu'minoona illa qaleela" (Among the Jews are some who take words out of context, and say, "We hear and we disobey", and "Hear without listening", and "Observe us," twisting with their tongues and slandering the religion. Had they said, "We hear and we obey", and "Listen", and "Give us your attention," it would have been better for them, and more upright. But God has cursed them for their disbelief; they do not believe except a little). 1:40:28 Ayah #47: "ya-ayyuh alladheena oot ool-kitaba aminoo bima nazzalna musaddiqa lima ma'akum min qabli an natmisa wujoohan fanaruddaha ala adbariha aw nal'anahum kama la'ann as-haba as-sab-t wakana amr ul-lahi maf'oola" (O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We sent down, confirming what you have, before We obliterate faces and turn them inside out, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers. The command of God is always done). 1:40:52 Ayah #48: "inn al-laaha lay yaghfiru ay yush'raka bihi wayaghfiru ma doona dhalika limay yasha wamay yush'rik bil-lahi faqadi if'taraa ith'man atheema" (God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin). 1:43:12 the close alliance in Medina between the hypocrites and the Jewish tribes - playing inside jokes mocking & insulting the Prophet; this being confronted by the Qur'an in Ayah #46. 1:53:16 the idiomatic expression in Ayah #47: "...an natmisa wujoohan fanaruddaha ala adbariha..." (...before the time comes where pipe dreams will be dashed...) - exposing the delusional and egotistical thinking of those doing the mocking. 1:56:00 the significant impact on Islamic movements throughout history due to Ayah #48 - but not to be deployed in isolation; requiring contextualisation via the neighbouring Ayat... 1:57:42 ...Ayah #49: "alam tara ila alladheena yuzakkoona anfusahum bali al-laahu yuzakki may yashau wala yuth'lamoona fateela" (Have you not considered those who claim purity for themselves? Rather, God purifies whom He wills, and they will not be wronged a whit)... 1:58:40 ...Ayah #50: "unthur kayfa yaftaroona al al-lahi al-kadhiba wakafa bihi ith'man mubeena" (See how they devise lies against God. That alone is an outright sin). 1:59:35 the Shirk\polytheism referenced in these Ayat not corresponding only to idolatry but encompassing the projection onto God of whatever people feel is appropriate, acceptable and reasonable to themselves. 2:05:05 the case of Yazid - philosophising God would be fine with his egregious act killing and mutilating Hussain etc... 2:08:15 ...the surefire ticket to hellfire as related in Ayah #49, Tazkiyah al-Nafs\purification of the self ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazkiyah#:~:text=Tazkiyah%20(Arabic%3A%20%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9)%20is,%22purification%20of%20the%20self%22.&text=The%20person%20who%20purifies%20himself,Zaki%20(Arabic%3A%20%D8%B2%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%91). )... 2:08:45 ...attributing lies to God. 2:09:55 morality not being structured on Tazkiyah al-Nafs, but instead on self-critical insight. 2:11:05 'Ali, Hasan & Hussain - the epitome of the critical self; Mu'awiya & Yazid - the epitome of presumptive righteousness. 2:11:25 the spectacle of Hujr ibn 'Adi, a Sahabi\companion executed by Mu'awiya, whose grave was defiled by members of ISIS in Syria while praising God ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hujr_ibn_Adi ). 2:13:15 Shirk not about the worship of stone and wooden etc figures/idols, but instead the deification of oneself by worshipping the ego and its projections... 2:13:53 ...praying as a formality in a state of sleepiness...legal not moral motivation...taking God for granted = Shirk. 2:14:59 imperial/Ummayyad/State Islam's relationship with Ayah #48 - insisting its meaning relates only to idol worshippers resulting in the persecution of anyone who argued otherwise... 2:15:32 ...Abu Dharr al-Ghafari's exile under Uthman for his use of Ayah #48 to criticise the rise of materialism (a form of idolatry)... 2:16:30 ...the project of the State: to lull Muslims into passivity and consent to corrupt rule provided prayer is allowed. 2:17:08 the State's most ardent wish - removing the revolution out of Islam. 2:17:20 each major rebellion against the Ummayyad authorities & State based on the accusation of their Shirk\polytheism. 2:19:41 the Professor "if you want to understand why Muslims are in the state they are in, it is not an exaggeration to say it's because they've forgotten the Qur'an. But it's not any Qur'an, it is the original, pristine revolutionary message of the Qur'an. So, what we are talking about is that the heart and core of an Islam Muhammadi; that is the Islam of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the Islam that came and shook the world." 2:20:45 Ayah #50: "unthur kayfa yaftaroona al al-laah il-kadhiba wakafa bihi ith'man mubeena" (See how they devise lies against God. That alone is an outright sin). 2:23:30 Ayah #51: "alam tara il alladheena ootoo naseeban min al-kitabi yu'minoona bil-jib'ti wat-taghooti wayaqooloona lilladheena kafaroo ha-ula-i ahda min alladheena amanoo sabeela" (Have you not considered those who were given a share of the Book? They believe in superstition and evil powers, and say of those who disbelieve, "These are better guided on the way than the believers"). 2:23:44 Ayah #52: "oola-ika alladheena la'anahum ul-laahu wamay yal'ani al-laahu falan tajida lahu naseera" (Those are they whom God has cursed. Whomever God curses, you will find no saviour for him). 2:23:55 Ayah #53: "am lahum naseebun min al-mul'ki fa-idha lay yu'toon an-nasa naqeera" (Or do they own a share of the kingdom? Then they would not give people a speck). 2:24:01 Ayah #54: "am yahsudoon an-nasa ala ma atahum ul-laahu min fadlih faqad atayna ala ib'raheem al-kitaba wal-hik'mata waataynahum mul'kan atheema" (Or do they envy the people for what God has given them of His grace? We have given the family of Abraham the Book and wisdom, and We have given them a great kingdom). 2:26:01 Ayat #50-#54 - one continuous thought... 2:26:32 a narration about Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf confirming the Meccans' prejudices against the Prophet as the reason for the revelation of Ayah #51 - unlikely it triggered the revelation, although it is probable the incident occurred. 2:28:45 reference to Jews and Christians in Ayah #51: "alam tara il alladheena ootoo naseeban min al-kitabi..." (Have you not considered those who were given a share of the Book?...) - charging them with believing in sorcery and their priests with representing the divine will, speaking on behalf of God... 2:30:30 it was already established that Ayah #44 accuses nominal/hypocritical Muslims of doing the very same thing Jews did: (Have you not considered those who were given a share of the Book?...)... 2:31:42 ...the problem with those not taking the whole of the revelation seriously - focusing on the parts they want, ignoring the inconvenient rest... 2:32:10 per Ayah #51: "...yu'minoona bil-jib'ti wat-taghooti..." = believing in any comforting mythology (outside revelation) - particularly, inherited traditions which lead to inequity and injustice... 2:35:05 those people condemned in Ayah #51 for resisting the reforms advanced by Surah al-Nisa'... 2:35:53 ...the chapter producing significant opposition - most often neglected in the biographical books of Sirah... 2:37:17 ...the phenomenon of the nominal Muslims complaining to the Jews (of Medina)! 2:37:49 continuation of Ayah #51 which captures the prejudices \ Kufr of the nominal Muslims against the believers: "...wayaqooloona lilladheena kafaroo ha-ula-i ahda min alladheena amanoo sabeela" (...and say of those who disbelieve, "These are better guided on the way than the believers"). 2:39:35 the outside versus the enemy within - the latter guilty of the unforgivable sin of this form of Shirk, per Ayah #51. 2:40:21 Ayah #52: "oola-ika alladheena la'anahumu al-laahu..." (Those are they whom God has cursed...) - but requiring a careful distinction be drawn between success in this life versus victory in the next (indicated by one's moral conduct). 2:41:48 Ayah #53: "am lahum naseebun min al-mul'ki fa-idha la yu'toon an-nasa naqeera" (Or do they own a share of the kingdom? Then they would not give people a speck)... 2:45:00 ...as foretold in Ayah #53, the present state of murderous obliviousness, selfishness and neglect toward the Yemeni people by other Arabs related to them by ancestry... 2:46:27 ...ditto the Egyptian people's silence in the face of their government's connivance with the Israeli state's construction of the Gaza concentration camp for Palestinians... 2:47:35 ...an anecdote about the murderous exploit of a 'religious' officer in the Egyptian army... 2:49:40 ...Satan not operating by telling people to commit a sin, but by telling Muslims they are still good even when they commit a sin. 2:51:00 the conditions that prevent the moral elevation given according to Ayah #54: "am yahsudoon an-nasa ala ma atahum ul-laahu min fadlih faqad atayna ala ib'raheema al-kitaba wal-hik'mata waataynahum mul'kan atheema" (Or do they envy the people for what God has given them of His grace? We have given the family of Abraham the Book and wisdom, and We have given them a great kingdom)... 2:51:35 ...a simple personality clash driven by ego resulting in envy and contempt... 2:54:22 ...refusal to defer to others better informed. 2:55:30 the Professor reiterating the revolutionary, escalatory message of Surah al-Nisa' - constituting an entire demanding programme of sacrifice. 2:58:33 [Grace Song's outro]

[@Toast-M1]

bless you, friend

[@timurmamedov2398]

Are there any book recommendations on the lives of Imams Hasan and Husayn?

[@abdelbelkasriphd7589]

I gather that you are looking for the professor's book recommendations, otherwise there are a lot of books on Ahl Albeit and especially Imam Hussain...

[@timurmamedov2398]

@@abdelbelkasriphd7589 any you'd recommend?

[@NimaEbadatz]

Salamu alaykom wa rahmatullah Are there any unbiased/reliable sources on Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain that you can recommend?