An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 143 of 176

An-Nisa 4:143

مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَآ إِلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَلَآ إِلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ سَبِيلًا

“Wavering between them, [belonging] neither to these [i.e., the believers] nor to those [i.e., the disbelievers]. And whoever Allāh sends astray - never will you find for him a way.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The hypocrites swing between faith and denial, belonging fully to neither; and the one Allah leaves to wander finds no road at all.

A reflection

Why the waverer cannot settle

Mudhabdhabīna bayna dhālik: wavering in between.

One classical commentator offers a remarkable explanation of why some people cannot settle. Every action, he says, follows a motive. If the motive is tied to the benefits of this world, wavering multiplies. Worldly benefits shift and change quickly. So the person chasing them shifts with them, and when two pulls conflict, he is left suspended in confusion.

But the one whose aim is lasting good is steady, he continues, because what he seeks does not change. That is why Allah describes the believers with firmness. Allah keeps firm those who believe (14:27). In the remembrance of Allah hearts find rest (13:28). And the soul at peace is addressed by name (89:27).

That is a diagnosis as much as a description. Wavering is not mainly a weakness of will. It is the natural result of anchoring yourself to something that moves.

Picture a young man whose views change with whatever filled his feed that week. On Monday he is convinced by a confident speaker about one thing. By Friday, another video has convinced him of the opposite. He argues each position passionately while it lasts. His friends have stopped asking what he thinks, because they know it will be different next week. He is exhausted, and he cannot say why.

He is not stupid. He is tied to a current, and currents move.

The ayah's remedy is not to grit your teeth and hold still. It is to change your anchor. Tie your aims to what lasts: Allah's pleasure, His words, the Hereafter. Then the daily winds can blow without pulling up your roots.

Ask yourself what your decisions are really anchored to. If it moves every week, so will you.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.