An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 165 of 176

An-Nisa 4:165

رُّسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ حُجَّةٌۢ بَعْدَ ٱلرُّسُلِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

“[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allāh after the messengers. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Allah sent messengers with good news and warning before any judgment, so no one could say they were never told.

A reflection

The Mighty One who warns first

Wa-kāna llāhu ʿazīzan ḥakīmā: and Allah is Mighty, Wise.

The ayah ends on two names. One commentator explains ʿAzīz as the One who is never overcome in anything He wills. Ḥakīm is wise in all He does. The root of ʿazīz pictured hard ground where hooves could not sink, and the eagle nesting on peaks no one could reach.

Now notice what this unreachable might chooses to do. It sends messengers first. It gives good news and warning before any reckoning. It closes every road of excuse in advance, so that no one is judged for what they were never told.

The Prophet ﷺ put it in words recorded in both Sahihs. No one loves the excuse more than Allah, and for that reason He sent the bringers of good news and the warners. That is, He loves to leave every person a fair chance before any judgment.

Compare that with how small power often behaves. Picture a new supervisor in a busy café, three weeks into the job. He cuts a waiter's hours for breaking a rule he never announced. The waiter protests that nobody told him. The supervisor shrugs: you should have known. A little authority, and already the ego wants to catch people out.

The One with all might does the opposite. He makes sure everyone could have known. That is a humbling mirror for every manager, parent and official among us. The smaller our power, the more tempted we are to use it without warning.

And a doubt follows. The same hadith says no one loves praise more than Allah. Does He need it, then? No. He is free of all need (35:15). He loves praise because it is true, and because praising Him is good for the one who praises. A parent who loves hearing 'thank you' does not depend on it. He loves what it does to the child.

The truly great warn before they judge. The petty prefer to surprise.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.