An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 170 of 176

An-Nisa 4:170

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِٱلْحَقِّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ ۚ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

“O mankind, the Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord, so believe; it is better for you. But if you disbelieve - then indeed, to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. And ever is Allāh Knowing and Wise.”

Saheeh International

Essence

To every human being: the truth has come from your Lord, so believe, for your own good; Allah owns everything and needs nothing.

A reflection

Keeping the curtains shut against the morning

Wa-in takfurū fa-inna li-llāhi mā fī s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ: and if you disbelieve, then to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.

Notice what this sentence does not say. It does not say 'then Allah will be hurt', or 'then Allah will be lessened'. It says the opposite. Everything in the heavens and the earth already belongs to Him, by creation and by ownership. One commentator spells it out: your rejection harms no one but yourselves, and it takes nothing from His dominion.

The Prophet ﷺ conveyed the same truth from his Lord, as Sahih Muslim records. Suppose the first and last of you, humans and jinn, all had the heart of the most wicked man among you. That would not reduce His dominion in the slightest.

This is a humbling thought for the ego, which often imagines its decisions are felt at the centre of things. Some people treat faith as if they were doing God a favour by believing, or punishing Him by refusing.

Picture a man who, after a bad night, decides to keep his curtains shut all day to 'show' the morning. He sits in the dim room, arms folded. Outside, the sun crosses the whole sky exactly as it would have done. The only person kept in the dark is him.

Refusing Allah is like that. The sun is not dimmed. The room is.

Why then does He call us at all, if He needs nothing? Because the call is for us. The ayah says it plainly: believe, it is better for you. A King who gains nothing from your answer, and still asks, is asking out of mercy.

Open the curtains. Not for His sake. For yours.

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.