An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 45 of 176

An-Nisa 4:45

وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَعْدَآئِكُمْ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ نَصِيرًا

“And Allāh is most knowing of your enemies; and sufficient is Allāh as an ally, and sufficient is Allāh as a helper.”

Saheeh International

Essence

After naming those who want you lost, the Quran turns at once to comfort: Allah knows them better than you, and He is enough.

A reflection

He knows your enemies better than you do

At fourteen, a boy avoided his football coach. The man was blunt, shouted from the touchline, and made him run extra laps. Instead he trusted an older lad from the estate, who was easy company and generous with cigarettes. Ten years later he can see clearly which of the two was on his side. At the time he could not have told you.

'Allah knows best your enemies.' One concise commentary explains that He knows them better than you. He tells you of them so that you can keep clear. Another commentary adds: He knows the depth of what is in their hearts.

This is where the ego shrinks. Most of us believe we are good judges of people. We trust our instincts about who wishes us well. Yet we misread constantly. We fear the honest critic and welcome the flatterer. We keep at arm's length the person who would have helped, and confide in the one who will use it.

The ayah does not flatter our judgement. It places all real knowledge of hearts with Allah, and asks us to lean on what He has told us rather than on our feelings.

Does Allah need to remind us that He knows more than we do? He needs nothing. The reminder is protection. It humbles us enough to listen. It also frees us from the exhausting task of reading every heart around us, a task we were never equipped for.

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.