An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 85 of 176

An-Nisa 4:85

مَّن يَشْفَعْ شَفَـٰعَةً حَسَنَةً يَكُن لَّهُۥ نَصِيبٌ مِّنْهَا ۖ وَمَن يَشْفَعْ شَفَـٰعَةً سَيِّئَةً يَكُن لَّهُۥ كِفْلٌ مِّنْهَا ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقِيتًا

“Whoever intercedes for a good cause will have a share [i.e., reward] therefrom; and whoever intercedes for an evil cause will have a portion [i.e., burden] therefrom. And ever is Allāh, over all things, a Keeper.[205]”

Saheeh International

Essence

Whoever stands beside another and speaks for them shares in what their word sets moving, for good or for ill, and Allah keeps every portion.

A reflection

The Keeper who measures every share

The ayah ends by naming Allah as Muqīt over all things. The word comes from qūt: just enough food to hold in the breath of life. The commentators gave several senses. Some early authorities said the Able, and one great commentary reports this as the usage of Quraysh. Others said the Keeper and the Witness. A classical grammarian said: the One who gives every person their measure of sustenance.

Each of those senses lands on the intercessor. Picture an Eid lunch where an uncle, plate in hand, lists every relative whose job he 'sorted'. Across the table sits a nephew he sorted. The nephew remembers the three interviews, the night shifts, the year of exams. He also remembers his mother's prayers. The uncle's word mattered. But he speaks as if he were the source.

The ayah answers that gently. A share comes to the one who speaks well for another. But the One who measures out every share is Allah. The Prophet ﷺ told his Companions, as both Sahihs record: intercede and you will be rewarded. Then Allah decides what He wills on the tongue of His Prophet. The intercessor speaks; the outcome belongs elsewhere.

One commentary draws out a further detail. Allah is able to give the intercessor a share like that of the person helped, without taking anything from the latter. Nobody's reward is shrunk to pay another's.

That shrinks a particular kind of pride: the ego of the well-connected. You did not create the job, the cure or the open door. You were a voice. Yet the voice is rewarded, and that is His generosity, not your achievement.

Does Allah need us to call Him Keeper? No; He is free of all need (35:15). The name is given for the intercessor's peace. Speak well for people, and leave the measuring to Him.

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.