سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 115
وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا ﴿115﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers’ way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَن
waman
And whoever
يُشَاقِقِ
yushāqiqi
opposes
ٱلرَّسُولَ
l-rasūla
the Messenger
مِنۢ
min
from
بَعْدِ
baʿdi
after
مَا
mā
what
تَبَيَّنَ
tabayyana
(has) become clear
لَهُ
lahu
to him
ٱلْهُدَىٰ
l-hudā
(of) the guidance
وَيَتَّبِعْ
wayattabiʿ
and he follows
غَيْرَ
ghayra
other than
سَبِيلِ
sabīli
(the) way
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
l-mu'minīna
(of) the believers
نُوَلِّهِۦ
nuwallihi
We will turn him
مَا
mā
(to) what
تَوَلَّىٰ
tawallā
he (has) turned
وَنُصْلِهِۦ
wanuṣ'lihi
and We will burn him
جَهَنَّمَ ۖ
jahannama
(in) Hell
وَسَآءَتْ
wasāat
and evil it is
مَصِيرًا
maṣīran
(as) a destination
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 115) ➊ From {وَ مَنْ يُّشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوْلَ …: ”يُشَاقِقِ“ ’’شق‘‘} is derived a present tense verb from the form of Mufa‘alah. The meaning of {’’ شق‘‘} is side, edge, that is, whoever or whichever group opposes the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in such a way that they come face to face with him—on one side is Allah’s Messenger, on the other side is this person or group—and after the truth has become clear, they turn away from the straight and clear path of the believers (which, in every case, is following the Messenger), then We will turn him to the direction he has turned to, and We will let him go on that crooked path which will eventually throw him into Hell, and that is a very evil path.
➋ After guidance has become clear, opposing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and leaving the path of the believers to follow another path is, in reality, leaving the religion of Islam itself, for which the warning of Hell has been mentioned here. By “believers” is meant the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who were the very first followers of Islam and the complete example of its teachings, and at the time of the revelation of these verses, there was no other group of believers present who could be meant here. Therefore, opposing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and following other than the path of the believers are, in reality, one and the same thing; thus, deviating from the path of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is also disbelief and misguidance. Some scholars have taken {’’ سَبِيْلِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ“ } to mean the consensus (ijma‘) of the Ummah, that is, to deviate from the consensus of the entire Ummah is also disbelief. The consensus of the Ummah means the agreement of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah on an issue, or the agreement of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on an issue; both these cases are forms of the consensus of the Ummah. The agreement of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is found in many issues, that is, this form of consensus is found, but after the consensus of the Companions, claims of consensus and agreement of the entire Ummah on many issues have been made, but there are very few such issues in which, in reality, all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah are in agreement. Then, to find out about the agreement of all the scholars and jurists on such issues is even more difficult. Then, the formation of many sects in the Ummah has resulted in every group claiming consensus to strengthen its own position, even if it is clearly against the Qur’an and Hadith, for example, building structures over graves, covering them with cloth, lighting lamps on them, slaughtering animals in the name of other than Allah, taking out processions for mourning, not considering the Prophets as humans, attributing divine qualities to them, celebrating Mawlid, Gyarhwin, Teejah, Satwan, Daswan, Chaliswan, Urs, fairs, adhering to the concept of a Pir, accepting everything right or wrong from him—in short, acts of clear shirk and innovation have been given the name of consensus. However, there is no doubt that to deny such issues on which, in reality, there is consensus of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah is also disbelief, just like denying the consensus of the Companions, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Allah will not gather my Ummah upon misguidance, and Allah’s hand is upon the group.” [ ترمذی، الفتن، باب ما جاء فی لزوم الجماعۃ : ۲۱۶۷، و صححہ الألبانی ]
➌ {وَ سَآءَتْ مَصِيْرًا:} In this verse, there is a severe warning for those who turn away from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the way of the righteous predecessors, and follow others, inventing new innovations day by day. It needs no explanation that the invention of taqlid (blind following) also occurred in later centuries; there is absolutely no evidence of it in the era of the righteous predecessors, nor is there any allowance for it from the Book and Sunnah.
➋ After guidance has become clear, opposing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and leaving the path of the believers to follow another path is, in reality, leaving the religion of Islam itself, for which the warning of Hell has been mentioned here. By “believers” is meant the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who were the very first followers of Islam and the complete example of its teachings, and at the time of the revelation of these verses, there was no other group of believers present who could be meant here. Therefore, opposing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and following other than the path of the believers are, in reality, one and the same thing; thus, deviating from the path of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is also disbelief and misguidance. Some scholars have taken {’’ سَبِيْلِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ“ } to mean the consensus (ijma‘) of the Ummah, that is, to deviate from the consensus of the entire Ummah is also disbelief. The consensus of the Ummah means the agreement of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah on an issue, or the agreement of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on an issue; both these cases are forms of the consensus of the Ummah. The agreement of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is found in many issues, that is, this form of consensus is found, but after the consensus of the Companions, claims of consensus and agreement of the entire Ummah on many issues have been made, but there are very few such issues in which, in reality, all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah are in agreement. Then, to find out about the agreement of all the scholars and jurists on such issues is even more difficult. Then, the formation of many sects in the Ummah has resulted in every group claiming consensus to strengthen its own position, even if it is clearly against the Qur’an and Hadith, for example, building structures over graves, covering them with cloth, lighting lamps on them, slaughtering animals in the name of other than Allah, taking out processions for mourning, not considering the Prophets as humans, attributing divine qualities to them, celebrating Mawlid, Gyarhwin, Teejah, Satwan, Daswan, Chaliswan, Urs, fairs, adhering to the concept of a Pir, accepting everything right or wrong from him—in short, acts of clear shirk and innovation have been given the name of consensus. However, there is no doubt that to deny such issues on which, in reality, there is consensus of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah is also disbelief, just like denying the consensus of the Companions, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Allah will not gather my Ummah upon misguidance, and Allah’s hand is upon the group.” [ ترمذی، الفتن، باب ما جاء فی لزوم الجماعۃ : ۲۱۶۷، و صححہ الألبانی ]
➌ {وَ سَآءَتْ مَصِيْرًا:} In this verse, there is a severe warning for those who turn away from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the way of the righteous predecessors, and follow others, inventing new innovations day by day. It needs no explanation that the invention of taqlid (blind following) also occurred in later centuries; there is absolutely no evidence of it in the era of the righteous predecessors, nor is there any allowance for it from the Book and Sunnah.
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
115. 1. After guidance has become clear, opposing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and leaving the path of the believers to follow another path is an exit from the religion of Islam, for which here the warning of Hell has been stated. By "believers" is meant the Companions, who were the first followers of Islam and the perfect example of its teachings, and at the time of the revelation of these verses, there was no other group of believers present who could be meant. Therefore, opposing the Companions and following other than the path of the believers are, in reality, the same thing. Thus, deviating from the path and methodology of the Companions is also disbelief and misguidance. Some scholars have taken "the path of the believers" to mean the consensus of the Ummah, i.e., deviation from the consensus of the Ummah is also disbelief. The consensus of the Ummah means the agreement of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah on an issue, or the agreement of the Companions on an issue—both are forms of the consensus of the Ummah, and denial of either or both is disbelief. However, the agreement of the Companions is found in many issues, i.e., this form of consensus is found. But after the Companions, claims of consensus of the entire Ummah on many issues have been made, but in reality, such issues of consensus are very few in which there is actual agreement of all the scholars and jurists of the Ummah. However, whatever such issues there are, their denial is also disbelief just like the denial of the consensus of the Companions, because in a Sahih hadith it is stated: "Allah will not gather my Ummah upon misguidance, and Allah's hand is upon the group." (Sahih Tirmidhi)
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
115. But whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him [153], and follows a path other than that of the believers [153.1], We will turn him to what he has turned to, and We will cast him into Hell—what an evil destination!
[153]
The Various Forms of Opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
In terms of the context of the subject, this verse is addressed to the same hypocrite who had committed theft. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, based on divine revelation, decided the aforementioned case in favor of the innocent Jew, that hypocrite was deeply distressed. He left Madinah and went to the enemies of Islam and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Makkah, and openly began to oppose. However, in terms of the ruling, this address is for all people, including Muslims, and this ruling is valid until the Day of Judgment. That is, whoever abandons the way of life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the noble Companions ؓ and adopts another way, he will go astray, and the more he opposes, the deeper he will fall into misguidance. This mental and practical opposition will ultimately lead him to Hell. Now, there are many forms of this opposition or misguidance. For example, adopting polytheistic beliefs and actions, abandoning the Sunnah and falling into innovations, not considering the Sunnah of the Messenger as a proof, accepting a new prophet, or including such innovative beliefs in his religion that did not exist in that era, etc. In short, there are countless types of opposition and misguidance, therefore a Muslim must be extremely cautious in this matter.
[153۔ 1]
The Consensus of the Companions is Proof:
From this sentence, it is understood that the consensus of the Ummah or the Companions ؓ agreeing on an issue is, among the Shari'ah evidences, a matter that is considered proof, and one who opposes this consensus or does not accept it is sinful. However, two things should be kept in mind in this regard. First, that there is no dispute about the consensus of the Companions ؓ being proof, but the validity of the consensus of later generations is itself a disputed issue, and the preferred opinion is that the consensus of later generations is not proof for the Ummah. Second, that the consensus of the Companions ؓ can be established, because their era was limited and their area was also limited. But in later periods, it is very difficult to establish the consensus of the Ummah, as the Ummah has spread to the farthest corners of the world and scholars are present everywhere. Regarding the issues after the era of the Companions, in most of those cases where it is claimed that there is consensus of the Ummah, in reality, it cannot be established.
[153]
The Various Forms of Opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
In terms of the context of the subject, this verse is addressed to the same hypocrite who had committed theft. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, based on divine revelation, decided the aforementioned case in favor of the innocent Jew, that hypocrite was deeply distressed. He left Madinah and went to the enemies of Islam and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Makkah, and openly began to oppose. However, in terms of the ruling, this address is for all people, including Muslims, and this ruling is valid until the Day of Judgment. That is, whoever abandons the way of life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the noble Companions ؓ and adopts another way, he will go astray, and the more he opposes, the deeper he will fall into misguidance. This mental and practical opposition will ultimately lead him to Hell. Now, there are many forms of this opposition or misguidance. For example, adopting polytheistic beliefs and actions, abandoning the Sunnah and falling into innovations, not considering the Sunnah of the Messenger as a proof, accepting a new prophet, or including such innovative beliefs in his religion that did not exist in that era, etc. In short, there are countless types of opposition and misguidance, therefore a Muslim must be extremely cautious in this matter.
[153۔ 1]
The Consensus of the Companions is Proof:
From this sentence, it is understood that the consensus of the Ummah or the Companions ؓ agreeing on an issue is, among the Shari'ah evidences, a matter that is considered proof, and one who opposes this consensus or does not accept it is sinful. However, two things should be kept in mind in this regard. First, that there is no dispute about the consensus of the Companions ؓ being proof, but the validity of the consensus of later generations is itself a disputed issue, and the preferred opinion is that the consensus of later generations is not proof for the Ummah. Second, that the consensus of the Companions ؓ can be established, because their era was limited and their area was also limited. But in later periods, it is very difficult to establish the consensus of the Ummah, as the Ummah has spread to the farthest corners of the world and scholars are present everywhere. Regarding the issues after the era of the Companions, in most of those cases where it is claimed that there is consensus of the Ummah, in reality, it cannot be established.
