Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 69

(Ayah 70,69) ➊ { ”الصِّدِّيْقِيْنَ“ } This is an intensive form of truthfulness, meaning one who is extremely truthful. Some have said, it is one who never lies. Some have said, a Siddiq is such that, due to the habit of truthfulness, lying becomes impossible for him, and some have said that it is one who is truthful in his belief and speech and proves his truthfulness through his actions. (Mufradat) Ustad Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that Siddiq is an intensive form of truthfulness, meaning one who affirms all matters of religion and never experiences any doubt or confusion in any matter, or one who, due to being foremost in affirming the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), becomes a role model for others. In this regard, the Siddiq of this Ummah can only be Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), because Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) became a model for the other eminent companions. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also counted among the first Muslims, but due to being a small child, he could not become a model for others. Since the rank after the Prophet is that of Siddiq, the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have consensus that Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) is the most virtuous after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). { ”الشُّهَدَآءِ“ } This is the plural of Shaheed, and by this is meant those who gave their lives in the path of Allah, and the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also has the honor of being martyrs. {”الصّٰلِحِيْنَ“} By this is meant those who remained righteous and correct in every way in belief and action and remained protected from every kind of corruption. (Razi)

➋ { مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ … : } This is the mention of the reward for obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), that they will be granted the company of the Prophets, the Siddiqin, the Shuhada, and the Saliheen, meaning their companionship. From the hadiths, it is known that the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had a great longing to be with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), they were very eager for this even in this world, and their longing for his company in Paradise was even greater. Rabi’ah bin Ka’b al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I used to spend the night with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and would arrange water and other necessities for him. One day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Ask for something!” I said: “I ask you for your companionship in Paradise.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Anything else?” I said: “That is it.” Upon this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then help me concerning yourself by making many prostrations.” [مسلم، الصلاۃ، باب فضل السجود والحث علیہ : ۴۸۹ ] This is a blessing of pure love and obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that even if there is some shortcoming in deeds, due to obedience and sincerity, one will be granted the company of such exalted people. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “What do you say about a person who loves some people but has not yet reached them (in deeds)?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A person will be with those whom he loves.” [ بخاری، الأدب، باب علامۃ الحب فی اللہ…: ۶۱۶۹ ] The reality is that obedience and love are inseparable; that love in which there is no obedience is false, and that obedience which is not based on love is mere show. Yes, if there is some shortcoming in deeds and obedience along with love and sincerity, then Allah Almighty will complete it with His grace. There is no better companion than the Prophets, Siddiqin, Shuhada, and Saliheen, and there is no greater blessing than the grace of Allah, and Allah Almighty knows well the conditions of people’s hearts, as to whom to keep with whom.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “I love the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I love Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), therefore I hope that due to my love for them, Allah Almighty will raise me with them, even though I have not done deeds like theirs.” [ بخاری، فضائل أصحاب النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، باب مناقب عمر بن الخطاب رضی اللہ عنہ … : ۳۶۸۸ ]

69. 1. The reward for obeying Allah and His Messenger ﷺ is being mentioned here, so it is stated in the hadith: A person will be with those whom he loves. Hazrat Anas ؓ says: The companions رضوان اللہ علیھم اجمعین were never as happy as they were upon hearing this statement of the Messenger ﷺ, because they also desired the companionship of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Paradise. In the narrations regarding the reason for revelation, it is mentioned that some companions said to the Prophet ﷺ that Allah will grant you a high rank in Paradise and we will have a lower rank, thus we will be deprived of your company and seeing you, which we have in this world. So Allah revealed this verse to comfort them (Ibn Kathir). Some companions ؓ specifically requested the Prophet ﷺ for companionship in Paradise (As'aluka murafaqataka fil-jannah), upon which the Prophet ﷺ instructed them to perform many voluntary prayers (fa a'inni 'ala nafsika bikathrat as-sujud), so help me by increasing your prostrations. In addition, there is another hadith: (at-tajir as-saduq al-amin ma'an-nabiyyin was-siddiqin wash-shuhada) (Tirmidhi, Book of Trade, Chapter: What has been narrated about traders and the Prophet ﷺ naming them), the honest, trustworthy merchant will be with the Prophets, the Siddiqin, and the martyrs. Siddiqiyyah is the name of perfect faith and perfect obedience; after Prophethood, it is its rank. In the Ummah of Muhammad, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ is the most distinguished in this rank, and for this reason, by consensus, among non-Prophets, he is the most virtuous after the Prophet ﷺ. The righteous (salih) is the one who fulfills the rights of Allah and the rights of people completely and does not fall short in them.

69. And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then such people will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous [99]. And how excellent are these as companions!

[99]
Who Are Those Upon Whom Favors Have Been Bestowed?

In this verse, four types of people are mentioned who hold a higher rank in terms of virtue and status.
(1) Prophets. There is no room for doubt that the Prophet is the most virtuous individual of his community, whom Allah chooses for prophethood.
(2) By Siddiq is meant a person who is truthful in every matter, supports the truth, always speaks the truth, immediately bears witness to the truth, and stands firm against falsehood.
(3) The basic meaning of Shaheed is "witness." And the one who gives his life in the way of Allah is called Shaheed because he bears witness to the truth of his faith through his entire way of life. To the extent that by giving his life, he proves that what he believed in, he truly considered correct.
(4) By Salih is meant a person of good nature whose every action and movement reflects his righteousness, and who maintains a righteous attitude throughout his life. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger wholeheartedly, in this verse, is given the glad tidings of the companionship of the above-mentioned four types of people in the Hereafter. And this, in fact, will not be a reward for his deeds, but merely the grace of Allah.

The following hadiths present the explanation of this subject:
1. How is the companionship of the Prophet ﷺ? Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ says that once I and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were coming out of the mosque. At the door, we met a man who said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! When will the Hour (Day of Judgment) come?" The Prophet ﷺ asked him, "Have you prepared anything for the Hour?" He became a bit embarrassed and said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! I have not performed many fasts, many prayers, nor much charity. However, I do love Allah and His Messenger ﷺ." The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be with those whom you love (on the Day of Judgment)."
[بخاری، کتاب الاحکام، باب القضاء والفتیا فی الطریق]
2. Sayyidah Aisha ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Every Prophet is given the choice in his illness whether he wishes to remain in the world or prefers the Hereafter." Then, when the Prophet ﷺ was severely affected in his final illness, I heard him saying ﴿مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾
So I understood that he too was given this choice (and he preferred the journey to the Hereafter).
[بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
3. Sayyiduna Rabi'ah bin Ka'b Aslami ؓ says that I used to stay with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at night and would bring him water for ablution and other needs. Once (while I was helping him with ablution), the Prophet ﷺ (pleased) said, "Ask, what do you want?" I said, "I want your companionship in Paradise." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Tell me something else besides this." I said, "I only want this." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Alright then, make abundant prostration (nafl prayers, etc.) binding upon yourself, and thus help me in this matter." Because prostration is the act of worship in which the servant attains the closest proximity to Allah.
[مسلم، کتاب الصلوۃ باب مایقال فی الرکوع والسجود]