Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 83

(Ayah 83) ➊ { وَ اِذَا جَآءَهُمْ اَمْرٌ مِّنَ الْاَمْنِ اَوِ الْخَوْفِ …:} The news of peace is that the Muslims achieved victory, or the enemy’s army retreated, due to which the Muslims become carefree and reduce their preparations, etc. And the news of fear is that at such and such place the Muslims were defeated, or the enemy is about to attack in great numbers, which spreads fear and panic among the Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to send various expeditions (military detachments) for battle, so such rumors often reached Madinah. But the hypocrites and the careless type of Muslims, instead of first conveying them to him (peace be upon him) or to his responsible companions, would themselves start spreading these rumors. This very behavior of theirs is being condemned here. (Fath al-Qadeer, Qurtubi)

➋ { يَسْتَنْۢبِطُوْنَهٗ:} Its root is {’’ نَبْطٌ ‘‘}. { ’’ نَبْطٌ ‘‘} is the water that comes out first when digging a well, therefore { ’’استنباط ‘‘} is used for investigation and reaching the depth of a matter. Similarly, to discover and reveal the reality of a hidden matter is also called {’’ نَبْطٌ ‘‘ } and { ”اِسْتِنْبَاطٌ“ }. To extract a mineral from the depth of a mine is also called {”اِسْتِنْبَاطٌ“}. «{ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَنْۢبِطُوْنَهٗ مِنْهُمْ}» Muslims are being told that if, instead of spreading the news of peace or fear without investigation, they had conveyed it to the Messenger of Allah and the leaders among the Muslims, then first of all, they would have considered and investigated whether the news was authentic or false, because conveying something without investigation has been declared a lie by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Thus, he said: [كَفٰي بِالْمَرْءِ كَذِبًا أَنْ يُّحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ مَّا سَمِعَ ] [ مسلم، المقدمۃ، باب النھی عن الحدیث بکل ما سمع : ۵ ] “It is enough for a man to be a liar that he narrates everything he hears (without investigation).” Then those responsible persons would decide whether the news should be published or not. After that, if it was worthy of publication, they would spread it, otherwise they would stop it. Acting upon this guidance is extremely necessary in individual life generally and in collective life especially, otherwise this carelessness can cause great harm, particularly in times of war, when news and rumors have more impact than military operations. The front of news should also be considered a powerful front of war and should be dealt with accordingly.

➌ { اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا:} Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that this statement: “If it were not for Allah’s grace upon you, you would have followed Satan except a few,” means that if the commands of training were not constantly reaching, few people would remain steadfast on guidance. (Muwadhih)

83. 1. This is the attitude of some weak and hasty Muslims, being mentioned for the purpose of their correction. By the news of peace is meant the news of the Muslims’ success and the destruction and defeat of the enemy (upon hearing which, a wave of peace and reassurance spreads, and as a result, sometimes excessive confidence is produced, which can be harmful). And by the news of fear is meant the news of the Muslims’ defeat and their killing and destruction (by which there is a possibility of depression spreading among the Muslims and their morale being lowered). Therefore, they are being told that such news, whether of peace or of fear, instead of spreading it among the general people upon hearing it, take it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or to those of knowledge and investigation, so that they may see whether this news is true or false. If it is true, then at that time, is it beneficial for the Muslims to be informed of it or to remain uninformed? This principle, although generally very important in normal circumstances, is even more significant and beneficial in the state of war. The root of istinbat is nabt. Nabt is the water that comes out first when digging a well. That is why istinbat is called investigation and reaching the depth of a matter. (Fath al-Qadeer)

And when there comes to them some news of security or fear, they spread it around. But if they had referred it to the Messenger or to those in authority among them, those who can draw correct conclusions [115] from it would have known about it. And if it were not for the grace of Allah and His mercy [116] upon you, you would have followed Satan, except for a few.

[115]
The Ruling Regarding Rumors:

The period between the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Khandaq was a time of trial for the Muslims, as due to the defeat of the Muslims at Uhud, the Jews, polytheists, Quraysh of Makkah, and the Arab tribes—in short, all the anti-Islamic forces—had become emboldened, and an atmosphere of emergency prevailed all around Medina. The enemies of Islam took full advantage of this situation, and sometimes, in order to intimidate and terrorize the Muslims, they would spread such rumors that a huge army had gathered at such-and-such place against the Muslims and would soon attack Medina. At other times, there would actually be a real threat, but due to false statements and rumors, the Muslims would be kept unaware. And this matter was not limited only to the hypocrites or the Jews, nor was its reason merely enmity towards Islam; rather, some people, out of mere interest, would also take part in spreading such rumors. In this context, Muslims are being warned that they should never take part in such rumors; rather, if they hear any rumors, they should convey them to the higher authorities so that they can investigate the situation. In terms of the context of the subject, although the explanation of this verse given above seems appropriate, its command is general, and this attitude should be adopted regarding rumors on every occasion. Thus, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ narrates a completely different reason for the revelation of this verse. He states that people were sitting in the courtyard of Masjid Nabawi talking, when it was said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had divorced his wives, and when I myself went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to investigate, he informed me that he had not divorced them. This verse was revealed regarding this.
[مسلم، کتاب الطلاق۔ باب فی الایلاء]
Also, the Prophet ﷺ said, "It is enough of a lie for a man that he narrates everything he hears."
[مسلم، مقدمہ، باب النھی عن الحدیث بکل ماسمع]
[116] That is, if Allah Almighty had not given you such instructions in time, you would have been swept away by the tide of rumors and would have suffered loss both religiously and worldly. Incidentally, it is also understood from this that to narrate rumors without investigating them is obedience to Satan, from which all kinds of tribulations can arise.