سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 83
وَإِذَا جَآءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْنِ أَوِ ٱلْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا۟ بِهِۦ ۖ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰٓ أُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَنۢبِطُونَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ لَٱتَّبَعْتُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ﴿83﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people); if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allâh upon you, you would have followed Shaitân (Satan), save a few of you.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
جَآءَهُمْ
jāahum
comes to them
أَمْرٌۭ
amrun
a matter
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْأَمْنِ
l-amni
the security
أَوِ
awi
or
ٱلْخَوْفِ
l-khawfi
[the] fear
أَذَاعُوا۟
adhāʿū
they spread
بِهِۦ ۖ
bihi
[with] it
وَلَوْ
walaw
But if
رَدُّوهُ
raddūhu
they (had) referred it
إِلَى
ilā
to
ٱلرَّسُولِ
l-rasūli
the Messenger
وَإِلَىٰٓ
wa-ilā
and to
أُو۟لِى
ulī
those
ٱلْأَمْرِ
l-amri
(having) authority
مِنْهُمْ
min'hum
among them
لَعَلِمَهُ
laʿalimahu
surely would have known it
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
يَسْتَنۢبِطُونَهُۥ
yastanbiṭūnahu
draw correct conclusion (from) it
مِنْهُمْ ۗ
min'hum
among them
وَلَوْلَا
walawlā
And if not
فَضْلُ
faḍlu
(had been the) bounty
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
on you
وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ
waraḥmatuhu
and His Mercy
لَٱتَّبَعْتُمُ
la-ittabaʿtumu
surely you (would have) followed
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ
l-shayṭāna
the Shaitaan
إِلَّا
illā
except
قَلِيلًۭا
qalīlan
a few
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.
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.
[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.
