4:115

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعۡ غَيۡرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصۡلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَۖ وَسَآءَتۡ مَصِيرًا

Waman yushaqiqi alrrasoola min baAAdi ma tabayyana lahu alhuda wayattabiAA ghayra sabeeli almumineena nuwallihi ma tawalla wanuslihi jahannama wasaat maseeran

And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.

Word by word
  1. وَمَنAnd whoever
  2. يُشَاقِقِopposes
  3. ٱلرَّسُولَthe Messenger
  4. مِنۢfrom
  5. بَعۡدِafter
  6. مَاwhat
  7. تَبَيَّنَ(has) become clear
  8. لَهُto him
  9. ٱلۡهُدَىٰ(of) the guidance
  10. وَيَتَّبِعۡand he follows
  11. غَيۡرَother than
  12. سَبِيلِ(the) way
  13. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ(of) the believers
  14. نُوَلِّهِۦWe will turn him
  15. مَا(to) what
  16. تَوَلَّىٰhe (has) turned
  17. وَنُصۡلِهِۦand We will burn him
  18. جَهَنَّمَۖ(in) Hell
  19. وَسَآءَتۡand evil it is
  20. مَصِيرًا(as) a destination
An-Nisa · 4:115Madinah

Turn away after seeing clearly, and you get what you chose.

Allah leaves a person on the path they pick


The sequence
guidance made clear
then
opposing it anywayleaving the believers' way
so
left to that pathit starts to look good
The quiet consequence
I can always switch backwhenever I like
it grows on youthe wrong path seems fair

This is about someone who opposes the Messenger ﷺ after guidance has become clear. Ibn Kathir explains that Allah makes the chosen path look good to him, so he goes further, as in the verse: when they turned away, Allah turned their hearts away. The warning is sober.

You know the habit is wrong. At first you feel guilty every time. After a year, you have reasons for it. After two, you defend it. That slow shift is what the verse warns about. The sooner you turn back, the easier it is.

I will deal with this when I am ready; it will stay the same until then.

Staying on a path I know is wrong changes how it looks to me, so I turn back now.

Try this

Name one wrong you have started to justify. Write down the reason you first knew it was wrong.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 4:114)

There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah, or goodness, or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall give him a great rewar (114)And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger 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 (115)

Righteous Najwa, Secret Talk

Allah said,

لَّا خَيْرَ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّن نَّجْوَاهُمْ

(There is no good in most of their secret talks) meaning, what the people say to each other.

 إِلَّا مَنْ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوْ مَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ إِصْلَاحٍ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ

(save him who orders Sadaqah (charity), or goodness, or reconciliation between mankind;) meaning, except for this type of talk.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Umm Kulthum bint 'Uqbah said that she heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,

لَيْسَ الْكَذَّابُ الَّذِي يُصْلِحُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَيَنْمِي خَيْرًا، أَوْ يَقُولُ خَيْرًا

(He who brings about reconciliation between people by embellishing good or saying good things, is not a liar.)

She also said, "I never heard him allow what the people say (lies) except in three cases: in war, bringing peace between people and the man's speech (invented compliments) to his wife and her speech to her husband." Umm Kulthum bint 'Uqbah was among the immigrant women who gave their pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Group also recorded this Hadith, with the exception of Ibn Majah.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَفْضَلَ مِنْ دَرَجَةِ الصِّيَامِ، وَالصَّلَاةِ، وَالصَّدَقَةِ؟

(Should I tell you what is better than the grade of fasting, praying and Sadaqah?) They said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger!" He said,

إِصْلَاحُ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ

(Bringing reconciliation between people.) He also said,

وَفَسَادُ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ هِيَ الْحَالِقَةُ

(Spoiling the relationship (between people) is the destroyer.) Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi also recorded this Hadith, and At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih". Allah said,

وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ 

(and he who does this, seeking the good pleasure of Allah,) with sincerity and awaiting the reward with Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored,

فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

(We shall give him a great reward.) meaning, an immense, enormous and tremendous reward.

The Punishment for Contradicting and Opposing the Messenger and Following a Path Other than That of the Believers

Allah's statement,

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَىٰ

(And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the right path has been shown clearly to him.) refers to whoever intentionally takes a path other than the path of the Law revealed to the Messenger, after the truth has been made clear, apparent and plain to him. Allah's statement,

وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(and follows other than the believers' way,) refers to a type of conduct that is closely related to contradicting the Messenger ﷺ. This contradiction could be in the form of contradicting a text (from the Qur'an or Sunnah) or contradicting what the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ has agreed on. The Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ is immune from error when they all agree on something, a miracle that serves to increase their honor, due to the greatness of their Prophet.

There are many authentic Hadiths on this subject. Allah warned against the evil of contradicting the Prophet ﷺ and his Ummah, when He said,

نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا

(We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell – what an evil destination!) meaning, when one goes on this wicked path, We will punish him by making the evil path appear good in his heart, and will beautify it for him so that he is tempted further. For instance, Allah said,

فَذَرْنِي وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(Then leave Me Alone with such as belie this Qur'an. We shall punish them gradually from directions they perceive not), [68:44]

فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ

(So when they turned away (from the path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away)[61:5], and,

وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

(And We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly)[6:110]. Allah made the Fire the destination of such people in the Hereafter. Indeed, the path of those who avoid the right guidance will only lead to the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, as evident by Allah's statements,

احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ

((It will be said to the angels): "Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions (from the devils))[37:22], and,

وَرَأَى الْمُجْرِمُونَ النَّارَ فَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمْ يَجِدُوا عَنْهَا مَصْرِفًا

(And the criminals, shall see the Fire and apprehend that they have to fall therein. And they will find no way of escape from there)[18:53].