4:13

تِلۡكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ يُدۡخِلۡهُ جَنَّـٰتٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۚ وَذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ

Tilka hudoodu Allahi waman yutiAAi Allaha warasoolahu yudkhilhu jannatin tajree min tahtiha alanharu khalideena feeha wathalika alfawzu alAAatheemu

These are the limits [set by] Allah, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens [in Paradise] under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the great attainment.

Word by word
  1. تِلۡكَThese
  2. حُدُودُ(are the) limits
  3. ٱللَّهِۚ(of) Allah
  4. وَمَنand whoever
  5. يُطِعِobeys
  6. ٱللَّهَAllah
  7. وَرَسُولَهُۥand His Messenger
  8. يُدۡخِلۡهُHe will admit him
  9. جَنَّـٰتٖ(to) Gardens
  10. تَجۡرِيflows
  11. مِنfrom
  12. تَحۡتِهَاunderneath them
  13. ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُthe rivers
  14. خَٰلِدِينَ(will) abide forever
  15. فِيهَاۚin it
  16. وَذَٰلِكَAnd that
  17. ٱلۡفَوۡزُ(is) the success
  18. ٱلۡعَظِيمُ[the] great
An-Nisa · 4:13Madinah

A fair final act can crown a whole life.

Staying within the limits Allah set


The limits
Allah's limitsthe shares just named
kept by
the one who obeysno tricks, no plots
leads to
gardens with riversthe great success
How a life can end
seventy good yearsthen an unjust will
a fair willcan make the last deed the best

After laying out the shares, the verse calls them the limits of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said a person may do good for seventy years and then be unjust in his will, or do wrong for years and then be fair in his will, so his final deed becomes his best.

You think of your life as the big things: the job, the prayers, the kids raised. But the last decisions matter too. The calls you make when you are old or sick. It is never too late for a fair act to be the one you are remembered by.

Only the big parts of my life count. The end is just paperwork.

Keeping Allah's limits, even in the paperwork at the end, can be the success that crowns a life.

Try this

Think of one decision you are putting off that affects others. Make it fair, and make it soon.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

These are the limits (set by) Allah, and whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, will be admitted to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), to abide therein, and is the great success (13)And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, and transgresses His (set) limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall suffer a disgraceful torment (14)

Warning Against Transgressing the Limits for Inheritance

Meaning, the Fara'id are Allah's set limits. This includes what Allah has alloted for the heirs, according to the degree of relation they have to the deceased, and their degree of dependency on him. Therefore, do not transgress or violate them. So Allah said;

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ

(And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger,) regarding the inheritance, and does not add or decrease any of these fixed shares by use of tricks and plots. Rather, he gives each his appointed share as Allah commanded, ordained and decided,

يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ - وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ نَارًا خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَلَهُ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

(Will be admitted to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), to abide therein, and is the great success. And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, and transgresses His (set) limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.)

This is because he changed what Allah has ordained and disputed with His judgment. Indeed, this is the behavior of those who do not agree with what Allah has decided and divided, and this is why Allah punishes them with humiliation in the eternal, painful torment.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْخَيْرِ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، فَإِذَا أَوْصَى حَافَ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ، فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِشَرِّ عَمَلِهِ، فَيَدْخُلُ النَّارَ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الشَّرِّ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، فَيَعْدِلُ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِخَيْرِ عَمَلِهِ فَيَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ

(A man might perform the actions of righteous people for seventy years, but when it is time to compile his will, he commits injustice. So his final work will be his worst, and he thus enters the Fire. A man might perform the deeds of evil people for seventy years, yet he is fair in his will. So his final work will be his best, and he thus enters Paradise.) Abu Hurayrah said, "Read, if you will,

تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ

(These are the limits (set by) Allah) until,

عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

(a disgraceful torment.)." In the chapter on injustice in the will, Abu Dawud recorded in his Sunan that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ - أَوِ الْمَرْأَةَ - بِطَاعَةِ اللهِ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ يَحْضُرُهُمَا الْمَوْتُ، فَيُضَارَّانِ فِي الْوَصِيَّـةِ، فَتَجِبُ لَهُمَا النَّارُ

(A man or a woman might perform actions in obedience to Allah for sixty years. Yet, when they are near death, they leave an unfair will and thus acquire the Fire.) Abu Hurayrah then recited the Ayah,

مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصَىٰ بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ غَيْرَ مُضَارٍّ

(After payment of legacies he (or she) may have bequeathed or debts, so that no loss is caused), until,

وَذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

(and that is the great success.) This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, and At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Gharib".