The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 237
PT. 5 AN-NISA' mankind. And sufficient is Allah CH. 4 شهیدان as a Witness. 548 مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُوْلَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللهَ وَمَنْ Whoso obeys the Messenger. 81 obeys Allah indeed; and whoso turns away, then We have not sent thee as a keeper over them. 549 تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيْظًان وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ فَإِذَا بَرَزُوا مِنْ And they say: Obedience is. 82 our guiding principle;' but 548. Commentary: The verse appears to run counter to what has been said in the preceding verse but it is not really so. God has endowed man with natural powers and faculties by making a right use of which he can achieve success; but when he makes a wrong use of them, he is involved in trouble. Hence, from this point of view, all good is protected it or took care of it; he prevented it from becoming lost. hib or (the latter having more intensive meaning) means, keeper, preserver or guardian. When used about God, the attributive name besides giving the above meanings, also means, the Preserver of all things; One Who preserves the good and evil works of His creatures (Lane). ascribable to God, and all evil to man. As the verse embodies a general Commentary; law applicable to all men, therefore the address is made to the Holy Prophet, this being a particular Quranic way of addressing mankind in general. But that it is not the person of the Holy Prophet, but mankind collectively to whom the address is made in this verse, is clear from the fact that the Holy Prophet has been addressed distinctly and separately in the latter part of the verse, and also in the verse that follows. 549. Important Words: The words, Whoso obeys the Messenger obeys Allah indeed, further explain the meaning of the expression, Say, All is from Allah, occurring in 4:79 above. The verse purports to say that obedience to the Prophet is really obedience to God, and if Muslims get into trouble by obeying the Prophet, it is all subject to God's own will and must not be attributed to the Prophet and such trouble can never result in evil; God's dealings with the Prophet come under special providence, and, therefore, he who finds fault with him really finds fault with God. His. حفظ keeper is derived from) حفیظ They say i. e. he kept the thing or preserved it or guarded it or 677