Ramadhan 2016 – Day 4 (An-Nisaa)

Chapter 4 (An-Nisaa) is one of only two chapters which begin with a call to humankind. It then proceeds to give us instructions on how to build a society which enables humankind to reach a state of independence. The way to achieve this essentially is to build social bonds and help put disempowered individuals back on their feet.

There are three levels of instructions for those who have believed in this philosophy (4/19, 4/29 and 4/43). These instructions cover family relations, economic activity and social relations respectively. After this, Allah awards these people the book which symbolizes their freedom (4/47 – the only call to those who have received the book). In this passage (4/47-58), we find instructions on how to manage system effectively.

Next, comes instructions for that management (4/59, 70, 94, 135, 136, 144). This includes managing command hierarchies, expeditionary forces and people who simply exist in that system without actually believing in it.

This chapter ends with a link to the messengers. The messengers, specifically musa and isa are mentioned to show how this system works in practice. The messengers can also become idols and so there is a warning against that. This shows that the relationship with Allah must be constantly renewed in order to keep it on the right track.