4. Sura an-Nisa

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ ...  

4: 97.  When angels take the souls of those who die in sin against their souls, they say:

"In what (plight) were ye?"

C615. The immediate occasion for this passage was the question of migration (Hijrah) from places where Islam was being persecuted and suppressed.

Obviously the duty of Muslims was to leave such places, even if it involved forsaking their homes, and join and strengthen the Muslim community among whom they could live in peace and with whom they could help in fighting the evils around them.

But the meaning is wider.

Islam does not say: "Resist not evil." On the contrary it requires a constant, unceasing struggle against evil. For such struggle it may be necessary to forsake home and unite and organize and join our brethren in assaulting and overthrowing the fortress of evil.

For the Muslim's duty is not only to enjoin good but to prohibit evil.

To make our assault we must be prepared to put ourselves in a position from which such assault would be possible, and Allah's earth is spacious enough for the purpose.

"Position" includes not only local position, but moral and material position. For example, we must shun evil company where we cannot put it down, but organize a position from which we can put it down.

... قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ...  

They reply: "Weak and oppressed were we in the earth."

... قَالْوَاْ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُواْ فِيهَا...  

They say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves away (from evil)?"

... فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيرًا ﴿٩٧﴾

Such men will find their abode in Hell, what an evil refuge!