تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ 13
Translations
These are the limits [set by] Allāh, and whoever obeys Allāh 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.
Transliteration
Tilka hudūdu -llāhi wa man yuṭi' -allāha wa rasūlahu yudkhilhu jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā -l-anhāru khālidīna fīhā wa dhālike -l-fawzu -l-'aẓīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah concludes the rulings on inheritance by emphasizing that the laws of inheritance (and all divine commandments) are boundaries set by Allah, and adherence to them is essential. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger in these matters will enter gardens of Paradise with rivers flowing beneath them, dwelling eternally therein—this is the supreme success. The verse underscores that obedience to divine law, particularly in matters of family and inheritance, is a direct path to eternal reward.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears at the conclusion of Surah An-Nisa's detailed inheritance laws (verses 11-12), which were revealed in Medina to establish justice in the distribution of wealth among heirs. The verse reinforces that these specific legal rulings are divinely ordained boundaries (hudūd) that must be observed, contextualizing the inheritance verses within the broader framework of Quranic law and obedience.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (7099): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever obeys me obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me disobeys Allah.' This hadith directly relates to the condition of obeying Allah and His Messenger mentioned in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Adherence to Allah's laws and boundaries, especially in sensitive matters like inheritance and family rights, is not restrictive but liberating—it leads to true success both in this life and the eternal reward of Paradise. For modern believers, this emphasizes that obedience to Islamic law should be viewed as a path to divine pleasure and ultimate success, rather than mere obligation.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allāh is to you ever Merciful.
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا۟ ٱلْأَمَـٰنَـٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا۟ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا
Indeed, Allāh commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allāh instructs you. Indeed, Allāh is ever Hearing and Seeing.
وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَءَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin?
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allāh will find Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.