Surah Nahl ayat 92 Tafsir Quran 16:92

﴿وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَاثًا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِيَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ ۚ وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ﴾
[ النحل: 92]

16:92 And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.

And do not be like her who undoes spoils her yarn that which she has spun after having made it strong having set and spun it breaking it up into fibres ankāthan is a circumstantial qualifier ankāth is the plural of nikth and means that which is undone yunkathu — this was an imbecile Meccan woman who used to spin all day and then undo it — by making tattakhidhūna is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the person of the verb takūnū ‘do not be like’ in other words what is meant is ‘do not be like her by making’ your oaths a means of deceit dakhal is what enters yadkhulu into something but does not belong to it in other words as a means of causing mischief or as trickery between you by breaking these oaths so that one group may become more numerous than another group. They used to enter into an alliance with a given group but if they encountered another more numerous and more powerful group they would renege on their alliance with the former and forge a new alliance with these latter. God only tries tests you thereby in other words by that which He enjoins in the way of fulfilling the covenant so that He may observe the obedient and the disobedient among you or when it is the case that one group is more numerous than another that He may observe whether you fulfil your obligation to them or not; and certainly He will make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein you used to differ during the life of this world with regard to covenants and otherwise by punishing he who reneged and rewarding he who was faithful to his covenant.

Do not be like the unstable workwoman who unravels and breaks the strands of her woven fabric after she has manufactured it in a loom by crossing the warp and the weft and interlaced them very strongly. What a tangled web you weave when first you practice to deceive. You use your oaths among yourselves with the guilt of deception residing in the intention; you break and dishonour your vows with the weak when you find them more advantageous with the strong. This is unexcusable nor is it in conformity with Islamic principles. Allah tests your prudence and in Day of Judgment shall He clear up matters with which you were at variance

The Command to fulfill the Covenant This is one of the commands of Allah, to fulfill covenants, keep promises and to fulfill oaths after confirming them.
Thus Allah says: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) There is no conflict between this and the Ayat: وَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ اللَّهَ عُرْضَةً لاًّيْمَـنِكُمْ ( And do not use Allah as an excuse in your oaths ) 2:224 ذلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَـنِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُواْ أَيْمَـنَكُمْ ( That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn.
And protect your oaths. ) 5:89 meaning, do not forgo your oaths without offering the penance.
There is also no conflict between this Ayah ( 16:91 ) and the Hadith reported in the Two Sahihs according to which the Prophet said:
«إِنِّي وَاللهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَا أَحْلِفُ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَأَرَى غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَتَيْتُ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَتَحَلَّلْتُهَا وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ وَكَفَّرْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِي»
( By Allah, if Allah wills, I will not swear an oath and then realize that something else is better, but I do that which is better and find a way to free myself from the oath.
According to another report he said: "and I offer penance for my oath.
" ) There is no contradiction at all between all of these texts and the Ayah under discussion here, which is: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) because these are the kinds of oaths that have to do with covenants and promises, not the kind that have to do with urging oneself to do something or preventing him from doing something.
Therefore Mujahid said concerning this Ayah: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) "The oath here refers to oaths made during Jahiliyyah." This supports the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from Jubayr bin Mut`im, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا حِلْفَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَأَيُّمَا حِلْفٍ كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَزِيدُهُ الْإِسْلَامُ إِلَّا شِدَّة»
( There is no oath in Islam, and any oath made during the Jahiliyyah is only reinforced by Islam. ) This was also reported by Muslim.
The meaning is that Islam does not need oaths as they were used by the people of the Jahiliyyah; adherence to Islam is sufficient to do away with any need for what they used to customarily give oaths for.
In the Two Sahihs it was reported that Anas said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ swore the treaty of allegiance between the Muhajirin ( emigrants ) and the Ansar ( helpers ) in our house.
" This means that he established brotherhood between them, and they used to inherit from one another, until Allah abrogated that.
And Allah knows best. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ ( Verily, Allah knows what you do. ) This is a warning and a threat to those who break their oaths after confirming them. وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّتِى نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَـثًا ( And do not be like the one who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong, ) `Abdullah bin Kathir and As-Suddi said: "This was a foolish woman in Makkah.
Everytime she spun thread and made it strong, she would undo it again." Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said: "This is like the one who breaks a covenant after confirming it." This view is more correct and more apparent, whether or not there was a woman in Makkah who undid her thread after spinning it.
The word Ankathan could be referring back to the word translated as "undoes", reinforcing the meaning, or it could be the predicate of the verb "to be", meaning, do not be Ankathan, the plural of Nakth ( breach, violation ), from the word Nakith ( perfidious ).
Hence after this, Allah says: تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَـنَكُمْ دَخَلاً بَيْنَكُمْ ( by taking your oaths as a means of deception among yourselves ) meaning for the purposes of cheating and tricking one another. أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِىَ أَرْبَى مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ( when one group is more numerous than another group.
) meaning, you swear an oath with some people if they are more in number than you, so that they can trust you, but when you are able to betray them you do so.
Allah forbids that, by showing a case where treachery might be expected or excused, but He forbids it.
If treachery is forbidden in such a case, then in cases where one is in a position of strength it is forbidden more emphatically.
Mujahid said: "They used to enter into alliances and covenants, then find other parties who were more powerful and more numerous, so they would cancel the alliance with the first group and make an alliance with the second who were more powerful and more numerous.
This is what they were forbidden to do." Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said something similar. إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ ( Allah only tests you by this ) Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "This means ( you are tested ) by the large numbers." This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim.
Ibn Jarir said: "It means ( you are being tested ) by His command to you to adhere to your covenants." وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ( And on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly clarify that which you differed over. ) Everyone will be rewarded or punished in accordance with his deeds, good or evil.

(16:92) Do not behave like that woman who had spun yarn laboriously and then had herself broken it into pieces. *90 You make your mutual oaths a means of mutual deceit in your affairs so that one people might take undue advantage over the other whereas Allah puts you to trial by these pledges. *91 Allah will certainly reveal to you the truth about all your differences on the Day of Resurrection. *92

And do not be like she who meaning

*90) In this verse, Allah has enjoined three kinds of Covenants which have been mentioned in the order of their importance.
The first of these Covenants is the one between man and his Allah which is the most important of all.
The second in importance is the Covenant between one man or one group of men and another man or another group of men, which is taken with Allah as a witness or in which the name of God has been used.
The third Covenant is that which has been made without using Allah's name.
Though this is third in importance, its fulfilment is as important as that of the first two and the violation of any of these has been prohibited.

*91) In this connection it should be noted that AIlah has rebuked the people for the worst form of violation of treaties which has been creating the greatest disorder in the world.
It is a pity that even " big " people consider it to be a virtue to violate treaties in order to gain advantages for their people in political, economic and religious conflicts.
At one time the leader of one nation enters into a treaty with another nation for the interest of his own people but at another time the same leader publicly breaks the very same treaty for the interest of his people, or secretly violates it.
It is an irony that such violations are made even by those people who are honest in their private lives.
Moreover, it is regretable that their own people do not protest against them; nay, they eulogize them for such shameful feats of diplomacy.
Therefore, Allah warns that every such treaty is a test of the character of those who enter into it, and of their nations.
They might gain some apparent advantage for their people in this way, but they will not escape their consequences on the Day of Judgment.

*92) This is to warn that decision about differences and disputes that lead to conflict, will be made on the Day of Judgment.
Therefore, these should not be made an excuse to break agreements and treaties.
Even if one is wholly in the right and the opponent is wholly in the wrong, it is not right for the former to break treaties or make false propaganda or employ other deceitful methods to defeat the other.
If one does so, it will go against him on that Day because righteousness demands that one should not only be right in one's theories and aims but should also use right methods and employ right means.
This warning has especially been given to those religious groups and sects who always suffer from this misunderstanding that they have a right to defeat their opponents because they are on the side of God and their opponents are rebels against Allah: therefore, there is no obligation on them to stick to their treaties with their opponents.
This was what the Arab Jews practiced, declaring, " There is no moral obligation on us in regard to the pagan Arabs, and we are rightly entitled to practise dishonesty and deceit that might be of advantage to us and harmful to the disbelievers ".

 

The Command to fulfill the Covenant This is one of the commands of Allah, to fulfill covenants, keep promises and to fulfill oaths after confirming them.
Thus Allah says: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) There is no conflict between this and the Ayat: وَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ اللَّهَ عُرْضَةً لاًّيْمَـنِكُمْ ( And do not use Allah as an excuse in your oaths ) 2:224 ذلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَـنِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُواْ أَيْمَـنَكُمْ ( That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn.
And protect your oaths. ) 5:89 meaning, do not forgo your oaths without offering the penance.
There is also no conflict between this Ayah ( 16:91 ) and the Hadith reported in the Two Sahihs according to which the Prophet said: «إِنِّي وَاللهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَا أَحْلِفُ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَأَرَى غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَتَيْتُ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَتَحَلَّلْتُهَا وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ وَكَفَّرْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِي» ( By Allah, if Allah wills, I will not swear an oath and then realize that something else is better, but I do that which is better and find a way to free myself from the oath.
According to another report he said: "and I offer penance for my oath.
" ) There is no contradiction at all between all of these texts and the Ayah under discussion here, which is: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) because these are the kinds of oaths that have to do with covenants and promises, not the kind that have to do with urging oneself to do something or preventing him from doing something.
Therefore Mujahid said concerning this Ayah: وَلاَ تَنقُضُواْ الاٌّيْمَـنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا ( and do not break the oaths after you have confirmed them ) "The oath here refers to oaths made during Jahiliyyah." This supports the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from Jubayr bin Mut`im, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «لَا حِلْفَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَأَيُّمَا حِلْفٍ كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَزِيدُهُ الْإِسْلَامُ إِلَّا شِدَّة» ( There is no oath in Islam, and any oath made during the Jahiliyyah is only reinforced by Islam. ) This was also reported by Muslim.
The meaning is that Islam does not need oaths as they were used by the people of the Jahiliyyah; adherence to Islam is sufficient to do away with any need for what they used to customarily give oaths for.
In the Two Sahihs it was reported that Anas said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ swore the treaty of allegiance between the Muhajirin ( emigrants ) and the Ansar ( helpers ) in our house.
" This means that he established brotherhood between them, and they used to inherit from one another, until Allah abrogated that.
And Allah knows best. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ ( Verily, Allah knows what you do. ) This is a warning and a threat to those who break their oaths after confirming them. وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّتِى نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَـثًا ( And do not be like the one who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong, ) `Abdullah bin Kathir and As-Suddi said: "This was a foolish woman in Makkah.
Everytime she spun thread and made it strong, she would undo it again." Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said: "This is like the one who breaks a covenant after confirming it." This view is more correct and more apparent, whether or not there was a woman in Makkah who undid her thread after spinning it.
The word Ankathan could be referring back to the word translated as "undoes", reinforcing the meaning, or it could be the predicate of the verb "to be", meaning, do not be Ankathan, the plural of Nakth ( breach, violation ), from the word Nakith ( perfidious ).
Hence after this, Allah says: تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَـنَكُمْ دَخَلاً بَيْنَكُمْ ( by taking your oaths as a means of deception among yourselves ) meaning for the purposes of cheating and tricking one another. أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِىَ أَرْبَى مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ( when one group is more numerous than another group.
) meaning, you swear an oath with some people if they are more in number than you, so that they can trust you, but when you are able to betray them you do so.
Allah forbids that, by showing a case where treachery might be expected or excused, but He forbids it.
If treachery is forbidden in such a case, then in cases where one is in a position of strength it is forbidden more emphatically.
Mujahid said: "They used to enter into alliances and covenants, then find other parties who were more powerful and more numerous, so they would cancel the alliance with the first group and make an alliance with the second who were more powerful and more numerous.
This is what they were forbidden to do." Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said something similar. إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ ( Allah only tests you by this ) Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "This means ( you are tested ) by the large numbers." This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim.
Ibn Jarir said: "It means ( you are being tested ) by His command to you to adhere to your covenants." وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ( And on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly clarify that which you differed over. ) Everyone will be rewarded or punished in accordance with his deeds, good or evil.

( And be not ) in terms of breaking pledges ( like unto her ) i.e. Ra’itah, the fool ( who unravelleth the thread, after she has made it strong, to thin filaments, making your oaths ) your pledges ( a deceit ) and treachery ( between you because of a nation ) a group ( being more numerous than (another ) nation) another group. ( Allah only trieth you thereby ) He tests you with your numerousness; and it is also said: He tests you with the breaking of pledges, ( and He verily will explain to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein ye differed ) in the matter of religion.

And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception among yourselves, lest a nation may be more numerous than another nation. Allah only tests you by this [i.e. who obeys Allah and fulfills Allah's Covenant and who disobeys Allah and breaks Allah's Covenant]. And on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly make clear to you that wherein you used to differ [i.e. a believer confesses and believes in the Oneness of Allah and in the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad SAW which the disbeliever denies it and that was their difference amongst them in the life of this world].

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