4-113 And were it not for Allah’s grace upon thee and His mercy, a party of them had certainly designed to ruin thee. And they ruin only themselves, and they cannot harm thee in any way. And Allah has revealed to thee the Book and the Wisdom, and taught thee what thou knewest not, and Allah’s grace on thee is very great.a
وَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكَ وَرَحۡمَتُهُ ۥ لَهَمَّت طَّآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُضِلُّوكَ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَہُمۡۖ وَمَا يَضُرُّونَكَ مِن شَىۡءٍ۬ۚ وَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمۡ تَكُن تَعۡلَمُۚ وَكَانَ فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكَ عَظِيمً۬ا (١١٣)
4-113a: يُضِلُّوكَ – One of the meanings of اضلال is اِھلاك meaning perdition or ruin اَضَلَّه – ضَیَّعَه و اھلکه (T) and this is the meaning here, just as in: إِنَّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ وَسُعُرٍ۬ (Surely the guilty are in error and distress) (54:47) the meaning of ضلال is ruination (T). When mention is made of their attempt to ruin, a consolatory response is given that they will not be able to harm the Holy Prophet a whit. In the previous verses also, there is a mention of the secret counsels and plans of the hypocrites. Given the context, the above meaning is correct. If the meaning is taken to be to lead astray, then that too would be alright.
What is conveyed here is that the hypocrites not only show their weakness by not participating in wars but they are also the secret enemies of Islam who are continually thinking of ways to destroy it. There is a consolatory message given with it that the Messenger has been sent with the Book and Wisdom whose teachings he has to impart to the world. So, there is no way that he can be killed. In another place, it is stated: هَمُّواْ بِمَا لَمۡ يَنَالُواْۚ (and they purposed that which they could not attain) (9:74). Whatever effort the hypocrites make, they will never be able to achieve this objective.
4-114 There is no good in most of their secret counsels except (in) him who enjoins charity or goodness or reconciliation between people. And whoever does this, seeking Allah’s pleasure, We shall give him a mighty reward.a
لَّا خَيۡرَ فِى ڪَثِيرٍ۬ مِّن نَّجۡوَٮٰهُمۡ إِلَّا مَنۡ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوۡ مَعۡرُوفٍ أَوۡ إِصۡلَـٰحِۭ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ مَرۡضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ فَسَوۡفَ نُؤۡتِيهِ أَجۡرًا عَظِيمً۬ا (١١٤)
4-114a: نجویٰ – Its root is the same as the root of نجاۃ and the meaning of ناجیتُه is he secretly sought his advice. Its root is نجوۃ which means high ground or he was alone with him there. Derived from this is the verbal noun نجویٰ meaning conferring secretly.
It is stated with reference to the secret counsels of the hypocrites that their agenda does not include anything beneficial in it because when they confer secretly, it is always to cause harm. That is why the word ڪَثِيرٍ۬ is used here. When they meet, instead of doing beneficial things like exhorting people to give charity, giving them good advice, undertaking works of social reformation, their agenda is always against these things.
Social reformation: Hadith gives a lot of importance to social reformation. In a hadith that is reported in Abu Daud, Tirmazi and Ahmad, it is stated that the Holy Prophet once said to his Companions: Should I tell you of an action that is higher than prayer and fasting. The Companions replied in the affirmative. The Holy Prophet said: Reforming the people. He did not say reforming Muslims but reforming all the people. There is great need for the Muslims to follow this advice in these times because the key to progress is unity and discipline. There are many today who sow seeds of dissention but there is an absence of social reformers.
In this verse all the beneficial things that one person can do for another are put together in one place. Top of the list is charity, that is to render financial assistance to one who is in need of help. The second kind of beneficial action is to provide guidance to someone, that is to put someone on the path of righteousness. The third is to remove mischief, quarrel and discord and to make peace among people. This is the work that the Holy Prophet and his companions were doing.a
4-115 And whoever acts hostilely to the Messenger after guidance has become manifest to him and follows other than the way of the believers, We turn him to that to which he (himself) turns and make him enter hell; and it is an evil resort.a
وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعۡ غَيۡرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصۡلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَۖ وَسَآءَتۡ مَصِيرًا (١١٥)
4-115a: نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ – تولیة is creating a close relationship with another. So, the meaning of نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ is We will allow him to have a relationship with whom he himself creates a relationship.
Allah’s dealing with men is in accordance with their actions: The law of nature regarding relationships that Allah has created manifests itself in the observation that with whatever one wants to create a relationship, one develops an attachment of affection with it. If one tries to develop a relationship with pious people, such a relationship materializes and the same is true if one develops a relationship with evil people. So, when a group, despite the guidance having been explained to them and having resided with Muslims day and night, adopts an attitude of hostility towards the Messenger of Allah, God does not force them to adopt a different path. Instead, according to the law of nature they begin to like the path they are treading on but it lands them in hell.
An alternative explanation is that this idiom is from ولیت وجہی کذا which means I turned my attention to him, that is Allah turns the attention of a person to what he turns his attention to.
Consensus of the Ummah: The consensus of the Ummah on a point is one source of sharia. Imam Shafai writes that he read the Quran three hundred times to find a verse supportive of this as a source of sharia. Finally, he settled on this verse. The objection made against this is that سَبِيلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ is not a path separate from قال ٱللَّهَ وَقالْ ٱلرَّسُولَ and in fact belief in قال ٱللَّهَ وَقالْ ٱلرَّسُولَ is سَبِيلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ and it is this same guidance that is mentioned here. In short, there is nothing in this verse that constitutes an argument for consensus of Ummah. If the context of this verse is considered, this objection has merit. The mention here is of enmity with the Holy Prophet in which a person adopts a path of unbelief and enmity instead of one of belief and love which is the way of the believers. There is no further meaning in the use of the term سَبِيلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ and neither can any meaning be deduced to support consensus of Ummah because how can there be a consensus of all the Muslims on a particular issue except that it is in the Quran or Hadith.
Bayan-ul-Quran 