Surah An-Nisa (The Women) is the fourth chapter of the Qur’ān. Establishment of a just and equitable social order is the core theme of the surah with a particular focus on protecting the rights of the most vulnerable members of society, especially women, orphans, and children. Revealed in Madina, the surah systematically addresses the injustices that were widespread in Arab Jahilliya. It provides comprehensive legislation on inheritance, marital rights, family law, and financial obligations, ensuring that women and orphans receive their fair share of wealth and are protected from exploitation. Beyond specific laws, it lays the foundational principles for community cohesion, social justice, and ethical conduct, emphasising the importance of fulfilling trusts (amanah) and standing up for justice (qist), even if it is against one’s own selfish interests.
Verse 36 of Surah Nisa, our focus today, can be translated as follows:
Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. And do good to parents, and to relatives, and the orphans, and the needy, and the near neighbour, and the neighbour farther away, and the companion at your side, and the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.
This verse can be regarded as the “The Charter of Duties” that beautifully encapsulates a Muslim’s responsibilities. In Islam, the entire spectrum of a Muslim’s obligations and ethical responsibilities is comprehensively categorised into two complementary domains: Huqooq Allah (the Rights of Allah) and Huqooq ul Ibad (the Rights of Allah’s Servants). Huqooq Allah encompasses the sacred obligations owed directly to God, such as the fundamental acts of worship (Ibadat) including the declaration of faith (Shahada), obligatory prayers (Salat), fasting in Ramadhan (Sawm), obligatory charity (Zakat), and pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj). These modes of worship are designed to cultivate God-consciousness (Taqwa), gratitude (Shukr), patience (Sabr), and spiritual discipline. On the other hand, Huqooq ul Ibad governs the horizontal relations between human beings, mandating justice, compassion, and ethical conduct in all social interactions, from honouring parents and caring for relatives and neighbours to fulfilling contracts, speaking truthfully, and protecting the rights of the vulnerable. Beyond humans, its scope extends to the welfare of all the creations of Allah as Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has said, “The creation is like Allah’s family. Verily, among the creations of Allah, the most beloved to Allah are those who are good to His creation.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 4998)
The profound interconnectedness of these two realms, i.e. Huqooq Allah and Huqooq ul Ibad, is a central theme in Islamic teachings, which emphasise that while sincere devotion to God is paramount, it is incomplete and potentially invalidated if it is not coupled with the fulfilment of the rights owed to other people; true piety is demonstrated not only in prayer but also in one’s unwavering commitment to justice, mercy, and respect for all of God’s creation.
Tauheed and Social Justice are Inseparable
The verse 36 of Surah Nisa begins with the ultimate command: “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.” This is not a standalone spiritual command. By immediately following it with a list of social responsibilities, the Qur’ān inextricably links true faith in God with ethical conduct towards His creation. It teaches that one cannot claim to worship God in its true sense while mistreating or neglecting people. In other words, righteousness is demonstrated through our horizontal relationships with others, which is a direct reflection of our vertical relationship with Allah.
Also, from this command and absolute directive at the outset of the verse, it becomes clear that the Rights of Allah (Huqooq Allah) are supreme and sacrosanct. This primary injunction establishes vertical accountability to God as the non-negotiable source from which all horizontal duties towards humanity (Huqooq ul Ibad) flow. The verse thus implies that fulfilling people’s rights – honouring parents, caring for neighbours, and so on – is itself an act of obedience to God. Consequently, one can never justify disobeying Him under the pretext of honouring anyone else, even one’s parents, relatives, or leaders. All forms of obedience and love are conditional and subordinate to the love and obedience of Allah; His rights precede and sanctify all other obligations.
The Social Circles of Responsibility
After that, the verse masterfully outlines a series of concentric circles of social responsibility. The family is at the core as the most fundamental unit of society and thus kindness to parents and relatives has been emphasised. Those who are most vulnerable in the society are mentioned next to underscore the collective responsibility of caring for the orphans and the needy.
Then comes the immediate community which is one of the most celebrated aspects of this verse. It commands good treatment (Ihsan) to:
- the near neighbour
- the distant neighbour, and
- the transient neighbour.
Qur’ānic scholars and exegetists have richly interpreted these terms, elucidating the nuanced layers of neighbourly rights emphatically outlined in the verse. The “near neighbour” has been understood in several dimensions: physical proximity, referring to the one closest to one’s home; relational proximity, indicating a neighbour who is also a relative; or the proximity of shared faith.
Conversely, the “distant neighbour” is interpreted as someone living farther away in the neighbourhood, or one with no ties of kinship or faith. The concept of the “companion at your side” extends this duty of kindness to the most transient of relationships – from a friend, classmate, or colleague to a casual online contact or a fellow traveller on a plane, train, or bus. Even a companionship lasting mere minutes obliges a Muslim to engage with such temporary connections with fair treatment, respect, ethical conduct, and even sacrifice. This injunction imbues every fleeting interaction with moral weight. Furthermore, the verse explicitly mentions the traveller – a stranger potentially in need of hospitality or assistance, however minor, such as being truthfully guided to an address with a smile.
This precise specification and nuanced categorisation universalise the obligation of kindness and fair treatment, ensuring it transcends all boundaries of physical proximity, bloodline, or religion. In doing so, it affirms that every individual encompassed by this broad definition possesses an inherent right to good neighbourliness.
The verse’s injunction regarding “those whom your right hands possess” is one of the many in the Qur’ān and Hadith that addressed the historical context of slavery, directing believers to treat them with exceptional justice and kindness – a principle that catalysed their ultimate emancipation on an unprecedented scale. In a modern context, this commandment extends to all who are under one’s authority, such as employees and domestic workers, mandating fair wages, dignified treatment, and protection from exploitation. Thus, Islam cultivates a believer who is ever-vigilant in fulfilling rights of the fellow human beings, teaching that no bond, however brief, is exempt from the duty of Ihsan. This ethos transforms every interaction into an opportunity to embody divine consciousness and compassion. But the billion-dollar question remains:
What is Ihsan?
The most accurate English renderings of Ihsan are “spiritual excellence” or “to do what is beautiful,” yet a single phrase cannot fully capture its profound essence. Ihsan is a comprehensive concept that encompasses the act of doing good with the utmost beauty, living with conscious excellence, extending beneficence, going beyond what is obligatory, and pursuing excellence and perfection in everything we do.
In a nutshell, Ihsan signifies performing an action with conscious excellence, where the inherent goodness of a deed is matched by the beauty and quality of its execution. This principle is perfectly encapsulated in the Hadith Jibraeel, where the Prophet Muhammadﷺ defined Ihsan as: “To worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.” (Sahih Bukhari 50) This definition elevates it beyond mere ritual to a state of constant, heartfelt presence in all acts of worship.
Furthermore, Ihsan embodies beneficence and going beyond the call of duty. It is to be generous, kind, and proactively helpful in all dealings, even when such actions are not obligatory. It stands in direct contrast to settling for the bare minimum, for Ihsan represents the pursuit of excellence and giving one’s cent percent each time. Put simply, if meeting 33% is mere compliance, then striving for a perfect score – with sincerity and beauty – is the very spirit of Ihsan.
The verse culminates in the profound warning that “Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.” Here, “self-deluding” refers to one who assumes that ritual worship alone is sufficient while neglecting social duties, and “boastful” describes one who withholds kindness out of arrogance, deeming others unworthy of respect or care. This links ethical failure directly to the spiritual disease of kibr (arrogance and pride). Embodying this charter of duties therefore requires an inner jihad– a continuous mastery of the nafs (ego). Only a humbled heart purified of pride and arrogance can genuinely practise the Ihsan that this verse commands.