interpretive analysis of the term sabīl in verse 141 of surah al-nisāʾ: a critique of common views and the presentation of a novel theory

The present study examines the interpretation of the term sabīl in verse 141 of surah al-nisāʾ (and allah will never grant the disbelievers a way over the believers) and, through a descriptive-analytical approach grounded in principles of ijtihād, evaluates the implication of this term within the linguistic structure and contextual setting of the verse. a review of previous scholarship shows that exegetes and jurists have interpreted sabīl in various senses, including: authority in the hereafter, doctrinal and legislative authority, psychological domination, or absolute domination in general. however, a critical analysis of these interpretations reveals that some of them are inconsistent with the apparent meaning of the verse and involve conflating divine ordainment with social and historical realities.focusing on the relationship between the lexical meaning of sabīl and the role of syntactic and contextual elements of the verse, especially the construction lil kāfirīna ʿalā al-muʾminīna, (for the disbelievers over the believers) this study argues that the central implication of the verse is the negation of god's establishment of paths and mechanisms that produce domination, rather than the negation of all means and instruments that exist in the world. the findings indicate that this reinterpretation, while preserving consistency with the apparent meaning of the verse, provides a more precise analytical framework for understanding divine intent and reduces previous exegetical tensions. the present study examines the interpretation of the term sabīl in verse 141 of surah al-nisāʾ (and allah will never grant the disbelievers a way over the believers) and, through a descriptive-analytical approach grounded in principles of ijtihād, evaluates the implication of this term within the linguistic structure and contextual setting of the verse. a review of previous scholarship shows that exegetes and jurists have interpreted sabīl in various senses, including: authority in the hereafter, doctrinal and legislative authority, psychological domination, or absolute domination in general. however, a critical analysis of these interpretations reveals that some of them are inconsistent with the apparent meaning of the verse and involve conflating divine ordainment with social and historical realities.focusing on the relationship between the lexical meaning of sabīl and the role of syntactic and contextual elements of the verse, especially the construction lil kāfirīna ʿalā al-muʾminīna, (for the disbelievers over the believers) this study argues that the central implication of the verse is the negation of god's establishment of paths and mechanisms that produce domination, rather than the negation of all means and instruments that exist in the world. the findings indicate that this reinterpretation, while preserving consistency with the apparent meaning of the verse, provides a more precise analytical framework for understanding divine intent and reduces previous exegetical tensions.