Surah Al-Hujurat

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Al-Hujurat

﴾١﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la tuqaddimu bayna yadayi Allahi wa rasulih, wattaqu Allah, inna Allaha sami'un 'alim

You who believe, do not put yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah. Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

﴾٢﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَرْفَعُوٓا۟ أَصْوَٰتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا۟ لَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَٰلُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la tarfa'u aswatakum fawqa sawti an-nabiyyi wa la tajharu lahu bil-qawli kajahri ba'dikum liba'din an tahbata a'malukum wa antum la tash'urun

You who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loudly to him the way you speak loudly to one another, lest your deeds be nullified while you do not perceive it.

﴾٣﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَٰتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱمْتَحَنَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

Inna alladhina yaghudduna aswatahum 'inda rasuli Allahi ula'ika alladhina imtahana Allahu qulubahum lit-taqwa, lahum maghfiratun wa ajrun 'azim

Those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for God-consciousness. They will have forgiveness and a great reward.

﴾٤﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَآءِ ٱلْحُجُرَٰتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

Inna alladhina yunadunaka min wara'i al-hujurati aktharuhum la ya'qilun

Those who call out to you from behind the chambers, most of them do not use reason.

﴾٥﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Wa law annahum sabaru hatta takhruja ilayhim lakana khayran lahum, wallahu ghafurun rahim

Had they been patient until you came out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

﴾٦﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَٰدِمِينَ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu in ja'akum fasiqun binaba'in fatabayyanu an tusibu qawman bijahalatin fatusbihu 'ala ma fa'altum nadimin

You who believe, if a corrupt person comes to you with news, verify it, lest you harm a people in ignorance and become regretful over what you did.

﴾٧﴿ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِى كَثِيرٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْإِيمَٰنَ وَزَيَّنَهُۥ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْكُفْرَ وَٱلْفُسُوقَ وَٱلْعِصْيَانَ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلرَّٰشِدُونَ

Wa'lamu anna fikum rasula Allah, law yuti'ukum fi kathirin mina al-amri la'anittum wa lakinna Allaha habbaba ilaykumu al-imana wa zayyanahu fi qulubikum wa karraha ilaykumu al-kufra wal-fusuqa wal-'isyan, ula'ika humu ar-rashidun

Know that the Messenger of Allah is among you. If he obeyed you in much of the matter, you would be in hardship. But Allah has made faith beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, defiance, and disobedience hateful to you. Those are the rightly guided.

﴾٨﴿ فَضْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَنِعْمَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

Fadlan mina Allahi wa ni'mah, wallahu 'alimun hakim

As a favor from Allah and a bounty. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.

﴾٩﴿ وَإِن طَآئِفَتَانِ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ فَإِنۢ بَغَتْ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا عَلَى ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى تَبْغِى حَتَّىٰ تَفِىٓءَ إِلَىٰٓ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن فَآءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمَا بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ

Wa in ta'ifatani mina al-mu'minina iqtatalu fa aslihu baynahuma, fa in baghat ihdahuma 'ala al-ukhra faqatilu allati tabghi hatta tafi'a ila amri Allah, fa in fa'at fa aslihu baynahuma bil-'adli wa aqsitu, inna Allaha yuhibbu al-muqsitin

If two groups of the believers fight, reconcile between them. If one of them transgresses against the other, then fight the one that transgresses until it returns to the command of Allah. If it returns, then reconcile between them with justice, and be equitable. Allah loves those who are equitable.

﴾١٠﴿ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌۭ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

Innama al-mu'minuna ikhwatun fa aslihu bayna akhawaykum, wattaqu Allaha la'allakum turhamun

The believers are only brothers, so reconcile between your two brothers. And fear Allah, so that you may be shown mercy.

﴾١١﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌۭ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَآءٌۭ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا۟ بِٱلْأَلْقَٰبِ ۖ بِئْسَ ٱلِٱسْمُ ٱلْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ ٱلْإِيمَٰنِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la yaskhar qawmun min qawmin 'asa an yakunu khayran minhum wa la nisa'un min nisa'in 'asa an yakunna khayran minhunna, wa la talmizu anfusakum wa la tanabazu bil-alqab, bi'sa al-ismu al-fusuqu ba'da al-iman, wa man lam yatub fa-ula'ika humu az-zalimun

You who believe, let no people ridicule another people, perhaps they are better than them. And let no women ridicule other women, perhaps they are better than them. Do not defame one another, and do not call each other by offensive nicknames. How wretched is the name of disobedience after faith. Whoever does not repent, those are the wrongdoers.

﴾١٢﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌۭ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًۭا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu ijtanibu kathiran mina az-zanni inna ba'da az-zanni ithm, wa la tajassasu wa la yaghtab ba'dukum ba'da, a yuhibbu ahadukum an ya'kula lahma akhihi maytan fakarihtumuh, wattaqu Allah, inna Allaha tawwabun rahim

You who believe, avoid much assumption. Some assumption is sin. Do not spy, and do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And fear Allah. Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.

﴾١٣﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ

Ya ayyuha an-nasu inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa untha wa ja'alnakum shu'uban wa qaba'ila lita'arafu, inna akramakum 'inda Allahi atqakum, inna Allaha 'alimun khabir

People, We created you from a male and a female, and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. The most noble of you before Allah is the most God-conscious of you. Allah is Knowing and Aware.

﴾١٤﴿ ۞ قَالَتِ ٱلْأَعْرَابُ ءَامَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓا۟ أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ ٱلْإِيمَٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَٰلِكُمْ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ

Qalati al-a'rabu amanna, qul lam tu'minu wa lakin qulu aslamna wa lamma yadkhuli al-imanu fi qulubikum, wa in tuti'u Allaha wa rasulahu la yalitkum min a'malikum shay'a, inna Allaha ghafurun rahim

The bedouins say: we have believed. Say: you have not believed, but say we have submitted, for faith has not yet entered your hearts. If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deduct anything from your deeds. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

﴾١٥﴿ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلصَّٰدِقُونَ

Innama al-mu'minuna alladhina amanu billahi wa rasulihi thumma lam yartabu wa jahadu bi-amwalihim wa anfusihim fi sabili Allah, ula'ika humu as-sadiqun

The believers are only those who believed in Allah and His Messenger, then did not doubt, and strove with their wealth and their persons in the way of Allah. Those are the truthful ones.

﴾١٦﴿ قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ ٱللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ

Qul atu'allimuna Allaha bidinikum wallahu ya'lamu ma fi as-samawati wa ma fi al-ard, wallahu bikulli shay'in 'alim

Say: would you inform Allah about your religion, when Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth. And Allah is Knowing of all things.

﴾١٧﴿ يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا۟ عَلَىَّ إِسْلَٰمَكُم ۖ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَىٰكُمْ لِلْإِيمَٰنِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ

Yamunnuna 'alayka an aslamu, qul la tamunnu 'alayya islamakum, bali Allahu yamunnu 'alaykum an hadakum lil-imani in kuntum sadiqin

They consider it a favor to you that they have submitted. Say: do not consider your submission a favor to me. Rather, Allah has done you the favor of guiding you to faith, if you are truthful.

﴾١٨﴿ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Inna Allaha ya'lamu ghayba as-samawati wal-ard, wallahu basirun bima ta'malun

Allah knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and Allah sees what you do.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Hujurat is eighteen verses, chapter 49, Madani. It is the code of conduct of the Quran, and almost every verse in it is an instruction about how to behave toward other people rather than a statement about belief.

What makes it unusual is the level it operates at. Not major crimes. How you receive news, what you call people, what you assume about them, what you say when they are absent, and how you rank them. Every item is a thing men do daily without registering it as an act.

Verify the news. Do not mock. Do not assume. Do not spy. Do not eat the flesh of your dead brother.

Verses 1–5 · Do Not Get Ahead

Do not put yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah.

La tuqaddimu bayna yaday Allahi wa rasulih: do not advance ahead of them. The first instruction in the surah is about position, and the fault named is getting out in front of the source rather than contradicting it.

La tarfa'u aswatakum fawqa sawti an-nabiyy: do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet. Al-Bukhari records that after this verse Abu Bakr said he would speak to him only like a man sharing a secret, and that Thabit ibn Qays, who had a loud voice, stayed home in fear until the Prophet ﷺ sent for him.

An tahbata a'malukum wa antum la tash'urun: lest your deeds be nullified while you do not perceive it. The danger named is not punishment. It is loss you cannot feel happening, which is the reason the surah has to state it.

Inna alladhina yaghudduna aswatahum 'inda rasuli Allah, ula'ika alladhina imtahana Allahu qulubahum lit-taqwa: those who lower their voices are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for God-consciousness. Volume control is treated as evidence of an interior state.

Do not get out in front, and lower the volume. The deeds can go without you feeling it.

Verse 6 · Verify

If a corrupt person comes to you with news, verify it.

In ja'akum fasiqun binaba'in fatabayyanu: fatabayyanu, seek clarity, establish what is actually the case. The instruction is procedural, and it is triggered by the source rather than by the content.

An tusibu qawman bijahalatin fatusbihu 'ala ma fa'altum nadimin: lest you harm a people in ignorance and become regretful over what you did. The consequence named is not being wrong. It is having acted, harmed someone, and then having to live with it.

The classical accounts place this verse around a report brought back about the Banu al-Mustaliq that turned out to be mistaken. Ibn Kathir carries the narrations. A force was nearly dispatched on bad information.

The verse assumes news will arrive from unreliable people and does not ask you to cut them off. It asks you to verify before acting. That distinction is the whole of it.

The instruction is not to disbelieve him. It is to establish the facts before you move.

Verses 9–10 · Between Two Groups

If two groups of the believers fight, reconcile between them.

Wa in ta'ifatani mina al-mu'minina iqtatalu fa aslihu baynahuma: the verse describes believers fighting each other and still calls both parties believers. That framing survives the fighting, which is unusual and deliberate.

Fa in baghat ihdahuma 'ala al-ukhra faqatilu allati tabghi hatta tafi'a ila amri Allah: if one transgresses, then act against the transgressing one until it returns to the command of Allah. Neutrality is not offered. The instruction is to identify the aggressor.

Fa in fa'at fa aslihu baynahuma bil-'adli wa aqsitu: if it returns, then reconcile between them with justice, and be equitable. The moment the aggression stops, the posture changes back, and the standard named is justice rather than victory.

Innama al-mu'minuna ikhwatun fa aslihu bayna akhawaykum: the believers are brothers, so reconcile between your two brothers. Both are still called your brothers in the sentence about their fight.

Name the aggressor, stop the aggression, then reconcile with justice. Both sides keep the title throughout.

Verses 11–13 · The Five Prohibitions and the Ranking

Let no people ridicule another people, perhaps they are better than them.

La yaskhar qawmun min qawmin 'asa an yakunu khayran minhum: the reason given for not mocking is epistemic. You do not know the ranking. The same is then said of women mocking women.

Wa la talmizu anfusakum wa la tanabazu bil-alqab: do not defame one another and do not call each other by offensive nicknames. Bi'sa al-ismu al-fusuqu ba'da al-iman. How wretched is the name of disobedience after faith.

Ijtanibu kathiran mina az-zann, inna ba'da az-zanni ithm: avoid much assumption, for some assumption is sin. The instruction is quantitative. Avoid a lot of it, because some of it is sinful and you cannot tell which in advance.

Wa la tajassasu wa la yaghtab ba'dukum ba'da: do not spy and do not backbite. A yuhibbu ahadukum an ya'kula lahma akhihi maytan fakarihtumuh. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. The image is given as a question so that you supply the answer yourself.

Ya ayyuha an-nasu inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa untha wa ja'alnakum shu'uban wa qaba'ila lita'arafu: We made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. The purpose of the differences is stated as recognition. Inna akramakum 'inda Allahi atqakum. The most noble of you before Allah is the most God-conscious. One criterion, and it is not visible.

You do not know the ranking, so do not mock. And the actual ranking is by the one thing nobody can see.

Verses 14–18 · Submitted, Not Yet Believed

The bedouins say: we have believed. Say: you have not believed, but say we have submitted.

Qalati al-a'rabu amanna, qul lam tu'minu wa lakin qulu aslamna wa lamma yadkhuli al-imanu fi qulubikum: faith has not yet entered your hearts. The correction is about sequence, not about sincerity. Islam as an outward commitment came first, and iman in the heart is described as still on its way.

Wa in tuti'u Allaha wa rasulahu la yalitkum min a'malikum shay'a: and if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deduct anything from your deeds. The door is left fully open in the same passage as the correction.

Innama al-mu'minuna alladhina amanu billahi wa rasulihi thumma lam yartabu wa jahadu bi-amwalihim wa anfusihim fi sabili Allah, ula'ika humu as-sadiqun: then did not doubt, and strove with their wealth and their persons. Those are the truthful ones. Belief plus no subsequent doubt plus expenditure of wealth and self.

Yamunnuna 'alayka an aslamu, qul la tamunnu 'alayya islamakum: they consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam. Say, do not consider your Islam a favor to me. Bal Allahu yamunnu 'alaykum an hadakum lil-iman. Rather, Allah has done you the favor of guiding you to faith.

Do not present your submission as a favor. The direction of the favor runs the other way.

Structural Summary

Eighteen Verses. The Code of Conduct.

Verses 1–5The PositionDo not advance ahead of Allah and His Messenger, and lower your voice, or deeds go without you feeling it.

Verse 6The VerificationNews from a corrupt source is verified before action, so that no one is harmed in ignorance.

Verses 7–8The GiftFaith made beloved to you and disobedience made hateful. That is a favor and a bounty.

Verses 9–10The ReconciliationName the transgressor, stop the transgression, then reconcile with justice. The believers are brothers.

Verse 11The MockeryDo not ridicule and do not assign insulting names, because you do not know the actual ranking.

Verse 12The ThreeAvoid much assumption, do not spy, and do not backbite. Would you eat the flesh of your dead brother.

Verses 13–18The RankingPeoples and tribes so you may know one another, and the most noble is the most God-conscious.

Why This Surah Is For You

Verse 6 is the operating instruction for a man who receives a constant stream of information about other people. The trigger is the source, and the response is fatabayyanu, establish the facts. Not disbelieve, not cut off. Verify before acting, because the harm you cause on bad information is yours to carry.

Verse 12 forbids three things in one line, and the middle one is the one nobody counts. Suspicion. Avoid much of it, because some of it is sin and you cannot sort it in advance. Most damage between good men starts as an assumption that was never tested.

Verse 11 gives an unusual reason for not mocking. Not that it is unkind. That you do not know the ranking. Perhaps they are better than you. The prohibition is grounded in your own ignorance rather than in their feelings.

Verse 17 is aimed at anyone whose faith has become part of his public identity. Do not present your submission as a favor you have done. The favor runs in the other direction, and the verse states it without softening.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Eighteen Verses. Verify, Then Move.

Install verse 6 as a rule. Nothing acted on until the facts are established, especially when the source has an interest.

Take one assumption you are carrying about a specific person this week and test it directly. Verse 12 calls the untested version sin.

Ban the nickname. Verse 11 forbids it by name, and it is the most common way contempt gets normalized in a group.

Read verse 13 whenever you catch yourself ranking people by anything visible. The criterion is the one thing you cannot see.

Verify before you move, assume nothing you have not tested, and remember the ranking is invisible.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 36

The Verse

لَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ

La tuqaddimu bayna yadayi Allahi wa rasulih

What does verse 1 say?