Soora 49

[1] (In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

The meaning

More explanation

[2] 1. O you who believe, go not in advance before God and His messenger^a.

But ward off [the disobedience of] God [concerning this];

for God is All-Hearing [of your words], All-Knowing [of your works.]

^{1 a} The meaning: Do not precede the messenger of God by walking, speaking or anything else till he permits you that.

And do not do any worship about which you are not commanded, but which you yourselves innovate.

Neither should you give any religious answer which you do not know, till an aya is revealed about it or till you ask the Prophet about it.

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[3] 2. O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the prophet, nor shall you shout at him as you shout at each other, lest your works fail [without reward] while you are not aware [about that.]

[4] 3. Surely those who lower their voices before the messenger of God [as for to respect him]: it is they whose hearts God has proved for piety; they shall have forgiveness [in the life of the World] and immense reward [in the Next Life.]

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[5] 4. Surely, those who cry out to you [Mohammed] from outside the chambers [of the mosque]; most of them have no sense [on account of their impatience.]^a

[6] 5. And if they had waited patiently, until you [Mohammed] would come out to them, that would have been better for them^b.

And God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful [to those who repent.]

^{4 a} They were the brutish, out of Tamiem tribesmen, who came to ransom their captives; they did not know in which chamber of the mosque was the Prophet, so they started to go about the chambers crying: Mohammed!

^{5 b} To make easy the affair of the ransom.

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[Once, God’s messenger sent Walid son of Uqba to collect the [prescribed] alms from the tribe of Bani Mustaliq, who gladly came out to welcome him.

But because of some enmity that had been between them in the time of the pre-Islam ignorance, he thought that they intended to kill him; so he went back to the Prophet and said that they withheld their [prescribed] alms.

So some of the Muslims said: “God’s messenger, we must fight them.”

Therefore, this aya was revealed:]

[7] 6. O you who believe, if an evil-doer brings you a report, then investigate^a [the report], lest you may inflict a people unwittingly^b, and then be sorry for what you have done [to them.]

[8] 7. And know that God’s messenger is among you [and that Gabriel tells him the truth.]

If he [: the messenger] were to obey you in many affairs, you would surely be in trouble.

But God has made you love the belief and made it fair into your hearts, and He has made you abhor the disbelief, rebellion and disobedience.

Such [men having such fair manners] indeed are rightly guided.

[9] 8. Such [making of the faith fair into their hearts and making the disbelief detestable to them] is a favor from God [on them] and [His] bounty [to them];

God is All-Knowing^c, Most Wise^d.

^{6 a} i.e. verify and make inquiry, but never hasten to make a decision about the report which he brings.

^{6 b} It means: Lest you should attack a people, while you are ignorant about the truth.

^{8 c} About whoever deserves the guidance.

^{8 d} Concerning His servants, so He never wrongs anyone.

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[10] 9. If two parties of the believers fight [each other], reconcile them;

then, if one of them aggresses against the other^a,

then^b fight the aggressing one till it reverts to God's command^c;

If it reverts^d, then make reconciliation between them with justice^e.

And be just [when you judge between them]; surely God loves the just.

[11] 10. The believers are nothing else than brothers [in religion.] Therefore make peace between your two [contending] brethren, and avoid [the disobedience of the commands of] God; so that you may receive [His] mercy.

^{9 a} By transgressing, or by refusing the reconciliation.

^{9 b} After judging between them and investigating for what and why they fight.

^{9 c} To God's obedience and His command in His glorious Quran, and to abandon the fighting.

^{9 d} It means: if they desist from their aggression and refrain from fighting.

^{9 e} So that the aggressing party will repay the losses of the other party.

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[12] 11. O you who believe, no men shall ridicule other men, for they may be better than they [will be in the Next Life]. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they [will be in the Next Life.]

Nor shall you mock one another, nor revile one another by nicknames^a. [The one who acts like this is an "ungodly".]

An evil name is the "ungodliness" after the "belief".^b

Anyone who does not repent [from this act], such are the wrong-doers^c.

[13] 12. O you who believe, avoid most of [bad] suspicion [about believers], for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin [of the suspicious one],

and do not spy^d,

nor let some of you backbite others^e;

Does anyone of you like to eat the flesh of his dead [: absent] brother?^f

But you abhor it^g;

And avoid God's [punishment for the backbiting], surely God is All-Accepting the repentance [of those who repent], Most-Merciful [to those who regret.]

^{11 a} The meaning: Let not anyone of you call another with some nickname which he dislikes.

^{11 b} It means: It will be an evil title to be called an "ungodly" after being called a "believer"; i.e. after you were believers, you will become ‘ungodly’ because of such bad manners.

^{11 c} i.e. they wrong people with their hurtful words.

^{12 d} i.e. do not seek after the flaws and defects of Muslims; because anyone who seeks after the flaws and defects of Muslims to expose them, God will expose him even in his family.

^{12 e} i.e. do not mention anyone of you, when he is absent, with something he dislikes.

^{12 f} i.e. like the wolf; i.e. do not be like wolves which eat the flesh of each other; because the backbiting leads to enmity so that they will be like wolves; this actually is a parable said about the backbiting.

It means: when his brother is absent.

And it is narrated from Jabir, one of the companions of Prophet Mohammed, that the apostle of God said: "Avoid the backbiting for it is worse than the adultery; because the adulterer may repent and God may accept his repentance, while the backbiter will not be forgiven unless the one, whom he backbites, will pardon him."

^{12 g} It means: as do you abhor the eating of your dead brother's flesh, then you should avoid the backbiting.

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[14] 13. O mankind, We have created you male and female^a, and made you nations and tribes, that you may know one another^b.

Surely the most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most godfearing among you^c.

God is All-knowing [about your works], All-aware [about your circumstances.]

^{13 a} The meaning: You are equal in lineage, because you descended from Adam and Eve, so do not boast to each other about the lineage.

^{13 b} But not to boast to each other.

The ‘people’ is more than the ‘tribe’, and for this reason, Jews say we are the chosen people of God, because they descend from one father: Jacob, then they divided into tribes, each tribe descend from one of the sons of Jacob; therefore, the ‘people’ is comprised of many ‘tribes’, then come the ‘clans’ then the ‘families’ [The interpreter mentioned in Arabic more detailed Arabic terms about such classification.]

^{13 c} It means: Most of you in reward, and highest of you in rank before God, is the most of you in avoiding His disobedience and the most of you at working with His obedience.

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[The rural Arabs of the tribe of Bani Asad came to the Prophet in a year of starvation, and showed their conversion, but in reality they were not believers; they only submitted themselves in order to obtain the alms, which they came to ask from the Prophet:]

[15] 14. The Arabs [of the desert: the tribesmen of Bani Asad] say, 'We believe.'

[So God – be glorified – said:]

Say, [Mohammed, to them]: 'You have not believed yet; rather say, "We have submitted ourselves [to the religion which you brought]";

But when belief enters [gradually] into your hearts, [you may then say: "We believe."]^a

If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from your deeds.

God is All-forgiving [of believers who repent], All-Merciful [to those who regret.]'

[Then God – be glorified – started to describe the believers, and He said:]

[16] 15. The [true] believers [in fact] are only those who believed in God and His messenger, and have never since doubted^b, and [then] have striven with their wealth and their persons in the cause of God; such are the truthful^c.

[When the previous aya was revealed, they swore that they were believers; therefore, His saying – be glorified – was revealed in this aya:]

[17] 16. Say: 'What! Would you teach God what your religion^d is,

and God knows what^e is in the [gaseous] heavens and what^f is in the earth [as a whole]?

And God is All-Knowing about everything^g.'

[18] 17. They consider it a favor to you [Mohammed] that they have converted!

Say [to them]: 'Do not consider your converting a favor to me;

but rather it is God Who makes a favor on you, in that He has guided you to belief ^h,

if it be that you are truthful [in your claiming the belief now.]'

[19] 18. God knows all that is unknown [to you] in the heavens and the earthⁱ;

God is All-Seeing of everything you do^j.

^{14 a} The meaning: when you keep up on the prayers and on the program of the Islam, then at that time you will believe in the religion brought by Mohammed.

^{15 b} About their religion; i.e. they had not any doubt following their belief.

^{15 c} In saying: “We have believed.”

^{16 d} So that you say: We have believed, when in fact you are not believers.

^{16 e} Living creatures and cosmic events occurring in them.

^{16 f} i.e. what living creatures and cosmic events occurring in all the planets.

^{16 g} So that nothing may be hidden from Him.

^{18 h} i.e. He guided you to the Islam and so you have become Muslims, then afterwards you will believe.

^{18 i} In the planets including the earth.

^{18 j} So that He will reward you according to your deeds.

By God's help, the interpretation of the soora 49 of the Quran is completed;

So (praise be to God: Lord of the worlds.)

[1] بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

[2] 1. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

[3] 2. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ

[4] 3. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَى لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

[5] 4. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَاء الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

[6] 5. وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

[7] 6. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَن تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ

[8] 7. وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ

[9] 8. فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَنِعْمَةً وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

[10] 9. وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِن فَاءتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

[11] 10. إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

[12] 11. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَى أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاء مِّن نِّسَاء عَسَى أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الاِسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

[13] 12. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

[14] 13. يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

[15] 14. قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

[16] 15. إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ

[17] 16. قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

[18] 17. يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُم بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

[19] 18. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ