Surah 49 · Medinan · 18 Verses
الحجرات
SURAH AL-HUJURAT
The Rooms
Offline reading is currently limited to popular surahs. Audio files aren't saved offline.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ
Word by Word ▾
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَرْفَعُوٓا۟ أَصْوَٰتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا۟ لَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَٰلُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ
O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.
Word by Word ▾
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَٰتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱمْتَحَنَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
Indeed, those who lower their voices before the Messenger of Allāh - they are the ones whose hearts Allāh has tested for righteousness. For them is forgiveness and great reward.
Word by Word ▾
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَآءِ ٱلْحُجُرَٰتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
Indeed, those who call you, [O Muḥammad], from behind the chambers - most of them do not use reason.
Word by Word ▾
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
And if they had been patient until you [could] come out to them, it would have been better for them. But Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Word by Word ▾
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَٰدِمِينَ
O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.
Word by Word ▾
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
And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allāh has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.
Word by Word ▾
فَضْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَنِعْمَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
[It is] as bounty from Allāh and favor. And Allāh is Knowing and Wise.
Word by Word ▾
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
And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allāh. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allāh loves those who act justly.
Word by Word ▾
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌۭ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allāh that you may receive mercy.
Word by Word ▾
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
O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name [i.e., mention] of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Word by Word ▾
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
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.
Word by Word ▾
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous1521 of you. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware.
Word by Word ▾
۞ 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
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allāh and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds1522 of anything. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful."
Word by Word ▾
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلصَّٰدِقُونَ
The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allāh and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allāh. It is those who are the truthful.
Word by Word ▾
قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ ٱللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ
Say, "Would you acquaint Allāh with your religion while Allāh knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allāh is Knowing of all things?"
Word by Word ▾
يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا۟ عَلَىَّ إِسْلَٰمَكُم ۖ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَىٰكُمْ لِلْإِيمَٰنِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islām. Say, "Do not consider your Islām a favor to me. Rather, Allāh has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful."
Word by Word ▾
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
Indeed, Allāh knows the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And Allāh is Seeing of what you do.
Word by Word ▾
About This Surah
Surah Al-Hujurat is a compact guide to community ethics. It begins with respectful conduct toward the messenger, tells believers to verify reports from unreliable sources, commands reconciliation between fighting groups, prohibits ridicule and insulting labels, warns against suspicion, spying and backbiting, and grounds human dignity in a shared origin. The chapter distinguishes outward submission from mature faith and shows that religious community depends on disciplined speech.
The opening corrects people who raise their voices and behave casually in the presence of the messenger. It teaches that sincerity must shape manner, not only stated belief.
The report-verification verse warns against acting on information from an unreliable source and later regretting harm. This principle is highly relevant to digital media, but it should not be expanded into a complete modern evidence law without context.
When two groups of believers fight, the community is told to reconcile them and confront persistent aggression with justice. The goal remains restoration, not humiliation.
The social-ethics section prohibits one group from mocking another, insulting people and using offensive labels. It then warns against excessive suspicion, spying and backbiting. The famous image of eating a dead sibling's flesh makes the moral ugliness of backbiting vivid.
The declaration that people were created from male and female and made into peoples and tribes “so that you may know one another” rejects racial or tribal superiority. Honor is tied to piety, which human beings cannot measure perfectly.
The ending distinguishes desert Arabs who claim faith from the deeper reality of faith entering the heart. It closes by reminding that religious commitment is not a favor done to God.
Report verification applies before harmful action and sharing, but it does not justify obsessive suspicion, doxxing, or harassment.
Reconciliation between fighting groups aims at justice and restored peace; victims must not be pressured into unsafe contact.
The prohibition of ridicule, insulting labels, spying, and backbiting protects dignity.
Human peoples and tribes exist for recognition, while piety cannot be measured reliably by race, nationality, class, or online performance.
Core Themes
- Respect appears in speech and manner.
- Reports should be verified before harmful action.
- Conflict resolution requires justice.
- Mockery and dehumanizing labels corrupt community.
- Privacy is violated by spying and backbiting.
- Diversity exists for recognition, not superiority.
Structure
Verses 1-5: Conduct toward the messenger — 1-5
This movement covers conduct toward the messenger in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 1-5 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Verses 6-8: Verification and wise response — 6-8
This movement covers verification and wise response in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 6-8 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Verses 9-10: Reconciliation and justice — 9-10
This movement covers reconciliation and justice in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 9-10 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Verses 11-12: Ridicule, labels, suspicion, spying and backbiting — 11-12
This movement covers ridicule, labels, suspicion, spying and backbiting in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 11-12 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Verses 13: Human diversity and dignity — 13
This movement covers human diversity and dignity in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 13 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Verses 14-18: Submission, faith and sincerity — 14-18
This movement covers submission, faith and sincerity in Surah Al-Hujurat. Read verses 14-18 as a connected section whose placement, transitions, and stated limits govern responsible interpretation rather than isolating one phrase as a ruling or promise.
Reading Guide
Reading step 1
Apply verification before sharing, not after damage occurs. Keep the cited passage, its immediate sequence, and the interpretation limits visible before applying it to a contemporary question.
Reading step 2
Read reconciliation alongside resistance to persistent aggression. Keep the cited passage, its immediate sequence, and the interpretation limits visible before applying it to a contemporary question.
Reading step 3
Distinguish caution from obsessive suspicion. Keep the cited passage, its immediate sequence, and the interpretation limits visible before applying it to a contemporary question.
Reading step 4
Use verse 13 against racism without claiming to measure others' piety. Keep the cited passage, its immediate sequence, and the interpretation limits visible before applying it to a contemporary question.
Key Passages
Respectful conduct — 2-5
This passage addresses respectful conduct. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Verification — 6
This passage addresses verification. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Reconciliation — 9-10
This passage addresses reconciliation. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Ridicule and labels — 11
This passage addresses ridicule and labels. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Suspicion, spying and backbiting — 12
This passage addresses suspicion, spying and backbiting. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Human diversity — 13
This passage addresses human diversity. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Submission and faith — 14-18
This passage addresses submission and faith. Read the cited verses in their immediate sequence and alongside the surah’s wider argument; the description does not become a stand-alone legal ruling, diagnosis, prediction, private enforcement power, or guaranteed worldly result.
Recitation Note
No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Al-Hujurat. Reading it is worship and study; any claim about protection, healing, provision, marriage, political success, or a prescribed number requires separate exact evidence and carefully limited wording.
Interpretation Limits
- Verification does not justify endless conspiracy or harassment.
- Reconciliation should not pressure victims into unsafe situations.
- “Piety” cannot be used to defend racial hierarchy.
- The chapter's labels must not become tools for declaring individuals faithless.
- Verification does not justify conspiracy, stalking, doxxing, or harassment.
- Reconciliation must not pressure victims into unsafe contact or erase accountability.
- Suspicion and spying prohibitions do not prevent lawful safeguarding and qualified investigation.
- Piety cannot be used to defend racial, tribal, national, caste, or class hierarchy.