49

The Private Apartments

A
l- ujurāt is from the late Madinan period, although a minority
maintain that v. 13 is from the Makkan period (Āl). It derives its name
from the reference to the private apartments of the Prophet’s wives
in v. 4. The sūrah was most likely revealed in the year 9/630 after the Muslims
had captured Makkah and most of Arabia had come under the Prophet’s rule.
As such, it addresses the complexities of ruling over this larger and more di-
verse community and instructs more recent members in proper conduct toward
the Prophet. This is most evident in the first part of the sūrah (vv. 1–5), which
instructs the Muslim community in the proper etiquette for their encounters
with the Prophet.
The second section (vv. 6–12) focuses upon the ties of brotherhood within
the Muslim community and the forms of behavior that should be avoided in
order to facilitate it. This unifying theme can be seen as following directly upon
the description of those who are with the Prophet at the end of the previous
sūrah (see 48:29). As Ibn Ajībah states, “After giving them the good news of for-
giveness [in 48:29], God instructed the companions in proper conduct (adab)
because it is among the greatest means for obtaining forgiveness and proximity
[to God].” The last part of this sūrah (vv. 13–18) clarifies the true nature of faith
and belief, providing one of the most famous lines of the Quran: Surely the most
noble of you before God are the most reverent of you (v. 13).

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 49:1 The Private Apartments 1258

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

¡ O you who believe! Advance not before God and His Messenger, and rev-
erence God. Truly God is Hearing, Knowing. *  O you who believe! Do not
raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor address him in the manner
that you address one another, lest your deeds come to naught, while you are
unaware. + Truly those who lower their voices before the Messenger of God,
they are the ones whose hearts God has tested for reverence. Theirs shall be
forgiveness and a great reward. J  Truly those who call thee from behind the

1 Advance not before God and His Messenger
sets the tone for this sūrah. In the immediate con-
text, it enjoins Muslims to avoid coarse manners
in the presence of the Prophet, reminding many of
those who had recently joined the Muslim polity
that he was more than a tribal leader. Some also
interpret it to mean that one should not contra-
dict the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (IK).
More broadly, it indicates that people should not
follow their own opinions rather than the teach-
ings of the Prophet (Q) or allow personal desires
to take precedence over the commands of God
and the Prophet, as in a famous adīth of the
Prophet, “None of you truly believes until he loves
me more than his father, his children, and man-
kind all together.”
2 This verse was reportedly revealed in re-
sponse to an argument between Abū Bakr and
Umar. Each favored a different individual for
the honor of receiving a delegation from an out-
lying tribe. Their quarreling in the presence of the
Prophet was so loud that his voice was drowned
out, at which God revealed this verse (IK, Q). Nor
address him in the manner that you address one
another speaks primarily to new members of the
Muslim polity who had taken an attitude of ex-
cessive familiarity with the Prophet; they should
not call him by name, “Muhammad,” but by his
title, “Messenger of God” or “Prophet of God”
(Q). See also 24:63: Do not deem the Messenger’s
calling among you to be like your calling to one an-
other. That deeds may come to naught if one raises
one’s voice above that of the Prophet or fails to
respect his position indicates the gravity of these
offenses. Elsewhere the Quran maintains that in
the absence of proper belief, good deeds come to
naught or provide no reward in the next life (see
2:217; 3:21–22; 5:5; 6:88; 7:147; 9:17; 11:16; 18:105;
33:19; 39:65; 47:9, 28, 32; 5:53c).
3 Tested translates imta ana, which indicates
testing something for purity (Aj, R). That God has
tested their hearts for reverence thus indicates that
God has tested the purity of their hearts, expanded
their hearts for reverence (Aj), and purified their
intentions (ST). The trials that believers confront
in this life are thus considered an important part
of their inner purification. This is perhaps most ev-
ident in 3:154, which says of the losses the Muslims
suffered in their defeat at the Battle of U ud: And
[this is] so that God may test what is in your breasts
and so that He may assay what is in your hearts.
Regarding the role of trials and tribulations in the
spiritual life, see commentary on 29:2–3.
4 A group of Bedouin reportedly came to the
Prophet while he was sleeping and shouted for
him to come out from his apartment. They did
not know in which of his wives’ apartments he
was sleeping; so they went behind each apartment
and called to the Prophet in a crude manner. One
Aqra ibn ābis reported that he had called out,
“O Muhammad, verily my praise is sweet and my
curse is bitter!” To which the Prophet responded,
“Only God is like that.” Then this verse was re-
vealed (IK, Q, ).

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 1259 49:6–8

apartments, most of them understand not. Z Had they been patient until thou
camest out unto them, it would have been better for them. And God is Forgiv-
ing, Merciful. j O you who believe! If an iniquitous person comes to you with
tidings, then be discerning, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become
remorseful over that which you have done. z  And know that the Messenger
of God is among you. Were he to obey you in many matters, you would suffer.
But God has caused you to love faith and has made it seem fair in your hearts,
and He has caused you to despise disbelief, iniquity, and disobedience—such
are the rightly guided— {  as a bounty from God and a blessing; and God is

5 This verse reprimands the Bedouin for their
behavior; it and the following verses indicate the
proper protocol to be used with the Prophet and
by extension with other Muslims, as in a adīth,
“If any one of you seeks permission [to enter a
house] and no permission is given, he should go
away.” In this instance the group of Bedouin had
reportedly called upon the Prophet to request that
he intercede on behalf of some prisoners who had
been taken in the recent wars that they had lost to
the Muslims. The Prophet agreed to free half of
them and allow the rest to be ransomed. Accord-
ing to some, had they been patient, the Prophet
would have freed them all (Q, Sh).
6–8 Although these verses convey principles
that should be followed in any Muslim polity,
they were reportedly revealed regarding a false ac-
cusation that could have led to internecine fight-
ing between the Muslims of Madinah and the
tribe of the Banū Mu aliq, whom the Muslims
had defeated in 5/627 and who had accepted Islam
and agreed to pay the alms (zakāh). The Prophet
sent Walīd ibn Uqbah to collect it. There had,
however, been enmity between him and the
Banū Mu aliq in the pre-Islamic period. When
the people heard of his coming, they came out
to receive him out of reverence for God and the
Prophet. But Walīd was scared of them and took
it into his mind that they wanted to kill him. He
returned and went to the Prophet saying, “The
Banū Mu aliq have refused to pay the alms and
wanted to kill me.” The Prophet became angry and
began arranging for an armed delegation. Mean-
while, when the Banū Mu aliq realized that the
emissary had gone back, they went to the Prophet
and said, “We heard of your emissary, and we
went out to receive him, honor him, and give him
the right of God that was due upon us. But your
emissary went back, and we feared that what sent
him back might be a message he received from you
because you are angry with us. We seek refuge in
God from His Wrath and from the wrath of His
Messenger.” Then these verses were revealed clear-
ing the Banū Mu aliq (Q, , W). On the basis of
v.  6, many Muslim scholars reject the testimony
in legal matters of anyone known to be iniquitous
( fāsiq) unless a corroborating witness or corrobo-
rating evidence can be found. There is some debate
as to whether the testimony of the iniquitous can
be accepted for other matters, such as marriage,
and whether an iniquitous believer can be allowed
to lead the prayer (Q). Regarding the penalties for
false accusation, see 24:4c.
The Messenger of God is among you (v. 7) means
that he was among the Muslims at the time of the
revelation and that he continues to be with Mus-
lims, for the Prophet is closer to the believers than
are they to themselves (33:6). As the Prophet does
not speak out of caprice (53:3), his determination in
all religious and legal matters is understood to be
guided by God. Therefore, he is to be obeyed; if
he were to obey others, it would be an inversion
of the proper order and thus lead to adversity. The
believers are thus counseled to follow his rulings,
as in 59:7: Whatsoever the Messenger gives you,
take it; and whatsoever he forbids to you, forgo. The
Prophet is also warned, Were the truth to follow
their caprices, the heavens and the earth and those

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 49:6–8 The Private Apartments 1260

Knowing, Wise. |  If two parties among the believers fall to fighting, make
peace between them. If one of them aggresses against the other, fight those who
aggress until they return to God’s Command. And if they return, make peace
between them with justice and act equitably. Truly God loves the just.  The
believers are but brothers; so make peace between your brethren, and reverence

therein would have been corrupted (23:71). The
presence of the Prophet is also understood to re-
main with the community after his death. In this
vein, the Prophet is reported to have said, “My life
is a great good for you; you will relate accounts
from me, and accounts will be related from you.
And my death is a great good for you; your deeds
will be presented to me, and if I see goodness I will
praise God, and if I see evil I will ask forgiveness
from Him for you.” Additionally the presence of
the Prophet continues in the Hereafter, as in 9:94:
God and His Messenger will see your deeds.
God has caused you to love faith and disposed
your hearts to it means that faith and guidance are
a bounty from God and thus points to the humil-
ity that must always accompany faith for it to be
sincere, lest one attribute what comes from God
to oneself. Made it seem fair in your hearts means
both that God makes the believers incline to faith
and that God beautifies them with their faith.
9 Here the basic principles for dealing with dis-
putes between Muslims are explained. The Prophet
enjoined his followers, “Help your brother whether
he oppresses or is oppressed.” When asked what it
means to help the oppressor, he replied, “You help
him by preventing him from oppressing” (IK, Q).
This verse was reportedly revealed regarding an
incident in which the Prophet went to call upon
Abd Allāh ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypo-
crites in Madinah. When the Prophet reached
him, Abd Allāh ibn Ubayy said, “Keep away
from me. The stench of your donkey is offending
me.” A man from the Helpers said to him, “By
God, the donkey of the Messenger of God smells
better than you.” One of Abd Allāh ibn Ubayy’s
tribesmen became angry. The parties exchanged
blows; then this verse was revealed (W). Regard-
ing antagonisms between Muslims, a adīth states,
“Cursing a Muslim is a sin, and fighting him is
disbelief.” That God loves the just (cf. 5:42; 60:8)
reinforces the general principle stated in 4:135
that, in order to maintain justice, Muslims must
be impartial, swayed by neither self-interest nor
ties of kinship. Although Sufis affirm the literal
understanding of the present verse, they also see
it as an allusion to the process of inner purifica-
tion. As al-Tustarī writes, “If nature, caprice, and
lust tyrannize the heart, intellect, and spirit, the
servant must fight them with the swords of vigi-
lance, the arrows of self inspection, and the lights
of conformity [to the truth], such that the spirit
and the intellect prevail, and desire and lust are
vanquished” (ST).
10 This is among the most important verses
in the Quran for understanding the structure of
the Muslim community (ummah), regarding the
unity of which the Prophet said, “The believers are
like a single structure, each part supporting the
other.” The centrality of brotherly love in Islam
may be best expressed in this famous adīth:
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself.” This adīth
goes to the heart of this sūrah, which emphasizes a
bond of faith that transcends those of kinship and
suggests that one should no longer make alliances
based merely upon tribal bonds (see 9:23; 58:22).
As another adīth states, “God helps His servant
as long as the servant helps his brother.” Bonds of
faith are esteemed so highly in Islam that among
the seven types of people whom the Prophet said
will be granted Paradise, he lists “two men who
love each other for the sake of God, meeting for
that reason, and parting with this love.” In an-
other adīth, the love of another for God’s sake
is combined with the love of the Prophet and
the fear of disbelief to make up the three quali-
ties needed for entrance into Paradise: “Whoso-
ever possesses these three qualities will have the
sweetness of faith: the one to whom God and His
Messenger become dearer than anything else; one
who loves a person and loves him only for God’s
sake; and one who hates to revert to disbelief as

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 1261 49:12

God, that haply you may receive mercy.   O you who believe! Let not one
people deride another; it may be that they are better than them. Nor let women
deride other women; it may be that they are better than them. And do not
defame yourselves or insult one another with nicknames; how evil is the iniq-
uitous name after having believed! And whosoever does not repent, they are
the wrongdoers.   O you who believe! Shun much conjecture. Indeed, some
conjecture is a sin. And do not spy upon one another, nor backbite one another.

he would hate to be thrown into the Fire.” And a
famous adīth qudsī states, “God will ask on the
Day of Judgment, ‘Where are those who loved
each other for the sake of My Glory? Today, on
a day wherein there is no shade but Mine, I shall
shade them with My shade.’ ”
11 In the context of this sūrah, which em-
phasizes the transition from tribal bonds to those
of faith, this verse indicates that boasting on the
basis of tribal lineage should cease, as explained
in a adīth, “Unless people cease boasting about
their dead ancestors, who are merely coals for the
fire, they will be more despicable to God than the
beetle that rolls dung with its nose. God has re-
moved from you the pride of the Age of Ignorance
[see 3:154; 5:50; 33:33c; 48:28] and boasting about
ancestors. One is either a pious believer or a miser-
able sinner. All men are descendants of Adam, and
Adam came from dust.” Do not defame yourselves
or insult one another with nicknames is said to have
been revealed in order to abolish the pre-Islamic
practice of calling people by derogatory nick-
names (IK). How evil is the iniquitous name after
having believed warns those who have become
believers not to call other believers by derogatory
names; or it points to the manner in which abus-
ing others in word and deed can undo the benefits
of good deeds. On occasion the Prophet would
even change names whose meanings might be
negative, as when a man named azn, or “rough,”
was renamed Sahl, meaning “soft” or “easy.”
12 This verse continues to address the man-
ner in which community ties can be undone by
bad blood. Regarding conjecture, a adīth warns,
“Beware of conjecture, for it is indeed the most
misleading form of speech.” On another occasion
the Prophet warned, “A leader will corrupt his
people if he pursues conjecture regarding them.”
Spying (tajassus) is considered a sin, as it
usually indicates suspicion of another’s sin and
thinking ill of another; inquiring (ta assus), on
the other hand, is done for the benefit of the one
being inquired about (IK). In this regard, Alī
ibn Abī ālib is reported to have said, “Do not
be quick to expose another’s sin, for he may be
forgiven for it, and do not feel yourself safe even
from a small sin, since you may be punished for
it. Every one of you who comes to know the faults
of others should not expose them in view of what
he knows about his own faults, and should remain
busy in gratitude that he has been saved from that
in which others have been indulging” (Na j al-
balāghah, Sermon 139). A adīth states that those
who eavesdrop “will have molten copper poured
in their ears on the Day of Judgment.” As spying
usually implies seeking faults, it is closely tied to
backbiting, which is understood to mean saying
anything about another that he or she would not
like to have said (IK). In this regard, the Prophet
is reported to have said, “O gathering of those
who submit with their tongues, but in whose
hearts faith has not yet taken hold! Do not harm
Muslims, do not shame them, and do not pursue
their faults. For whosoever pursues the faults of
his Muslim brother, God will pursue his faults.
And he whose faults are pursued by God, God
disgraces him, even in his own home.” In con-
trast, another adīth states, “Whosoever covers
[the faults] of a Muslim in this world, God will
cover [his faults] in this world and the next. Truly
God continues to help the servant, so long as the
servant continues to help his brother.”
God’s “relenting” correlates with human be-
ings’ repenting, as both translate the same verb,
tāb/yatūb. The majority of scholars have stated
that repentance for backbiting entails refraining

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 49:12 The Private Apartments 1262

Would any of you desire to eat the dead flesh of his brother? You would ab-
hor it. And reverence God. Truly God is Relenting, Merciful.  O mankind!
Truly We created you from a male and a female, and We made you peoples
and tribes that you may come to know one another. Surely the most noble of
you before God are the most reverent of you. Truly God is Knowing, Aware.
 The Bedouin say, “We believe.” Say, “You believe not. Rather, say, ‘We have
submitted,’ for belief has not yet entered your hearts. Yet if you obey God and

from backbiting and intending not to repeat it.
There is a difference of opinion as to whether
one must apologize to the harmed party. Some
maintain that it is not necessary to ask forgive-
ness from the victim, because if the person knew
what was said, it would cause more hurt than
not being told about it. It is better to praise the
wronged person among those who had previously
heard the negative comments. It is also better to
defend the injured party against any further back-
biting as recompense for the previous ill-advised
words (IK). When backbiting becomes open and
extends to slander and false accusations, the pun-
ishment can be severe, as in 24:4: And as for those
who accuse chaste women, but then do not bring
four witnesses, flog them eighty lashes, and never
accept any testimony from them.
13 This is among the most famous verses of
the Quran. From a male and a female can be un-
derstood as a reference to Adam and Eve (Q), but
also to the creation of each human being from
the fluid of a man and a woman ( ). That people
have been divided into diverse peoples and tribes
that they may come to know one another indicates
the manner in which differences in tribe, race,
ethnicity, language, nationality, and religion can
be sources through which human beings gain a
deeper appreciation for the reality of the human
condition. In this regard, the Prophet has said,
“God does not look at your bodies, nor at your
forms. He looks at your hearts.” In another adīth,
the heart is presented as the reality that determines
all other dimensions of one’s being: “There is in
man a clump of flesh. If it is pure, the whole body
is pure. If it is polluted, the whole body is polluted.
It is the heart.” The outward diversity that divides
human beings is thus one of the greatest tests that
human beings confront in the life of this world, as
in 5:48: And had God willed, He would have made
you one community, but [He willed otherwise], that
He might try you in that which He has given you. So
vie with one another in good deeds. Unto God shall
be your return all together, and He will inform you
of that wherein you differ.
The combination of nobility and reverence
marks a remarkable transition from the attitudes
of pre-Islamic Arabia, in which reverence (taqwā,
which also has the sense of “God-fearing,” or just
“fearing” in pre-Islamic Arabia) and nobility were
considered polar opposites. This late Madinan
verse thus signals a revamping of the moral order
of Arabia to one in which true worth is no longer
determined by lineage and grandiose displays of
valor and generosity, but by the depth of faith
and piety. In this vein, the Prophet is reported to
have said, “Truly God has ennobled those who
were lowly during the Age of Ignorance. Through
Islam, God removed the zealotry of the Age of
Ignorance and its custom of vainglorious boasting
regarding kinsfolk and noble descent. Today, all
the people, be they white, black, Qurayshī, Arab
or non-Arab, are seen to be descendants of Adam.
And, assuredly, God created Adam from clay, and
the people most beloved by God on the Day of
Resurrection will be the most obedient and the
most reverent among them.”
14 This verse indicates that belief is of a higher
rank than submission (IK), that faith has degrees,
and that tribal affiliations are superseded by those
of faith. It was reportedly revealed with regard
to members of the tribe of Banū Asad who had
moved to Madinah after a drought and sought
charity, claiming that they were true believers and
had a right to the same considerations as those
who had followed the Prophet for many years.
Some say that they were hypocrites (W), while
others say they simply had not yet attained faith
(IK), though they had made a formal submission.

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 1263 49:18

His Messenger, He will not diminish for you aught of your deeds. Truly God
is Forgiving, Merciful.”  Only they are believers who believe in God and His
Messenger, then do not doubt, and who strive with their wealth and theirselves
in the way of God; it is they who are the truthful.   Say, “Would you teach
God about your religion, when God knows whatsoever is in the heavens and
whatsoever is on the earth?” And God is Knower of all things.  They count
it as a favor to thee that they have submitted. Say, “Do not count your submis-
sion as a favor to me. Nay, rather God confers a favor upon you, in that He has
guided you to belief, if you are truthful.  Truly God knows the unseen of the
heavens and the earth, and God sees whatsoever you do.”

In this sense, this verse admonishes all forms of
religious pretension, as in 53:32: Do not deem your-
selves purified. He knows best the reverent. Mod-
esty and humility are thus exalted as among the
highest of virtues, as in a adīth, “Modesty pro-
duces naught but good.” The injunction to obey
God and His Messenger (e.g., 3:32, 132; 4:59; 5:92;
8:1, 20, 46; see 3:32c; 4:59c) here indicates that, as
long as Muslims remain obedient, they will be re-
warded for the best of their deeds. It also implies
that their bad deeds may be forgiven, as stated in
a adīth, “If a servant submits and perfects his
submission (islām), God will record for him every
good deed that he performed before [submitting],
and every evil deed that he performed before [sub-
mitting] will be erased. After that the requiting
for the good deed will be tenfold up to seven hun-
dred fold, and for the evil deed one like it, unless
God absolves him of it.”
15 After v. 14 rebuked those who claim belief
without attaining it, this verse emphasizes the
steadfast nature of true faith and the depth of
commitment it entails. While the previous verse
emphasizes obedience, this verse emphasizes be-
lief. Those who strive with their wealth and their-
selves in the way of God (cf. 8:72; 9:20, 44, 81; see
also 2:218; 4:95; 5:35, 54; 8:74; 9:41) are those who
are willing to give everything for the sake of seek-
ing God’s good pleasure (IK); see 4:95c; 8:72c.
They are truthful in their claim to believe, unlike
the members of the Banū Asad, who claim belief
only outwardly (IK).
16 This verse asks, “Would you propose to tell
God what lies within you, when nothing is hidden
from Him?” (IK, ); or more specifically, “Are
you going to declare that you have faith when God
knows that you do not know?” ( ). More gener-
ally, this verse can be understood to mean that one
should maintain a sense of humility when speak-
ing of religious matters.
17 The Banū Asad (see 49:14c) count their
submission as a favor, because, unlike other
tribes, they submitted without fighting ( J J), or
because, when they entered Islam, they came
with goods and families (Q). That they would
think this way demonstrates that they had still
not grasped the principles of belief and contin-
ued to think of their pledge to the Prophet as if
it were another tribal allegiance. They should not
count their submission as a favor on a practical
level, because they came to Madinah with needs
resulting from the drought. They should also not
do so from a religious perspective, because God
and the Prophet have no need of them; rather,
it is they who are in need of God and the guid-
ance He provides through His Prophet. More
generally, this verse can be understood as a con-
tinuation of the discussion in vv.  7–8 and thus
as a reminder that all belief and all guidance is a
favor from God.
18 Elsewhere God is said to be Knower of the
Unseen and the seen (6:73; 9:94, 105; 13:9; 23:92;
32:6; 39:46; 62:8; 64:18), but this is one of only
two verses to assert that God knows the Unseen of
the heavens and the earth (cf. 35:38). In the context
of this sūrah, it also indicates that God knows the
true depths of one’s faith.

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