Sūra XLIX. Ḥujurāt, or the Inner Apartments.

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

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Sūra XLIX.

Ḥujurāt, or the Inner Apartments.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.

1. O ye who believe!
Put not yourselves forward
Before God and His Apostle;
But fear God: for God
Is He Who hears
And knows all things.

2. O ye who believe!
Raise not your voices!
Above the voice of the Prophet,
Nor speak aloud to him
In talk, as ye may
Speak aloud to one another,
Lest your deeds become!
Vain and ye perceive not.

3. Those that lower their voice
In the presence of
God's Apostle,—their hearts
Has God tested for piety:
For them is Forgiveness
And a great Reward.

4. Those who shout out
To thee from without

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The Inner Apartments—
Most of them lack understanding.

5. If only they had patience
Until thou couldst
Come out to them,
It would be best
For them: but God is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

6. O ye who believe!
If a wicked person comes
To you with any news,
Ascertain the truth, lest
Ye harm people unwittingly,
And afterwards become
Full of repentance for
What ye have done.

7. And know that among you
Is God's Apostle: were he,
In many matters, to follow
Your (wishes), ye would
Certainly fall into misfortune:
But God has endeared
The Faith to you, and
Has made it beautiful
In your hearts, and He
Has made hateful to you
Unbelief, wickedness, and
Rebellion: such indeed are
Those who walk in righteousness;—

8. A grace and favour
From God; and God
Is full of Knowledge
And Wisdom.

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9. If two parties among
The Believers fall into
A quarrel, make ye peace
Between them: but if
One of them transgresses
Beyond bounds against the other,
Then fight ye (all) against
The one that transgresses
Until it complies with
The command of God;
But if it complies, then
Make peace between them
With justice, and be fair:
For God loves those
Who are fair (and just).

10. The Believers are but
A single Brotherhood:
So make peace and
Reconciliation between your
Two (contending) brothers;
And fear God, that ye
May receive Mercy.

SECTION 2.

11. O ye who believe!
Let not some men
Among you laugh at others:
It may be that
The (latter) are better
Than the (former):
Nor let some women
Laugh at others:

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It may be that
The (latter) are better
Than the (former):
Nor defame nor be
Sarcastic to each other,
Nor call each other
By (offensive) nicknames:
Ill-seeming is a name
Connoting wickedness,
(To be used of one)
After he has believed:
And those who
Do not desist are
(Indeed) doing wrong.

12. O ye who believe!
Avoid suspicion as much
(As possible): for suspicion
In some cases is a sin:
And spy not on each other,
Nor speak ill of each other
Behind their backs. Would any
Of you like to eat
The flesh of his dead
Brother? Nay, ye would
Abhor it… But fear God:
For God is Oft-Returning,
Most Merciful.

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13. O mankind! We created
You from a single (pair)
Of a male and a female,
And made you into
Nations and tribes, that
Ye may know each other
(Not that ye may despise
(Each other). Verily
The most honoured of you
In the sight of God
Is (he who is) the most
Righteous of you.
And God has full knowledge
And is well acquainted
(With all things).

14. The desert Arabs say,
"We believe." Say, ''Ye
Have no faith; but ye
(Only) say, "We have submitted
Our wills to God,"
For not yet has Faith
Entered your hearts.
But if ye obey God
And His Apostle, He
Will not belittle aught
Of your deeds: for God
Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

15. Only those are Believers
Who have believed in God
And His Apostle, and have
Never since doubted, but
Have striven with their
Belongings and their persons
In the Cause of God:
Such are the sincere ones.

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16. Say: "What! Will ye
Instruct God about your
Religion? But God knows
All that is in the heavens
And on earth: He has
Full knowledge of all things.

17. They impress on thee
As favour that they
Have embraced Islam.
Say, "Count not your Islam
As a favour upon me:
Nay, God has conferred
A favour upon you
That He has guided you
To the Faith, if ye
Be true and sincere.

18. "Verily God knows
The secrets of the heavens
And the earth: and God
Sees well all
That ye do."

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