AL HUJURAT (The Chambers)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 O you who believe! Put not yourselves forward before God and his Messenger; but fear God: for God is he who hears and knows all things.
2 O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as you may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and you perceive not.
3 Those that lower their voice in the presence of God’s Messenger, their hearts has God tested for piety: for them is forgiveness and a great reward.
4 Those who shout out to you from without the inner apartments most of them lack understanding.
5 If only they had patience until you could come out to them, it would be best for them: but God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
6 O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what you have done.
7 And know that among you is God’s Messenger: were he, in many matters, to follow your wishes, you 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.
9 If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make you peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight against the one that transgresses until he complies with the command of God; but if he complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for God loves those who are fair.
10 The believers are but a single brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two brothers; and fear God, that you may receive mercy.
11 O you who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that the others are better: nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the others are better: 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 doing wrong.
12 O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much as possible: for suspicion is 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? No, you would abhor it But fear God: for God is oft-returning, most merciful.
13 O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Truly the most honoured of you in the sight of God 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, “You have no faith; but you say, ‘We have submitted our wills to God,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey God and his Messenger, he will not belittle any of your deeds: for God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.”
15 Only those are believers who have believed in God and his Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the cause of God: such are the sincere ones.
16 Say: “What! Will you 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 you as a favour that they have submitted to God. Say, Count not your submission as a favour upon me: no, God has conferred a favour upon you that he has guided you to the faith, if you be true and sincere.
18 Truly God knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth: and God sees well all that you do.
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎