49. Surah Al-Hujurat

Asad’s version

49:11 O YOU who have attained to faith! No men shall deride [other] men: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than themselves; and no women [shall deride other] women: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than themselves. 12 And neither shall you defame one another, nor insult one another by [opprobrious] epithets: evil is all imputation of iniquity after [one has attained to] faith; 13 and they who [become guilty thereof and] do not repent - it is they, they who are evildoers!

49:12 O you who have attained to faith! Avoid most guesswork [about one another] 14 - for, behold, some of [such] guesswork is [in itself] a sin; and do not spy upon one another, and neither allow yourselves to speak ill of one another behind your backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would loathe it!

And be conscious of God. Verily, God is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace!

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَى أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ...

49: 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):

C4929. Mutual ridicule ceases to be fun when there is arrogance or selfishness or malice behind it. We may laugh with people, to share in the happiness of life: we must never laugh at people in contempt or ridicule. In many things they may be better than ourselves!

...وَلَا نِسَاء مِّن نِّسَاء عَسَى أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ...

Nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former):

...وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِِ...

nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames:

C4930. Defamation may consist in speaking ill of others by the spoken or written word, or in acting in such a way as to suggest a charge against some person whom we are not in a position to judge.

A cutting, biting remark or taunt of sarcasm is included in the word lamaza.

An offensive nickname may amount to defamation, but in any case there is no point in using offensive nicknames, or names that suggest some real or fancied defect. They ill accord with the serious purpose which Muslims should have in life. For example, even if a man is lame, it is wrong to address him as "O lame one!" It causes him pain, and it is bad manners. So in the case of the rude remark, "the black man".

...بِئْسَ الاِسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ...

Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed:

...وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ ﴿١١﴾

And those who do not desist are (Indeed) doing wrong.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ...

49: 12. O ye who believe!

avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin:

C4931. Most kinds of suspicion are baseless and to be avoided, and some are crimes in themselves: for they do cruel injustice to innocent men and women.

...وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا ...

and spy not on each other,

Spying, or enquiring too curiously into other people's affairs, means either idle curiosity, and is therefore futile, or suspicion carried a stage further, which almost amounts to sin.

... وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا...

nor speak ill of each other behind their backs.

Back- biting also is a brood of the same genus. It may be either futile but all the same mischievous, or it may be poisoned with malice, in which case it is a sin added to sin.

...أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا ...

Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?

C4932. No one would like even to think of such an abomination as eating the flesh of his brother. But when the brother is dead, and the flesh is carrion, abomination is added to abomination. In the same way we are asked to refrain from hurting people's feelings when they are present; how much worse is it when we say things, true or false, when they are absent!

... فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ...

Nay, ye would abhor it...

But fear Allah:

...إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢﴾

for Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

[[Asad’s notes -

12 The implication is that believers, whether men or women, shall never deride one another (Zamakhshari, Baydawi).

13 This applies no less to the faith of the one who insults than to that of the insulted (Razi): cf. 6:82- " [those who have not obscured their faith by wrongdoing".

14 I.e., guesswork that may lead to unfounded suspicion of another person's motives: see note 22 on 24:19.]]