As-Saffat · Makki · ayah 174 of 182

As-Saffat 37:174

فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

“So, [O Muḥammad], leave them for a time.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Turn away from them for a while: not abandoning the message, but lowering your eyes over their insults until the appointed time arrives.

A reflection

Lowering the eyelids, not the message

Fa-tawalla ʿanhum: so turn away from them. One commentator glosses it: turn away, and lower your eyelids over their harm, as one draws the lids over something one chooses not to see. Another commentator puts it plainly: be patient with the harm they do you, and wait.

This is not the Prophet ﷺ abandoning his mission. The Quran goes on being revealed and recited. What he turns from is the contest: the mockery, the demands for proof on demand, the daily provocations. He stops answering every taunt.

Picture a volunteer moderator on an online forum. A thread about faith has turned ugly. A handful of users are posting insults, each one designed to draw a reply. Now she reads the latest provocation, closes the laptop and goes to make dinner. She has not deleted her beliefs or the thread. She has simply stopped feeding a fire that wanted her attention more than her answers.

Someone might ask whether turning away means giving up on people. The commentators' readings answer that. The turning is 'for a while', and it is paired with patience and waiting. The message continues. What pauses is the exhausting back-and-forth with those set on refusing.

For anyone who speaks about faith, this is a needed permission. You are not obliged to answer every taunt. Lowering your eyes over someone's harm can be the wisest and most dignified response, and the Prophet ﷺ was told to do it.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.