Al-Hujurat · Madani · ayah 16 of 18

Al-Hujurat 49:16

قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ ٱللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

“Say, "Would you acquaint Allāh with your religion while Allāh knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allāh is Knowing of all things?"”

Saheeh International

Essence

No one can inform Allah about their own heart; He knows all in the heavens and earth, even what we have not admitted to ourselves.

A reflection

Swearing to the one who washes the jacket

A young man swears to his mother that he gave up smoking months ago. He is quite convincing. She says nothing. She is the one who washes his jacket every week.

The reports say that after the previous ayah, some of the tribesmen came back to the Prophet ﷺ. They swore that they were sincere believers, inwardly and outwardly. This ayah was the reply. A-tuʿallimūna Allāha bi-dīnikum: would you inform Allah about your religion?

The question answers itself. One early commentator spells it out. The One you are informing knows everything in the seven heavens and the seven earths. Nothing in either is hidden from Him. How could your own religion be hidden from Him? One commentator notes that the very question is meant to show them how little they understood.

Then comes the closing line: and Allah has knowledge of all things. Whatever was, whatever is, whatever will be.

This is where the ego runs out of room. So much of what we do with our faith is presentation: the right words, the right image, the right reputation. Some of it is innocent. But underneath there is often a quiet belief that if we describe ourselves convincingly enough, the description will become true. The ayah punctures that. You are not addressing an audience that can be persuaded. You are addressing the One who already knows.

One commentator draws out the implication. Religion should be for Allah. These men had shown it to people, not to Him, so it could not be accepted from them.

There is relief in that, as well as warning. Before Allah, there is no point performing, and no need. He has already seen the jacket.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.