Surah Al-Hujurat 49:14
سُورَةُ الحُجُرَاتِ · Medinan · Verse 14 of 18
۞ قَالَتِ ٱلْأَعْرَابُ ءَامَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓا۟ أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ ٱلْإِيمَٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَٰلِكُمْ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ
Translation
The desert Arabs say, ‘We have faith.’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘You do not have faith. What you should say instead is, “We have submitted,” for faith has not yet entered your hearts.’ If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish any of your deeds: He is most forgiving and most merciful.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This verse opens with a statement from the Bedouins (الأعراب), the desert dwellers, who declared, "We have believed" (آمنا). Immediately, Allah commands the Prophet (peace be upon him) to respond with a powerful, direct clarification: "Say, 'You have not believed, but say, "We have submitted"'" (قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓا۟ أَسْلَمْنَا). This divine address directly refutes their claim and instructs them on the truth of their spiritual state.
The Nuance of Belief and Submission
The Quran's precise wording here reveals a profound distinction. The Bedouins of Banu Asad, who came during a time of drought, outwardly professed Islam (submission) but had not yet truly internalized Iman (faith) in their hearts. Imam al-Zamakhshari explains that *Iman* is "affirmation with trust and tranquility of the soul," while *Islam* is "entering into peace" by outwardly declaring faith. The Bedouins had performed the outward acts of Islam, but their hearts were not fully aligned, possibly due to a desire for worldly gain like charity, as scholars like Ibn Ashur mention.
Why the Specific Wording?
The instruction "Say, 'You have not believed'" (لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا۟) directly negates their declaration. This is not a gentle suggestion but a clear statement from Allah, revealing that He knows their inner state. Instead of saying, "Do not say 'We have believed,'" which might imply a prohibition on the *utterance*, the Quran directly refutes the *reality* of their claim. Al-Zamakhshari notes the elegance of this; it's a polite yet firm denial, avoiding the explicit word "you lied," while still subtly implying their untruthfulness.
Following this, the command "but say, 'We have submitted'" (وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓا۟ أَسْلَمْنَا) is an instruction for them to speak truthfully about their current state. Ibn Ashur highlights that this teaches them the importance of sincerity; if the verse had said "but you have submitted," it might have legitimized their previous claim as a form of "submission," rather than correcting their self-perception.
Faith Not Yet Entered
The verse continues with the crucial phrase: "and faith has not yet entered your hearts" (وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ ٱلْإِيمَٰنُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ). The word "وَلَمَّا" (walammā) is significant. As both al-Zamakhshari and Ibn Ashur point out, this word not only signifies that the negation is continuous up to the present moment, but it also carries an expectation that the thing negated *will* happen later. This is a subtle yet powerful opening of hope: while their faith isn't complete now, there is an expectation for it to grow. The word "يَدْخُلِ" (yadkhul), meaning "to enter," implies that true faith needs to deeply penetrate and settle in the heart, becoming firm and unshaken, not merely an outward show.
A Promise of Reward and Mercy
The verse concludes with an encouragement: "And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you of anything from your deeds" (وَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْـًٔا). The word "يَلِتْكُم" means "to diminish" or "to deprive." This promise reassures them that if they genuinely strive to obey and allow faith to take root, their efforts, even their initial outward submission, will be fully rewarded. The concluding divine names, "Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ), further emphasize Allah's vast mercy. He is ready to forgive their past shortcomings and bestow His compassion upon them as they move towards sincere faith and obedience. This sequence, as Ibn Ashur notes, encourages repentance and sincere faith, indicating that Allah's mercy is the origin of His forgiveness.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Hujurat 49:14 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Obedience (Ta'ah) (key verse)
- Illness (Marad)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Hujurat 49:14 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.