Surah Al-Hujuraat (49) — Ayah 2

(Ayah 2) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَرْفَعُوْۤا اَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ:} Alusi said that in the previous verse, the believers were forbidden from going ahead of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in word or deed. In this verse, they are also forbidden from raising their voices above his in his presence or in his gathering. Thus, it is said that even when speaking to each other in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), do not raise your voices above his. In Sahih Bukhari, the reason for the revelation of this verse is mentioned. Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: [ كَادَ الْخَيِّرَانِ أَنْ يَهْلِكَا، أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا، رَفَعَا أَصْوَاتَهُمَا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِيْنَ قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ رَكْبُ بَنِيْ تَمِيْمٍ، فَأَشَارَ أَحَدُهُمَا بِالْأَقْرَعِ بْنِ حَابِسٍ أَخِيْ بَنِيْ مُجَاشِعٍ وَأَشَارَ الْآخَرُ بِرَجُلٍ آخَرَ قَالَ نَافِعٌ لاَ أَحْفَظُ اسْمَهُ، فَقَالَ أَبُوْ بَكْرٍ لِعُمَرَ مَا أَرَدْتَ إِلاَّ خِلاَفِيْ قَالَ مَا أَرَدْتُ خِلاَفَكَ، فَارْتَفَعَتْ أَصْوَاتُهُمَا فِيْ ذٰلِكَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ : « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَرْفَعُوْۤا اَصْوَاتَكُمْ » اَلْآيَةَ، قَالَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ فَمَا كَانَ عُمَرُ يُسْمِعُ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدَ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةِ حَتّٰی يَسْتَفْهِمَهُ ] [ بخاري، کتاب التفسیر، باب : «لا ترفعوا أصواتکم فوق صوت النبي » : ۴۸۴۵ ] “Two of the best men were close to destruction, Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). Both raised their voices when the camel riders of Banu Tamim came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One of these two (best men) indicated towards Aqra’ bin Habis of Banu Mujashi’ (to appoint him as the leader of Banu Tamim), and the other indicated towards someone else. Nafi’ said, I do not remember his name. So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘You only intended to oppose me.’ He said: ‘I did not intend to oppose you.’ Their voices became loud in this, so Allah revealed this verse: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَرْفَعُوْۤا اَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ » ‘O you who have believed! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet.’ Ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, after this verse, Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) voice was not heard by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would ask him again.”

➋ If in any gathering the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned, then the etiquette towards him demands that no one’s statement should be mentioned in opposition, nor should any kind of rationalistic pretexts be presented to reject it, because this too is raising one’s voice above his, and due to opposition, it is even more severe disrespect.

➌ The matter of some people is very strange: they make people believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is present in their gathering, then they speak so loudly that the ears of the listeners are about to burst, and yet they claim to be the sole proprietors of love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Whereas neither is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) present in any gathering now, nor is there any room to speak so loudly out of love or respect for him, even if one considers him present.

➍ { وَ لَا تَجْهَرُوْا لَهٗ بِالْقَوْلِ:} Allah Almighty taught the believers this etiquette because some rough Bedouins would speak to him in a loud voice and address him by name just as they would speak to or address each other. Thus, it is said: do not speak to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a loud voice as you speak loudly to each other, nor address him by name as you address each other, but instead of saying “O Muhammad,” say “O Messenger of Allah” or “O Prophet of Allah,” etc. This etiquette is also taught in Surah An-Nur, where it is said: « لَا تَجْعَلُوْا دُعَآءَ الرَّسُوْلِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَآءِ بَعْضِكُمْ بَعْضًا » [ النور : ۶۳ ] “Do not make the calling of the Messenger among yourselves like the calling of one of you to another.” Allah Himself, throughout the entire Qur’an, has never addressed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by name, but always with various titles, such as {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ ‘‘، ’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِیُّ ‘‘، ’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ ‘‘} and {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ ‘‘}, etc. Whereas other prophets are addressed by name, such as {’’ يٰۤاٰدَمُ ‘‘، ’’ يَا نُوْحُ ‘‘، ’’ يٰۤاِبْرٰهِيْمُ ‘‘، ’’ يَا مُوْسٰي ‘‘، ’’ يٰعِيْسَي ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ ‘‘} and {’’ يٰۤدَاوٗدُ ‘‘}, etc. Despite this, most ignorant people insist on saying and writing “Ya Muhammad” and claim to love the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). From this verse, one can gauge the reverence and honor due to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

➎ { اَنْ تَحْبَطَ اَعْمَالُكُمْ وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُوْنَ:} From this, it is understood that raising one’s voice above the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) in his presence, or speaking to him in a manner that diminishes his reverence and respect, causes deeds to be nullified, even if the person is a believer, because it is also said: «وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُوْنَ» “And you do not perceive.” The hypocrites were devoid of faith, so they would deliberately behave disrespectfully towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and had no concern for their deeds being nullified. This verse also shows that some actions are so evil that they cause even righteous deeds to be lost, especially those in which there is disrespect towards Allah Almighty or the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because they incur the wrath of Allah. Ibn Kathir said: “« اَنْ تَحْبَطَ اَعْمَالُكُمْ وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُوْنَ» That is, We have forbidden you from raising your voices in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lest he become angry because of it, and due to his anger, Allah also becomes angry and destroys the deeds of the one who angered him, and he does not even realize it. As in the authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللّٰهِ لاَ يُلْقِيْ لَهَا بَالاً يَرْفَعُ اللّٰهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ وَ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللّٰهِ لاَ يُلْقِيْ لَهَا بَالاً يَهْوِيْ بِهَا فِيْ جَهَنَّمَ ] [ بخاري، الرقاق، باب حفظ اللسان : ۶۴۷۸ ] ‘A servant says a word pleasing to Allah, which he does not pay attention to, and because of it Allah raises him many degrees. And a servant says a word displeasing to Allah, which he does not pay attention to, and because of it he falls into Hellfire.’”

➏ After this verse, one can gauge how much the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) feared and avoided raising their voices in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One example is the action of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioned in the first benefit of this verse’s exegesis. In addition, the behavior of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) orator, Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him), is also an example. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “When this verse was revealed: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَرْفَعُوْۤا اَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَ لَا تَجْهَرُوْا لَهٗ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ اَنْ تَحْبَطَ اَعْمَالُكُمْ وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُوْنَ» Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas (may Allah be pleased with him) had a very loud voice, so he said: ‘I am the one who used to raise his voice above the voice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), my deeds are lost, I am among the people of the Fire.’ And he became sad and sat at home. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not see him, so he inquired about him. Some people went to him and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is looking for you, what has happened to you?’ He said: ‘I am the one who used to raise his voice above the voice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and speak loudly, my deeds are lost and I am among the people of the Fire.’ The people came and informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) of his words, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لاَ، بَلْ هُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ] ‘No, rather he is among the people of Paradise.’ Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Then we used to see him walking among us and knew that he was of the people of Paradise. So when the day of Yamamah (the battle against Musaylimah the Liar) came, we saw some signs of retreat among us. At that time, Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas (may Allah be pleased with him) came, he had applied the fragrance used for the dead and was wearing a shroud. He said: ‘You have set a very bad example for your companions (by retreating).’ Saying this, he began to fight until he was killed.’ [ مسند أحمد : 137/3، ح : ۱۲۴۰۸ ] Its chain is authentic. The researcher of Tafsir Ibn Kathir writes that Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him) thought this because Banu Tamim (about whom these verses were revealed), he was the one who delivered the sermon on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in their presence. See Al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah (5/42) and Fath al-Bari (8/591).

2. 1. In this, the etiquette, reverence, and respect for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are described, which are required from every Muslim. The first etiquette is that when you converse with each other in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, your voices should not be raised above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ. The second etiquette is that when you speak directly to the Prophet ﷺ, do so with utmost dignity and calmness, and do not raise your voices as you do when speaking informally with one another. Some have said that this means you should not say "O Muhammad" or "O Ahmad," but rather address him respectfully as "O Messenger of Allah." If you do not observe these requirements of etiquette and respect, there is a risk of disrespect, which may unknowingly render your deeds void. For the reason of revelation (Shan-e-Nuzul) of this verse, see Sahih Bukhari, Tafsir of Surah Al-Hujurat. However, in terms of ruling, it is general.

O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another, lest your deeds [3] become worthless while you are unaware.

[2] That is, when you are sitting in the gathering of the Prophet ﷺ, you must observe his respect and reverence. The reason for the revelation of this verse can be seen in the following hadith: Ibn Abi Mulaykah says that due to raising their voices before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, two of the best men were about to be ruined, namely Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ and Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, when a delegation of Banu Tamim (in 9 AH) came to you (and requested you to appoint a leader for them). One of them suggested the leadership of Aqra' bin Habis, who was from Banu Mujashi' (a branch of Banu Tamim), and the other suggested someone else (Qaqa' bin Ma'bad). Nafi' bin 'Umar says that I do not remember his name. Upon this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ said to Sayyiduna Umar ؓ: "You only want to oppose me." Sayyiduna Umar ؓ replied: "I do not want to oppose you" (rather, it is a matter of expediency). In this matter, both of their voices were raised, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zubair says that since this verse was revealed, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ would speak so softly that the Prophet ﷺ would have to ask him what he said. But he did not narrate this about his grandfather (Sayyiduna Abu Bakr ؓ). [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
Although this etiquette was taught for the gathering of the Prophet ﷺ and its addressees were the noble Companions or those who were present in his time, and this etiquette was taught so that people would not consider him an ordinary man, but rather understand that they are sitting in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah, nevertheless, this command also applies to occasions where the Prophet ﷺ is being mentioned, or any of his commands are being conveyed, or his ahadith are being narrated.

[3]
The Voice Should Be Comparatively Lower:

Its second aspect is that even if you have to speak to the Prophet, your voice should not be louder than his. Also, in Masjid Nabawi, no one should speak in a voice louder than the normal tone. The punishment for this disrespect could be that your good deeds are rendered void. The effect this verse had on the noble Companions is evident from the following hadith:
Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not see Thabit bin Qais (bin Shammas) in his company for several days. A man (Sa'd bin Mu'adh) said: "O Messenger of Allah! I will find out about his condition and inform you." So he went and saw Thabit ؓ at his home with his head bowed and asked: "What is the matter?" Thabit ؓ said: "It is bad for me; my voice used to be louder than the Prophet's, my deeds have been wasted, and I am among the people of Hell." Sa'd ؓ came to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him: "This is what he says." Musa bin Anas says: Then it happened that Sa'd bin Mu'adh went to Thabit bin Qais again with great glad tidings. The Prophet ﷺ himself sent Sa'd ؓ to Thabit and said: Tell him that: "You are not among the people of Hell, but among the people of Paradise." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
This Thabit bin Qais ؓ was the orator of the Ansar. When Musaylimah the Liar came to Medina to negotiate with the Prophet ﷺ on the principle of give and take, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed Thabit bin Qais to speak with him. His voice was naturally heavy and loud. That is why he became afraid of this command. The Prophet ﷺ exempted him from this command because he did not raise his voice out of disrespect or lack of reverence, but rather his voice was naturally loud.