Surah Al-Hujuraat (49) — Ayah 13

(Ayah 13) ➊ {يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ وَّ اُنْثٰى:} In the previous verses, the fundamental cause of the six sins that were forbidden is considering oneself superior and others inferior. In the age of ignorance, the disease of boasting about the virtues of one's tribe and considering others contemptible was widespread. Because of this, every tribe's poets and orators would target other tribes with mockery, ridicule, and taunts to prove their own tribe's superiority. For this, they would search for their faults, spy, gossip, slander, and keep the market of satire hot, to the extent that they completely disgraced many tribes in the eyes of people. In the world, being born in a particular tribe or nation has not been the only cause for pride in one's superiority; besides this, many other things have been considered as reasons for pride and superiority over others. Thus, humanity has been divided on the basis of color, race, homeland, and language, and every class has considered itself superior to others and others as contemptible, resulting in countless wars and millions of people being killed or wounded. Many were exiled from their homeland, became victims of poverty, disease, and disgrace. Therefore, after addressing with {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا ‘‘} in five verses, here all mankind is addressed, saying {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ‘‘} "O people! We created you from a male and a female (Adam and Hawwa, peace be upon them), so you are all equal in being human. No one has any superiority over another due to being born in a particular nation, tribe, or country, or because of any color or language, because the origin of all is one. Then, in being born in any nation, country, or tribe, or having any color or language, no one has any personal involvement or choice; all of this is only in Allah's control. Therefore, any of these things can be a blessing or gift from Allah, for which one should thank Allah, but it cannot be a cause of superiority over others, because superiority is achieved by success in that thing for which Allah has sent him to the world with choice, and that is Allah's taqwa (piety). Therefore, the most honorable is the one who is honorable in the sight of Allah, and the most honorable in the sight of Allah is the one who has the most taqwa. Without this, no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, nor a white over a black, nor a free man over a slave. Yes, if along with taqwa, some other reason for virtue is also combined, then he will have superiority, such as someone being a Qurayshi or Hashimi along with being pious, or being a member of a nation known for bravery, intelligence, or some other virtue. This is just like if two people are equal in recitation of the Qur'an, then at the time of leading prayer, the older one is given precedence over the younger."

➋ { وَ جَعَلْنٰكُمْ شُعُوْبًا وَّ قَبَآىِٕلَ: ’’ شُعُوْبًا ‘‘ ’’شَعْبٌ‘‘} (with fatha on the sheen) is the plural, a very large tribe, such as Rabi'ah, Mudar, Aws, and Khazraj, etc. This is the first of the six classes into which the Arabs are divided. The six classes are: (1) Sha'b (2) Qabeelah (3) 'Amarah (4) Batn (5) Fakhidh (6) Faseelah. There are many tribes in a sha'b, many 'ama'ir in a qabeelah, many butoon in an 'amarah, many fukhudh in a batn, and many fasa'il in a fakhidh. For example, in the Arabs, Khuzaimah is a sha'b, Kinanah is a qabeelah, Quraysh is an 'amarah, Qusay is a batn, Hashim is a fakhidh, and Abbas is a faseelah. Sometimes, one of these words is used in place of another. Sha'b means branch; it is called sha'b because tribes branch out from it. In the Qur'an, three of these six classes are mentioned, two in this verse and one in Surah Ma'arij, where it is said: « وَ فَصِيْلَتِهِ الَّتِيْ تُـْٔوِيْهِ» [ المعارج : ۱۳ ] "And his family who sheltered him." (Qurtubi and Shanqiti)

➌ { لِتَعَارَفُوْا:} That is, the purpose of dividing into nations, tribes, or families is not superiority, but We have made this division for your mutual recognition. For example, there are many people named Abdullah; one can be specified as Qurayshi, then Hashimi, then Abbasi. Through this recognition, a person becomes aware of his kinship and fulfills the rights of relatives and maintains family ties. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ تَعَلَّمُوْا مِنْ أَنْسَابِكُمْ مَا تَصِلُوْنَ بِهِ أَرْحَامَكُمْ، فَإِنَّ صِلَةَ الرَّحِمِ مَحَبَّةٌ فِي الْأَهْلِ، مَثْرَاةٌ فِي الْمَالِ، مَنْسَأَةٌ فِي الْأَثَرِ ] [ ترمذي، البر والصلۃ، باب ما جاء في تعلیم النسب : ۱۹۷۹، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ، وقال الألباني صحیح ] "Learn your lineages through which you join your family ties, for joining family ties brings love among relatives, abundance in wealth, and increase in life."

➍ { اِنَّ اَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اَتْقٰىكُمْ:} The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَدْ أَذْهَبَ عَنْكُمْ عُبِّيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَفَخْرَهَا بِالْآبَاءِ، مُؤْمِنٌ تَقِيٌّ وَ فَاجِرٌ شَقِيٌّ، أَنْتُمْ بَنُوْ آدَمَ وَآدَمُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ لَيَدَعَنَّ رِجَالٌ فَخْرَهُمْ بِأَقْوَامٍ إِنَّمَا هُمْ فَحْمٌ مِنْ فَحْمِ جَهَنَّمَ، أَوْ لَيَكُوْنُنَّ أَهْوَنَ عَلَی اللّٰهِ مِنَ الْجِعْلاَنِ الَّتِيْ تَدْفَعُ بِأَنْفِهَا النَّتْنَ ] [ أبو داوٗد، الأدب، باب في التفاخر بالأحساب : ۵۱۱۶، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ و قال الألباني صحیح ] "Allah has removed from you the pride of the age of ignorance and boasting about ancestors. (People are of only two types) A pious believer or a miserable sinner. You are all children of Adam, and Adam was from dust. Some people will abandon their pride over those who are nothing but a coal from the coals of Hell, or else (those who boast) will be more humiliated before Allah than a dung beetle that pushes filth with its nose." Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked: [ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَكْرَمُ؟ ] "Who is the most honorable among people?" He (peace be upon him) said: [ أَكْرَمُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ أَتْقَاهُمْ ] "The most honorable among them in the sight of Allah is the one who has the most taqwa." They said: "We are not asking you about this." He (peace be upon him) said: [ فَأَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ يُوْسُفُ نَبِيُّ اللّٰهِ ابْنُ نَبِيِّ اللّٰهِ ابْنِ نَبِيِّ اللّٰهِ ابْنِ خَلِيْلِ اللّٰهِ ] "Then the most honorable is Yusuf (peace be upon him), who is Allah's prophet, the son of a prophet, whose grandfather is also a prophet, and whose great-grandfather is Allah's Khalil." They said: "We are not asking you about this either." He (peace be upon him) said: [ فَعَنْ مَعَادِنِ الْعَرَبِ تَسْأَلُوْنِّيْ؟ ] "Then you are asking me about the families of the Arabs?" They said: "Yes!" He (peace be upon him) said: [ فَخِيَارُكُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُكُمْ فِي الْإِسْلاَمِ إِذَا فَقِهُوْا ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب قولہ : « لقد کان في یوسف و إخوتہ…» : ۴۶۸۹ ] "So those who were the best among you in the time of ignorance are the best among you in Islam, when they gain understanding (of the religion)." Abu Nadrah said that the companion who heard the sermon of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the middle day of the days of Tashreeq narrated to me, he (peace be upon him) said: [ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! أَلاَ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ وَاحِدٌ، وَ إِنَّ أَبَاكُمْ وَاحِدٌ، أَلاَ لاَ فَضْلَ لِعَرَبِيٍّ عَلٰی أَعْجَمِيٍّ، وَلاَ لِعَجَمِيٍّ عَلٰی عَرَبِيٍّ، وَلاَ لِأَحْمَرَ عَلٰی أَسْوَدَ، وَلاَ أَسْوَدَ عَلٰی أَحْمَرَ، إِلاَّ بِالتَّقْوٰی ] [مسند أحمد : 411/5، ح : ۲۳۴۸۹، قال شعیب الأرنؤوط إسنادہ صحیح ] "O people! Listen! Your Lord is one and your father is one. Listen! No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a red over a black, nor a black over a red, except by taqwa." Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلٰی صُوَرِكُمْ وَ أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَ لٰكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلٰی قُلُوْبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ ] [مسلم، البر والصلۃ، باب تحریم ظلم المسلم … : ۳۴ /۲۵۶۴ ] "Allah does not look at your forms or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds." Iyad bin Himar al-Mujashi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated in a long hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ وَ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ أَوْحٰی إِلَيَّ أَنْ تَوَاضَعُوْا حَتّٰی لَا يَفْخَرَ أَحَدٌ عَلٰی أَحَدٍ وَلَا يَبْغِيْ أَحَدٌ عَلٰی أَحَدٍ ] [ مسلم، الجنۃ و صفۃ نعیمھا، باب الصفات التي یعرف بہا… : ۶۴؍۲۸۶۵ ] "Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble to one another, so that no one boasts over another and no one oppresses another."

➎ The scholars have deduced from this verse that, for marriage, no condition for compatibility (kufu') is valid except Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married his paternal aunt's daughter Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) to his freed slave Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, the common notion that a Sayyid girl cannot be married to a non-Sayyid is not correct. In fact, restricting the descendants of Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) to the title "Sayyid" is also just a custom. Here, despite being the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Abu Lahab is in Hell, and despite being a slave, the sound of Bilal's (may Allah be pleased with him) sandals is heard ahead of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in Paradise (as a servant), and Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: [ أَبُوْ بَكْرٍ سَيِّدُنَا، وَأَعْتَقَ سَيِّدَنَا يَعْنِيْ بِلاَلاً ] [ بخاري، فضائل أصحاب النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، باب مناقب بلال بن رباح … : ۳۷۵۴ ] "Abu Bakr is our Sayyid, and he freed our Sayyid Bilal."

➏ { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌ خَبِيْرٌ:} That is, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. He alone knows whose heart has more taqwa, due to which he attains the honor of being the most noble. So, when no one knows the state of hearts, how can anyone boast over another or consider anyone contemptible!?