Tafsir of Al-Hujurat 49:14

"The Bedouins say, 'We have believed.'"

Mujahid said: This was revealed regarding the Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah, a tribe residing near Medina. They displayed Islam, yet their hearts were corrupt; they loved only the spoils of war and the fleeting goods of this world. It is narrated that they came to Medina during a year of drought and professed the two testimonies of faith, saying to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "We have come to you with our heavy loads and our families, and we did not fight you as such-and-such tribe fought you." By saying this, they intended to solicit charity and counted it as a favor upon the Prophet (upon him be prayer and peace).

It is also said that they were the tribes of Muzaynah, Juhaynah, Aslam, Ashja', and Ghifar, who said, "We have believed, so we are deserving of honor," to which Allah the Exalted responded. Regardless, the intent of "the Bedouins" is not universal, as Qatadah and others have explicitly stated. The attachment of the feminine marker to the verb is due to the prevalence of treating plural groups as feminine—so much so that it is said: "Do not concern yourself with their plurality; every plural is feminine." The nuance in considering it feminine here is to point toward the deficiency of their intellects, contrary to what was observed in the words of the Exalted: (And [some] women said...).

"Say, 'You have not believed...'"

This is to invalidate their claim of faith, for faith is [true] belief accompanied by trust and the tranquility of the heart, none of which they possessed. Had they possessed it, they would not have counted their refraining from fighting as a favor upon the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), as is indicated at the end of the Surah.

"...but say, 'We have submitted' [aslamna]..."

For Islam is submission and entry into the outward fold, and it is the opposite of war, which is what these people were indicating. The apparent phrasing should have been "You have not believed, but you have submitted" or "Do not say 'We have believed,' but say 'We have submitted'" in order to achieve logical equivalence. However, the text deviates from the apparent structure, content with the meaning achieved while incorporating additional benefits. The explanation for this is that the intent of the discourse is to rebuke them for claiming faith when they were devoid of it, and for being those who count their deeds as favors. If they had been told directly, "Say: You lied," it would have been a direct confrontation of them with the label of "liar." Instead, the wording was steered toward what is found in the revelation to avoid such a blunt accusation. This serves as an education for the Prophet (upon him be prayer and peace) in etiquette regarding all people, so that it might become a habit for his followers, and so that they do not clothe themselves in the skin of a leopard [i.e., act with ferocity] toward those they address. This summarizes the point of their falsehood.

Evidence that this is the primary intent lies in the following verse: (...those are the truthful ones), which serves as an insinuation that falsehood is exclusive to them [the Bedouins]. The choice of say [in "Say, 'You have not believed'"] over "Do not say 'We have believed'"—while "do not say" would be disparaging, especially coming from the Prophet (upon him be prayer and peace) who was sent to call people to faith—is because the implication of "You have not believed" as meaning "You have lied" is more apparent than in "Do not say 'We have believed,'" as is not hidden to any.

Then it is countered with His, the Transcendent's, words: (...but say, 'We have submitted')—as if it were said: "Say 'You have not believed,' so do not lie, but say 'We have submitted' so that you may attain truthfulness, even if faith and [inward] conviction have escaped you." If it had been said, "but you have submitted," it would not convey this meaning; there is an allusion that their submission is devoid of [inward] conviction and is therefore not counted [as sufficient]. If "you have submitted" had been said, it might have implied that it was [fully] counted, whereas the goal is for it to be perfected by faith. This does not require one to say that the word "say" in the revelation is used to mean "to claim."

It is said that the verse involves ihtibak (mutual omission): the original is "You have not believed, so do not say 'We have believed,' but you have submitted, so say 'We have submitted." Thus, from each of the two sentences, that which was established in the other was omitted. The first [interpretation] is more eloquent and subtle.

"...and faith has not yet entered your hearts."

This is a state (hal) referring to the pronoun in "say." It is as if it were said: "Say 'We have submitted' as long as you remain in this condition." This contains a hint of the expectation that faith will enter their hearts later. Thus, this negation is not a repetition of His saying: (...you have not believed). It is said that the sentence is a new beginning, and there is no repetition either, because lamma (not yet) signifies a negation of the past that continues into the present, by consensus, and it implies that what is negated is expected—contrary to Abu Hayyan. Lam (did not) does not signify any of that, by consensus. Thus, there is no need, in order to avoid repetition, to claim it is a state (hal) and to treat the sentence as a timing for the commanded speech.

"And if you obey Allah and His Messenger..."

...by way of sincerity and abandoning hypocrisy...

"...He will not deprive you [la yalitkum] of your deeds..."

...He will not decrease any of their rewards, or decrease anything of them. It is said, "He lata him, yalituhu, laytan," if he decreases it. From this is what al-Asma'i narrated from Umm Hisham al-Sululiyyah: "Praise be to Allah, who does not pass away, is not decreased (la yulat), and is not rendered deaf by sounds." Al-Hasan, al-A'raj, and Abu 'Amr read it as la ya'litkum, from alata-ya'lutu, with the lam having a damma or kasra, according to the dialect of Asad and Ghatafan. Al-Hutay'ah said: "Convey to the noble ones of Banu Sa'd, spreading the news of the message's effort: neither decreased (la 'altan) nor lied." The first [recitation] is the dialect of the Hijaz, and the verb in that case is ajwaf (hollow); in the second, it is mahmuz al-fa (the first radical is a hamza). Abu Ubaydah narrated: alata-yalitu.

"...Allah is Forgiving..."

...for what has been committed by the obedient...

"...Merciful."

...by granting them favor.