Al-Hujurat (The Chambers): (14) The Bedouins say, "We have believed"...

When the Almighty said: {Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you} (Al-Hujurat: 13), and righteousness (Taqwa) can only be achieved after attaining piety, and the root of faith (Iman) is guarding against Shirk (polytheism), the Bedouins said: "We possess noble lineage, and only through that do we have honor."

Allah the Exalted responded: Faith is not merely verbal; rather, it resides in the heart. {You have not believed, but say, "We have submitted"}—meaning, we have yielded and surrendered.

It is narrated that this verse was revealed concerning Banu Asad. They outwardly professed Islam during a famine year, seeking charity, but their hearts were not settled with true faith. We have already explained that such narration serves as a historical context for the revelation, not a restriction to them alone. This is because anyone who performs the actions of the pious and desires the honor due to the righteous will not attain it, as true piety is an action of the heart.

Regarding His saying, {Say, "You have not believed"}, there are several issues concerning its interpretation:

Issue 1: The Command to Say "You Have Not Believed"

Allah says elsewhere: {And do not say to those who offer you peace, "You are not a believer"} (An-Nisa: 94), yet here He commands, {Say, "You have not believed"} even though they offered peace (i.e., declared Islam).

We say: This points to the fact that the action of the heart is unknown to us, and avoiding conjecture is obligatory. Judgment must be based on the outward appearance. Therefore, one should not label someone who performs an action outwardly as a hypocrite (Murā'ī), nor should one label someone who has submitted (Aslama) as a hypocrite. Rather, Allah is the Knower of what is in the breasts.

If an ordinary person says, "He is not a believer," this implies certainty. However, when Allah says {Say, "You have not believed"}, this permits that statement to the Prophet (PBUH), and it was a miracle for him, as Allah informed him of the unseen and the state of their hearts. He commanded the Prophet to say this to them because they (the Companions/Muslims) do not know what is in the heart of the one who offers peace.

Issue 2: The Difference Between Lam and Mā in Negation

Lam and Mā are both negation particles, as are Lā and Mā (in other contexts). Lam and Mā (when used with the past tense) cause the verb to be in the jussive mood (Jazm), while other negation particles do not. What is the difference?

We say: Lam and Mā effect a change in the verb that other particles do not: they shift the meaning from the future/present to the past. You say, "Lam yu'min yesterday" (He did not believe yesterday), but you cannot say "Lā yu'min yesterday." Because they perform this shift in meaning—changing the tense from future to past—they necessitate the jussive mood.

If one asks: Given this difference, what necessitates the jussive mood for them? We reply: Certainty and finality (Qaṭ' and Jazm) occur in past actions. When one says, "Qāma" (He stood), certainty is established regarding his standing. Future actions are either expected or possible but not certain, so certainty does not occur in them. Since Lam and Mā shift the verbal form from future to past, they convey certainty in meaning, so a corresponding linguistic feature—the jussive mood—is assigned to them.

This is also the reason for the jussive mood in the case of the conditional particle In (if). It is as if the speaker is certain that the commanded action will occur, or at least that the condition is established. The benefit of the jussive mood in In is that if the meaning of the verb shifts from past to future (as in "In ta'tīnī, a'tika" - If you come to me, I will come to you), it necessitates the jussive mood due to this linguistic similarity. As for the apodosis (the result clause), it is jussive because the result is certain to occur upon the fulfillment of the condition, as we mentioned.

Thus, the jussive mood is either due to meaning (as in the apodosis) or due to a linguistic similarity (as in In), just as the genitive case (Jarr) occurs due to a preposition or due to association (Idāfa).

Issue 3: The Implication of "But Say"

His saying, {But say, "We have submitted"} implies a preceding statement contrary to what follows, like saying, "Do not say, 'We have believed,' but say, 'We have submitted.'"

The omission of explicitly forbidding their statement ("Do not say, 'We have believed'") is a form of guidance and refinement. It is as if Allah did not permit forbidding their claim of belief outright, so He did not say, "Do not say, 'We have believed.'" Instead, He guided them away from falsehood by saying, {You have not believed}. If you must say something, then say what is generally true: {We have submitted}, because submission (Islam) in the sense of yielding has occurred.

Issue 4: The Relationship Between Believer (Mu'min) and Muslim (Muslim)

The Sunni scholars hold that the Believer and the Muslim are one and the same. How is this understood in light of this verse?

We say: There is a distinction between the general and the specific. Faith (Iman) requires the heart, though it may manifest on the tongue. Submission (Islam) is more general. However, the general, when manifested in the form of the specific, is identical to the specific and cannot be anything other than it.

The analogy is: Animal (Hayawān) is more general than Human (Insān). But an animal in the form of a human is not something separate from being human; that animal cannot be an animal without being human. Thus, the general and the specific differ in scope but are unified in existence. Similarly, the Mu'min and the Muslim are related. We will clarify this further in the exegesis of {So We brought out those who were in the city, of the believers. *But We found therein not more than one house of Muslims} (Adh-Dhariyat: 36-37), if Allah wills.

Issue 5: The Meaning of "Faith has not yet entered your hearts"

Does His saying, {And faith has not yet entered your hearts} carry the same meaning as {Say, "You have not believed"}?

Yes, and this is explained in several ways:

1. When they said, "We have believed," and were told, {You have not believed, but say, "We have submitted"}, they might argue: "If we have submitted, then we have believed." The reply is: No, because faith is solely an action of the heart. Submission (Islam) can be an action of the tongue. If faith is an action of the heart and {has not yet entered your hearts}, then you have not truly believed.

2. When they said, "We have believed," and were told, "You have not believed," they might argue stubbornly, asserting their sincere intention. Allah then said: {And faith has not yet entered your hearts} because Lammā (not yet) is used in opposition to Qad (already done).

It is also possible that the verse alludes to the state of the Mu'allafati Qulūbuhum (those whose hearts are to be reconciled). When they submit, their faith is weak afterward. He told them, {You have not believed}, because true faith is certainty (Īqān), and that certainty {has not yet entered your hearts}; it will enter as they become acquainted with the beauties of Islam. {And if you obey Allah and His Messenger}, your reward will be completed.

What supports this interpretation is that Lammā implies expectation and waiting. Faith is either achieved through the believer's action, acquisition, and contemplation of proofs, or it is an inspiration that falls into the heart. Therefore, {Say, "You have not believed"} means you have not performed the necessary actions. And {And faith has not yet entered your hearts} means faith has not entered your hearts by inspiration without your own effort; thus, you have no faith at this moment.

Furthermore, when referring to their action (submission), Allah used Lam (which lacks the sense of expectation), due to their limited insight and weak contemplation. But when referring to the entry of faith, He used Lammā (which implies expectation), indicating the potential strength of faith, as if it is about to encompass all hearts.

Then the Almighty said: {And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you [of anything] of your deeds}. This means: If you perform the good deeds appropriate to your current level (of weakness), He will give you the reward appropriate to that.

This is like a person bringing good fruit to a king. If the market price is one Dirham, and the king gives him one Dirham or one Dinar, attributing stinginess to the king would be inappropriate. It does not mean He gives exactly the same amount; rather, it means He gives what you expect based on your deeds, without any reduction.

This serves as an encouragement toward sincere faith, because one who performs an action without sincere intention has their deed wasted and receives no reward. Thus, He says: If you obey and are truthful, nothing will be diminished from you; do not waste your deeds by lacking sincerity.

It also offers solace to those whose faith came late. It is as if Allah is saying: Others preceded me, believed when the Prophet (PBUH) was alone and weak, and supported him when he was vulnerable. We believed only when we were unable to resist him and were overcome by his strength. So, our faith should not be considered insignificant, nor should we expect no reward. Allah says: Your reward will not be diminished; you will receive what you expect. The only difference is that those who preceded you have greater rewards. What harm is it to you if Allah satisfies others from the treasury of His mercy—a vast mercy? Your situation is like a king who gives something to one person and asks another, "What do you wish for?" That person wishes for a vast city and wealth, and the king grants it fully. Then the king adds other things from his treasury to the first person. If the first person feels slighted, that would be stinginess and envy, which will not occur in the Hereafter. In this world, such feelings are characteristic of the base.

His saying, {Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful}, means He forgives what has passed and shows mercy for what you have done.

Then the Almighty said:

7 < { The believers are only those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and, when they are with him on [matters requiring] assembly, do not depart until they ask his permission. Indeed, those who ask your permission are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission for some matter concerning them, give permission to whom you will of them and ask forgiveness for them of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. } > 7

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