Tafseer of Hud · Hud · 11:5
Unquestionably, they the disbelievers turn away their breasts to hide themselves from Him. Unquestionably, [even] when they cover themselves in their clothing, Allah knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The exposition of the explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ (5)
Abū Jaʿfar says: The Qurʾān reciters differed over the reading of His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ . Most of the reciters of the great cities read: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — on the pattern of "yafʿalūna" from "thanayta," with "al-ṣudūr" in the accusative.
Those who read it thus then differed over its interpretation. Some said: this was the behavior of certain hypocrites; one of them, when he passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, would cover his face and bend his back.
Mention of who said that:
17938 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād, concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ : "one of them, when he passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, would do thus with his garment over his face and bend his back."
17939 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād ibn al-Hād, concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ : "from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ," he said: "the hypocrites, when they passed by him, one of them would bend his chest and lower his head. So Allah said: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ the verse."
17940 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, who said: I heard ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād say concerning the word يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ : "one of them, when he passed by the Prophet ﷺ, would bend his chest and wrap himself in his garment, so that the Prophet ﷺ would not see him."
Others said: rather, they did that out of ignorance of Allah, and supposing that what their inner selves concealed would escape Allah if they did so.
Mention of who said that:
17941 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — he said: "out of doubt and uncertainty about the truth — لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ — from Allah, if they could do so."
17942 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibil related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — "out of doubt and uncertainty about the truth"; لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ — he said: "from Allah, if they could do so."
17943 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Numayr related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — he said: "a constriction of doubt."
17944 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbdallāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — he said: "a constriction of doubt and uncertainty about the truth"; he said: لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ — he said: "from Allah, if they could do so."
17945 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — to the same effect.
17946 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Hawdha related to us, saying: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan, concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ : "because of their ignorance of Him; Allah said: أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — in the darkness of the night, in the depths of their houses — يَعْلَمُ at that hour مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ ."
17947 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — he said: "one of them would bend his back and wrap himself in his garment."
Others said: they did that so that they would not hear the Book of Allah.
Mention of who said that:
17948 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ the verse: "they bent their chests so that they would not hear the Book of Allah"; Allah the Exalted says: أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ — "and that is the most concealed state of the son of Adam, when he bends his chest and wraps himself in his garment and keeps his intention hidden within himself; even that Allah does not conceal."
17949 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — he said: "the most concealed state of a man is when he conceals something within himself and wraps himself in his garment; that is his most concealed state — and Allah penetrates what is in their souls; Allah knows what they conceal and what they make public."
Others said: this is a report from Allah to His Prophet ﷺ about the hypocrites, who harbored inwardly enmity and hatred toward him but outwardly displayed to him love and affection and pretended to be with him and upon his religion. The Exalted says: know, they fold up their chests upon disbelief in order to hide themselves from Allah — then the Exalted announces that their secrets and their public affairs do not escape Him.
Others said: they did that when they spoke to one another in secret.
Mention of who said that:
17950 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ : "this is when they speak to one another in whispers." And he recited: أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ the verse.
It has been transmitted on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that he read it as: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ — on the pattern of "taḥlawlī al-thamara" (tafaʿwʿila).
17951 — [...] he said: Abū Usāma related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Ibn Abī Mulayka, who said: I heard Ibn ʿAbbās read أَلا إِنَّهُمْ تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ ; he said: "they would not go to the women and relieve their need unless they were entirely wrapped up in their garments, out of dislike that they should expose their private parts toward the sky."
17952 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbbād ibn Jaʿfar say: I heard Ibn ʿAbbās read it as أَلا إِنَّهُمْ تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ ; he said: I asked him about it, and he said: "there were people who were ashamed to relieve themselves and thereby expose their private parts toward the sky, or to have intercourse and thereby expose their private parts toward the sky."
And another interpretation has also been transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās:
17953 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, who said: it was reported to me on the authority of ʿIkrima: that Ibn ʿAbbās read أَلا إِنَّهُمْ تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ ; Ibn ʿAbbās said: "tathnawinī ṣudūruhum" is doubt about Allah and the committing of evil deeds; يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — he becomes arrogant or hides himself from Allah, while Allah sees him and knows what they conceal and what they make public.
17954 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of a man, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he read أَلا إِنَّهُمْ تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ ; ʿIkrima said: "tathnawinī ṣudūruhum" — doubt about Allah and the committing of evil deeds; then he wraps himself in his garment and hides himself from Allah, while Allah sees him and knows what they conceal and what they make public.
Abū Jaʿfar says: The correct reading is what we mentioned first, namely the reading that the majority of the reciters maintain: أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ — on the pattern of "yafʿalūna," with "al-ṣudūr" in the accusative, with the meaning: they bend their chests and conceal what is in them — as in:
17955 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ : "that is to say: they conceal it."
17956 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ : "that is to say: they conceal what is in their hearts"; أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — "He knows what they do, by night and by day."
17957 — It was related to me on the authority of Al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say, he said: ʿUbayd related to us, saying: I heard Al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word أَلا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ : that is to say تَثْنَوْنِي صُدُورُهُمْ .
Abū Jaʿfar says: this interpretation that Al-Ḍaḥḥāk gave follows the reading method of Ibn ʿAbbās; but the transmission we received reports the reading thus.
Since the reading we mentioned first is preferable to the other reading — because of the consensus of the authoritative reciters upon it — then the best interpretation is also the interpretation of those who said: they did that out of ignorance of Allah, supposing that what their inner selves concealed would escape Him, or in their secret whisperings to one another.
We call this the best interpretation of the verse, because His word لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ has the meaning of "in order to hide themselves from Allah," and the pronoun in مِنْهُ refers to the name of Allah; for Muḥammad ﷺ has not been mentioned before it, such that one could say it refers to him — it stands in the context of a report about Allah. Thus the reference to Allah is the most evident. And if that is so, then it is known that they could not have deluded themselves that they were hiding from Allah except through ignorance of Him. The Exalted then announces to them that their secrets and their public affairs do not escape Him, in whatever state they may be — whether they wrap themselves in garments or are out in the open plain.
أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — that is to say: they wrap themselves in their garments, cover themselves with them, and wear them.
One says: "istaghshā thawbahu wa-taghashshāhu" — and Allah said: وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْ (Sūrat Nūḥ 71:7). Al-Khansāʾ said:
"I await the stars — though I am not charged with them — / and at times I wrap myself in my worn-out garments."
يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ — the Exalted says: He knows what these who are ignorant of their Lord conceal — those who suppose that Allah is unaware of what their inner selves contain when they bend and fold it, and of what they discuss in secret among themselves. وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ — the secrets and the public affairs of His servants are equally known to Him. إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ — Allah the Exalted says: Allah possesses knowledge of everything that the inner selves of His creatures conceal — whether it be faith or disbelief, truth or falsehood, good or evil, and what they now conceal and what they have not yet concealed.
17958 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: أَلا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ — "that is to say: they cover their heads."
Abū Jaʿfar says: So beware lest your Lord find you while you harbor in your inner self doubt about any aspect whatsoever of His oneness or His command or His prohibition, or about what faith requires one to believe and affirm — for then you perish by embracing that.