Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:67
In arrogance regarding it, conversing by night, speaking evil.
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.
Concerning His words: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ (arrogant on account of it): that is to say: arrogant on account of the Sanctuary of Allah, saying: "No one will overcome us therein, for we are the dwellers of the Sanctuary (ḥaram)."
In the spirit of what we have said in the explanation of this, the exegetes also spoke.
Mention of those who said this:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ (arrogant on account of it): he said: "Arrogant on account of the Sanctuary of the House, saying: no one will overcome us therein."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ (arrogant on account of it): he said: "On account of Mecca, the city."
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, in accordance with what is stated above.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Hawdha related to us, he said: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ (arrogant on account of it): he said: "Arrogant on account of My Sanctuary."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, concerning the words: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ — "On account of the Sanctuary."
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ — he said: "Arrogant on account of the Sanctuary."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — in accordance with what is stated above.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning the words: مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ — he said: "On account of the Sanctuary."
Concerning His words: سَامِرًا (conversing by night): that is to say: you used to hold nocturnal gatherings. The word سَامِرًا is in the singular but has the meaning of the plural al-summār, because it stands in the place of an indication of time. The meaning of the sentence is: "and you forsook [the right path] by night" — whereby "al-sāmir" (the nocturnal gathering) stands in the place of "the night," and for that reason it is in the singular. Some of the Basran scholars said that it is in the singular while the plural meaning is intended, just as "ṭifl" (child) sometimes stands for "children" (aṭfāl). What proves that it stands in the place of an indication of time, and for that reason is in the singular, is the verse of the poet:
"If you visit them by night — for them there is the singing of songstresses and an abundant gathering."
He said: "samaran" (by night), for the meaning is: if you visit them while it is night and they are sitting together for nocturnal conversation — so too His words: سَامِرًا (conversing by night).
In the spirit of what we have said the exegetes also spoke.
Mention of those who said this:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words: سَامِرًا — he said: "They held nocturnal conversations around the House."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: سَامِرًا — he said: "A nocturnal gathering."
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: سَامِرًا — he said: "Gatherings."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Yaḥyā related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: سَامِرًا — he said: "You held nocturnal conversations."
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the words: سَامِرًا — he said: "They held nocturnal conversations the whole night and amused themselves: they spoke poetry, soothsaying, and all manner of things they did not know."
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning the words: سَامِرًا — he said: "That is to say: the nocturnal conversation."
Some said concerning this verse that which Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: سَامِرًا — he said: "Conversing by night as the dwellers of the Sanctuary, secure and without fear — they said: we are the dwellers of the Sanctuary, we fear no one."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: سَامِرًا — he said: "Conversing by night as the dwellers of Mecca, secure and without fear — they said: we are the dwellers of the Sanctuary, we fear no one."
Concerning His words: تَهْجُرُونَ (you forsake it / you babble): the Qurʾān reciters (qurrāʾ) differed concerning the reading of this. The overwhelming majority of the reciters of the great cities read: تَهْجُرُونَ with a fatḥa on the tāʾ and a ḍamma on the jīm. For this reading there are two interpretations: the first is that He describes them as those who turn their backs upon and reject the Qurʾān, the House, or the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The second is that they utter words just as a man mutters in his sleep when he is delirious — as if He describes them as people who say about the Qurʾān things that have no meaning, that is to say: they speak lies about the Qurʾān, words that do it no harm. Both interpretations have likewise been transmitted by the exegetes.
Mention of those who said that they turned their backs upon and forsook the remembrance of Allah and the truth:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words: تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "They forsook the remembrance of Allah and the truth."
Ibn al-Muthanná related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, concerning the words: سَامِرًا تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "The reviling."
Mention of those who said that they spoke false and evil words about the Qurʾān:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Yaḥyā related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "They talk nonsense about the false."
He said: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Ḥubayr: سَامِرًا تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "They held nocturnal conversations and immersed themselves in the false."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "With evil words about the Qurʾān."
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — in accordance with what is stated above.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the words: تَهْجُرُونَ — he said: "Babbling — one who speaks what he does not mean and does not understand, like a sick man who speaks without knowing what he says." He said: Ubayy read: سَامِرًا تَهْجُرُونَ .
Others read: سَامِرًا تُهْجِرُونَ with a ḍamma on the tāʾ and a kasra on the jīm. Among those who read it thus from the reciters of the great cities was Nāfiʿ ibn Abī Nuʿaym — with the meaning: they speak shamelessly and obscenely in their utterances, because it is said of a man "he has spoken ahjar" when he speaks shameless language. It has been transmitted that they slandered the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Mention of those who said this:
ʿAlī related to us, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: تُهْجِرُونَ — he said: "You speak babbling."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin related to us, on the authority of Abū Nahīk, on the authority of ʿIkrima — he read: سَامِرًا تَهْجُرُونَ — that is to say: "You revile."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Hawdha related to us, he said: ʿAwn related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning the words: سَامِرًا تُهْجِرُونَ — "My Messenger."
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: he said: al-Ḥasan said: تُهْجِرُونَ — "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: تُهْجِرُونَ — he said: "They speak evil."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, he said: al-Ḥasan said: تُهْجِرُونَ — "The Book of Allah and His Messenger."
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning the words: تُهْجِرُونَ — he said: "They speak what is reprehensible and obscene — such is babbling in speech."
The more correct of the two readings in our view is the reading upon which the reciters of the great cities have agreed — with fatḥa on the tāʾ and ḍamma on the jīm — on account of the collective testimony of the authoritative reciters.
