Tafseer of The Criterion · Al-Furqaan · 25:63
And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,
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 Exalted and Praised says: وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَانِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (And the servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk gently upon the earth) — with gentleness (ḥilm), tranquility (sakīnah) and dignity (waqār), not haughty, not arrogant, not striving for corruption and disobedience to Allah.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation spoke, but they differed concerning it. Some of them said: by His words يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (who walk gently upon the earth) He means that they walk upon it with tranquility and dignity.
The narration of those who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (those who walk gently upon the earth): he said: "with dignity and tranquility."
He said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī al-Waddāḥ related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Karīm, on the authority of Mujāhid: يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "with gentleness and dignity."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his words: يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "with dignity and tranquility."
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.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of al-Thawrī, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): "with dignity and tranquility."
Yaḥyā ibn Ṭalḥa al-Yarbūʿī related to me, saying: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Sālim, on the authority of Saʿīd and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān — الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (those who walk gently upon the earth): they said: "with tranquility and dignity."
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Sharīk, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿAmmār, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning his words: يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "with dignity and tranquility."
He said: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid — to the same effect.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of Ayyūb, on the authority of ʿAmr al-Mallāʾī — يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "with dignity and tranquility."
And others said: rather its meaning is that they walk upon it in obedience and humility.
The narration of those who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiyah related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his words: الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (those who walk gently upon the earth): "in obedience, integrity and humility."
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, his words: وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَانِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (And the servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk gently upon the earth): he said: "they walk upon the earth in obedience."
Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to me, saying: my uncle ʿAbd Allāh ibn Wahb related to me; he said: Ibrāhīm ibn Suwayd wrote to me, saying: I heard Zayd ibn Aslam say: "I sought the interpretation of this verse الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (those who walk gently upon the earth) but I found it with no one; then it was said to me in a dream: they are those who do not wish to cause corruption on the earth."
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Usāma ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, on the authority of his father: "they do not cause corruption on the earth."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning his words وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَانِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (And the servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk gently upon the earth): he said: "they are not haughty toward the people, nor arrogant, nor do they work corruption." And he recited the words of Allah تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (that is the abode of the Hereafter which We grant to those who do not wish for exaltation upon the earth nor corruption, and the good outcome is for the God-fearing).
And others said: rather its meaning is that they walk upon it with gentleness, without becoming angry at whoever wrongs them.
The narration of those who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Ashhab, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his words يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "gentle; if they are wronged, they do not become angry."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, on the authority of Yazīd, on the authority of ʿIkrima — يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "gentle."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his words: يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا (walk gently upon the earth): he said: "learned, gentle, who do not become angry."
And his words: وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (and when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace") — He means: and when those ignorant of Allah address them with words they detest, they answer with fitting words and a righteous reply.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation spoke.
The narration of those who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Abū al-Ashhab related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ... the verse, he said: "gentle; if they are wronged, they do not become angry."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Mukhtār, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his words وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (and when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace"): he said: "the believers are gentle people — by Allah, their ears, eyes and limbs have come to softness, so that the ignorant one would suppose them sick, while they are entirely sound of heart. But what has entered them of fear surpasses what has entered others, and knowledge of the Hereafter has prevented them from seeking the worldly. They said: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ (praise be to Allah Who has removed grief from us). By Allah, their grief was not grief for the worldly, and they did not magnify the Garden within themselves as something they sought with difficulty — fear of the Fire made them weep. Whoever does not console himself with the consolation of Allah, his heart is torn by longing for the worldly; and whoever sees no favor from Allah except in eating and drinking, his knowledge is slight and his punishment is near."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (and when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace"): he said: "a righteous reply."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī al-Waddāḥ related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Karīm, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (and when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace"): he said: "a righteous reply."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of al-Thawrī, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — to the same effect.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (and when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace"): "gentle."
He said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Ashhab, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: he said: "gentle, they do not become angry; if they are wronged, they bear it patiently and do not act foolishly. This is their day — so how is their night? The best of nights — they stood upon their feet and let their tears flow down their cheeks, imploring Allah the Exalted and Praised for the deliverance of their necks."
He said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: ʿAbada informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: he said: "gentle, they do not become angry; if they are wronged, they bear it patiently."
