Tafseer of Muhammad · Muhammad · 47:30
And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their mark; but you will surely know them by the tone of [their] speech. And Allah knows your deeds.
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 explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لأَرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (47:30) (And if We willed, We would show them to you, so that you would recognize them by their marks; and you will surely recognize them by the tone of their speech. And Allah knows your deeds.)
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لأرَيْنَاكَهُمْ (And if We willed, We would show them to you) — the Exalted says: And if We willed, O Muḥammad, We would make these hypocrites (munāfiqīn) known to you, so that you would recognize them — derived from the saying of a speaker: "I will show you (sa-urīka) what I do," in the sense of "I will make it known to you."
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.
And His saying: فلعرفتهم بسيماهم (so that you would recognize them by their marks) — He says: So that you would recognize them by the signs of hypocrisy (nifāq) that manifest in them in the import of their words and the outward appearance of their deeds. Then Allah, the Exalted whose renown be mentioned, made them known to him.
* Mention of who said that:
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 saying أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَنْ لَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ (Or do those in whose hearts is a disease think that Allah will not bring their rancors to light?)... to the end of the verse, he said: They are the people of hypocrisy, and He made them known to him in [Sūrat] Barāʾa, for He said: وَلا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا وَلا تَقُمْ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ (And never perform the prayer over any of them who dies, and do not stand at his grave), and He said: فَقُلْ لَنْ تَخْرُجُوا مَعِيَ أَبَدًا وَلَنْ تُقَاتِلُوا مَعِيَ عَدُوًّا (Then say: you will never go out with me, and you will never fight an enemy at my side).
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His saying أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ (Or do those in whose hearts is a disease think)... the verse: They are the people of hypocrisy. فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ (so that you would recognize them by their marks; and you will surely recognize them by the tone of their speech) — and Allah made them known to him in His sūra Barāʾa, for He said: وَلا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا (And never perform the prayer over any of them who dies), and He said: "Say to them: you will never go out to battle with me, and you will never fight an enemy at my side."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَنْ لَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ (Or do those in whose hearts is a disease think that Allah will not bring their rancors to light?): He said: These are the hypocrites. He said: And the hypocrisy that they concealed, that is the disbelief (kufr).
He said: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لأرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ (And if We willed, We would show them to you, so that you would recognize them by their marks): He said: These are the hypocrites. He said: And Allah had already shown them to him, and had commanded that they be driven out of the mosque. He said: But they refused anything other than holding fast to "there is no god but Allah"; and when they refused anything other than holding fast to "there is no god but Allah," their blood was protected, and they married and were given in marriage on that basis.
And His saying وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ (and you will surely recognize them by the tone of their speech) — He says: And you will surely recognize these hypocrites by the import of their words and the like.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ (by the tone of their speech): He said: their words. وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (And Allah knows your deeds) — from Him remains hidden none of you who acts in obedience to Him and who deviates from that, and He will requite you all for it.
Footnotes:
(1) The recitation is "lan takhrujū" ("you will not go out").
