Tafseer of The Inner Apartments · Al-Hujuraat · 49:16
Say, "Would you acquaint Allah with your religion while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah is Knowing of all things?"
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 words of the Exalted: قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (49:16) (Say: Do you want to teach Allah about your religion, while Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth? And Allah is All-Knowing of all things.)
The Exalted — exalted be His mention — says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: ( قُلْ ) "Say" — O Muḥammad — to these bedouins who said "we believe" while faith (īmān) had not yet entered their hearts: ( أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ ) "Do you want to teach Allah" — O people — about your religion, that is, about your obedience to your Lord? ( وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأرْضِ ) "While Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth" — He says: Allah, whom you wish to teach that you are believers, is the All-Knowing of everything that is in the seven heavens and the seven earths; nothing of that remains hidden from Him. How then could you teach Him about your religion and about the faith in which you are, while nothing remains hidden from Him, neither in a heaven nor on the earth — would then what you adhere to as religion remain hidden from Him? ( وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ) "And Allah is All-Knowing of all things" — He says: Allah is a possessor of knowledge of everything that has been and that will be and that comes to pass. This is only an advance warning from Allah to these bedouins, with the prohibition against lying and saying something other than that in which they truly are in their religion. He says: Allah encompasses all things and knows them, so beware of saying anything that contradicts what He knows of the inner thoughts in your breasts, lest His punishment befall you; for nothing remains hidden from Him.
