Tafseer of The Inner Apartments · Al-Hujuraat · 49:3
Indeed, those who lower their voices before the Messenger of Allah - they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for righteousness. For them is forgiveness and great reward.
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: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَى لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ (3) (Indeed, those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah — they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for godliness; for them is forgiveness and a great reward (3)).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: indeed, those who refrain from raising their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah. The root meaning of al-ghaḍḍ is: gently holding back. To this also belongs ghaḍḍ al-baṣar, namely the restraining of the gaze, withholding it from looking, as Jarīr said:
"Lower your gaze, for you belong to Numayr, and you have equaled neither Kaʿb nor Kilāb." (3)
And His saying ( أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَى ) (they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for godliness): the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: these who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, they are the ones whose hearts Allah has examined by testing them, so that He chose them and purified them for godliness (taqwā) — that is to say: for guarding themselves against Him by performing obedience to Him and avoiding disobedience to Him — just as gold is tested with fire, whereby its pure part is refined out and its impure part is done away with. (4)
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (the exegetes) spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
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 of them — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying ( امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ ) (Allah has tested their hearts), he said: He purified them.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying ( امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ ) (Allah has tested their hearts), he said: Allah purified their hearts for that which He loves.
And His saying ( لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ ) (for them is forgiveness), He says: for them there is from Allah remission of their past sins and pardon on His part for them. ( وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ) (and a great reward), He says: and an abundant reward, and that is the Garden (al-janna).
