وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُۥ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِى قَلْبِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ ٱلْخِصَامِ 204
Translations
And of the people is he whose speech pleases you in worldly life, and he calls Allāh to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the fiercest of opponents.
Transliteration
Wa min al-nasi man yu'jibuka qawluhu fi al-hayati al-dunya wa yushhidu Allaha ala ma fi qalbihi wa huwa al-addu al-khisam
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a type of person whose eloquent speech impresses listeners in worldly affairs, and who invokes Allah as witness to what is in their heart, yet they are the most fierce and obstinate in argumentation and dispute. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir interpret this as a warning against those whose outward speech contradicts their inner reality—they may swear by Allah about their sincerity while being hypocritical and argumentative at heart. The ayah emphasizes the danger of judging people by appearances alone, as such individuals use beautiful words to deceive while harboring malice and quarrelsomeness.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan section of Surah Al-Baqarah, which deals extensively with themes of hypocrisy and the characteristics of hypocrites (munafiqun). The context follows discussion of those who claim faith but whose hearts are diseased. While no specific historical incident of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) is definitively recorded, the ayah fits the broader Medinan discourse about identifying hidden hypocrites who posed challenges to the early Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said, 'The worst people are those whose tongues are sweet but whose hearts are evil' (a general principle supported by various hadith collections). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim about 'the greatest liar is he who is most eloquent in his falsehood' relates to this theme of deceptive eloquence.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to look beyond attractive words and eloquent speech to examine the character and sincerity of those around us, and to cultivate honesty between our inner beliefs and outer words. For ourselves, it is a reminder to ensure our hearts are aligned with our speech, and to avoid using eloquence as a tool for deception or to win arguments at the expense of truth.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالُوا۟ لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَةً ۚ قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ عَهْدَهُۥٓ ۖ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us, except for [a few] numbered days." Say, "Have you taken a covenant with Allāh? For Allāh will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allāh that which you do not know?"
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ ۖ قُلْ مَآ أَنفَقْتُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۗ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ
They ask you, [O Muḥammad], what they should spend. Say, "Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler. And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allāh is Knowing of it."
وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
And establish prayer and give zakāh, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allāh. Indeed Allāh, of what you do, is Seeing.
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ أَن يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا ٱسْمُهُۥ وَسَعَىٰ فِى خَرَابِهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَن يَدْخُلُوهَآ إِلَّا خَآئِفِينَ ۚ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ وَلَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allāh from being mentioned [i.e., praised] in His mosques and strive toward their destruction. It is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment.