يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا۟ عَلَىَّ إِسْلَـٰمَكُم ۖ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَىٰكُمْ لِلْإِيمَـٰنِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 17
Translations
They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islām. Say, "Do not consider your Islām a favor to me. Rather, Allāh has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful."
Transliteration
Yamannūna ʿalayka an aslamū. Qul lā tamunnū ʿalayya islāmakum. Bal Allāhu yamunnu ʿalaykum an hadāākum lil-īmān in kuntum ṣādiqīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes those who boast to the Prophet (ﷺ) about their conversion to Islam, as if they had done him a favor. The Prophet is commanded to tell them that their Islam is not a favor to him, but rather Allah alone deserves gratitude for guiding them to faith. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse corrects the arrogance of certain Bedouins who entered Islam and then arrogantly reminded the Prophet of their acceptance, failing to recognize that guidance to faith is purely a divine grace from Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Hujurat, a Medinan surah dealing with etiquette and proper conduct among believers. It was revealed in response to the behavior of certain Bedouins (Aʿrāb) who had recently accepted Islam and arrogantly claimed credit for their conversion, demonstrating spiritual immaturity by not recognizing Allah's grace as the source of their guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself' (Sahih Bukhari). Related theme: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi) - emphasizing that true faith means humility and recognizing Allah's blessings, not boasting about one's deeds.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should never boast about their faith or deeds as if they have done Allah a favor, recognizing instead that guidance to Islam is a pure blessing from Allah alone. True faith requires humility, gratitude, and the understanding that all goodness comes from divine mercy, not human effort.