وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّتِى نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنۢ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَـٰثًا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِىَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ ۚ وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ 92
Translations
And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allāh only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.
Transliteration
Wa lā takūnū kallatī naqaḍat ghazlahā min ba'da quwwatin ankāthān tattakhidhūna aymānakum dakhalan baynakum an takūna ummah hiya arba min ummah. Innamā yablūkum Allāh bih. Wa layubayyinanna lakum yawm al-qiyāmah mā kuntum fīhi takhtalifūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah forbids believers from breaking their oaths and covenants with one another, likening such treachery to a woman who unravels her carefully spun yarn—an idiom expressing futility and wastefulness. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that the comparison emphasizes the senselessness of breaking promises after establishing trust, and warns against using oaths deceitfully to gain worldly advantage over other communities. The ayah concludes with a reminder that Allah tests humanity through such trials and will clarify all disputes on the Day of Judgment.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Nahl is Meccan, revealed during the early period of Islam. This ayah appears in a section addressing various ethical and social responsibilities. The specific context addresses covenant-breaking among Muslims themselves, emphasizing the importance of trustworthiness and integrity in communal relations as Islam was building its foundational social structure.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays [the trust]' (Sahih Bukhari 33). Additionally, 'Whoever swears by Allah should speak the truth, and whoever is sworn an oath by Allah should accept it' (Sunan Abu Dawud 3249).
Themes
Key Lesson
Breaking oaths and covenants for personal gain is spiritually destructive and ultimately meaningless, much like unraveling completed work. Believers should honor their commitments to one another, knowing that Allah witnesses all actions and will judge truthfulness and treachery on the Day of Resurrection.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ سُلْطَـٰنٌ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
Indeed, there is for him no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord.
ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا فُتِنُوا۟ ثُمَّ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ وَصَبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Then, indeed your Lord, to those who emigrated after they had been compelled [to say words of disbelief] and thereafter fought [for the cause of Allāh] and were patient - indeed, your Lord, after that, is Forgiving and Merciful
وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَىْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ
And Allāh created you; then He will take you in death. And among you is he who is reversed to the most decrepit [old] age so that he will not know, after [having had] knowledge, a thing. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Competent.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْغَـٰفِلُونَ
Those are the ones over whose hearts and hearing and vision Allāh has sealed, and it is those who are the heedless.