وَإِن يَكُن لَّهُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ يَأْتُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ 49
Translations
But if the right is theirs, they come to him in prompt obedience.
Transliteration
Wa in yaku lahum al-haqqu ya'too ilayhi mudh'ineen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the hypocrisy of those who, when truth is presented to them, come submissively and obediently to accept it, yet they do so reluctantly and without genuine conviction. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this refers to the hypocrites (munafiqun) of Madinah who would outwardly comply with the Prophet's judgments when cornered by evidence, but their hearts remained unconvinced. The ayah highlights the contradiction between external submission and internal resistance to divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah An-Nur's discussion of the hypocrites' behavior and their conflicted nature. It follows verses describing how hypocrites dispute with Allah and His Messenger, establishing the thematic backdrop of their inconsistency in accepting truth depending on whether it serves their interests.
Related Hadiths
The ayah relates to the general theme in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim regarding hypocrisy (nifaq), particularly hadiths describing the signs of the hypocrite, such as their inconsistency between word and deed. Specifically relevant is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari about the hypocrites' reluctant obedience despite outward compliance.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to examine the sincerity of our own submission to Allah and His guidance—true obedience must come from a willing heart, not merely external compliance. We should strive to align our inner convictions with our outward actions, avoiding the spiritual disease of hypocrisy that the Quran repeatedly warns against.
Related Ayahs
بَشِّرِ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment -
إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ قَالُوا۟ نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُۥ وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muḥammad], they say, "We testify that you are the Messenger of Allāh." And Allāh knows that you are His Messenger, and Allāh testifies that the hypocrites are liars.
يَحْسَبُونَ ٱلْأَحْزَابَ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا۟ ۖ وَإِن يَأْتِ ٱلْأَحْزَابُ يَوَدُّوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّهُم بَادُونَ فِى ٱلْأَعْرَابِ يَسْـَٔلُونَ عَنْ أَنۢبَآئِكُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كَانُوا۟ فِيكُم مَّا قَـٰتَلُوٓا۟ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
They think the companies have not [yet] withdrawn. And if the companies should come [again], they would wish they were in the desert among the bedouins, inquiring [from afar] about your news. And if they should be among you, they would not fight except for a little.
لَوْ خَرَجُوا۟ فِيكُم مَّا زَادُوكُمْ إِلَّا خَبَالًا وَلَأَوْضَعُوا۟ خِلَـٰلَكُمْ يَبْغُونَكُمُ ٱلْفِتْنَةَ وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّـٰعُونَ لَهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Had they gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except in confusion, and they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] you fitnah [i.e., chaos and dissension]. And among you are avid listeners to them. And Allāh is Knowing of the wrongdoers.