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
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ فَإِذَآ أُوذِىَ فِى ٱللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ ٱلنَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَئِن جَآءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ ۚ أَوَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِى صُدُورِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh," but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allāh, he considers the trial [i.e., harm] of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allāh. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, "Indeed, We were with you." Is not Allāh most knowing of what is within the breasts of the worlds [i.e., all creatures]?
طَاعَةٌ وَقَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ ۚ فَإِذَا عَزَمَ ٱلْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ
Obedience and good words. And when the matter [of fighting] was determined, if they had been true to Allāh, it would have been better for them.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَإِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ رَأَيْتَ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنكَ صُدُودًا
And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allāh has revealed and to the Messenger," you see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."