Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 23

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Among the believers, there are men who came true to the covenant they had with Allah. So, some of them have fulfilled their vows (by sacrificing their lives in the way of Allah), and some of them are (still) waiting, and they did not change (their commitment) in the least.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah.[[ See footnote for {7:46}.]] Some of them have fulfilled their pledge ˹with their lives˺, others are waiting ˹their turn˺. They have never changed ˹their commitment˺ in the least.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Among the believers there are men who have been true to their pledge with Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pledge, and others are still waiting, and they have not changed in the least.

A. J. Arberry

Among the believers are men who were true to their covenant with God; some of them have fulfilled their vow by death, and some are still awaiting, and they have not changed in the least;

Abdul Haleem

There are men among the believers who honoured their pledge to God: some of them have fulfilled it by death, and some are still waiting. They have not changed in the least.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Of the believers are men who have fulfilled that which they covenaned with Allah. Some of them have performed their vow, and some of them are waiting, so and they have not changed in the least.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait; but they have never changed (their determination) in the least;

Abul Ala Maududi

Among the believers there are those who have remained true to the covenant they made with Allah. Among those some of them have fulfilled their vow and others await the appointed time. They have not changed in the least.

Ahmed Ali

There are men among the faithful who have been true to the covenant they had made with God; and some of them fulfilled their vows (by dying in His cause), and some still wait (prepared for death), and stand firm,

Ahmed Raza Khan

Among the Muslims are the men who have proved true what they had covenanted with Allah; so among them is one who has already fulfilled his vow, and among them is one still waiting; and they have not changed a bit.

Ali Quli Qarai

Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to Allah: there are some among them who have fulfilled their pledge, and some of them who still wait, and they have not changed in the least,

Ali Ünal

Among the believers are men (of highest valor) who have been true to their covenant with God: among them are those who have fulfilled their vow (by remaining steadfast until death), and those who are awaiting (its fulfillment). They have never altered in any way.

Amatul Rahman Omar

There are some remarkable men among the believers who have been true to the covenant they made with Allâh. There are some among them who fulfilled their vow (and fell martyrs). And there are others among them who are (still) waiting to fulfill. They have never changed (their minds, their conduct or stand they had taken) in the least.

English Literal

From the believers (are) men, they were truthful (on) what they promised God on it, so from them who accomplished/carried out His vow or duty upon himself , and from them who awaits/watches , and they did not change exchange/change .

Faridul Haque

Among the Muslims are the men who have proved true what they had covenanted with Allah; so among them is one who has already fulfilled his vow, and among them is one still waiting; and they have not changed a bit.

Hamid S. Aziz

And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said, "This is what Allah and His Apostle promised us, and Allah and His Apostle spoke the truth"; and it only increased them in faith and surrender (or obedience).

Hilali & Khan

Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e. they have gone out for Jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allah] in the least.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when the believers saw the allies, they said: This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. And it only added to their faith and submission.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Of the believers are men who are true to the covenant which they made with Allah: so of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits, and they have not changed in the least

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;

Muhammad Sarwar

Among the believers there are people who are true in their promise to God. Some of them have already passed away and some of them are waiting. They never yield to any change.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Among the believers there are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Some have fulfilled their vow dying, and others await, unyielding tochange,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah; and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.

Wahiduddin Khan

Among the believers there are men who have been true to the pledge they made with God. Among them are such as have fulfilled their vow, and some who [still] wait, without having changed [their resolve] in the least.

Talal Itani

Of the believers are men who are true to what they pledged to God. Some of them have fulfilled their vows; and some are still waiting, and never wavering.

Tafsir jalalayn

Among the believers are men who are true to the covenant they made with God, in steadfastly remaining alongside the Prophet (s). Some of them have fulfilled their vow, having died or been killed [fighting] for God's cause, and some are still awaiting, for this [fate], and they have not changed, [their commitment to] the covenant, in the least, and they stand in contrast to the situation with the hypocrites;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Praise for the Believers' Attitude, and leaving the ultimate Fate of the Hypocrites to Allah

Allah says;

مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ

Among the believers are men,

When Allah mentions how the hypocrites broke their promise to Him that they would not turn their backs, He describes the believers as firmly adhering to their covenant and their promise;

صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ
who (they) have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;

Some of them said;

"Met their appointed time (i.e., death)."

Al-Bukhari said,

"Their covenant, and refers back to the beginning of the Ayah."

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلً



and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.

means, they have never changed or broken their covenant with Allah.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Zayd bin Thabit said;

"When we wrote down the Mushaf, an Ayah from Surah Al-Ahzab was missing, which I used to hear the Messenger of Allah reciting. I did not find it with anyone except Khuzaymah bin Thabit Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, whose testimony the Messenger of Allah counted as equal to that of two other men. The Ayah in question was;
مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ

صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ
(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah;)"

This was recorded by Al-Bukhari but not by Muslim,

It was also recorded by Ahmad in his Musnad, and by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i in the chapters on Tafsir in their Sunans.

At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.

Al-Bukhari also recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said;

"We think that this Ayah was revealed concerning Anas bin An-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him;
مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ

صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ
(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah)."

This was reported only by Al-Bukhari, but there are corroborating reports with other chains of narration.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said;

"My paternal uncle Anas bin Al-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him, after whom I was named, was not present with this Messenger of Allah at Badr, and this distressed him. He said;

`The first battle at which the Messenger of Allah was present, and I was absent; if Allah shows me another battle with the Messenger of Allah, Allah will see what I will do!'

He did not want to say more than that. He was present with the Messenger of Allah at Uhud, where he met Sa`d bin Mu`adh, may Allah be pleased with him.

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him, `O Abu `Amr! Where are you going?'

He replied, `I long for the fragrance of Paradise and I have found it near the mountain of Uhud.'

He fought them until he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him. Eighty-odd stab wounds and spear wounds were found on his body, and his sister, my paternal aunt Ar-Rabayyi` bint Al-Nadr said, `I only recognized my brother by his fingertips.'

Then this Ayah was revealed;

مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلً


Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah; and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.

They used to think that it had been revealed concerning him and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them."

This was also recorded by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i.

Ibn Jarir narrated that Musa bin Talhah said;

"Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up and said, `I heard the Messenger of Allah say;

طَلْحَةُ مِمَّنْ قَضَى نَحْبَه

Talhah is one of those who have fulfilled their Nahbah."'

Mujahid said concerning the Ayah;

فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ
(of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah),

"Their covenant,

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ
(and some of them are still waiting),

they are waiting for battle so that they can do well. "

Al-Hasan said;

فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ
(of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah),

"They died true to their covenant and loyal, and some are still waiting to die in a similar manner, and some of them have never changed in the least."

This was also the view of Qatadah and Ibn Zayd.

Some of them said that the word Nahbah means a vow.

وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلً
(but they have never changed in the least).

means, they never changed their covenant or were disloyal or committed treachery, but they persisted in what they had promised and did not break their vow, unlike the hypocrites who said;

إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلاَّ فِرَارا

"Truly, our homes lie open." And they lay not open. They but wished to flee. (33;13)

وَلَقَدْ كَانُواْ عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ مِن قَبْلُ لَا يُوَلُّونَ الاٌّدْبَـرَ

And indeed they had already made a covenant with Allah not to turn their backs, (33;15