Al-Qur'an Surah Muhammad Verse 16

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Among them there are ones who (pretend to) give ear to you, until when they go out from your presence, they say to those who have been given knowledge, “What did he say just now?” Those are the ones on whose hearts Allah has put a seal, and they have followed their desires.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

There are some of them who listen to you ˹O Prophet˺, but when they depart from you, they say ˹mockingly˺ to those ˹believers˺ gifted with knowledge, “What did he just say?” These are the ones whose hearts Allah has sealed and who ˹only˺ follow their desires.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Among these [hypocrites] are some who listen to you [O Prophet], but when they leave your presence, they say to those who were given knowledge, “What did he just say?” It is they whose hearts Allah has sealed up and who follow their desires.

A. J. Arberry

And some of them there are give ear to thee, till, when they go forth from thee, they say to those who have been given knowledge, 'What said he just now?' Those are they upon whose hearts God has set a seal, and they have followed their caprices.

Abdul Haleem

Some of these people listen to you [Prophet], but, once they leave your presence, they sneer at those who have been given knowledge, saying, ‘What was that he just said?’ These are the ones whose hearts God has sealed, those who follow their own desires.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Of them are some who listen to thee, until, when they go forth from before thee, they say Unto those who have been vouchsafed knowledge, what is that he hath said just now? Those are they whose hearts Allah hath sealed up and they follow their lusts.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And among them are men who listen to thee, but in the end, when they go out from thee, they say to those who have received Knowledge, "What is it he said just then?" Such are men whose hearts Allah has sealed, and who follow their own lusts.

Abul Ala Maududi

Among them some give ear to you. But no sooner do they leave your presence than they ask those endowed with knowledge: “What is it that he said just now?” Such are those whose hearts Allah has sealed and who pursue their lusts.

Ahmed Ali

There are some who listen to you; but as soon as they go from you they say to those who were given knowledge: "What is this he is saying now?" They are those whose hearts have been sealed by God, and they follow their own lusts.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And among them are some who listen to what you say; until when they go away from you, they say to those who have been given knowledge, “What did he say now?”; they are those whose hearts Allah has sealed, and they follow their own desires.

Ali Quli Qarai

There are some among them who prick up their ears at you. But when they go out from your presence, they say to those who have been given knowledge, ‘What did he say just now?’ They are the ones on whose hearts Allah has set a seal, and they follow their own desires.

Ali Ünal

Among them (the people of Madinah) are some who give ear to you, but when they go out from your presence, they ask (with arrogance and derision) those who have been given (some) knowledge (of the truths of the Religion): "What has he said just now?" Those are they whose hearts God has sealed, and who follow their lusts and fancies.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And there are some (hypocrites) among them who (pretend to) listen to you. Yet when they go out from your presence they say to those who have been given knowledge, `What was it he said just now?´ These are the people whose hearts Allâh has sealed and who follow their low desires.

English Literal

And from them who hears/listens to you until when they got out/emerged (left) from at you, they said to those who were given/brought the knowledge: "What (did) he say previously/from a short while ?"Those are, those who God stamped/sealed on their hearts/minds , and they followed their self attractions for desires.

Faridul Haque

And among them are some who listen to what you say; until when they go away from you, they say to those who have been given knowledge, “What did he say now?”; they are those whose hearts Allah has sealed, and they follow their own desires.

Hamid S. Aziz

And there are those of them who seek to listen to you, until when they go forth from you, they say to those who have been given the knowledge, "What was it that he said just now?" These are they upon whose heart Allah has set a seal and they follow their own lusts (or low desires).

Hilali & Khan

And among them are some who listen to you (O Muhammad SAW) till, when they go out from you, they say to those who have received knowledge: "What has he said just now? Such are men whose hearts Allah has sealed, and they follow their lusts (evil desires).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

A parable of the Garden which the dutiful are promised: Therein are rivers of water not altering for the worse, and rivers of milk whereof the taste changes not, and rivers of wine delicious to the drinkers, and rivers of honey clarified; and for them therein are all fruits and protection from their Lord. (Are these) like those who abide in the Fire and who are made to drink boiling water, so it rends their bowels asunder?

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And there are those of them who seek to listen to you, until when they go forth from you, they say to those who have been given the knowledge: What was it that he said just now? These are they upon whose hearts Allah has set a seal and they follow their low desires.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Among them are some who give ear unto thee (Muhammad) till, when they go forth from thy presence they say unto those who have been given knowledge: What was that he said just now? Those are they whose hearts Allah hath sealed, and they follow their own lusts.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), some of them listen to you, but when they leave you they ask those who have received knowledge, "What did he say a few moments ago?" God has sealed the hearts of such people who have followed their worldly desires.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Some of them listen to you, but no sooner do they leave you they ask those to whom knowledge has been given: 'What did he say just now' Such are those whom Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and who follow their own desires.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And among them are some who listen to you till when they go out from you, they say to those who have received knowledge: "What is it that he has said just now "Such are men whose hearts Allah has sealed because they followed their lusts.

Wahiduddin Khan

Among them are those who listen to you, but then, when they leave your presence, say to those who have been given knowledge [Scripture], "What was that he just said?" Such are those whose hearts God has sealed, and who follow their own base desires.

Talal Itani

Among them are those who listen to you, but when they leave your presence, they say to those given knowledge, “What did he say just now?” Those are they whose hearts God has sealed, and they follow their own desires.

Tafsir jalalayn

And there are some among them, namely, the disbelievers, who listen to you, during the Friday sermon -- and these are the hypocrites; until, when they go forth from you, they say to those who have been given knowledge, that is to say, to the knowledgeable ones among the Companions [of the Prophet], such as [`Abd Allh] Ibn Mas`d and [`Abd Allh] Ibn `Abbs, in derision and mockery; `What was he saying just now?' (read nifan or anifan, meaning al-s`a, `just now'). In other words, [they mean to say] `we will not go back to [listen to] him again'. Those are the ones on whose hearts God has set a seal, of disbelief, and who follow their own desires, in [acting with] hypocrisy.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Description of the Situation of the Hypocrites and the Command to maintain Tawhid and seek Forgiveness

Allah says,

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ

حَتَّى إِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنْ عِندِكَ

And among them are some who listen to you till when they go out from you,

Allah describes the hypocrites' stupidity and limited understanding. They used to sit before Allah's Messenger and listen to his words without understanding anything. Then when they left from his presence,

قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ

they say to those who have received knowledge, (from the Companions).

مَاذَا قَالَ انِفًا

"What is it that he has said just now?"

meaning, at this moment. They did not understand what he said, nor did they care about it.

Allah says,

أُوْلَيِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءهُمْ



Such are the men whose hearts Allah has sealed because they followed their lusts.

which means that they had neither sound understanding nor correct intentions.

Allah then says