Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Hujurat Verse 13

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into races and tribes, so that you may identify one another. Surely the noblest of you, in Allah’s sight, is the one who is most pious of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.[[ The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported in a ḥadîth collected by Imâm Aḥmed to have said, O humanity! Your Lord is one, and your ancestry is one. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor is any non-Arab superior to any Arab. No white is superior to any black, nor is any black superior to any white except on account of their righteousness.]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one another. Indeed, the most noble of you before Allah is the most righteous among you. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

A. J. Arberry

O mankind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most godfearing of you. God is All-knowing, All-aware.

Abdul Haleem

People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Humankind verily We! We have created you Of a male and female, and We have made you nations and tribes that ye might know one another. Verily the noblest of you with Allah is the most God-fearing of you; verily Allah is Knowing, Aware,

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

Abul Ala Maududi

Human beings, We created you all from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Ahmed Ali

O men, We created you from a male and female, and formed you into nations and tribes that you may recognise each other. He who has more integrity has indeed greater honour with God. Surely God is all-knowing and well-informed.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O mankind! We have indeed created you from one man and one woman, and have made you into various nations and tribes so that you may know one another; indeed the more honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is one who is more pious among you; indeed Allah is All Knowing, All Aware. (Piety is the basis of honour in Allah’s sight.)

Ali Quli Qarai

O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may identify yourselves with one another. Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most Godwary among you. Indeed Allah is all-knowing, all-aware.

Ali Ünal

O humankind! Surely We have created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into tribes and families so that you may know one another (and so build mutuality and co-operative relationships, not so that you may take pride in your differences of race or social rank, and breed enmities). Surely the noblest, most honorable of you in God’s sight is the one best in piety, righteousness, and reverence for God. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O mankind! We have created you out of a male and a female, and We have made you tribes and sub-tribes that you may recognise (and do good to) one another. Surely the most honourable of you in the sight of Allâh is he who guards against evil the most. Verily, Allâh is All- knowing, All-Aware.

English Literal

You, you the people, that We created you from a male and a female, and We made/created you (into) nations/communities and groups/tribes to know each other, that truly (the) most honoured/kind of you at God (is) your most fearing and obeying, that truly God (is) knowledgeable, expert/experienced.

Faridul Haque

O mankind! We have indeed created you from one man and one woman, and have made you into various nations and tribes so that you may know one another; indeed the more honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is one who is more pious among you; indeed Allah is All Knowing, All Aware. (Piety is the basis of honour in Allah’s sight.)

Hamid S. Aziz

O mankind! Surely We have created you male and female (or from a single pair), and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most noble of you with Allah is the one among you most righteous (careful of his duty to Allah); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

Hilali & Khan

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqun (pious - see V. 2:2). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O you who believe, avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is sin; and spy not nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor it! And keep your duty to Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you men! surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.

Muhammad Sarwar

People, We have created you all male and female and have made you nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most pious of you. God is All-knowing and All-aware.

Qaribullah & Darwish

People, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you might know one another. The noblest of you before Allah is the most righteous of you. Allah is the Knower, the Aware.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Wahiduddin Khan

Mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes, so that you might come to know each other. The noblest of you in God's sight is the one who fears God most. God is all knowing and all-aware.

Talal Itani

O people! We created you from a male and a female, and made you races and tribes, that you may know one another. The best among you in the sight of God is the most righteous. God is All-Knowing, Well-Experienced.

Tafsir jalalayn

O mankind! We have indeed created you from a male and a female, [from] Adam and Eve, and made you nations (shu`b is the plural of sha`b, which is the broadest category of lineage) and tribes (qab'il, which are smaller than nations, and are followed by `am'ir, `tribal districts', then butn, `tribal sub-districts', then afkhdh, `sub-tribes', and finally fas'il, `clans'; for example Khuzayma is the sha`b, while Kinna is the qabla, Quraysh is the `imra, Qusayy is the batn, Hshim is the fakhdh, and `Abbs is the fasla) that you may come to know one another (ta`raf; one of the two t' letters [of tata`raf] has been omitted), that you may acquire knowledge of [the customs of] one another and not to boast to one another of [whose is the more] noble lineage, for pride lies only in [the extent to which you have] fear of God. Truly the noblest of you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing among you. Truly God is Knower, of you, Aware, of your inner thoughts.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

All of Mankind are the Children of `Adam and Hawwa'

Allah the Exalted declares to mankind that He has created them all from a single person, Adam, and from that person He created his mate, Hawwa. From their offspring He made nations, comprised of tribe, which include sub tribes of all sizes.

It was also said that `nations refers to non-Arabs, while `tribes refers to Arabs.

Various statements about this were collected in an individual introduction from the book, Al-Inbah, by Abu Amr Ibn Abdul-Barr, and from the book, Al-Qasad wal-Amam fi Ma`rifah Ansab Al-Arab wal-`Ajam. Therefore, all people are the descendants of Adam and Hawwa' and share this honor equally.

The only difference between them is in the religion that revolves around their obedience to Allah the Exalted and their following of His Messenger.

After He forbade backbiting and belittling other people, alerting mankind that they are all equal in their humanity.

Allah said,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَايِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا

O mankind!

We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.

so that they get to know each other by their nation or tribe.

Mujahid said that Allah's statement,
لِتَعَارَفُوا
(that you may know one another), refers to one's saying,

"So-and-so the son of so-and-so, from the tribe of so-and-so."

Sufyan Ath-Thawri said,

"The Himyar (who resided in Yemen) dealt with each other according to their provinces, while the Arabs in the Hijaz (Western Arabia) dealt with each other according to their tribes."
Honor is earned through Taqwa of Allah

Allah the Exalted said,

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ

Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa.

meaning, `you earn honor with Allah the Exalted on account of Taqwa, not family lineage.'

There are many Hadiths from the Prophet that support this meaning.

Al-Bukhari narrated that Abu Hurayrah said,

"Some people asked the Prophet, `Who is the most honorable among people?'

He replied,

أَكْرَمُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللهِ أَتْقَاهُم

The most honorable among them with Allah is the one who has the most Taqwa.

They said, `We did not ask you about this.'

He said,

فَأَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ يُوسُفُ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ابْنُ نَبِيِّ اللهِ ابْنِ نَبِيِّ اللهِ ابْنِ خَلِيلِ الله

Then the most honorable person is Yusuf, Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Khalil.

They said, `We did not ask you about this.'

He said,

فَعَنْ مَعَادِنِ الْعَرَبِ تَسْأَلُونِّي

Then you want to ask me about the Arab lineage?

They said, `Yes.'

He said,

فَخِيَارُكُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُكُمْ فِي الاِْسْلَمِ إِذَا فَقُهُوا


Those among you who were best in Jahiliyyah, are the best among you in Islam, if they attain religious understanding."

Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith in several places of his Sahih, An-Nasa'i did as well in the Tafsir section of his Sunan.

Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَلكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُم

Verily, Allah does not look at your shapes or wealth, but he looks at your hearts and actions.

Ibn Majah also collected this Hadith.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abdullah bin Umar said,

"On the day Makkah was conquered, the Messenger of Allah performed Tawaf around the Ka`bah while riding his camel, Al-Qaswa', and was touching the corners with a stick he had in his hand. He did not find a place in the Masjid where his camel could sit and had to dismount on men's hands. He led his camel to the bottom of the valley, where he had her sit down. The Messenger of Allah later gave a speech while riding Al-Qaswa' and said, after thanking Allah the Exalted and praising Him as He should be praised,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى قَدْ أَذْهَبَ عَنْكُمْ عُبِّيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَتَعَظُّمَهَا بِأبَايِهَا فَالنَّاسُ رَجُلَانِ رَجُلٌ بَرٌّ تَقِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ عَلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى وَرَجُلٌ فَاجِرٌ شَقِيٌّ هَيِّنٌ عَلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ

O people!

Allah the Exalted has removed from you the slogans of Jahiliyyah and its tradition of honoring forefathers.

Men are of two types, a man who is righteous, fearful of Allah and honorable to Allah, or a man who is vicious, miserable and little to Allah the Exalted.

Verily, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَايِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ


(O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.)

The Prophet said,

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

I say this and invoke Allah for forgiveness for me and for you."

This was recorded by `Abd bin Humayd.

Allah the Exalted said,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ



Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

means, `He is All-Knowing of you and All-Aware of all of your affairs.'

Allah guides whom He wills, misguides whom He wills, grants mercy to whom He wills, torments whom He wills, elevates whom He wills above whom He wills. He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware in all this.

Several scholars relied on this honorable Ayah and the honorable Hadiths we mentioned as evidence that compatibility in marriage is not a condition of marriage contracts. They said that the only condition required in this regard is the adherence to the religion, as in the statement of Allah, the Exalted,
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
(Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one with the most Taqwa).