Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Hujurat Verse 2

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and be not loud when speaking to him, as you are loud when speaking to one another, lest your good deeds should become void while you are not aware.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another,[[ There is also a different interpretation: “… nor call him ˹by his name˺ as you call one another.” In other words, Do not say, ‘O Muḥammad.’ Rather, say, ‘O Prophet.’]] or your deeds will become void while you are unaware.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you speak loudly to one another, lest your deeds become worthless without you realizing it.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, raise not your voices above the Prophet's voice, and be not loud in your speech to him, as you are loud one to another, lest your works fail while you are not aware.

Abdul Haleem

believers, do not raise your voices above the Prophet’s, do not raise your voice when speaking to him as you do to one another, or your [good] deeds may be cancelled out without you knowing.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Ye who believe raise not your voices above the voice of the prophet, nor shout loud Unto him in discourse as ye shout loud Unto one another, lest your works may be rendered of non-effect, while ye perceive not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and when speaking to him do not speak aloud as you speak aloud to one another, lest all your deeds are reduced to nothing without your even realising it.

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loudly to him as you do with one another lest your deeds are nullified unconsciously.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not raise your voices higher than the voice of the Prophet, nor speak to him loudly the way you shout to one another, lest your deeds go to waste whilst you are unaware. (Faith will go waste due to the slightest disrespect towards the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him. To honour him is part of faith. To disrespect him is blasphemy.)

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak aloud to him like you shout to one another, lest your works should fail without your being aware.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly when addressing him, as you would speak loudly to one another, lest your good deeds go in vain without your perceiving it.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor address him in loud tones, the way you speak loudly to one another, lest your deeds should come to naught while you do not realise.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not raise your voices above the prophet`s voice , and do not publicize/declare (address openly) to him with the declaration/statement as/like publicizing/declaring/loudness some of you to some (to each other), that (E) your deeds waste/invalidate , and you do not know/sense/feel.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not raise your voices higher than the voice of the Prophet, nor speak to him loudly the way you shout to one another, lest your deeds go to waste whilst you are unaware. (Faith will go waste due to the slightest disrespect towards the Holy Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him. To honour him is part of faith. To disrespect him is blasphemy.)

Hamid S. Aziz

O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another, lest your deeds became null while you do not perceive.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (SAW), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O you who believe, be not forward in the presence of Allah and his Messenger, and keep your duty to Allah. Surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another, lest your deeds became null while you do not perceive.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Lift not up your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor shout when speaking to him as ye shout one to another, lest your works be rendered vain while ye perceive not.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, do not be too loud in speaking to him [as you may have been to one another], lest your deeds will be made devoid of all virtue without your realizing it.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another lest your works should be annulledwithout your knowledge.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be thwarted while you perceive not.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak as loudly when speaking to him as you do when speaking to one another, lest your actions come to nothing without your realizing it.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loudly to him, as you speak loudly to one another, lest your works be in vain without you realizing.

Tafsir jalalayn

The following was revealed regarding those who raised their voices in the presence of the Prophet (s); O you who believe, do not raise your voices -- when you [want to] speak -- above the voice of the Prophet, when he is speaking, and do not shout words at him, when you [wish to] confide in him, as you shout to one another, but [speak] lower than that, out of reverence for him, lest your works should be invalidated without your being aware, that is to say, for fear of this [happening] as a result of the raising of voices and the shouting mentioned.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ


O you who believe!

Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet,

This contains another kind of favorable behavior. Allah the Exalted is teaching the believers that they should not raise their voices above the voice of the Prophet.

It was stated that this Ayah was revealed about Abu Bakr and Umar.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abi Mulaykah said,

"The two righteous ones, Abu Bakr and Umar, almost earned destruction when they raised their voices before the Prophet who was receiving the delegation of Bani Tamim. One of them recommended Al-Aqra bin Habis the member of the Banu Mujashi` while the other recommended another man. Nafi` (a sub narrator) said;"I don't remember his name." Abu Bakr said to Umar,

`You only wanted to contradict me,' while Umar said, `I did not intend to contradict you.' Their voices then became loud, thereupon Allah the Exalted sent down this Ayah,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ

وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ

أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ

O you who believe!

Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be thwarted while you perceive not."

Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said,

"After that, Umar's voice was so low that the Messenger of Allah had to ask him to repeat what he said so that he could understand what he was saying to him."

Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr did not mention the same regarding his father, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.

Muslim did not collect this Hadith.

In another narration collected by Al-Bukhari,

he said that a delegation from the tribe of Banu Tamim came to the Prophet and that Abu Bakr recommended Al-Qa`qa bin Ma`bad to be appointed as their leader, while Umar recommended Al-Aqra bin Habis.

Muslim did not collect this narration.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas bin Malik said,

"The Prophet missed Thabit bin Qays and a man said, `O Allah's Messenger! I will find out about his news.'

That man went to Thabit and found him sitting at home with his head lowered and asked him, `What is the matter?'

Thabit said, `An evil matter!'

And he said that he used to raise his voice above the voice of the Prophet. He feared that his good deeds would be useless and he would be among the people of the Fire.

The man went back to the Prophet and conveyed Thabit's statement and returned to Thabit with a wonderfully good news. The Prophet said,

اذْهَبْ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْ لَهُ إِنَّكَ لَسْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ وَلَكِنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّة

Go back to him and tell him this news; you are not among the people of the Fire. Rather, you are among the dwellers of Paradise."

Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith with this wording.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas bin Malik said,

"When this Ayah was revealed,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ

وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ

أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ

Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be thwarted while you perceive not."

Thabit bin Qays bin Ash-Shammas, whose voice was loud, said,

`I was the one who raised his voice above the voice of Allah's Messenger. I am among the dwellers of the Fire. My good deeds have been done in vain.'

He remained in his house feeling distressed, and the Messenger of Allah noticed his absence. So some men went to Thabit and said to him,

`The Prophet noticed your absence. What is the matter with you?'

Thabit said, `I used to raise my voice above the voice of the Prophet and speak loudly in front of him. My deeds have been rendered useless and I am among the people of the Fire.'

They went to the Prophet and told him what Thabit said and the Prophet said,

لَاا بَلْ هُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّة

Nay, he is among the dwellers of Paradise."

Anas commented,

"We used to see Thabit walk among us knowing that he was (to be) among the dwellers of Paradise. During the battle of Yamamah, our forces suffered retreat. Suddenly, Thabit bin Qays bin Shammas came, having put on his Hanut and shrouds, and said, `The worst habit is the one you acquire from your enemy and do not set a bad example for your companions.' And he went on fighting until he was martyred, may Allah be pleased with him."

Allah then prohibited speaking to the Prophet in a loud voice, just as one speaks loudly to another in a way that offends him. Instead, they were required to speak to him in terms of respect, honor and calmness. This is why Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ

nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another,

just as He said in another Ayah,

لااَّ تَجْعَلُواْ دُعَأءَ الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَأءِ بَعْضِكُمْ بَعْضاً

Make not the calling of the Messenger among you as your calling one of another. (24;63)

Allah's statement,

أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ



lest your deeds should be thwarted while you perceive not.

means, `We ordered you to refrain from raising your voices to the Prophet, so that he will not get angry with you, because in doing so, you will also anger Allah.'

The good deeds of he who caused the Prophet's anger will become useless without him even knowing.

In the Sahih, there is a Hadith that states,

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللهِ تَعَالَى لَا يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً يُكْتَبُ لَهُ بِهَا الْجَنَّةُ

وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللهِ تَعَالَى لَاإ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاًإ يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي النَّارِ أَبْعَدَ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالاْإَرْض

Verily, a man might utter a word that pleases Allah the Exalted, even though he does not recognize the significance of his word, and on its account Paradise is written for him.

Verily, a man might utter a word carelessly that angers Allah the Exalted, and on its account, he is cast in the Fire farther than the distance between the heavens and earth.

Allah then ordains lowering one's voice before the Messenger and encourages, directs and recommends this better behavior