Al-Qur'an Surah As-Saf Verse 2

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Why do you say what you do not do?

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

A. J. Arberry

O you who believe, wherefore do you say what you do not?

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, why do you say things and then do not do them?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O ye who believe! wherefore say ye that which ye do not?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, why do you profess that which you do not practise?

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, why do you profess what you do not practise?

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Why do you preach what you do not practice?

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Why do you say what you do not do?

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Why do you say what you do not do (as well as what you will not do)?

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! why should you say what you do not do.

English Literal

You, you those believed, why/for what (do) you say what you do not make/do ?

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Why do you preach what you do not practice?

Hamid S. Aziz

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth glorifies Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not do?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, why do you preach what you do not practice?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, why do you say what you never do?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers! Why do you say one thing and do another.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Why do you say what you do not do?

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, why do you say, in demanding [to participate in] the struggle, what you do not do?, for you retreated at Uhud.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

O you who believe!

Why do you say that which you do not do?

This refutes those who neglect to fulfill their promises.

This honorable Ayah supports the view that several scholars of the Salaf held, that it is necessary to fulfill the promise, regardless of whether the promise includes some type of wealth for the person receiving the promise or otherwise.

They also argue from the Sunnah, with the Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs in which Allah's Messenger said,

ايَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَثٌ إِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ وَإِذَا اوْتُمِنَ خَان

There are three signs for a hypocrite;

- when he promises, he breaks his promise;

- when speaks, he lies; and

- when he is entrusted, he betrays.

And in another Hadith in the Sahih,

أَرْبَعٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خَصْلَةٌ مِنْ نِفَاقٍ حَتْى يَدَعَهَا

There are four characteristics which if one has all of them, he is the pure hypocrite, and if anyone has any of them, he has a characteristic of hypocrisy, until he abandons it.

So he mentioned breaking the promise among these four characteristics.

We mentioned the meaning of these two Hadiths in the beginning of the explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, and to Allah is the praise and the thanks.

Therefore Allah implied this meaning, when He continued His admonishment by saying,

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ