Al-Hujuraat (The Inner Apartments)

11. O you who believe! Let not a group deride another. It may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let women deride other women. It may be that the latter are better than the former. Neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames [since] doing wrong after having faith is an evil practice [unbefitting you]. And whosoever does not repent [of committing such deeds], then they are indeed wrong-doers.

The preceding Verse treated of the question of brotherhood amongst believers and the blessed Verse in question deals with the causes leading to its obliteration. Likewise, the preceding Verses discussed peace and reconciliation, but the blessed Verse in question makes a reference to a number of factors and roots of contention and conflict including deriding, belittling, and slandering.

Merits springing from acting upon Islamic injunctions include providing a healthy environment and impeding social conflicts. It may be said that deriding and belittling as mentioned in the blessed Verse in question serve as instances of such vices, but it should be borne in mind that uttering any word or committing any act that distorts Muslim brotherhood is forbidden.

Thus, addressed to believers, the blessed Verse in question is saying that you who believe should abstain from deriding your believing brethren. You are unaware of their hearts and acts. Those who have subject to your derision may be better than you. Believing women are strictly forbidden from deriding other women and casting sarcastic remarks upon them, since they are unaware of their excellence over them.

The blessed Verse provides believers with guidance and admonition to the effect that whenever they intend to deride someone, expose his faults, insult or reproach him or entertain evil thought about him, they are supposed to consider their own deeds, since

“man is aware of his self”

and if he contemplates about his own disposition and deeds he will perceive that even if he happens to be devoid of vices, such derision of believers is one of the most reprehensible demerits and thereby he may take measures toward improving his self and restrains himself from insulting others and finding faults with them.

Qur’anic exegets’ views regarding the occasion of revelation of the blessed Verse in question. A group of Banu Tamim derided some the Companions of the Noble Prophet (S), including ‘Ammar, Khabbab, Balal, Salman, Suhayb, and Abu Darda’; as a consequence of which the blessed Verse in question was revealed forbidding them to deride believers saying that they are outwardly poor, but inwardly they may be better than deriders.

According to Ibn ‘Abbas’ Tafsir¹ , the blessed Verse was revealed regarding two wives of the Noble Prophet (S) who had derided another wife of his, Umm Salama thereby God Almighty impeded them from such reprehensible deed;

(“Nor let women deride other women”).

As it was recurrently mentioned above, the blessed Verse in question is not specific, in other words, it imparts a general rule forbidding believers not to commit such evil deed and the rule is applicable to those present at the time of revelation and also to those from the following generations.

The blessed Verse proceeds by saying:

“Neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames [since] doing wrong after having faith is an evil practice [unbefitting you].”

The Arabic word lamz indicates backbiting and finding faults with others and some have said that it denotes making mention of someone’s fault before him. It is said that hamz denotes backbiting and lamz is to expose someone’s faults through facial expressions. It is also said that hamz solely denotes expressing someone’s faults.

The Qur’anic Chapter 104 opens with:

“Woe to every slanderer and backbiter.”

The blessed Verse forbids believers to find faults with one another. The pronoun ‘one another’ (anfusakum) may indicate that since believers are regarded as one single soul (nafs wahida), if they find faults with others through uttering words and facial expressions, they expose their own faults.

In other words,

“Believers are like one single soul” (al-mu’minun ka-’l-nafs wahida)

connotes that they are like one person since they are unanimous in faith and beneficence.

The negative imperative:

“nor insult one another” (la tanabizu) is cognate with nabaz (“nickname”). The blessed Verse is saying that believers are not supposed to call each other by adversive nicknames; in like manner one who did some evil deed and thereby earned the an abusive nickname but afterwards repented committing the same is not supposed to be called by the same nickname.

The contextual meaning of the blessed Verse indicates that by ‘nickname,’ abusive nickname is being intended since the clause:

“[It] is an evil practice [unbefitting you]”

follows the same connoting that faith is like unto pure water absolving all dirt and filth. Therefore, it is forbidden to call someone by abusive nicknames following his conversion to faith.

“Those who repent not are wrong-doers.”

One who hurts believers through facial expressions and exposes the faults of others is regarded amongst evil-doers and if he fails to repent, he is regarded amongst wrong-doers.

Finally, deriding others is apparently one sin, but it actually consists of a number of sins: belittling, humiliating, exposing faults, causing discord, backbiting, rancor, contention, intrigue, and casting sarcastic remarks upon others.