The Apartments (Al-Hujurat)
Verses 16-18 GROUP_1380 49.16-18
16
قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Say, ‘Do you presume to teach God your religion when God knows everything in the heavens and earth? God has knowledge of all things.’
17
يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُم بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
They think they have done you a favour by becoming Muslims! Say, ‘Do not consider your Islam a favour to me. No indeed! It is God who bestowed a favour on you by guiding you to the true faith. [Admit this], if you are telling the truth.’
18
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
God knows the unseen things of the heavens and the earth. God sees all that you do.
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Commentary
(a) If anyone embraces Islam or some Islamic task is accomplished through him, he should realize that this has come about with the help of God. Faith and good deeds all depend on God’s directive guidance. So, whenever somebody is in a position to do something good, he should thank God for it. If, instead of so doing, the individual attempts to make his co-religionists feel obliged to him for what he has done, this would amount to his having acted not out of concern for God, but in order to figure well in the eyes of his fellow-men. God is directly aware of everything. One who performs any task for the sake of God, should firmly believe that God sees his work, and that there is no need to show it to Him.