49. Al-Hujurat (The Private Apartments), Medina 106, 9H

[ Amatulla’s note - This verse is to emphasize the commonality and equality of all human beings, as human beings. The only difference is the levels of piety of different people. However, the judge of piety is only God, not a human being. Therefore the thrust of this verse is universal. It alludes to the fact that all human beings are in a family bond as they are the children of the same parents. People should remain humble facing each other as they do not know who is closer to God and at a higher level irrespective of the worldly station, position, race, color, creed, etc., that are surface elements. The spirit of unity, humility, and universality in human beings is emphasized in this key verse. ]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Translation:

49: 13.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا...

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).

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٣﴾

Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

Asad’s Translation:

49:13 O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, 15 and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another." Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.

Yuksel’s Translation:

[ Comment: There is no Superiority of one Sex over another or One Nation over another; the Only Criterion for Superiority is Righteousness]

49:13 O people, We created you from a male and female, and We made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely, the most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most righteous. God is Knowledgeable, Ever-aware.*

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Ali’s comments:

4933. This is addressed to all mankind and not only to the Muslim brotherhood, though it is understood that in a perfected world the two would be synonymous. As it is, mankind is descended from one pair of parents. Their tribes, races, and nations are convenient labels by which we may know certain differing characteristics. Before Allah they are all one, and he gets most honour who is most righteous.

Asad’s comments:-

15 I,e., "We have created every one of you out of a father and a mother" (Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydiwi) - implying that this equality of biological origin is reflected in the equality of the human dignity common to all.

16 I.e., know that all belong to one human family, without any inherent superiority of one over another (Zamakhshari). This connects with the exhortation, in the preceding two verses, to respect and safeguard each other's dignity. In other words, men's evolution into "nations and tribes" is meant to foster rather than to diminish their mutual desire to understand and appreciate the essential human oneness underlying their outward differentiations; and, correspondingly, all racial, national or tribal prejudice ('as abiyyah) is condemned - implicitly in the Qur'an, and most explicitly by the Prophet (see second half of note 15 on 28:15). in addition, speaking of people's boasting of their national or tribal past, the Prophet said: "Behold, God has removed from you the arrogance of pagan ignorance (jahiliyyah) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust. " (Fragment of a hadith quoted by Tirmidhi and Abu Da'ud, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah.)