يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ 13
Translations
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware.
Transliteration
Ya ayyuhan-nasu inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa-unta wa-jaalnakum shuuban wa-qabail litaAAarafuu. Inna akramakum AAinda-Allah atqakum. Inna Allah AAaleemun khabeer.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the fundamental equality of all humans, created from a male and female (Adam and Eve), and organized into nations and tribes for mutual recognition and knowledge of one another—not for superiority or discrimination. The criterion for honor and nobility before Allah is not lineage, race, or tribe, but piety and God-consciousness (taqwa). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse demolishes all claims of racial or tribal superiority, declaring that Allah knows and is fully aware of the hearts and deeds of all people.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Madinah during the early Islamic period when tribal rivalries and pre-Islamic notions of superiority based on ancestry were prevalent. The surah Al-Hujurat addresses manners and ethics of the Muslim community. This verse specifically addresses the broader human community (an-nas) to establish universal principles of human dignity and equality that transcend all social divisions.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for a white over a black, nor for a black over a white, except through piety' (Musnad Ahmad). Additionally, in his farewell sermon, the Prophet stated: 'All mankind is from Adam and Eve; an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab' (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Themes
Key Lesson
True honor and distinction in the sight of Allah comes not from one's heritage, ethnicity, or social status, but from spiritual righteousness and moral conduct. This verse calls believers to recognize the inherent equality of all humans and to build societies based on piety rather than prejudice.