يَقُولُونَ لَئِن رَّجَعْنَآ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ لَيُخْرِجَنَّ ٱلْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا ٱلْأَذَلَّ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 8
Translations
They say, "If we return to al-Madīnah, the more honored [for power] will surely expel therefrom the more humble." And to Allāh belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.
Transliteration
Yaqooloon la-in raja'naa ilal-Madinati layukhrijanna al-a'azzu minhaa al-adhall. Wa-lillahi al-izzatu wa-li-Rasoolihi wa-lilmu'mineen wa-laakinna al-munafiqeena la ya'lamoon.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The hypocrites arrogantly boast that if they return to Madinah, the mighty among them will expel the weak (referring to the Prophet ﷺ and the believers). Allah responds with decisive affirmation that all honor and power belong to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers—not to the hypocrites. As Ibn Kathir notes, this verse exposes the hypocrites' delusion and false confidence, reminding them that true might rests only with Allah and those who follow His guidance, while their ignorance blinds them to this reality.
Revelation Context
This surah was revealed in Madinah regarding the hypocrites (munafiqun) of that time, particularly their duplicitous behavior and hidden enmity toward Islam. The context of this specific ayah relates to the hypocrites' boastfulness and their plots to undermine the Prophet's authority in Madinah, likely following a military expedition where their true character was exposed.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Honor belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, while disgrace belongs to the disbelievers and hypocrites' (reported in various forms in the Tafsir literature). Also relevant is the hadith that hypocrisy is 'the lesser shirk' as it involves hidden rejection of Allah's authority.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true power and dignity come from faith in Allah and obedience to His Messenger, not from worldly strength, numbers, or social status. Believers should place their trust in Allah's promise rather than in their own limited resources, knowing that honor ultimately belongs to those who truly submit to Him.
Related Ayahs
ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَهُمْ جُنَّةً فَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
They have taken their oaths as a cover, so they averted [people] from the way of Allāh. Indeed, it was evil that they were doing.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allāh. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.
هُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ لَا تُنفِقُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَنْ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ حَتَّىٰ يَنفَضُّوا۟ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ خَزَآئِنُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ
They are the ones who say, "Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allāh until they disband." And to Allāh belong the depositories of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.
وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
But never will Allāh delay a soul when its time has come. And Allāh is Aware of what you do.