يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ 114
Translations
They believe in Allāh and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous.
Transliteration
Yu'minūna billāhi wa-l-yawmi l-ākhiri wa-ya'murūna bi-l-ma'rūfi wa-yanhawna 'an al-munkari wa-yusāri'ūna fī l-khayarāti wa-ūlā'ika mina al-sālihīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the qualities of the righteous believers from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab), particularly those who accepted Islam or maintained faith and good conduct. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, it enumerates five essential characteristics: belief in Allah and the Last Day, commanding good, forbidding evil, hastening to perform good deeds, and assures that such people are among the truly righteous (al-sālihīn). These verses came after discussing some of the People of the Book who believed, demonstrating that righteousness transcends communal identity and is defined by actions and sincere faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan surah Ali 'Imran within a passage (3:110-115) discussing the relationship between Muslims and the People of the Book. The context follows verses about the superiority of the Muslim community while acknowledging that there were righteous individuals among the People of the Book who possessed these noble qualities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of deeds is to believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the worst of deeds is to associate partners with Allah' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, 'Whoever sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand, and if he cannot, then with his tongue, and if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith' (Sahih Muslim 49) relates to the command of good and forbidding evil mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
True righteousness is not merely a matter of belief in isolation, but manifests through active engagement in commanding goodness and preventing harm in society while consistently pursuing virtuous actions. This ayah reminds believers that spiritual identity is demonstrated through concrete ethical conduct and that sincere faith naturally impels one toward beneficial action in the community.