فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا 65
Translations
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.
Transliteration
Fa-lā wa-rabbika lā yu'minūn ḥattā yuḥakkimūka fīmā shajara baynahum thumma lā yajidū fī anfusihim ḥarajan mimmā qaḍayta wa-yusallimū taslīmā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that true faith is incomplete without submitting to the Prophet's judgment in disputes and accepting his decisions without internal resistance or hesitation. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse demands unconditional acceptance of the Prophet's rulings, reflecting the principle that accepting Islamic law is foundational to belief itself. The 'harj' (constraint or discomfort in the heart) must be absent, meaning believers must achieve complete psychological submission alongside external compliance.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period when the Prophet ﷺ was the chief judge and arbiter of disputes among the Muslim community. The context addresses those who claimed belief but were reluctant to submit their disputes to the Prophet's judgment, preferring pre-Islamic practices (jahiliyyah) or showing internal resistance to Islamic verdicts. It reinforces the theme of Surah An-Nisa regarding social order and just settlement of matters among the ummah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said, 'None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself' (Sahih Bukhari 13). Additionally, the principle of taslīm (submission) is reinforced in the hadith where the Prophet ﷺ stated that believers are those who accept his judgment without dispute (At-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith requires not only outward submission to Islamic law and the Prophet's guidance, but also inward acceptance free from doubt, resistance, or resentment. For contemporary Muslims, this teaches that genuine belief manifests as wholehearted acceptance of Islamic rulings and principles, even when they challenge our desires or cultural inclinations.
Related Ayahs
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَمَن يَلْعَنِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ نَصِيرًا
Those are the ones whom Allāh has cursed; and he whom Allāh curses - never will you find for him a helper.
وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَيْنِهِمَا فَٱبْعَثُوا۟ حَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهِۦ وَحَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن يُرِيدَآ إِصْلَـٰحًا يُوَفِّقِ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا خَبِيرًا
And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allāh will cause it between them. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Aware.
وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَآؤُهُۥ جَهَنَّمُ خَـٰلِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا
But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allāh has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُم بُرْهَـٰنٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا
O mankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light.