Surah Al-Mu'minun

Surah Al-Mu'minun is the 23rd surah of the Quran, between Al-Hajj and An-Nur. It is a Makki surah which opens with the qualities of the successful believers and then argues for tawhid, the messengers and the Hereafter.

Why is it called Al-Mu'minun?

The surah is named after its first ayah, which says that the believers («الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ») have succeeded. The surah then lists their qualities in 23:1 to 11, and again in 23:57 to 61. The name tells the main subject: who the successful believers are and what they do.

Period and occasion of revelation

There is no single incident behind this surah. It was revealed in Makkah in the middle Makki period, in the circumstances of the Quraish's denial: they called the Prophet (ﷺ) a mere man, mad or a liar, mocked the poor believers, and refused to believe in the life after death. The surah answers these objections one by one. A famine in Makkah is mentioned in the commentaries as the background of 23:75 to 76, where Allah says He seized them with suffering but they did not humble themselves.

Central theme and main topics

The central theme is the success («فلاح») of the believers and how it is reached: faith in tawhid, the messengers and the Hereafter, joined with good character and deeds. The surah invites to this path with the signs of creation and the stories of the earlier messengers.

• The qualities of the successful believers (23:1 to 11, 23:57 to 61)
• The stages of the creation of man and other signs (23:12 to 22)
• Hazrat Nuh (AS) and his people (23:23 to 30)
• Later messengers and nations: Musa, Harun and Isa (AS) (23:31 to 50)
• One religion of all messengers; wealth is not a sign of Allah's favour (23:51 to 56)
• Answers to the Quraish's objections against the Prophet (ﷺ) (23:62 to 77)
• Proofs of tawhid: "to whom belongs the earth?" (23:78 to 92)
• The Prophet's (ﷺ) prayers and the barzakh (23:93 to 100)
• The scales, the Fire, and "a day or part of a day" (23:101 to 118)

The surah opens: the believers have succeeded. Then Allah lists six qualities, and ends the list with the reward (23:1 to 11). Later, in 23:57 to 61, five more qualities of those who race to good are given.

Explanation of the qualities

• Khushu in prayer: the heart is present before Allah, the body is calm. Prayer is mentioned first and last (23:2 and 23:9): the list begins and ends with it.
• Turning away from «اللَّغْو»: every talk and action which brings no benefit in this world or the next, such as idle talk, abuse, mocking, jokes at another's cost and useless pastimes. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that part of the excellence of a person's Islam is to leave what does not concern him (Tirmidhi).
• Zakah: purifying wealth and spending on the needy. The ayah says "doers of zakah", which also means that they purify themselves.
• Chastity: they keep themselves from unlawful relations; the lawful way is marriage with their wives, and whoever goes beyond it transgresses (23:5 to 7).
• Trusts and promises: they return what is entrusted to them and fulfil their covenants and promises (23:8).
• Guarding the prayers: they keep them at their times with their conditions (23:9).

More qualities: 23:57 to 61

1. They are fearful of their Lord out of awe (23:57).
2. They believe in the signs of their Lord (23:58).
3. They do not associate anyone with their Lord (23:59).
4. They give in charity and their hearts tremble that they will return to their Lord (23:60).
5. They hasten to good deeds and are ahead in them (23:61).

After the believers' qualities, the surah turns to the signs which prove Allah's power and the Hereafter. The first sign is man himself: the stages of his creation (23:12 to 14), followed by death and resurrection (23:15 to 16).

1. An extract of clay («سُلَالَةٍ مِّنْ طِيْنٍ»): man's origin (23:12).
2. A sperm-drop («نُطْفَة») placed in a firm lodging (23:13).
3. A clinging clot («عَلَقَة»), then a lump of flesh («مُضْغَة»).
4. Bones, then the bones are clothed with flesh.
5. Then Allah develops him into another creation, and says: "so blessed is Allah, the best of creators" (23:14).

Other signs: 23:17 to 22

• Seven heavens above you; Allah is never unaware of His creation (23:17).
• Rain sent down in a measured amount and settled in the earth; Allah is able to take it away (23:18).
• Gardens of date palms and grapes, and a tree from Mount Sinai that gives oil (23:19 to 20).
• Livestock: their milk to drink, many benefits and meat; on them and on ships you are carried (23:21 to 22).

Lessons

• The messengers are men; to say "a man cannot be a messenger" is the old excuse of every denying nation.
• The leaders of the people with wealth and rank led the denial.
• Seek Allah's help in hardship, and thank Him with the proper prayer when saved.
• Family tie does not save from Allah's punishment without faith (23:27: "except those against whom the word has gone out").

After the people of Nuh, Allah raised other generations and sent a messenger to each from among themselves (23:31 to 32). The surah does not name this messenger or nation; it gives their words as an example of how every denying nation spoke.

What the denying chiefs said (23:33 to 38)

• "He is only a man like you; he eats what you eat and drinks what you drink" (23:33).
• "If you obey a man like yourselves, you will be losers" (23:34).
• Denial of the Hereafter: "after you are dust and bones, you will be brought out?" (23:35 to 37).
• They accused the messenger of inventing a lie about Allah (23:38).

The end of the denying nations (23:39 to 44)

• The messenger prayed: "My Lord, help me because they denied me", and Allah said: after a little they will regret (23:39 to 40).
• A shriek («الصَّيْحَة») seized them in truth and Allah made them like stubble; away with the wrongdoing people (23:41).
• No nation advances or delays its appointed term (23:43). Every time a messenger came they denied him, so Allah made them follow one another and made them stories (23:44).

Hazrat Musa, Harun and Isa (AS) (23:45 to 50)

• Hazrat Musa (AS) and his brother Hazrat Harun (AS) were sent with Allah's signs and clear authority to Pharaoh and his chiefs (23:45 to 46).
• They were proud and said: "Shall we believe two men like ourselves, while their people are our slaves?" (23:47). They denied them and were destroyed (23:48).
• Allah gave Hazrat Musa (AS) the Scripture (the Tawrat) so that they might be guided (23:49).
• Allah made Hazrat Isa (AS), the son of Maryam, and his mother a sign, and sheltered them on a high ground with level land and flowing water (23:50).

• Allah addresses all the messengers: eat from the good (pure, lawful) things and do righteous deeds; He knows what they do (23:51). So pure, lawful food and good deeds go together.
• The religion of all the messengers is one, and Allah is the Lord of all: "so fear Me" (23:52).
• But people split their religion into sects, each rejoicing in what it has (23:53). So the Prophet (ﷺ) is told to leave them in their confusion for a time (23:54).
• Do they think the wealth and children We give them mean We hasten good things for them? No, they do not perceive (23:55 to 56). Wealth is a test, not a sign of Allah's favour.

After the believers' qualities (23:57 to 61), the surah turns to those who deny. It answers their objections against the Prophet (ﷺ) and warns them of the punishment.

Other points

• Allah burdens no soul beyond its capacity; a record of deeds is with Him which speaks the truth (23:62).
• Their hearts are covered in heedlessness of this, and they have other evil deeds besides (23:63).
• When Allah seizes their rich with punishment they cry out for help, but are told: do not cry out today, you will not be helped (23:64 to 65).
• They turned back on their heels when the ayat were recited, were proud, and spent the night in evil talk (23:66 to 67).
• The famine: Allah seized them with suffering, but they neither yielded to their Lord nor humbled themselves (23:76). When a door of severe punishment is opened they will be in despair (23:77).
• The Prophet (ﷺ) calls them to the straight path, and those who do not believe in the Hereafter are deviating from it (23:73 to 74).

The surah argues with the Quraish from what they themselves accept: they agree that Allah owns the earth and the heavens. So why do they deny the Hereafter and worship others?

• Allah gave you hearing, sight and hearts; little do you thank (23:78).
• He spread you over the earth and to Him you will be gathered (23:79). He gives life and death and the night and day follow one another by His command (23:80).
• Like earlier peoples they say: "after we are dust and bones, shall we be raised? These are tales of the ancients" (23:81 to 83).

• Allah has taken no son and there is no other god with Him. If there were, each god would take away what he created and some would overcome others (23:91).
• Allah is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, high above what they associate (23:92).

The Prophet's (ﷺ) prayers (23:93 to 98)

• He is taught to pray that if Allah shows him the punishment promised to them, He should not place him among the wrongdoers (23:93 to 94).
• Repel evil with what is best (23:96).
• Seek refuge in Allah from the whisperings of the devils and from their presence (23:97 to 98).

The barzakh (23:99 to 100)

• When death comes to a disbeliever he says: "My Lord, send me back, that I may do good in what I left behind" (23:99 to 100).
• Allah answers: "No! It is only a word he says"; behind them is a barrier («بَرْزَخ») until the day they are raised (23:100). So the barzakh is the life between death and resurrection.

The Day of Judgement (23:101 to 111)

• When the trumpet is blown, no family relations remain and none asks about another (23:101).
• Those whose scales are heavy are the successful; those whose scales are light have lost themselves and stay in Hell for ever (23:102 to 103).
• The Fire burns their faces; they admit that their misfortune overcame them and ask to be taken out; Allah says: stay in it despised and do not speak to Me (23:104 to 108).
• A party of My servants used to say: "Our Lord, we believe, so forgive us and have mercy", but you mocked them until they made you forget My remembrance. Today I reward them for their patience (23:109 to 111).

How long did you stay? (23:112 to 118)

• Allah asks: "How many years did you stay on earth?" They say: "We stayed a day or part of a day; ask those who count" (23:112 to 113).
• Allah says: you stayed only a little, if you only knew (23:114).
• "Did you think that We created you in vain and that you would not be returned to Us?" (23:115). Life has a purpose and an account.
• Whoever calls on another god without proof, his account is with his Lord; the disbelievers will not succeed (23:117). The surah began with the success of the believers and ends by saying the disbelievers will not succeed.
• The last ayah is a prayer: "My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of those who show mercy" (23:118).

Ruku 1 (ayat 1 to 22): the believers have succeeded (23:1); their qualities (23:2 to 9); the reward of Firdaus (23:10 to 11); the stages of man's creation (23:12 to 14); death and resurrection (23:15 to 16); the seven heavens, rain, gardens, the olive tree and livestock as signs and blessings (23:17 to 22).

Teachings

• Success is for those with faith and the six qualities of 23:2 to 9.
• Avoid vain talk and useless things.
• Man is made from a humble origin in stages; he should thank his Creator.
• The One who created can raise again.

Ruku 2 (ayat 23 to 32): Hazrat Nuh (AS) calls his people to worship Allah alone; the chiefs deny him; he prays for help and is told to build the ark; the flood; the prayers on boarding; then another generation and another messenger. Ruku 3 (ayat 33 to 50): the chiefs of the later nation say the same things and are destroyed; the messengers come one after another; Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Harun (AS) to Pharaoh; Hazrat Isa (AS) and his mother Maryam.

Teachings

• The message of every messenger is the same: worship Allah alone and fear Him.
• Messengers are men; the chiefs' pride keeps them from belief.
• Allah helps His messengers and destroys the deniers.
• Make the prayer of thanks when saved (23:28 to 29).

Ruku 4 (ayat 51 to 77): the messengers are told to eat good things and do good (23:51); their religion is one (23:52); people split into sects (23:53); wealth is not a sign of favour (23:55 to 56); the five qualities of those who hasten to good (23:57 to 61); Allah burdens no soul beyond its capacity (23:62); the objections of the Quraish and their answers (23:63 to 74); the famine and the punishment to come (23:75 to 77).

Teachings

• Lawful food and good deeds go together.
• Do not split the religion into sects.
• Fear of Allah and hastening to good is the character of the believer.
• Do not be proud of wealth; hardship should make us humble before Allah.

Ruku 5 (ayat 78 to 92): Allah's blessings of hearing, sight and hearts; He gives life and death; the Quraish's denial of resurrection; the three questions "to whom belongs the earth" and their answer "to Allah"; Allah has no son or partner. Ruku 6 (ayat 93 to 118): the Prophet's (ﷺ) prayers; repel evil with good; refuge from the devils; the barzakh; the scales; the Fire; "a day or part of a day"; "did you think We created you in vain"; the final prayer.

Teachings

• Even those who deny know that Allah is the owner of everything; so worship Him alone.
• Repel evil with what is best and seek refuge from the devil.
• After death there is no return to correct deeds; act now.
• Life is not purposeless; every person will be questioned.
• Pray for forgiveness and mercy (23:118).

• Al-Mu'minun is the 23rd surah, Makki, 118 ayat, 6 rukus, para 18; it comes between Al-Hajj and An-Nur.
• The name comes from its first ayah «قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ» (23:1).
• It was revealed in the middle Makki period; no single incident is its occasion of revelation; it answers the Quraish's denial of tawhid, risalah and the Hereafter.
• 23:1 to 11: the believers' qualities: khushu in prayer, turning from «اللَّغْو», zakah, chastity, keeping trusts and promises, guarding prayers; the reward is Al-Firdaus.
• «اللَّغْو» means vain and useless talk and deeds (80-list word); «رٰعُوْنَ» means those who keep (their trusts and promises) (23:8); «لَبِثْنَا» means we stayed (23:113).
• 23:12 to 14: the stages of creation: clay, sperm-drop, clot, lump, bones, flesh, another creation; "blessed is Allah, the best of creators".
• 23:17: seven heavens; 23:20: the tree from Mount Sinai (olive); 23:22: you are carried on livestock and ships.
• 23:23 to 30: Hazrat Nuh (AS); the chiefs said he is a man like you and mad; the ark, the oven overflowed; the prayer on boarding 23:28 to 29.
• 23:45 to 47: Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Harun (AS) and Pharaoh; 23:50: Hazrat Isa (AS) and his mother a sign, a high ground with flowing water.
• 23:51: messengers are told to eat good things and do righteous deeds; 23:52: the religion of all is one.
• 23:57 to 61: fear of the Lord, belief in His signs, no shirk, giving with trembling hearts, hastening to good.
• 23:62: Allah burdens no soul beyond its capacity.
• 23:84 to 89: three questions: who owns the earth, who is Lord of the seven heavens and the Great Throne, in whose hand is the dominion; they answer "Allah" each time.
• 23:96: repel evil with what is best; 23:97 to 98: refuge from the devils.
• 23:99 to 100: "My Lord, send me back" and the barzakh.
• 23:101: no relationships on the Day of the trumpet; 23:102 to 103: heavy and light scales.
• 23:112 to 114: "we stayed a day or part of a day"; 23:115: "did you think We created you in vain?"
• 23:118: the last ayah is the prayer for forgiveness and mercy.
• Long question topic 23 (the qualities and excellences of the believers) is from this surah: full answer in unit 16.