Surah Al-Hujurat: the surah of manners

“The believers are brothers”

إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌۭ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

The manners of Surah Al-Hujurat

Verses	Teaching	Summary
1–5	Respect for the Prophet ﷺ	Do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger; lower your voices; do not call him from behind the rooms (al-hujurat).
6	Check the news	If someone untrustworthy brings news, verify it before acting.
9–10	Make peace	Reconcile between believers who quarrel; the believers are brothers.
11	No mockery	Do not ridicule others or call them by offensive nicknames.
12	No suspicion, spying or backbiting	Avoid much suspicion; do not spy; backbiting is like eating a dead brother’s flesh.
13	Equal dignity	All people come from one father and mother; the most honoured is the most God-conscious.
14–18	True faith	Faith is more than words: it is certainty and striving.

Verse 13: one human family

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ ﴿١٣﴾

For a diverse community like Muslims in Britain, with roots across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, this verse is the foundation: difference is for knowing one another, and honour is by character alone.

Verse 6 in the age of social media

“If a wrongdoer brings you news, verify it” is advice that fits forwarded messages and viral posts as well as it fitted seventh-century Madinah. Teach it to children alongside the hadith for kids on good speech. For more on how the Quran’s guidance applies today, see how to understand the Quran.