Surah 49

Surah 49:5

"If they were patient, until you come out to them, it would indeed be better for them. Yet God is forgiving, compassionate."
Admonishing Those Who call the Prophet from behind Dwellings Verses 49:4-5
Show Full Scripture Context (49:4-5) — 2 Verses
Verse 4

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَآءِ ٱلۡحُجُرَٰتِ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ

Surely those who call out to you from behind the private rooms – most of them do not understand.

Verse 5

وَلَوۡ أَنَّهُمۡ صَبَرُواْ حَتَّىٰ تَخۡرُجَ إِلَيۡهِمۡ لَكَانَ خَيۡرٗا لَّهُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ

If they were patient, until you come out to them, it would indeed be better for them. Yet God is forgiving, compassionate.

Allah the Exalted and Most Blessed admonished those, such as the uncivilized bedouins, who used to call to the Prophet, from behind the dwellings which belong to his wives, (most of them have no sense.) Allah the Exalted and Most Honored then ordains the better behavior in this regard, (And if they had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them.) it would have earned them the better benefit of this life and the Hereafter. Allah, Worthy of all praise, then encourages them to turn to Him in repentance. (And Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.) It was reported that this Ayah was revealed about Al-Aqra' bin Habis At'Tamlmi, may Allah be pleased with him, according to more than one source. Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Aqra' bin Habis said that he called the Messenger of Allah from behind his dwellings, saying, "O Muhammad! O Muhammad!" "O Allah's Messenger!" according to another narration, but the Messenger did not answer him, Al-Aqra' said, "O Allah's Messenger. My praise (of others) is worthwhile and my admonishment (of others) is degrading." The Prophet replied, "It is Allah the Exalted (Who is worthy of this description)."

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 9, Page 188-189)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.