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Monday, 2 February 2026

Al Qur'an: Overview and selected verses from Sürah 40. Al Mu'min (The Believer)

February 02, 2026  Jalal HB  No comments

Sürah al-Muʼmin is the fortieth surah with 85 ayahs with nine rukus, part of the 24th Juzʼ of the Al Qur'an. The Sürah takes its name from verse 28 which mentions a distinguished believer from among the clan of the Pharaoh who supported Moses, referring to him as a "believing man", hence al-Mu'min; The Believer. However, this surah is most often called al-Ghāfir (the All-Forgiving) because of the Divine Name mentioned in verse 3.

There are two surahs in the Holy Qur'an which centers on the Believers and take their names from the mention of the words Mu'min (Believer) and Mu'minoon (Surah 24). In Surah Mu'minoon (Chapter 24) the Believers (Mu'minoon, plural of Mu'min as in this case), the argument is about the collective force of Faith and virtue. In Sürah al-Muʼmin it is about the Individual's witness to faith, and virtues, and his triumph to the end.

With this surah, the Holy Qur'an embarks upon a series of contiguous surahs which are affixed the  Disjoined Letters Ha-Meem " حٰمٓ ". Chronologically they all belong to the same Makkan Period, and they immediately follow the last Sürah in time. The other six surahs that begin with same dis-joined words are:
  • Chapter. 41 Surah Fussilat (Explained in Detail)
  • Chapter. 42 Surah Ash Shura (The Consultation)
  • Chapter. 43 Surah Az Zukhruf (The Ornaments of Gold)
  • Chapter. 44 Surah Ad Dukhan (The Smoke)
  • Chapter. 45 Surah Al Jathiya (The Crouching)
  • Chapter. 46 Surah Al Ahqaf (The Wind Curved Sand Dunes)
* Please read our earlier post: Understanding the Holy Quran: Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters to understand the usage of Disjoined Letters with which some of the Surahs of Al Qur'an begin.

We have already shared the Exegesis / Tafseer of the Surah in one of earlier posts, Herein under we will only present a condensed overview of the entire Sūrah, for the scope of this post is to only to introduce the Sūrah and provide links to some of the selected verses from this Sūrah for selective reading / references. The following bird eye view includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to  some of the selected verses already published.

Overview
Sürah al-Muʼmin teaches that Allah’s mercy is vast for those who repent, but His justice is inevitable for those who persist in arrogance and oppression. Through the story of the believing man in Pharaoh’s court, the surah shows how truth can survive even inside corrupt systems, how courage and wisdom in Da'wah matter, and how worldly power ultimately collapses before divine judgment. It reassures believers that unseen support surrounds them, patience is essential, and final success belongs to truth — even if falsehood dominates temporarily.

Period of Revelation
According to Ibn 'Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid, this Surah was sent down consecutively after Surah Az-Zumar, and its present position in the order of the Surahs in the Quran is the same as its chronological order.

Core message of Surah Al Mu'min
Allah is extremely Merciful to those who repent — but extremely severe with those who persist in arrogance and oppression. The surah balances: Hope (Ghāfir adh-dhanb — Forgiver of sin) and Fear  (Shadīd al-ʿiqāb — Severe in punishment)

Notable Verses / group of verses that define the context and theme of the Surah
  • Allah’s Names set the tone (40:1–3)
    • “The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing. Forgiver of sin, Accepter of repentance, Severe in punishment, Owner of abundance…”
    • This means that Allah is not only Merciful and not only Severe. Thus the balance prevents false hope and false security
  • Arrogance is the root of rejection (40:4–5)
    • “None dispute the signs of Allah except those who disbelieve…”
    • This means that Intellectual arguments often hide moral arrogance, and that Rejection is frequently spiritual, not logical.
  • Angels making duʿāʾ for believers (40:7–9)
    • “Those who carry the Throne and those around it glorify their Lord… and seek forgiveness for those who believe.”
    • These verses carry a powerful lesson, which is the believers are supported by the unseen and those who truly believe and fall into the category of "The Believers," their names are mentioned in the heavens if you believe. This builds hope in lonely times.
  • The believer from Pharaoh’s family (40:28–45)
    • This group of verses is ne of the most remarkable stories in the Qur’an.
    • Here a man is mentioned who concealed his faith initially, spoke with wisdom and courage and challenged tyranny from within the system (“Do you kill a man for saying: ‘My Lord is Allah’?” 40:28).
    • This group of verses stresses that Truth can exist inside corrupt systems and Da'wah can be strategic and wise. and that speaking truth may cost safety—but saves the soul.
  • The psychology of arrogance (40:35–37)
    • Bewildered by the expanding ingress of truth among his people, the self proclaimed almighty Pharaoh has been mentioned wanting  to build a tower so as to “Reach the heavens” and mock the truth.
    • Arrogance always tries to outperform God and that power breeds delusion.
    • These verses have a modern parallel as we witness technological or political arrogance being exhibited without moral humility.
  • The reality of Hell and regret (40:47–50)
    • This set of verses depict an argument by the people who have been thrown into hell who would then blame their theological as well as political leaders, and beg the angels.
    • These verses show that blame-shifting continues even in Hell and the leaders who once mislead their people will abandon them for they themselves be rotting in the hell. And all excuses will die in the Hereafter (Links strongly with 34:31–33)
  • The promise to believers (40:51)
    • “Indeed, We will surely support Our messengers and those who believe in this worldly life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand.”
    • Here comes the reassurance for the Mu'min true believer - good days can be delayed but the promised days in the Paradise will erase the pain of their hardships at the hands of the wordily demagogues.
  • The worthlessness of worldly power (40:82)
    • “Then they saw Our punishment — and their faith did not benefit them…”
    • This warns the arrogant and the timid people who made life of others miserable by telling them that once everyone will be resurrected, at time belief after seeing punishment will be too late, for repentance had a time window which they never tried to open in their wordily life.
  • The final command to the Prophet ﷺ (40:55–56)
    • These are the closing verses addressed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who was heavily under pressure of the tyranny of the disbelievers.
    • “So be patient, [O Muhammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [ Allah ] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.  (40:55)”
    • This group of verses mean that Infallibility is an indispensable attribute of all prophets. which means that all the prophets are infallible in the sense that they do not sin or disobey God's orders. Here, God reminds the believers of an important fact to which Muslims must be attentive on the way to God.
    • There is a lesson on these verses for us and that is Patience is not weakness - It is strategic endurance for truth.
Especially powerful verses for reflection today
  • 40:3 — Balance of mercy and punishment
  • 40:7–9 — Angels making duʿāʾ for believers
  • 40:28 — Courage of the believing man
  • 40:35 — Arrogance and denial
  • 40:51 — Allah’s promise of support
  • 40:55 — Patience and certainty
  • 40:82 — Regret after punishment
Summarizing the above commentary, Sürah Al Mu'min is about Faith which is ever justified, for Allah forgives: but evil deeds must have evil fruits, for for Allah knows and is just (1-20). In all history Evil came to evil; the protest of Faith, in the midst of Evil, may be ignored; but Faith is protected by Allah, while Evil perishes (21-50). No doubt is there of the Future Judgment; the Power, Goodness, and Justice of Allah are manifest; will man dispute, or will he accept the Signs before it is too late? (51-85).

Now let us share herein some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah already shared:
We will continue to add some other important verses from Surah Al Mu'min in time.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. 

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  
    In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

    Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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