Ascertaining the reliability of the source, authentication and that of the courier has always been stressed upon for men who are seemingly trustworthy may sometime mislead others who they trust the courier of a news and thus result into incorrect decisions, which at times may be fatal. During wars, this form of covert operation assumes more often than not fake news are fed through media to mislead the opposing side with a view to achieving tactical or strategic advantage.
In today's corporate world, such fake news are even fed and aired to hide one's intentions and future course of action from opposing competitors and to hide and shield one's plans for business advantage. In fact the covert and tacit use of social media today is largely been used for misleading information at every tier of business, corporate world or even inert nation connectivity.
This scenario has never changed since time immemorial and was prevalent in times of formatting years if Islam in the Arabia. To thwart misfeeding of information, it has been Divine cautioned in Qurʾān to always ascertain authenticity of a news and that of the courier before analyzing the news and taking hasty actions.
Here, we are talking of the 6th verse of Surah 49. Al Hujurat which carries the Divine Caution and is one of the Qur’an’s most practical verses about truth, justice, and responsible communication. This caution is as applicable today as was at the time of revelation of this verse.
The Verse (49:6)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۭ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَن تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًۭا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَـٰدِمِينَ
“O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done.”
Context (Asbāb al-Nuzūl – Circumstances of Revelation)
According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir al-Tabari, this verse was revealed about an incident involving al-Walīd ibn ʿUqbah, whom the Prophet ﷺ sent to collect zakāh from the tribe of Banī al-Muṣṭaliq.
Al-Walīd misunderstood or became afraid that they might harm him, So he returned to Madinah saying they had refused to pay zakāh. The Prophet ﷺ prepared to act against them, but before taking action, a delegation arrived explaining the truth - they had not refused.
Then this verse was revealed — teaching that believers must verify information before acting upon it.
Key Teachings of the Verse
1. Responsibility in Handling Information
- The command “fatabayyanū” means verify, investigate, or clarify.
- It forbids believing or acting on unverified news — especially when it concerns others’ honor, community affairs, or justice.
2. Avoiding Harm Based on False Information
- Acting hastily on rumors can cause fitnah (discord), injustice, or violence.
- The verse warns: “lest you harm people in ignorance, then regret it.”
- Once harm is done — reputation destroyed, trust broken — regret cannot always undo it.
3. Moral Accountability
- The verse connects information ethics to faith (īmān) - “O you who believe…” → meaning that truthfulness is part of faith.
- Islam teaches that words and speech carry moral weight - “A person may utter a word that pleases Allah and be raised by it; or a word that angers Allah and be thrown into the Fire.” (Bukhārī 6478, Muslim 2988)
Qur’anic Parallels
The same caution is repeated at a number of places in Qur'an so that believers do not lose sight of falling into the trap of misleaders and the wicked:
- 17:36: “Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, sight, and heart — all will be questioned about it.”
- 24:15: The incident of Ifk (false accusation) against ʿĀ’ishah (RA) teaches the same: don’t spread unverified claims.
- 49:12: Later in the same Surah — “Avoid suspicion, do not spy, nor backbite one another.”
Together, these verses form Islam’s ethics of communication.
Relevance Today
This verse is more relevant today than ever before — in the age of social media, viral misinformation, and emotional outrage.
Islam anticipated our “information age” problem — this verse is the Qur’an’s eternal rule for responsible media ethics.
Prophetic Example:
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “It is enough falsehood for a person to speak of everything he hears.” (Muslim 5)
- Meaning: don’t pass on information without confirming it — doing so makes one complicit in falsehood.
Lesson from 49:6 viz the Modern Parallel
If we look around today, we find a large number of paid and sponsored journalists and some social media platforms who on behalf of their sponsors feed incorrect, engineered or even unauthentic information largely to mislead the audience and to defame their opponents. Therefore we need to be on the lookout and esnure the following:
- Verify before sharing: Fake news, misinformation online
- Don’t harm others through words: Online slander, cancel culture
- Avoid regret from hasty actions: Misjudging people, ruining reputations
- Truth is part of faith: Integrity in journalism, communication
Remember “Faith demands verification before action, and truthfulness before speech.” So do not be mislead by false information, tailored to mislead you. Be on the lookout for misleading and fake news, lest you fall into the intended trap of the misleaders.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 49. Al-Ḥujurāt - The Chambers / Private Apartments already published
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 more 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. .
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.
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