Transliteration:( Wa law annahum sabaroo hatta takhruja ilaihim lakaana khairal lahum; wallaahu Ghafoorur Raheem )
"And if they had patience, until you (O Muhammad) yourself had come out to them [9], that would have been better for them. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful [10]."
This verse teaches that the delegation should have waited patiently outside until the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself came out.
Unlike worldly rulers whose etiquettes are crafted by people, Allah Himself has taught the etiquettes of the court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
These etiquettes are not limited to humans alone—they apply to jinns, angels, and all creatures. Even angels would seek permission before presenting themselves before the Prophet ﷺ.
Importantly, these etiquettes are timeless, not restricted to a specific era.
The word "most" in earlier verses actually implies universality, indicating that all those who acted that way were without understanding.
If they repent for their disrespectful behavior, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
This indicates that even before the revelation of this verse, people were already duty-bound to respect the Prophet ﷺ.
Respect for the Prophet ﷺ is a natural obligation, independent of whether a formal command has been issued or not.
Therefore, those who erred were still held accountable, and the door of repentance was kept open.
This verse lays a profound foundation for the sanctity of the Prophet’s presence, elevating it above all worldly protocols and highlighting the importance of patience, respect, and humility before him.
The tafsir of Surah Hujurat verse 5 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hujurat ayat 4 which provides the complete commentary from verse 4 through 6.
(49:5) If they were patient until you went out to them, that would have been better for them.[6] Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.[7]
6. The people who in the blessed time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) had received training in Islamic etiquette and manners under the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself had a full regard for his person. They fully realized how busy he remained in performing the mission entrusted to him by Allah. They also understood well that during those tiresome activities he must necessarily have some time for rest, time for his important occupations and also time for attending to his domestic affairs. Therefore, they would come to visit him only at the time when he was available outside his house, and if ever they did not find him outside his living quarters among his companions, they would sit and await his emergence and would avoid giving him the trouble of coming out of his house unless there was a special need for it. But many a time it so happened that the people from far flung areas, who had had no opportunity to receive training in good manners, would come to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the idea that the one who invited others to Allah and was working for the reformation of the people had no right to have rest at any time, and they had the right to visit and see him any time they pleased in the day or night and it was his duty that whenever they happened to arrive, he should be ready to receive them. Some of these people who came to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) from different parts of Arabia were so uncouth and impolite that they would not take the trouble to inform him of their arrival through some attendant, but would start shouting from outside the apartments of his wives to call him out. Several such incidents have been reported by the companions in the Hadith. This sort of behavior troubled him much, but he was tolerant on account of his natural clemency. At last, Allah had to intervene, Who reproved the people for their uncivilized behavior and gave this instruction: Whenever they came to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) and did not find him, they should wait for him patiently until he came out to them himself, instead of shouting to call him out, from the house.
7. This is, whatever had happened until then will be overlooked and forgiven by Allah and He will not hold those people accountable for the trouble they had been causing to His Messenger (peace be upon him) on account of His mercy and kindness, but they should not repeat such behavior in the future.
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