Transliteration:( Wa minhumul lazeena yu'zoonan nabiyya wa yaqooloona huwa uzun; qul uzunu khairil lakum yu'minu billaahi wa yu'minu lil mu'mineena wa rahmatul lil lazeena aamanoo minkum; wallazeena yu'zoona Rasoolal laahi lahum 'azaabun 'aleem )
"And among them are those who trouble the Prophet and say, 'He is an ear [168].' Say, 'He is an ear of goodness [169] for you; he believes in Allah and believes [170] the words of the believers, and is a mercy [171] for those among you who believe.' And those who trouble [172] the Messenger of Allah—for them is a painful punishment [173]."
This verse was revealed about the hypocrites who mocked the Holy Prophet ﷺ in their private gatherings. They would gossip and say harmful things, assuming that if these words reached him, they could simply deny it and take false oaths, saying, "He is merely an ear," meaning he believes anything he hears. Jallas bin Saeed was among those who said such things. They implied that the Prophet ﷺ was too trusting or naive. In response, this verse clarified that while the Prophet listens, he does so out of wisdom, not gullibility. The revelation was a stern warning to those who abused his patience and gentle nature.
This expression means that the Prophet ﷺ listens with a pure heart and does so for your own benefit. He does not expose your faults nor hastily judge you. If he were to openly reveal your secrets or respond to every insult, it would result in great humiliation for the hypocrites. Instead, his silence and forbearance reflect his noble character and divine mercy. Indeed, his ability to withhold harm despite having full knowledge is a mark of greatness.
Although the Holy Prophet ﷺ hears everyone, he only places his trust in the words of the believers. His silence before the hypocrites is not out of ignorance, but out of divine wisdom. He listens, but his heart accepts only what is in line with sincerity and faith. His dealing with people is not based on suspicion, but with clear insight, distinguishing between truth and hypocrisy without needing to react harshly.
The Prophet ﷺ is a mercy to all creation, but this verse highlights his special mercy reserved for the true believers. This does not contradict his status as "Mercy unto the worlds," but rather emphasizes that his gentleness and concern have deeper impacts on those who believe in him. His guidance, intercession, and compassion envelop the faithful with immense spiritual benefit.
To "hurt" the Prophet refers to any form of harm—whether by words, actions, gestures, or attitudes that cause him grief. The hypocrites were guilty of this repeatedly through their slander, disobedience, and mockery. Even something subtle that disrespects his honor falls into this category. From this, we learn the sanctity of the Prophet’s ﷺ status and the grave sin of offending him in any form.
Two major legal rulings emerge from this verse:
Any act that causes pain or insult to the Prophet ﷺ is strictly forbidden, even if it outwardly appears to be a religious act. For example, delaying Salaah in a way that displeases him is impermissible, while offering Qaza Salaah in a time he preferred becomes a meritorious act.
To deliberately harm the Prophet ﷺ—through speech or action—with ill intention is an act of disbelief (kufr), since Allah promises a painful punishment, which is only for disbelievers. However, ordinary sinful actions that inadvertently hurt the Prophet ﷺ do not make one an infidel, though they are still blameworthy. Intentional harm, done out of malice, crosses the boundary of faith.
61. And among them are men who annoy the Prophet and say: “He is (lending his) ear (to every news).” Say: “He listens to what is best for you; he believes in Allah; has faith in the believers; and is a mercy to those of you who believe.” But those who annoy Allah’s Messenger, will have a painful torment.
Allah says, some hypocrites bother the Messenger of Allah by questioning his character, saying,
(he is (lending his) ear), to those who say anything about us; he believes whoever talks to him. Therefore, if we went to him and swore, he would believe us. Similar was reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah. Allah said,
(Say: “He listens to what is best for you”), he knows who’s saying the truth and who is lying,
(he believes in Allah; has faith in the believers), he believes the believers,
(and is a mercy to those of you who believe”), and a proof against the disbelievers,
(But those who annoy Allah’s Messenger, will have a painful torment.)
(9:61) And of them there are some who distress the Prophet, saying: “He is all ears.”[69] Tell them: “He listens for your good.[70] He believes in Allah and trusts the believers,[71] and is a mercy for those of you who believe. A painful punishment lies in store for those who cause distress to the Messenger of Allah.”
69. This was one of the charges which the hypocrites leveled against the Prophet (peace be upon him). As he used to listen to everyone and let him say freely whatever he had to say, they would find fault with him, saying, “He is a credulous person. Everyone can approach him freely and may say whatever he pleases, and he readily believes whatever he hears” Though it was a good thing that he heard everyone, the hypocrites intentionally spread it as a vice, so that the poor and humble Muslims should be kept away from coming near the Prophet (peace be upon him). The hypocrites did not like that these true believers should inform the Prophet (peace be upon him) about their plots, mischief and hostile talks. They resented it very much that the Prophet (peace be upon him) listened to and believed in the talk of these humble people against such “respectable” people as themselves.
70. The answer to this charge implies two things. First, “Though the Prophet (peace be upon him) listens to everything, he attends only to that which is good and is for the welfare of the community, for he is not the one who would listen to or encourage mischievous things.” Secondly, “It is good for yourselves that he listens patiently to everyone; otherwise he would not have allowed you to put forward lame excuses for your negligence from the struggle in the Way of Allah. Had he not been forbearing, he would not have paid attention to your false professions of faith and hypocritical expressions of good wishes for Islam, but would have taken you to task for your mischief and made it difficult for you to live at Al-Madinah. It is thus obvious that it is good for you that he listens to everyone.
71. That is, you are wrong that he listens to everyone. He puts his trust only in the true believers. Accordingly, he believed only in those things about you that were conveyed to him by good and trustworthy people, who were neither liars nor tale-bearers. Therefore, whatever they said about you was true and should have been taken as true.
[488]- i.e., one who believes everything he hears.
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