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Surah 23 · Makkah · 118 āyāt

Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timeline

Al-MuʾminūnThe Believers

المؤمنون

A middle-Makkan surah that opens with 'Certainly the believers have succeeded' and closes with a rebuke to anyone who imagines life was created without purpose. Between these bookends it traces the stages of a human being from a drop of fluid to a fully formed creature, retells the rejection faced by Nūḥ and later messengers, affirms the unity of the messengers' religion, describes the qualities that mark true believers, and answers those who mock resurrection with the reminder that every soul will be brought before Allah and weighed.

Why it was revealed

Quraysh had settled into open denial of resurrection and ridicule of the Prophet's ﷺ followers as weak and insignificant. The surah answers both errors at once: it defines true success in Allah's terms rather than Quraysh's, and it insists that the design of the human body and the heavens is proof enough of a Creator who will also raise the dead.

Drawn fromMusnad Aḥmad; Musnad Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī (graded ḥasan), cited by Ibn Kathīr in the introduction to Sūrat al-Muʾminūn; Ibn Kathīr on 23:23-30; Ibn Kathīr on 23:35-38; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat al-Muʾminūn

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: 'When something was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we would hear from him a sound like the buzzing of bees. One day something was revealed to him and he remained silent for a while, then faced the qiblah and raised his hands saying: O Allah, increase us and do not decrease us, honour us and do not humiliate us, give to us and do not deprive us, prefer us and do not prefer others over us, and make us pleased and be pleased with us. Then he said: Ten verses have been revealed to me; whoever fulfils them will enter Paradise — and he recited the opening of Sūrat al-Muʾminūn.

Cited toMusnad Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī (graded ḥasan), cited by Ibn Kathīr in the introduction to Sūrat al-Muʾminūn

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

RevelationMiddle Makkan period · Age About 46-48 · Makkah

The Prophet's ﷺ joy at the opening verses

The Prophet ﷺ recognised the ten opening verses as a description of the guaranteed path to Paradise and made duʿāʾ upon receiving them.

Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ

Certainly will the believers have succeeded

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ

They who are during their prayer humbly submissive

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ

And they who turn away from ill speech

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ

And they who guard their private parts

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ

And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive

ٱلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

Who will inherit al-Firdaws; they will abide therein eternally

Cited toMusnad Aḥmad; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat al-Muʾminūn

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 1-11

The ten qualities that guarantee success

Certainly will the believers have succeeded: those who are humble in their prayer, who turn away from ill speech, who pay zakāh, who guard their private parts save from their spouses, who are true to their trusts and covenants, and who carefully maintain their prayers. These are the inheritors who will inherit al-Firdaws, abiding therein eternally.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 23:1-11; Ibn Kathīr on 23:1-2

1

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ

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Certainly will the believers have succeeded

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2

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ

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They who are during their prayer humbly submissive

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3

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ

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And they who turn away from ill speech

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5

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ

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And they who guard their private parts

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8

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ

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And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive

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11

ٱلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

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Who will inherit al-Firdaws; they will abide therein eternally

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From the tafsīr

Khushūʿ in prayer is explained as stillness of the limbs together with presence of the heart; the Prophet ﷺ was seen to look towards the sky during prayer until this verse came down, after which he lowered his gaze.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:1-2

The ten qualities are framed as a complete circle: they begin and end with prayer, showing that ṣalāh both opens and safeguards the believer's character.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 23:1-11

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which of these ten qualities do you find hardest to maintain consistently?

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Question 1 of 2

What is the reward mentioned for those with these ten qualities?

Question 2 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr say khushūʿ in prayer includes?

THEME 02Āyāt 12-14

From clay to a new creation

We created man from an extract of clay, then placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging, then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, then made the clot into a lump, then made the lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, then produced him as another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 23:14; Ibn Kathīr on 23:12-14

12

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍۢ مِّن طِينٍۢ

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And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay

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13

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـٰهُ نُطْفَةًۭ فِى قَرَارٍۢ مَّكِينٍۢ

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Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging

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14

فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ

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So blessed is Allāh, the best of creators

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From the tafsīr

Each stage is named in sequence — nuṭfah, ʿalaqah, muḍghah, then bones clothed with flesh — matching the description given by the Prophet ﷺ of the stages in the womb over forty-day periods.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:12-14

'Another creation' (khalqan ākhar) refers to the ensoulment and the emergence of a being with hearing, sight and reason, entirely distinct from the physical matter it developed from.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī on 23:14

Key takeaways

Reflect

How does reflecting on your own formation in the womb strengthen conviction in the resurrection?

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Question 1 of 2

What does al-Ṭabarī say 'another creation' refers to?

Question 2 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr note about the stages listed in 23:12-14?

THEME 03Āyāt 17-22

Rain, plants, cattle and ships as signs

We sent down rain from the sky in a measured amount and settled it in the earth, and We are able to take it away. With it We produce for you gardens of palms and grapes. In the cattle too is a lesson: We give you to drink from what is in their bellies, and you have many benefits from them, and upon them and upon ships you are carried.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 23:18; Ibn Kathīr on 23:21-22

18

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍۢ

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And We have sent down rain from the sky in a measured amount

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21

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ لَعِبْرَةًۭ

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And indeed, for you in livestock is a lesson

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From the tafsīr

'In a measured amount' (bi-qadar) points to the precise balance of rainfall that sustains life without flooding or drought, a balance only a Wise Planner could maintain continuously.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 23:18

The pairing of cattle and ships shows Allah's provision covering both land and sea transport and sustenance, so that gratitude is owed for the whole of one's livelihood.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:21-22

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which everyday provision do you take most for granted?

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Question 1 of 2

What two means of transport are mentioned together in 23:22?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'bi-qadar' (in a measured amount) describe in 23:18?

THEME 04Āyāt 23-30

Nūḥ's long call and his people's refusal

We sent Nūḥ to his people; he said, worship Allah, you have no deity other than Him. The leaders among his disbelieving people said he was only a man like themselves seeking superiority, and that if Allah willed He would have sent angels. Nūḥ prayed for help, and Allah commanded him to build the ark and to load upon it a pair of every kind, and his family except those already doomed.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 23:27; Ibn Kathīr on 23:23-27

23

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ

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And certainly did We send Nūḥ to his people

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27

فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ٱصْنَعِ ٱلْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا

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So We inspired to him, 'Construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration'

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From the tafsīr

The objection that a messenger is 'only a man like yourselves' is shown as the standard argument every disbelieving nation raised against every prophet, establishing a pattern the Prophet ﷺ himself would face.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:23-27

The command to load two of every kind onto the ark reflects Allah's preservation of life through the means He decrees, even amid a catastrophic decree of destruction.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 23:27

Key takeaways

Reflect

What does Nūḥ's example teach about continuing to call people despite very slow results?

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Question 1 of 2

What did Allah command Nūḥ to load onto the ark?

Question 2 of 2

What objection did the leaders of Nūḥ's people raise against him?

THEME 05Āyāt 51-56

One religion, one Lord, though the ummah split

O messengers, eat from the good things and act righteously. And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me. But they divided their religion among themselves into sects, each faction rejoicing in what it had.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 23:51; Ibn Kathīr on 23:51-53

51

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرُّسُلُ كُلُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًۭا

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O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness

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52

وَإِنَّ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ وَأَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱتَّقُونِ

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And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me

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53

فَتَقَطَّعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ زُبُرًۭا

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But the people divided their religion among them into sects

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From the tafsīr

Addressing 'the messengers' collectively, though they lived across different eras, affirms that all prophets shared the same core religion of tawḥīd, and that sectarian division is a human deviation from that unity, not part of the original message.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:51-53

Linking lawful eating with righteous action teaches that permissible provision is meant to support obedience, not become an end in itself.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 23:51

Key takeaways

Reflect

How can you hold firmly to core principles of tawḥīd while avoiding needless sectarian division?

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Question 1 of 2

According to 23:52, what is described as 'one religion'?

Question 2 of 2

What happened to this unified religion according to 23:53?

THEME 06Āyāt 99-104

The scale on the Day, and those whose scales are light

Until when death comes to one of them, he says: My Lord, send me back that I may do righteousness in what I left behind — but no, it is only a word he speaks. Then when the trumpet is blown, no relations will be among them that Day. And those whose scales are heavy are successful, but those whose scales are light have lost their souls, abiding in Hell forever, the Fire scorching their faces.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 23:102-103; Ibn Kathīr on 23:99-100

99

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ

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Until, when death comes to one of them, he says, 'My Lord, send me back'

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102

فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

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And those whose scales are heavy — it is they who are the successful

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103

وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ

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But those whose scales are light — those are the ones who have lost their souls

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From the tafsīr

The request to be 'sent back' is refused because it is not sincerity but mere regret born of witnessing the truth too late; had they returned, they would repeat their former ways, as stated elsewhere in the Qur'an.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:99-100

The scale (al-mīzān) weighs deeds themselves, not merely their number, so a small deed done with sincerity can outweigh many done carelessly.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 23:102-103

Key takeaways

Reflect

If your deeds were weighed today, what would you want to add before it is too late?

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Question 1 of 2

Why is the dying disbeliever's request to be sent back refused, per Ibn Kathīr?

Question 2 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī say the scale (mīzān) actually weighs?

THEME 07Āyāt 115-118

Did you think We created you uselessly?

Did you think that We created you uselessly and that you would not be returned to Us? So exalted is Allah, the True King; there is no deity except Him. And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof, his account is only with his Lord. Say: My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 23:118; Ibn Kathīr on 23:115

115

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ عَبَثًۭا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ

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Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?

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118

وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ وَٱرْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ

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And say, 'My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful'

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From the tafsīr

The rhetorical question closes the surah by returning to its central proof: purposeful creation implies accountability, so those who deny resurrection are effectively claiming their own creation was meaningless.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 23:115

The surah's final words are a duʿāʾ combining seeking forgiveness and mercy, modelling the posture with which a believer should end reflection on accountability: humility, not despair.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 23:118

Key takeaways

Reflect

How does believing your life has a purpose change your daily choices?

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0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What does the rhetorical question in 23:115 imply?

Question 2 of 2

How does the surah close, according to 23:118?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ف ل ح

āyāt 1

to succeed, prosper

  • أَفْلَحَhe succeeded
  • ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَthe successful
  • فَلَاحsuccess

خ ش ع

āyāt 2

to be humble, submissive

  • خَـٰشِعُونَhumbly submissive
  • خُشُوعhumility, submissiveness

خ ل ق

āyāt 12, 14, 115

to create

  • خَلَقْنَاWe created
  • ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَthe creators
  • خَلْقcreation

ن ط ف

āyāt 13

sperm-drop, small amount of fluid

  • نُطْفَةًۭa sperm-drop
  • نُطَفsperm-drops

ق د ر

āyāt 18

to measure, decree, have power

  • بِقَدَرٍۢin a measured amount
  • قَدِيرAll-Powerful
  • قَدَرdecree

ر س ل

āyāt 23, 51

to send

  • أَرْسَلْنَاWe sent
  • ٱلرُّسُلُthe messengers
  • رِسَالَةmessage

أ م م

āyāt 52

nation, community, mother/origin

  • أُمَّةًۭa nation/community
  • أُمَّة وَٰحِدَةone nation/religion

و ز ن

āyāt 102, 103

to weigh; scale, balance

  • مَوَٰزِينُهُۥhis scales
  • مِيزَانthe scale
  • وَزْنweight

خ س ر

āyāt 103

to lose, be in loss

  • خَسِرُوٓا۟they lost
  • خُسْرَانloss
  • خَاسِرُونَthe losers

ع ب ث

āyāt 115

to act in vain, uselessly

  • عَبَثًۭاuselessly, in vain
  • عَابِثone who acts frivolously

ر ح م

āyāt 118

to have mercy

  • ٱرْحَمْhave mercy
  • ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَthe merciful ones
  • رَحْمَةmercy

ح ف ظ

āyāt 5, 8

to guard, protect

  • حَـٰفِظُونَguardians
  • حِفْظguarding

Carry this with you

  • True success (falāḥ) is defined by humility in prayer, chastity, honesty and trustworthiness, not by worldly status.
  • The staged development of the human being in the womb is presented as direct evidence of a wise, powerful Creator.
  • Every messenger, from Nūḥ onward, faced the same core objection: 'he is only a man like yourselves.'
  • All prophets called to one religion — the worship of the one Lord — though later generations split it into sects.
  • On the Day of Judgement, deeds are genuinely weighed, and lineage or relations will offer no help.
  • Life's purposeful design implies accountability; denying resurrection is inconsistent with acknowledging that design.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

One Lord, one dominion3 movementsThe Hour and the accounting3 movementsProvision, wealth and the tongue that forgets3 movementsThe signs you already walk on3 movementsThe four trials2 movementsPatience while the answer is delayed1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Al-Muʾminūn

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

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Al-Muʾminūn · From clay to a new creation

What does al-Ṭabarī say 'another creation' refers to?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol