Surah An-Nisā’ 4:1
One Soul
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا
Yā ayyuhan-nāsuttaqū rabbakumul-ladhī khalaqakum min nafsin wāḥidatin wa khalaqa minhā zawjahā wa baththa minhumā rijālan kathīran wa nisā’ā, wattaqullāhal-ladhī tasā’alūna bihī wal-arḥām
“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread from the two of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask things of one another, and fear Allah regarding the ties of kinship.”
Context: The opening verse of a Madinan surah, addressed to all of mankind. The rest of the surah sets out duties toward orphans, women, relatives and the vulnerable, grounding every social obligation in one shared origin. The first human was never meant to be alone: his mate was created from him.
Surah Al-Ḥujurāt 49:13
To Know One Another
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ
Yā ayyuhan-nāsu innā khalaqnākum min dhakarin wa unthā wa ja’alnākum shu’ūban wa qabā’ila li-ta’ārafū, inna akramakum ’indallāhi atqākum
“O mankind, We created you from a male and a female, and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most mindful of Him.”
Context: Al-Ḥujurāt is a surah of social conduct. The verses just before it, 49:11–12, forbid mockery, insulting nicknames, suspicion, spying and backbiting, the habits that break connection. Verse 13 then names the purpose of our differences: li-ta’ārafū, so that you may come to know one another.
الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ
Al-muslimu man salimal-muslimūna min lisānihī wa yadihi
“The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.”
Context: Narrated by ’Abdullāh ibn ’Amr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) defined the true Muslim by what other people experience from him, not by private worship alone. Whatever you do in a shared space reaches others, so let what reaches them be safety, not harm.
