41:26

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَا تَسۡمَعُواْ لِهَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ وَٱلۡغَوۡاْ فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَغۡلِبُونَ

Waqala allatheena kafaroo la tasmaAAoo lihatha alqurani wailghaw feehi laAAallakum taghliboona

And those who disbelieve say, "Do not listen to this Qur'an and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome."

Word by word
  1. وَقَالَAnd said
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. كَفَرُواْdisbelieve
  4. لَا(Do) not
  5. تَسۡمَعُواْlisten
  6. لِهَٰذَاto this
  7. ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِQuran
  8. وَٱلۡغَوۡاْand make noise
  9. فِيهِtherein
  10. لَعَلَّكُمۡso that you may
  11. تَغۡلِبُونَovercome
Fussilat · 41:26Makkah

Do not listen, make noise over it, and you will win.

The strategy of drowning out the Quran


Their plan
do not listen
make noisewhistling over recitation
hoping to
overcome
Two responses to recitation
noiseto drown it out
listen and be silentto receive mercy

Mujahid explained that the Quraysh would whistle and make noise to confuse the Prophet ﷺ when he recited. They feared what would happen if people really heard it. Ibn Kathir says Allah commands the opposite: listen and be silent, that you may receive mercy.

You put on a recitation and leave the TV on, the chat open, the earbuds half in. You do not mean to drown it out, but the noise wins. The Quran was always meant to be heard in silence.

Having the Quran on in the background is enough.

The Quran asks for my silence. Listening fully is where its mercy reaches me.

Try this

Listen to one short surah today with nothing else on, eyes closed if you can.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 41:25)

And We have assigned for them intimate companions (in this world), who have made fair seeming to them, what was before them and what was behind them. And the Word is justified against them as it was justified against those who were among the previous generations of Jinn and men that had passed away before them. Indeed they (all) were the losers (25)And those who disbelieve say: "Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome. (26)But surely, We shall cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe torment, and certainly, We shall requite them the worst of what they used to do (27)That is the recompense of the enemies of Allah: the Fire. Therein will be for them the eternal home, a recompense for that they used to deny Our Ayat (28)And those who disbelieve will say: "Our Lord! Show us those among Jinn and men who led us astray, that we may crush them under our feet so that they become the lowest. (29)

The intimate Companions of the Idolators make Evil Actions attractive to Them

Allah tells us that He is the One Who send the idolators astray,and that this happens with His will and decree.He is the All-Wise in His actions, when He appoints for them close companions from among the devils of man and jinn

فَزَيَّنُوا لَهُمْ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ

(who have made fair seeming to them, what was before them and what was behind them.) means, they made their deeds attractive to them in the past. As far as the future is concerned, they only see themselves as doing good, as Allah says:

وَمَنْ يَعْشُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ - وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ

(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him. And verily, they hinder them from the path, but they think that they are guided aright!)(43:36-37)

 وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ

(And the Word is justified against them) means, the Word of torment, just as it was justified against the nations of the past who did what they did, men and Jinn alike.

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا خَاسِرِينَ

(Indeed they (all) were the losers.) means, they are all equal in terms of loss and being doomed.

How the disbelievers advised One Another not to listen to the Qur'an, and the Recompense for that

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ

(And those who disbelieve say: "Listen not to this Qur'an...") means, they advised one another not to pay heed to the Qur'an or obey its commands.

وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ

(and make noise in the midst of its) means, when it is recited, do not listen to it. This was the view of Mujahid. "And make noise in the midst of its (recitation)" means whistling and trying to make the Messenger of Allah ﷺ confused when he recited Qur'an, which is what the Quraysh did.

لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ

(that you may overcome.) means, this is the practice of these ignorant disbelievers and those who follow in their footsteps, when they hear the Qur'an. Allah commanded us to be different from that, and said:

وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

(So, when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy.)(7:204). Then Allah says:

فَلَنُذِيقَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا

(But surely, We shall cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe torment,) meaning, in return for what they do when they hear the Qur'an.

وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ 

(and certainly, We shall requite them the worst of what they used to do.) means, for their evil deeds.

ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ أَعْدَاءِ اللَّهِ النَّارُ ۖ لَهُمْ فِيهَا دَارُ الْخُلْدِ ۖ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا رَبَّنَا أَرِنَا اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّانَا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ نَجْعَلْهُمَا تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا لِيَكُونَا مِنَ الْأَسْفَلِينَ

(That is the recompense of the enemies of Allah: the Fire. Therein will be for them the eternal home, a recompense for that they used to deny Our Ayat. And those who disbelieve will say: "Our Lord! Show us those among Jinn and men who led us astray, that we may crush them under our feet so that they become the lowest.") It was reported that 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, concerning the phrase,

اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّانَا

(those who led us astray): "Iblis and the son of Adam who killed his brother." As-Suddi reported that 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said; "Iblis is followed by everyone who commits Shirk and the son of Adam is followed by everyone who commits a major sin. So Iblis is the one who calls people to every evil thing, such as Shirk and lesser sins." As for the first son of Adam, it is as confirmed in the Hadith:

مَا قُتِلَتْ نَفْسٌ ظُلْمًا إِلَّا كَانَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ الْأَوَّلِ كِفْلٌ مِنْ دَمِهَا،لِأَنَّهُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ سَنَّ الْقَتْلَ

(No soul is wrongfully killed, but a share of the burden [of that sin] will be upon the first son of Adam, because he was the first one who set the precedent of killing another.)

 نَجْعَلْهُمَا تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا

(that we may crush them under our feet) means, 'make them beneath us in the torment, so that they will be punished more severely than us.'

لِيَكُونَا مِنَ الْأَسْفَلِينَ

(so that they become the lowest.) means, in the lowest level of Hell, as already mentioned in Al-A'raf, where the followers ask Allah to multiply the torment for their leaders:

قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَٰكِنْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

((Allah) said: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.")(7:38) i.e., Allah will give each of them the torment and punishment they deserve for their deeds. This is like the Ayah:

الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يُفْسِدُونَ

(Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment because they used to spread corruption.)(16:88).