mukhliṣīn lahu l-dīn — devoting the judgment to Him alone
مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ
mukhliṣīn lahu l-dīn — purifying/devoting the judgment to Him alone
Across ten verses, the active participle of the IV form of خ-ل-ص regularly attaches to al-dīn with the preposition l- and the pronoun -hu, marking a manner of calling upon or serving Allah. Read together, the occurrences show the phrase tied to two acts — duʿāʾ and ʿibādah — and, in the sea passages, set against what follows the call: a vow in 10:22, joining others with Him after rescue in 29:65, and a divided response in 31:32.
The expression consists of the active participle of verb form IV from the root خ-ل-ص, the noun al-dīn, and the prepositional phrase lahu ("to Him"). In the verses given, the participle is accusative and functions as a description of manner: in seven verses it is plural (mukhliṣīn), describing a group's action, and in three verses in surah 39 it is singular masculine indefinite (mukhliṣan), describing the action of a singular addressee or speaker (39:2, 39:11, 39:14). The noun is the accusative al-dīn in nine verses; in 39:14 it is instead the nominative dīnī, "my judgment," with a first-person singular pronoun. The phrase is attached to two verbs. In six verses it accompanies duʿāʾ, "calling upon": a command in 7:29 and 40:14 and 40:65, and a narrative "they called upon Allah" in the three sea scenes (10:22, 29:65, 31:32). In four verses it accompanies ʿabada, "serve" (39:2, 39:11, 39:14, 98:5). Reading the sea scenes side by side shows a pattern no single verse states on its own: the phrase describes what people do at the point of distress, and the verses then report what happens after rescue — in 29:65 "there they are, joining [others] with Him," and in 31:32 a division in which "among them is one who is balanced" while the rest are characterized as betrayers. In 10:22 the callers themselves vow gratitude. The command verses (7:29, 40:14, 40:65, 39:2, 39:11, 98:5) present the same phrase as an instruction or a stated command, and 39:14 as the speaker's own declaration, so the phrase is not confined to either distress or command contexts alone.
Where it occurs
- 7:29 Describes the manner of the commanded calling upon Him: "purifying the judgment for Him alone."
- 10:22 Describes people in ships at sea calling upon Allah with the phrase, followed by their vow to be grateful if rescued.
- 29:65 Describes those boarding ships calling upon Allah with the phrase; after rescue they join others with Him.
- 31:32 Describes those covered by a wave calling upon Allah with the phrase; after rescue the group divides.
- 39:2 Commands the singular addressee to serve Allah "making the judgment exclusively His."
- 39:11 Reports the speaker's command to serve Allah with the phrase in the singular.
- 39:14 Declares the speaker's own service with the phrase, the noun as dīnī, "my judgment."
- 40:14 Commands calling upon Allah with the phrase, "even if the deniers dislike it."
- 40:65 Grounds the command to call upon Him with the phrase in the statement that He is the Living One.
- 98:5 States that they were commanded to serve Allah with the phrase, as ḥanīfs, alongside establishing the ṣalāh and giving the zakāh.
All Qur'anic expressions