Tafsir of Surah At-Tahrim Ayah 6–9 Invitation to Sincere Repentance

 

66:6 O you who believe protect yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh strong angels who disobey not Allah in what He commands them, and do what they are commanded.

66:7 O you who disbelieve, make no excuses today; you shall only be recompensed for what you used to do.

66:8 O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance that your Lord may acquit you of your sins, and admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow on the Day Allah shall not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him, their light shall be moving before them and on their right sides. They shall say, ‘Our Lord, make perfect our light for us and forgive us. Indeed, You are able over all things.

66:9 O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh with them; their abode shall be Hell. What an evil end!

Relationship with the Previous Part

The Prophet’s wives were commanded to repent to Allah of their sins and warned against annoying Messenger Muhammad in the previous part of Surah At-Tahrim. Then, the believers are commanded to abide by some advice and admonitions. The first of these is to protect themselves and their families from the punishment of Hell by performing righteous deeds for the sake of Allah and avoiding sins. Then, Surah At-Tahrim mentions what the disbelievers will be told when they enter Hell on the Day of Judgment.

Moreover, the believers are commanded to fight against the enemies of Islam and Muslims using the proper method and manner, which vary according to circumstances and situations.

Tafsir

66:6 O you who believe protect yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh strong angels who disobey not Allah in what He commands them, and do what they are commanded.

O you who believe in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, protect yourselves and your families against the punishment of Hell. You can shield yourselves and your families against the severe punishment of Hell by obeying the commands of Allah, avoiding His prohibitions, and performing righteous deeds for the sake of Allah. Indeed, the punishment of Hell is severe, and its fuel will be men and stones.

Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “[66:6 O you who believe protect yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones…] You can protect your family from the punishment of Hell by commanding them to obey the commands of Allah, avoid His prohibitions, take care of them in the manner that pleases Allah, and help them to comply with the commands of Allah. If they should disobey Allah, you should reprimand and censure them.’[1]

And over which are harsh strong angels who disobey not Allah in what He commands them, and do what they are commanded.

The keepers of Hell are strong angels who never disobey the commands of Allah, and they do as they are commanded.

66:7 O you who disbelieve, make no excuses today; you shall only be recompensed for what you used to do.

Those who denied the Oneness of Allah and disbelieved in His Messengers and Prophets will face the evil consequences of their disbelief on the Day of Judgment.

On this day, rebuking and criticizing them, it will be said to them, ‘O you who disbelieve, do not make any excuse for your disbelief in the Oneness of Allah and His Messengers and Prophets. Do not say that Allah did not send you Prophets or Messengers. Do not say that so-and-so made us go astray. Do not say that we were not disbelievers. All these excuses will not benefit, nor save you from the severe punishment that Allah has prepared for those who disbelieve in His Oneness and His Prophets and Messengers. O disbelievers, you shall only be recompensed for what you used to do in the worldly life. You will be recompensed for your insistence on following the path of misguidance until dying in such a state.’

The intended meaning is that the worldly life is the home of performing deeds, and the Hereafter is the home of recompense. Whoever plants righteous deeds in the worldly life will reap tasty fruits in the Hereafter, and whoever grows awful plants in the worldly life, namely, evil deeds, will reap awful fruits in the Hereafter. In other words, you reap what you sow.

66:8 O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance that your Lord may acquit you of your sins, and admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow on the Day Allah shall not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him, their light shall be moving before them and on their right sides. They shall say, ‘Our Lord, make perfect our light for us and forgive us. Indeed, You are able over all things.

In this Ayah, Allah, Exalted be He, guides the believers to what helps them avoid Hell and its severe punishment.

Repentance means showing regret for sinning. It is a fundamental change of the mind, the heart, and the action that makes one turn away from sinning to seeking forgiveness from Allah.

66:8 O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance…

O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance by asking Allah for forgiveness, refraining from sinning, and making a solemn intention not to re-sin in the future as much as you can.

66:8 O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance that your Lord may acquit you of your sins, and admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow…

O you who believe in Allah and His Messenger, turn to Allah in sincere repentance by regretting all your past sins and determining not to disobey Allah in the future as much as you can until you die. If you do so, Allah will acquit you of your sins and forgive you. He will admit you into gardens, and rivers flow underneath their trees.

On the Day Allah shall not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him, their light shall be moving before them and on their right sides. They shall say, ‘Our Lord, make perfect our light for us and forgive us. Indeed, You are able over all things.

On the Day of Judgment, Allah will admit the believers into gardens underneath which rivers flow. On that day, Allah shall not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him and will save them from the fire of Hell and humiliation. Their light shall be moving before them and on their right sides. Praising and thanking Allah while passing the bridge, they will say, ‘Our Lord, make perfect our light for us, and forgive us our sins. Indeed, You are able over all things.’

66:9 O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh with them; their abode shall be Hell. What an evil end!

Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded His Prophet Muhammad, and the Muslims are included in this command, as he is their leader.

O noble Prophet Muhammad and the believers with you, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and treat them harshly so that they fear you and the believers. The truth should have power to protect it from the conspiracy of its enemies. Thus, you and the believers should strive hard against the enemies of Islam until the truth rises high above falsehood.

Their abode shall be Hell. What an evil end!

The abode of the disbelievers and the hypocrites shall be Hell on the Day of Judgment, which is an evil end.

The Learned Lessons from Surah At-Tahrim Ayah 6–9

• Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded the believers to protect themselves against the severe punishment of Hell by obeying the commands of Allah, avoiding His prohibitions, and performing righteous deeds for His sake.
• Hell will be the abode of the disbelievers, wherein they shall suffer severe punishment. Hell is guarded by strong angels who obey the commands of Allah and never disobey Him.
• Repentance nor excuses will not be accepted from the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment. They will be recompensed according to the deeds that they did in the worldly life.
• Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded the believers to turn to Him in sincere repentance by asking Allah for forgiveness, refraining from sinning, and making a solemn intention not to re-sin in the future as much as they can.
• Allah, Exalted be He, accepts sincere repentance and forgives the sins of those who turn to Him in repentance and ask His forgiveness.
• On the Day of Judgment, the believers will pass over the bridge that is over Hell, and their light will be before them and on their right sides. They will invoke Allah to make their light perfect for them and forgive their sins.
• Allah, Exalted be He, will admit the believers into gardens underneath which rivers flow, and they will enjoy lasting happiness therein.
• Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded Prophet Muhammad and the believers to strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites using the appropriate method at the proper time.

 

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[1] Jama Al-Bayan, 104/23.

Tafsir of Surah At-Tahrim Ayah 1–5 Some Conditions of the Prophet’s Wives

 

66:1 O Prophet, why do you forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

66:2 Allah has ordained for you the expiation of your oaths and Allah is your Guardian, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

66:3 And when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a certain matter, and when she revealed it, and Allah disclosed that to him, he made known some of it and turned aside from some of it. And when he told her about it, she said, ‘Who told you about it?’ He said, ‘ I was told about it by the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.’

66:4 If you both repent to Allah, as your hearts have deviated, and if you support one another against him, verily, Allah is his Guardian, Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, and angels are thereafter are supporters.

66:5 It may be that if he divorces you, his Lord will give him instead of you wives, who are better than you, women, who are submissive, believing, pious, repentant, devout, fasting, and who have been previously married and virgins.

Tafsir

66:1 66:1 O Prophet, why do you forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

The scholars have different opinions as to what was the lawful thing that Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] made prohibited for himself.

Some scholars say that Prophet Muhammad vowed not to have a sexual relationship with his slave girl to please his wife Hafsa, daughter of Umar, as she was jealous when she learned that Prophet Muhammad had a sexual relationship with his slave girl on her day and in her room. Other scholars say that Prophet Muhammad vowed not to drink honey.

Zayd Bin Aslam reported that Messenger Muhammad had a sexual relationship with his slave girl, Maria, the Copt, the mother of his son Ibrahim, in the house of one of his wives. The Prophet’s wife said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you did such an act in my house and on my bed!’ Thus, he made his slave girl prohibited for himself.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, ‘Messenger Muhammad used to drink honey when he stayed in the house of his wife Zainab Bint Jahsh. Thus, I and Hafsa decided to say to him whenever he would come to any of them, ‘I perceive the odor of unpleasant thing from you.’ Prophet Muhammad said, ‘No, but I drank honey at the house of Zainab Bint Jahsh. I will not drink it again; I have vowed not to do so. Do not tell anyone about this matter.’

After mentioning narrations related to this Ayah, Imam Muhammad Bin Jarir At-Tabari wrote, ‘The correct opinion about this matter is that Messenger Muhammad made a lawful thing prohibited for himself. I might be his slave girl, something that he used to drink, or another thing. When Messenger Muhammad made a lawful thing prohibited for himself, Allah, Exalted be He, reproached him and taught him how to expiate for his oath.’

66:1 O Prophet, why do you forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

O noble Prophet Muhammad, why do you forbid yourself something that Allah has made lawful to you, whether it is a drink or another thing? Did you do so to please your wives?

You should not have done such a thing since it is impermissible to prohibit a lawful matter and exhaust yourself to please other people.

And Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

This is a consolation to Prophet Muhammad to remove whatever negative effect he might experience when he was reproached.

O noble Prophet Muhammad, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful. Allah, out of His mercy and generosity, has forgiven you for what you did due to the conduct of some of your wives.

66:2 Allah has ordained for you the expiation of your oaths and Allah is your Guardian, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O believers, Allah has ordained for you the expiation of your oaths by offering atonement for them. Allah is your Guardian, Who takes care of all your affairs and supports and helps you. Allah is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. He knows all your deeds and statements, and He manages all your affairs wisely.

66:3 And when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a certain matter, and when she revealed it, and Allah disclosed that to him, he made known some of it and turned aside from some of it. And when he told her about it, she said, ‘Who told you about it?’ He said, ‘ I was told about it by the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.’

Prophet Muhammad confided a certain matter to one of his wives, and this wife revealed that matter to another wife of the Prophet, though Prophet Muhammad had asked her not to reveal it. Allah, Exalted be He, disclosed to His Prophet Muhammad and told him that his wife had revealed the matter that he had asked her to conceal.

He made known some of it and turned aside from some of it.

When Prophet Muhammad talked with his wife about the matter that she had revealed, he made known some of it and turned aside from some of it. He did not tell her all the details that she had revealed, as he was endowed with high moral characteristics that made him avoid embarrassing her. He only told her some of what she had revealed to draw her attention to the mistake that she had made and to remind her that she should preserve his secret and not tell anyone about it.

And when he told her about it, she said, ‘Who told you about it?’ He said, ‘ I was told about it by the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.’

When the Prophet told his wife the matter that she had revealed, she asked him, ‘Who told you about it?’ Prophet Muhammad said, ‘Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, told me about the matter.’

Verily, Allah knows all the conditions of His slaves, and He knows all their deeds and statements. Nothing of their affairs is hidden from Him, Exalted be He.

It is worth mentioning the learned lesson from this Ayah, namely, that every sane person should keep the secrets that he is asked to preserve. He must not reveal them, even to a limited number of people. He should remember that Allah knows all things and that nothing is hidden from His perfect knowledge.

66:4 If you both repent to Allah, as your hearts have deviated, and if you support one another against him, verily, Allah is his Guardian, Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, and angels are thereafter are supporters.

In this Ayah, Allah, Exalted be He, addressed the Prophet’s wives, namely, Ashia and Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with them. He commanded them to repent to Him.

If you both repent to Allah, as you have done what necessitates repentance and your hearts have deviated from the proper method of conduct towards Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him], you should have kept his secret, cared for the Prophet’s comfort, and respected all his conduct.

And if you support one another against him, verily, Allah is his Guardian, Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, and angels are thereafter are supporters.

And if you support one another against him…

The wives of Messenger Muhammad who revealed his secret were Aisha and Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with them. Abdullah Bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he asked Umar Bin Al-Khattab about the two wives of Messenger Muhammad to whom the following Ayah refers: [66:4 If you both repent to Allah, as your hearts have deviated, and if you support one another against him…]. Umar said that they were Ashia and Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with them.

Addressing the two wives of Messenger Muhammad, Allah, Exalted be He, says that if you support one another against Messenger Muhammad by doing what annoys and angers him, he will surely find the best supporter. Indeed, Allah is the Guardian of Messenger Muhammad, and He will support and help him. Likewise, the angel Gabriel will help and support him against whoever may annoy or anger him, as will the righteous among the believers, who are his supporters and helpers. The angels are thereafter supporters of Messenger Muhammad.

This Ayah mentions the strongest types of support and help for Messenger Muhammad, which indicates the sublime rank of Messenger Muhammad with his Lord, Allah, Exalted be He. Moreover, it alludes to the fact that whoever tries to anger Messenger Muhammad does not belong to the righteous believers.

The angel Gabriel is mentioned first in the Ayah to highlight his superior rank among the angels, as he is entrusted with bringing the divine revelation to Allah’s Prophets and Messengers.

66:5 It may be that if he divorces you, his Lord will give him instead of you wives, who are better than you, women, who are submissive, believing, pious, repentant, devout, fasting, and who have been previously married and virgins.

[66:5 It may be that…]

May is used to express possibility; however, in the context of this Ayah, it expresses a fact since Allah, Exalted be He, issued the statement.

It was reported that this Ayah was revealed to warn the Prophet’s wives when they were jointly jealous concerning him. Umar Bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘The Messenger’s wives were jointly jealous concerning him, so I said to them, ‘It may be that if he divorces you, his Lord will give him instead of you wives, who are better than you.’ Thereafter, a divine revelation confirming this statement.’

If Messenger Muhammad divorces his wives, with Allah’s will and leave, Allah will give him instead of them other wives who are better and possess sublime characters. They shall be submissive and obedient to Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, believing in all that Prophet Muhammad brings from his Lord, Allah, and pious, revering Allah’s commands and fulfilling their religious obligations. They shall also be constantly repentant of sins and evil acts, devout worshippers, and fasting for the sake of Allah. Moreover, those wives shall have been previously married and virgins.

Contemplating this Ayah, one finds that it portrays an aspect of the Prophet’s life with his wives to bring home some lessons. Some of these are that Allah honored His Prophet Muhammad and guided him to what was best concerning how to treat his wives, warning the Prophet’s wives against annoying and angering Messenger Muhammad, and teaching the believers, at all times and places, how good relationships between men and women should be.

The Learned Lessons from Surah At-Tahrim Ayah 1–5

• Allah, Exalted be He, reproached His beloved Prophet Muhammad when he refrained from consuming what Allah made lawful. It is impermissible to make a lawful matter forbidden. This reproach clearly confirms that the Quran is divine revelation, since it is impossible that one would reproach himself or reveal a personal affair that took place within his household.
• If one swears not to do something, he can atone for his oath by offering certain expiation specified by Islamic law.
• Women usually have unreasonable jealousy that leads them to have strange attitudes.
• Women are usually unable to preserve secrets.
• Man often forgets that Allah knows all his affairs, so he unconsciously does things that he may regret in the future.
• The noble Quran provides teachings, discipline, and refinement. Therefore, Allah, Exalted be He, urged Ashia and Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with them, to repent as they did what displeased Messenger Muhammad.
• Ashia and Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with them, were warned against supporting one another against Prophet Muhammad. They were advised not to do so, as Allah is His Guardian and Protector, as well as the angel Gabriel, the angels, and the righteous among the believers.