66:10 Allah sets
forth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of
Lot; they were under two of Our righteous slaves, but they betrayed them. So,
they availed them nothing against Allah, and it said, ‘Enter the Fire with
those who enter.’
66:11 And Allah sets
forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said, ‘My
Lord, build for me with You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and
his work, and save me from the wrongdoing people.’
66:12 And Mary, the daughter
of Imran, who guarded her chastity, and We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and
she believed in the words of her Lord, and His Books, and she was of the
obedient.
Relationship
with the Previous Part
In the previous part, Allah, Exalted be
He, urges the believers to turn to Him in sincere repentance and strive hard
against the enemies of Islam and Muslims. Then, Allah, Exalted be He, mentions
examples of disbelieving and believing women to demonstrate the condition of
each group. The disbelievers among them will be punished, while the believers
will be immensely rewarded.
Tafsir
66:10 Allah sets
forth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of
Lot; they were under two of Our righteous slaves, but they betrayed them. So,
they availed them nothing against Allah, and it said, ‘Enter the Fire with
those who enter.’
An example is set forth to illustrate a
strange case by clarifying another case similar to it in strangeness.
Reflecting on the Quran, one finds that
it sets forth many examples because they bring concepts home, clarify unusual
ideas, and establish similarities between what is understood intellectually and
what is perceived physically, thereby firmly establishing concepts in people's
minds.
66:10 Allah sets
forth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of
Lot; they were under two of Our righteous slaves, but they betrayed them.
Allah, Exalted be He, sets forth an
example for those who disbelieve to show that no one can avail another person;
rather, the only things that avail a person are sincere belief in the Oneness
of Allah and performance of righteous deeds for His sake.
The wife of Prophet Noah and the wife
of Prophet Lot, however, committed evil acts that were contrary to their
relationship with those two noble Prophets of Allah.
They were under two
of Our righteous slaves, but they betrayed them.
“Under,” in the context of this Ayah,
means that they were the wives of two righteous slaves of Allah, namely,
Prophet Noah and Prophet Lot.
“Betrayal,” in the context of this
Ayah, means that these two wives committed evil acts that were inconsistent
with the high rank of their husbands. First, they both disbelieved in the
Oneness of Allah. Second, the wife of Prophet Noah revealed his secrets to his
people and told them that he was mad. Third, the wife of Prophet Lot told his
people about his guests so that they could commit the horrible act of
homosexuality with them.
So, they availed them
nothing against Allah, and it said, ‘Enter the Fire with those who enter.’
This part of the Ayah shows the evil
consequence of their betrayal. Although these two women were the wives of two
noble Prophets of Allah, namely, Prophet Noah and Prophet Lot, their husbands
could avail them nothing against the severe punishment of Allah. On the Day of
Judgment, they will enter Hell and suffer its painful torment alongside those
among the disbelievers and wrongdoers who enter it.
66:11 And Allah sets
forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said, ‘My
Lord, build for me with You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and
his work, and save me from the wrongdoing people.’
In the following two Ayat, Allah,
Exalted be He, sets forth two examples for those who believe in the Oneness of
Allah. This accords with the unique style of the Quran, which mentions
something and then presents its opposite to establish facts and clarify
concepts.
Allah, Exalted be He, mentions the wife
of Pharaoh as an example for those who believe in the Oneness of Allah. The
wife of Pharaoh, Asiya bint Muzahim, lived in a disbelieving household as the
wife of one of the most unjust rulers on earth and was surrounded by the
dazzling pleasures of this worldly life. Nevertheless, she willingly chose to
follow the truth and turn away from falsehood. Asiya disbelieved in all her
husband’s false claims and believed in the Oneness of Allah, although she was
certain that she would pay a costly price for her choice.
The wife of Pharaoh, who claimed to be
a god, believed in the message that Prophet Moses brought from Allah and became
one of the believers. Her relationship with a disbeliever did not harm her in
the least. Rather, her belief in the Oneness of Allah saved her from Hell and
enabled her, by the bounty and mercy of Allah, to enter Paradise with the
believers.
She said, ‘My Lord,
build for me with You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his
work, and save me from the wrongdoing people.’
The wife of Pharaoh said, “My Lord,
build for me with You a house in Paradise wherein no one can act except by Your
leave. O my Lord, save me from Pharaoh, his evil deed of disbelieving in Your
Oneness, and wrongdoing, and save me from the wrongdoing people, who help
Pharaoh to achieve his hideous goals.”
The prayer of Asiya illustrates the
most sublime courtesy. She invoked Allah to compensate her with a house in
Paradise for her house with Pharaoh. This invocation reveals that Pharaoh and
his people abused her and threatened her in order to make her renounce her
belief in the Oneness of Allah. However, she remained firm and endured all
hardship with patience for the sake of Allah. This made her story one that will
be recorded in a Book that will be constantly recited until the Day of
Judgment: the Quran.
66:12 And Mary, the
daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, and We breathed into her of Our
Spirit, and she believed in the words of her Lord, and His Books, and she was
of the obedient.
The second example for those who
believe, mentioned in Surah At-Tahrim, is Mary, the daughter of Imran. She
guarded her chastity and distanced herself from all forms of obscenity. She
dedicated her life to the worship of Allah.
And We breathed into
her of Our Spirit, and she believed in the words of her Lord, and His Books, and
she was of the obedient.
Allah, Exalted be He, sent the angel
Gabriel, who breathed into her; thereupon, she conceived Prophet Jesus, peace
be upon him. Moreover, Mary believed in the words of Allah and in what He
commanded her to do. She also believed in Allah’s Books and was one of the
obedient slaves of Allah.
The
Learned Lessons from Surah At-Tahrim Ayah 10–12
- Kinship will not avail anyone in
the Hereafter. Rather, belief in the Oneness of Allah and righteous deeds
performed for Allah’s sake save a person from Hell and its severe
punishment, by the will and bounty of Allah.
- Mixing and having relationships
with disbelievers do not harm a person as long as there is firm belief in
the Oneness of Allah and adherence to His path.
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