SURAH (66) AT-TAHRIM (AYA 1 to 12)

Sura (66) AT-TAHRIM (The Prohibition) Aya 1 to 12 in 2 Sections

Revealed at Madina

SECTION 1

Warning to Prophet’s wives

The mischevious ones of the Prophet’s wives warned---The guards of the Prophet

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ ۖ تَبْتَغِي مَرْضَاتَ أَزْوَاجِكَ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {66:1}

[Q66:1] Yaaa ayyuhan nabiyyu lima tuharrimu maaa ahallaL Laahu laka tabtaghee mardaata azwaajik; waLLaahu ghafoorur raheem. 
[Q66:1] O Prophet! Why do you forbid (yourself) that which ALLAH (SwT) has made lawful for you; you seek to please your wives; and ALLAH (SwT) is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Q66:1] Wahai Nabi! Mengapa engkau haramkan (dengan bersumpah menyekat dirimu daripada menikmati) apa yang dihalalkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) bagimu, (kerana) engkau hendak mencari keredaan isteri-isterimu? (Dalam pada itu, ALLAH (SwT) ampunkan kesilapanmu itu) dan ALLAH (SwT) sememangnya Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani.

IT IS A HISTORIC FACT THAT UNTIL LADY KHADIJA WAS ALIVE THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) DID NOT TAKE ANY OTHER WIFE.

ä  A-isha was not the choice of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) BUT it was the acceptance of the offer from Abu-Bakr, who aspired for the honour of being the father-in-law of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad). History gives the details as to how A-isha was offered by her father.

ä  And as none could accept the hand of Hafsa, the daughter of Umar, in a wedlock, the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) just to please Umar, had to accept her for himself. This is also a historical fact.

ä  Besides these two there were the other wives who had entered the household of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), of their own accord to have the honour of being his consorts.

A-isha and Hafsa who thought themselves to be superior to the others, had combined into a secret alliance, discussed matters insulting the other wives and disclosed secrets to each other. The conduct of these two of his wives worried the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) very much.

AS A PREFACE TO THIS SURAH refer to and study carefully the commentary of Ahzab 33:28 to 32, 33, 34, 35 in which the character pattern of the two wives referred to in this surah, A-isha and Hafsa, has been discussed in the light of the traditions reported by Bukhari and other well known Muslim scholars.

î   The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) used to drink a glass of honey-syrup whenever he visited the apartment of Zaynab. A-isha and Hafsa became resentful, and A-isha devised a plot.

î   Knowing the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)'s dislike of unpleasant smells she (A-isha) held her nose when he came to her apartment after drinking a glass of honey-syrup prepared by Zaynab, and accused him of having eaten the produce of a very ill-smelling tree.

î   When she accused him of having eaten maghafir (a nauseating herb) the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) said that he had taken only honey. She said: "The bees had fed on maghafir."

î   When he visited Hafsa she also acted just like A-isha. Displeased with their obnoxious behaviour the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) vowed not to eat honey any more.

This is recorded by Bukhari in his commentary on Tahrim, in his Sahih, Vol. 3.

In the same place are recorded several traditions as related by Umar bin Khattab stating that the two women, A-isha and Hafsa were insolent and haughty towards the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).

ON a day assigned to Hafsa, when she was not found in her apartment as she went to her parent's house, the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) spent the night with Marya, the coptic girl, presented to him by the ruler of Egypt, who became the mother of his son, Ibrahim. To calm the quarrelsome bad temper of Hafsa he vowed that he would have no more to do with Marya.

THE WIVES OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) WERE EXPECTED TO SHOW A HIGHER STANDARD IN BEHAVIOUR, AS THEY WERE IN THE COMPANY OF THE SUPERIOR MOST TEACHER OF MANNERS, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND ETIQUETTE.

Ü  The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)'s mind was sorely distressed by the obnoxious behaviour of A-isha and Hafsa AND he renounced the society of his wives for one month.

VERSE 1: WAS REVEALED TO SAY THAT AS ALLAH (SWT) HAS ALLOWED HIM **HONEY AND **MARYA, HE DID NOT HAVE TO FORSAKE ANY OF THEM.

±  If any vow prevents from doing good or acting rightly one should expiate the vow, but not refrain from doing good deeds.

**For the expiation of oaths and vows see commentary of Ma-idah 5:89, AND

**For the vain oaths and vows Baqarah 2:225.

VERSES 3 TO 5 refer:

To A-isha and Hafsa who were envious and jealous to the point of sickness against the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)'s refined and high-minded wives.

    i.            ONCE Hafsa came to know about a very personal matter concerning the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) which he thought should not be made public, therefore he asked her not to publish it.

   ii.            BUT she (Hafsa) at once rushed to her friend A-isha and whispered to her a version which was in great part untrue. Hafsa who betrayed confidence and A-isha who encouraged the betrayal were commanded to turn in repentance to ALLAH (SWT).

IF THEY WERE TO RESIST REPENTANCE AND AMENDS, THEY WOULD BE ABETTING EACH OTHER'S CRIME but could not harm the most perfect messenger of ALLAH (SWT) whom all the spiritual forces always surrounded to protect from every type of slander and falsehood. Please refer to Kanz al Ummal, vol. 6 and Ibn Sad's Tabaqat, vol.8, p. 115.

©  ‘Salihul muminin’, "the (most) righteous among the believers" refers to Imam Ali according to Tafsir Durr al Manthur by Jalal al Din al Suyuti, Tafsir al Husayni, Kamaluddin Husayn Kashifi and Hayat ul Awliya.

TO MAKE A VOW TO DO A THING WHICH ONE HAS THE OPTION TO DO OR NOT TO DO IS PERMISSIBLE IN ISLAM IF THERE IS GOOD IN IT. A husband can accommodate his wife's legitimate desires to a reasonable extent. Ma-idah 5:89 gives details of expiation for cancelling the oath.

v  The recommendation in VERSE 2 to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) to dissolve his oath is put forward in view of the insolent behaviour of A-isha and Hafsa described in VERSE 3. The tone of the first two verses is like Bara-at 9:43 wherein hypocrites have been blamed for falsehood.

THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAD DISCRETIONARY POWER TO DIVORCE ANY OR ALL HIS WIVES, AND IF HE DID SO ALLAH (SWT) WOULD GIVE HIM GOOD WOMEN AS HIS WIVES IN PLACE OF THE EXISTING WIVES, who were, in view of VERSE 5, ordinary women harbouring envy, jealousy, and ill-will against others; particularly A-isha's hostility towards Ali Ibn Abi Talib has been recorded by all the well known historians. At last she led an army of insurgents against him in the battle of Jamal. See details of this battle in the Early History of Islam by Dr. Safdar Husain.

Ë  At that time there were better women of character and integrity than the wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad). The evil demonstrated by the two has been described as sufficient transgression to be condemned to the fire of hell; so the believing and obedient wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) are warned to save themselves from a fire whose fuel is men and stones as stated in Baqarah 2:24.

When VERSE 6 OF THIS SURAH was recited by the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) a man stood up and said: "I try my best to make the members of my family follow the commands of ALLAH (SWT), do good and avoid evil, but my advice falls on deaf ears and they-do not obey."

The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) said:

"Blessed is he who teaches righteousness and the commands of ALLAH (SwT) to his family. If they do not listen to you, they shall be the fuel of the fire. You are safe because you have done your duty."

Ë  It is written in Minhajus Sadiqin that: when those who have done good deeds and believed in ALLAH (SWT) will be rewarded on the Day of Judgment, they will pray to ALLAH (SWT) to bless him more and give him more reward who taught them the true teachings of ALLAH (SWT), His Prophet and Ahlul Bayt had showed them how to follow them in letter and spirit. Reverse will be the fate of those heads of the families who did not do their duty to their families. All of them will be the fuel of the fire. The punishment the disbelievers will undergo is the result of their disbelief and evil deeds. It is the fruit of their own misdeeds, the result of their own deliberate choice.

Irrespective of the stories narrated by the commentators in connection with the revelation of this Surah (Chapter) and particularly the four verses. The points to be noted as inferred by the context: -

(1)     That to make a vow to do certain thing which legally one has the opinion to do it, is allowed according to Islam, provided there is some advantage in it which makes the oath reasonable.

(2)     It is commendable for a husband to have regard for his wife’s or wives’ pleasure and comfort to a reasonable extent.

(3)     Qur’an in verse 5:89 makes a provision for the expiation of such oaths.

THEREFORE there was no point in blaming the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) for taking such oaths in order to please his wives. On the contrary the recommendation in VERSE 2 that the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) expiate the oath and the context of the subsequent Verses shows the blame is really directed to the wives who had gone so far to betray the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) trust in them and to conspire against him. The tone of the first verse addressed to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), is the same as in verse 9:43 wherein the blame is really directed to the hypocrites AND **THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING BLAMEABLE. **HE HAD DONE WHAT HE WAS ALLOWED BY ALLAH (SWT) TO DO.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:1) O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you? *1 Is it to please your wives? *2 Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Compassionate. *3

*1 This is not, in fact, a question but an expression of disapproval. THE OBJECT IS NOT TO ASK THE HOLY PROPHET (UPON WHOM BE ALLAH'S PEACE) WHY HE HAD DONE SO, BUT TO WARN HIM THAT HIS ACT TO MAKE UNLAWFUL FOR HIMSELF WHAT ALLAH HAD MADE LAWFUL IS NOT APPROVED BY ALLAH. This by itself gives the meaning that nobody has the power to make unlawful what Allah has made lawful; so much so that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) himself also did not possess any such power. Although the Holy Prophet did not regard this as unlawful as a matter of faith nor legally but only forbade himself its use, yet since he was not an ordinary man but Allah's Messenger, and his forbidding himself something could have the effect that his followers too would have regarded it as forbidden, or at least reprehensible, or the people of his community might have thought that there was no harm in forbidding oneself something his AIIah had made lawful, Allah pointed it out to him and commanded him to refrain from such prohibition. 
*2 This shows that in this case the Holy Prophet had not made a lawful thing unlawful because of a personal desire but because his wives had wanted him to do so, and he had made it unlawful for himself only in order to please them. HERE, THE QUESTION ARISES: why has Allah particularly made mention of the cause of making the thing unlawful besides pointing out the act of prohibition? Obviously, if the object had been to make him refrain from making a lawful thing unlawful, this could be fulfilled by the first sentences and there was no need that the motive of the act also should have been stated. Making mention of it in particular clearly shows that the object was not to check the Holy Prophet only for making a lawful thing unlawful, but along with that to warn the holy wives also to the effect that in their capacity as the Prophet's wives they had not understood their delicate responsibilities and had made the Holy Prophet do a thing which could lead to making a lawful thing unlawful.
ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT BEEN MENTIONED IN THE QUR'AN AS TO WHAT IT WAS THAT THE HOLY PROPHET HAD FORBIDDEN HIMSELF YET THE TRADITIONISTS AND COMMENTATORS HAVE MENTIONED IN THIS REGARD TWO DIFFERENT INCIDENTS, WHICH OCCASIONED THE REVELATION OF THIS VERSE. ONE OF THESE RELATES TO HADRAT MARIYAH QIBIYYAH (MARY, THE COPT LADY) AND THE OTHER TO HIS FORBIDDING HIMSELF THE USE OF HONEY.
The incident relating to Hadrat Mariyah is that after concluding the peace treaty of Hudaibiyah one of the letters that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) sent to the rulers of the adjoining countries was addressed to the Roman Patriarch of Alexandria also, whom the Arabs called Muqawqis. When Hadrat Hatib bin Abi Balta took this letter to him, he did not embrace Islam but received him well, and in reply wrote: "I know that a Prophet is yet to rise, but I think he will appear in Syria. However, I have treated your messenger with due honour, and am sending two slave-girls to you, who command respect among the Coptics." (Ibn Sa'd). One of those slave-girls was Sirin and the other Mariyah (Mary). On his way back from Egypt Hadrat Hatib presented Islam before both and they believed. When they came before the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) he gave Sirin in the ownership of Hadrat Hassan bin Thabit and admitted Hadrat Mariyah into his own household. In Dhil-Hijjah, A.H. 8 she gave birth to the Holy Prophet's son, Ibrahim. (Al-Isti'ab; Al-Isabah). This lady was very beautiful. Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Al-Isabah has related this saying of Hadrat 'A'ishah about her: "No woman's entry into the Holy Prophet's household vexed me so much as of Mariyah, because she was very beautiful and pleased him much." Concerning her the story that has been narrated in several ways in the Hadith is briefly as follows:
**One day the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) visited the house of Hadrat Hafsah when she was not at home. At that time Hadrat Mariyah came to him there and stayed with him in seclusion. Hadrat Hafsah took it very iII and complained of it bitterly to him. Thereupon, in order to please her the Holy Prophet vowed that he would have no conjugal relation with Mariyah in future. **According to some traditions, he forbade Mariyah for himself, and according to others, he also swore an oath on it. These traditions have been mostly reported by the immediate successors of the Companions without mentioning any intermediary link. But some of these have been reported from Hadrat 'Umar, Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas and Hadrat Abu Hurairah also. In view of the plurality of the methods of narration, Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari has expressed the view that there is some truth in the story. But in none of the six authentic collections of the Hadith has this story been narrated. **In Nasa'i only this much has been related from Hadrat Anas: "The Holy Prophet had a slave-girl with whom he had conjugal relations. Then, Hadrat Hafsah and Hadrat `A'ishah began to point out this to him repeatedly until he forbade her for himself. There upon, Allah sent down this verse: 'O Prophet why do you make unlawful that which AIlah has made lawful for you?"
The other incident has been related in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i and several other books of Hadith from Hadrat `A'ishah herself and its purport is as follows: 
"The Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) usually paid a daily visit to aII his wives after the `Asr Prayer. Once it so happened that he began to stay in the house of Hadrat Zainab bint-Jahsh longer than usual, for she had received some honey from somewhere as a gift and the Holy Prophet was very fond of sweet things; therefore, he would have a drink of honey at her house. Hadrat 'A'ishah states that she felt envious of this and spoke to Hadrat Hafsah, Hadrat Saudah and Hadrat Safiyyah about it and together they decided that whoever of them was visited by the Holy Prophet, she should say to him: 'Your mouth smells of maghafir ' Maghafir is a kind of flower, which gives out an offensive smell, and if the bee obtains honey from it, it is also tainted by the same odour. They all knew that the Holy Prophet was a man of very fine taste and he abhorred that he should emit any kind of unpleasant smell. There fore, this device was contrived to stop him from staying in the house of Hadrat Zainab and it worked. When several of his wives told him that his mouth smelt of Maghafir, he made a promise not to use the honey any longer. In one tradition his words are to the effect "Now, I will never have a drink from it: I have sworn an oath." In another tradition he only said: "I will never have a drink from it," and there is no mention of the oath And in the tradition which Ibn al Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Tabarani and Ibn Marduyah have related from Ibn 'Abbas the words are to the effect: "By God, I will not drink it!"
Our eminent scholars regard this second version as correct and the first as unreliable. **Imam Nasa'i says: "About honey the Hadith reported from Hadrat 'A'ishah is authentic, and the story of forbidding Hadrat Mariyah for himself by the Holy Prophet has not been narrated in a reliable way." **Qadi 'Iyad says: "The truth is that this verse was sent down concerning honey and not Mariyah." **Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi; also regards the story about honey as correct and the same is the opinion of Imam Nawawi and Hafiz Badruddiu 'Aini. **Ibn Humam writes in Fath al-Qadir "The story of the prohibition of honey has been narrated in Bukhari and Muslim from Hadrat `A'ishah who was herself a party to it; therefore, it is much more reliable." **Hafiz Ibn Kathir says: "The truth is that this verse was sent down about forbidding honey for himself by the Holy Prophet." 
*3 That is, "Although the act of making a lawful thing unlawful only in order to please your wives was an act unbecoming of your high and responsible office, yet it was no sin, which might have entailed a punishment. Therefore, Allah has only pointed it out to you and corrected it, and has forgiven you for this error. "

قَدْ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ أَيْمَانِكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ {66:2}

[Q66:2] Qad faradaL Laahu lakum tahillata aymaanikum; waLLaahu mawlaakum wa huwal'aleemul hakeem. 
[Q66:2] ALLAH (SwT) indeed has sanctioned for you the expiation of your oaths and ALLAH (SwT) is your Protector, and He is the Knowing the Wise.

[Q66:2] Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) telah menetapkan bagi kamu (wahai Nabi dan umatmu, untuk) melepaskan diri dari sumpah kamu (dengan membayar denda iaitu kaffarah) dan ALLAH (SwT) ialah Pelindung yang mentadbirkan keadaan kamu dan Dia Maha Mengetahui, lagi Maha Bijaksana. 

IF ANY VOW TAKEN STANDS IN [1] THE WAY OF ANY GOOD OR [2] THE DISCHARGED OF ANY DUTIES, IT SHOULD BE EXPIATED---just for the sake of the vow, none should refrain from doing good deeds or from availing of the legitimate provisions. The incident was providentially improvised to illustrate this ordinance.

The Chritian Scholars even at the point of betraying their ignorance of the elements of the Arabic knowledge, have not spared misrepresenting Islam to the world, by misinterpreting the Arabic words in the Holy Qur’an just to poison the minds of the ignorant masses to mislead them against Islam by blackmailing the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) ---to pave their way for an easy propagation of the creed of their church---One of them is Dr. Prideax who has misinterpreted this verse faking the meaning, misinterpreting the word ‘Aimanukum’ as maid-servants, whereas the word as individually used in this verse, means only an oath or a vow. SUCH A CONDUCT of the advocates of the creed of the church, has been so common and so frequent that it has become their religious trait which has entered their native habits, and it is also well-known to the world. Those who have resorted to misinterpret their own scriptures which they hold as the word of their ALLAH (SWT), just to facilitate establishment of their own personal dogmas, can never be expected to be fair to the other faith (vide the criticism and the scrutiny of the Catholic and Protestant Creed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses of the Watchtower Society of America and introduction to ‘’Diaglott’)

©  FOR THE EXPIATION OF AN OATH OR A VOW see verse 5:89 and FOR THE VAIN OATHS AND VOWS BEING VOID see verse 2:225.

**IF ANY OATH OR A VOW was taken with a prefix or even a suffix ‘Insha allah’ i.e., if ALLAH (SWT) wills, if the oath or a vow stands in the way of doing any good deed or in the discharged of a duty of the faith, it can be overlooked without any commitment of an expiation ‘Kaffara’ and if ‘Insha allah’ had not been mentioned along with the pronouncement of the oath, it can be expiated with its commitment ‘Kaffara.’ For the ‘Kaffara’ see verse 5:89. An oath rushed to, against any prescribed duty of their faith or any goodness commended by the Lord needs no ‘Kaffara’ but it would be commendable if it is given. (For the detail see ‘Fiqh’)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:2) Allah has prescribed for you a way for the absolution of your oaths. *4 Allah is your Guardian. He is All-Knowing, Most Wise. *5

*4 It means: "Act according to the method AIIah has prescribed for absolution from oaths by expiation in AI-Ma'idah:89 and break your promise that you have trade to forbid yourself a lawful thing." Here, an important legal question arises and it is this: Is this Command applicable to the case when a person has forbidden himself a lawful thing on oath, or is forbidding oneself a lawful thing by itself tantamount to swearing an oath, whether the words of the oath have been used or not'? The jurists in this regard have expressed different opinions: 
One section of them says that mere forbidding oneself a lawful thing is not an oath. If a person without swearing an oath has forbidden himself a wife, or some other lawful thing, it is an absurd thing which does not entail any expiation, but he can resume without any expiation the use of the thing that he had forbidden himself. This is the opinion of Masruq, Sha'bi, Rabi'ah and Abu Salamah; and the same view is held by Ibn Jarir and all the Zahiris. According to them forbidding oneself something would be an oath only in case express words of oath are used when forbidding it for oneself. In this regard, their reasoning is that since the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) while forbidding himself a lawful thing had also sworn an oath, as has been reported in several traditions, AIIah told him to act according to the method that had been appointed for absolving oneself from oaths.
The second group says that to forbid oneself something without using the words of oath is not an oath by itself, but the case of the wife is an exception. If a person has forbidden himself a garment, or an article of food, it is meaningless, and one can use it without expiation. But if concerning a wifc or a slave-girl he has said: "I forbid myself an intercourse with her," she would not become unlawfirl and forbiddcn, but one would have to expiate the oath before going in to her. This is the opinion of the Shafe'is. (Mugni al-Muhtaj). And a similar opinion on this question is held by the Malikis. (Ibn al-'Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur an).
The third group says that to forbid oneself something is by itself an oath even if the words of oath have not been used. This is the opinion of Hadrat Abu Bakr. Hadrat 'A'ishah, Hadrat 'Umar, Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit and Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas (may Allah bless them aII). Although from Ibn 'Abbas another opinion has been reported in Bukhari to the effect: "If a man has forbidden himself his wife, it is meaningless," yet it has been interpreted to mean that according to him this is not divorce but an oath which entails an expiation. For in Bukhari, Muslim and Ibn Majah, another saying of Ibn 'Abbas has been reported that to forbid oneself one's wife entails an expiation, and in Nasa'i the tradition is to the effect that when Ibn 'Abbas was asked his opinion on this, he said: "She is not forbidden to you, but you must pay the expiation." and in Ibn Jarir's tradition the words of Ibn 'Abbas are to the effect: "If the people forbid themselves what Allah has made lawful for them, they must expiate their oath." This same is the opinion of Hasan Basri, 'Ata, Ta'us. Suleman bin Yasar. Ibn Jubair and Qatadah, and the same has been adopted by the Hanafis. Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas says: `The words of the verse lima tuharrimu do not indicate that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) along with forbidding himself the lawful thing had also sworn an oath, therefore, one will have to admit that tahrim (to forbid oneself something) itself is an oath; for after it Allah made obligatory the expiation of the oath in connection with the prohibition." Farther on he writes again: 'Our companions (i.e. the Hanafis) regard tahrim as an oath in case it is not accompanied by the intention of divorce. If a person forbade himself his wife, he in fact said: "By God, I will not come near you," thus, he committed ila' (act of temporary separation!  And if he forbade himself an article of food etc, he in a wav said: "By God, I will not use that article." For Allah first said: "Why do you forbid that which AIIah has made lawful?" and then said. "AIIah has appointed a way to absolve you from your oaths." Thus, Allah has regarded tahrim as an oath, and the word tahrim in its meaning and legal effect becomes synonymous with an oath."
Here, for the benefit of the common man, it would be useful to tell what is the legal command according to the jurists in respect of forbidding oneself one's wife and forbidding oneself other things besides the wife. 
The Hanafis say that if without the intention of divorce somebody forbade himself his wife, or swore an oath that he would not have conjugal relations with her, this would be ila (temporary separation), and in this cast he would have to expiate his oath before having the sexual relation. But if with the intention of divorce he said: "You are unlawful to me," it will have to be ascertained what his actual intention was? If his intention was of three divorces, the three divorces will take place, and if the intention was of a lesser number, of one or two divorces, only one divorce will take place in either case. And if some body says: "I have forbidden myself whatever was lawful for me, this would not apply to the wife unless he said these words with the intention of forbidding himself the wife. Apart from the wife, one cannot use the thing he has forbidden oneself until one has expiated the oath. Badai as-Sana'i: Hedayah; Fath Al-Qadir,' al-Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur an.
The Shafe'is say that if one forbids oneself the wife with the intention of divorce or zihar, the intended thing would become effective, whether it is a revocable divorce or an irrevocable divorce, or zihar. And if a person used the words of tahrim with the intention of both divorce and zihar, he would be asked to choose one, or the other, for both divorce and zihar cannot be established at one and the same time. Divorce dissolves marriage but in case of zihar it continues and if without any intention the wife is forbidden, she would not become forbidden, but expiation of the oath would become necessary. And if another thing, apart from the wife, is forbidden, it would be meaningless; there is no expiation for it. (Mughni al-Muhtaj).
The Malikis say that if a person forbids himself anything other than the wife, it neither becomes forbidden nor entails an expiation. But if he says to the wife, "You are unlawful, or unlawfirl for me, or I am unlawful for you," this would amount to a triple divorce in any case whether this was said to a wife with whom marriage has been consummated, or to one with whom it has not yet been consummated, unless his intention was of less than three divorces. Asbagh says: 'If a person says: whatever was lawful for me, is unlawful, the wife also becomes forbidden unless he makes an exception of the wife." In al-Mudawwanah, distinction has been made between the wife with whom marriage has been consummated and the wife with whom it has not been consummated. If one forbids oneself the former, a threefold divorce will take place irrespective of the intention, but in case of the latter the same number of divorces would take effect as was intended, and if there was no intention of any particular number, it would be considered a triple divorce (Hashiyah ad-Dusuqi). Qadi Ibn al-'Arabi in his Ahkam al-Qur'an has cited three statements of Imam Malik: (1) That forbidding oneself the wife amounts to an irrevocable divorce; (2) that it amounts to three divorces; and (3) that in case of the wife with whom marriage has been consummated it amounts to three divorces, bat in case of the one with whom it has not been consummated, to only one divorce if one was intended Then he says: 'The correct thing is that forbidding oneself the wife amounts to one divorce only for if the man uses the word divorce instead of calling her unlawfirl without specifying the number, only one divorce will take place."
Three different views in this regard have been reported from Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal: (1) That to forbid oneself the wife, or to make a lawful thing absolutely unlawful for oneself, is zihar, whether zihar was intended or not; (2) that this is an express allusion to divorce, and it amounts to pronouncing a triple divorce whether only one divorce was intended; and (3) that it is an oath, unless The man had the intention of divorce or zihar and in this case the same would take effect as was intended. Of these only the first one is the best known view among the Hanbalis. (Al-Insaf)
*5 That is, "Allah is your Master and Guardian of your affairs. He knows best in what lies your own good, and whatever Commands He has given, they are aII based on wisdom. "The first thing means: "You are not independent in this world, but you are servant of Allah and He is your Master; therefore, none of you possesses any power to alter or change the ways and methods prescribed by Him; the best thing for you is to entrust your affairs to Him and continue to obey Him. "
The second thing means that all the methods and laws that AIIah has enjoined, are based on knowledge and wisdom, Whatever He has made lawful, has been made lawful on the basis of knowledge and wisdom and whatever He has made unlawful also has been made unlawful on the basis of knowledge and wisdom. Nothing has been made lawful or unlawful at random. Therefore, those who believe in AIIah should understand that it is Allah Who is AII-Knowing and All-Wist and not they and their well-being lies only in carrying out duly the Commands given by Him. 

وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ حَدِيثًا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتْ بِهِ وَأَظْهَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُ وَأَعْرَضَ عَنْ بَعْضٍ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِ قَالَتْ مَنْ أَنْبَأَكَ هَٰذَا ۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِيَ الْعَلِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ {66:3}

[Q66:3] Wa iz asarran nabiyyu ilaa ba'di azwaajihee hadeesan falammaa nabba at bihee wa azharahuL Laahu 'alaihi 'arrafa ba'dahoo wa a'rada 'am ba'din falammaa nabba ahaa bihee qaalat man amba aka haaza qaala nabba aniyal 'aleemul Khabeer.
[Q66:3] And when the prophet secretly communicated a piece of information to one of his wives-- but when she informed (others) of it, and ALLAH (SwT) made him to know it, he made known part of it and avoided part; so when he informed her of it, she said: Who informed you of this? He said: The Knowing, the one Aware, informed me.

[Q66:3] Dan (ingatlah), ketika Nabi memberitahu suatu perkara secara rahsia kepada salah seorang dari isteri-isterinya. Kemudian apabila isterinya itu menceritakan rahsia yang tersebut (kepada seorang madunya) dan ALLAH (SwT) menyatakan pembukaan rahsia itu kepada Nabi, (maka Nabi pun menegur isterinya itu) lalu menerangkan kepadanya sebahagian (dari rahsia yang telah dibukanya) dan tidak menerangkan yang sebahagian lagi (supaya isterinya itu tidak banyak malunya). Setelah Nabi menyatakan hal itu kepada isterinya, isterinya bertanya: Siapakah yang memberi tahu hal ini kepada tuan? Nabi menjawab: Aku diberitahu oleh ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Mengetahui, lagi Amat Mendalam PengetahuanNya (tentang segala perkara yang nyata dan yang tersembunyi).  

REFER TO A-ISHA AND HAFSA WHO WERE ENVIOUS AND JEALOUS TO THE POINT OF SICKNESS AGAINST THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)'s refined and high-minded wives.

ß  Once Hafsa came to know about a very personal matter concerning the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) which he thought should not be made public, therefore he asked her not to publish it. But she at once rushed to her friend A-isha and whispered to her a version which was in great part untrue. Hafsa who betrayed confidence and A-isha who encouraged the betrayal were commanded to turn in repentance to ALLAH (SWT).

If they were to resist repentance and amends, they would be abetting each other's crime but could not harm the most perfect messenger of ALLAH (SWT) whom all the spiritual forces always surrounded to protect from every type of slander and falsehood. Please refer to Kanz al Ummal, vol. 6 and Ibn Sad's Tabaqat, vol.8, p. 115.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:3) The Prophet confided something to one of his wives and then she disclosed it (to another); so after Allah revealed to the Prophet (that she had disclosed that secret), he made a part of it known to her and passed over a part of it. And when he told her about this (i.e., that she had disclosed the secret entrusted to her), she asked: “Who informed you of this?” He said: “I was told of it by He Who is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” *6

*6 Different things have been reported in different traditions, saying THAT THE HOLY PROPHET HAD TOLD SUCH AND SUCH A THING TO ONE OF HIS WIVES IN CONFIDENCE, WHICH SHE DISCLOSED TO ANOTHER WIFE. But for us, in the first place, it is not right to investigate it, for it is on the disclosure of a secret that AIIah is taking a wife to task it cannot therefore be right for us to enquire into it and try to uncover it. Secondly, in view of the object for which this verse wa: sent down, it is not at alI important to know what the secret was. Had it any connection with the object of the discourse, Allah would Himself have mentioned it. The real object for which this incident has been related in the Qur'an is to warn the Holy Prophet's wives and through them, the wives of the responsible people among the Muslims not to be careless in the matter of guarding secrets. HAD IT BEEN ONLY A PRIVATE AND PERSONAL AFFAIR, AS IS GENERALLY THE CASE BETWEEN THE HUSBAND AND THE WIFE IN THE WORLD THERE WAS NO NEED THAT ALLAH SHOULD HAVE DIRECTLY INFORMED THE HOLY PROPHET OF IT THROUGH REVELATION, AND THEN DID NOT REST CONTENT ONLY WITH GIVING THE INFORMATION, BUT SHOULD ALSO HAVE RECORDED IT IN THE HOLY BOOK WHICH THE WHOLE WORLD HAS TO RECITE FOREVER. The reason why it was given such importance was that this wife was not the wife of an ordinary husband but of that illustrious husband, whom AIIah had appointed to the office of the highest responsibility, who was locked in an incessant battle with the disbelievers, polytheists and hypocrites at aII times and under whose leadership a fierce conflict was going on for establishing Islam in place of paganism. In the house of such an illustrious man there could be countless things which if not kept secret but disclosed before time, could harm the great mission which he was performing. THEREFORE, when a lady of the house happened to show this weakness for the first time in that she disclosed a secret that had been told her in confidence, to another (a member of her own household), the weakness was immediately pointed out to her, not secretly but openly in the Qur'an, so as to impart training in the guarding of secrets not only to the wives of the Holy Prophet but also to the wives of aII responsible people of the Muslim community. In the verse the question whether the secret disclosed pertained to a matter of any consequence or not, and whether its disclosure could cause any harm to the mission or not, has been altogether ignored. What has been disapproved and pointed out in particular is that the secret was disclosed to another. The higher the position of responsibility a person holds the more dangerous would be the leakage of secrets from his house. No matter whether a thing is of any consequence or not, once a person becomes careless in the matter of guarding secrets, he may reveal important things as well as trivial matters. 

إِنْ تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا ۖ وَإِنْ تَظَاهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ {66:4}

[Q66:4] In tatoobaaa ilaL Laahi faqad saghat quloobukumaa wa in tazaaharaa 'alihi fa innaL Laaha huwa mawlaahu wa jibreelu wa saalihul mu'mineen; walmalaaa'ikatu ba'da zaalika zaheer. 
[Q66:4] If you both turn to ALLAH (SwT), then indeed your hearts are already inclined (to this); and if you back up each other against him, then surely ALLAH (SwT) it is Who is his Guardian, and Jibreel and -the believers that do good, and the angels after that are the aiders.

[Q66:4] Jika kamu berdua bertaubat kepada ALLAH (SwT) (wahai isteri-isteri Nabi, maka itulah yang sewajibnya), kerana sesungguhnya hati kamu berdua telah cenderung (kepada perkara yang menyusahkan Nabi) dan jika kamu berdua saling membantu untuk (melakukan sesuatu yang) menyusahkannya, (maka yang demikian itu tidak akan berjaya) kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) adalah Pembelanya dan selain dari itu Jibril serta orang-orang yang soleh dari kalangan orang-orang yang beriman dan malaikat-malaikat juga menjadi penolongnya.  

 ‘Salihul muminin’, "the (most) righteous among the believers" refers to Imam Ali according to Tafsir Durr al Manthur by Jalal al Din al Suyuti, Tafsir al Husayni, Kamaluddin Husayn Kashifi and Hayat ul Awliya.

¥  IT IS A MATTER OF SURPRISE that though some commentator has translated the word correctly in the verse BUT in his note to the verse he has interpreted it as the whole community AND ANOTHER commentaror has openly betrayed his bias against the Holy Imam Ali by translating the word ‘Salijul muminin’ as the “the (most) righteous among the believers”. The least that could be said about such distortions, is betrayal of conscience.

The genuine ‘Tauba’, i.e., repentance is that which once made is always observed. He, First Holy Imam Ali told one of the Beduin Arabs that making haste or rushing to pronounce repentance, is a false repentance, FOR REAL REPENTANCE HAS TO FULFIL SIX CONDITIONS:

1.        Feeling ashamed of having gone against law or committing sins

2.        To faithfully observe whatever good that had been neglected

3.        To discharge the trust undertaken by him

4.        To pardon or forgive other failures

5.        To determine strongly never again to commit sins

6.        To dissolve one’s own body in constant prayer and service to ALLAH (SWT).

A-isha and Hafsa in connection with blaming the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) for drinking lead smelling honey in the house of Zainab or Umme Salema corroborates with the text. HOWEVER, the two ladies referred to in the verse are A-isha and Hafsa whose hearts had deiated from the right course. HOWEVER, historians narrate that these two ladies were responsible for many domestic worries to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and that culminated in the battle of Jamal.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:4) If the two of you turn in repentance to Allah (that is better for you), for the hearts of both of you have swerved from the Straight Path. *7 But if you support one another against the Prophet, *8 then surely Allah is his Protector; and after that Gabriel and all righteous believers and the angels are all his supporters. *9

*7 The word saghat in the original is from Baghy which means to swerve and to become crooked. Shah Waliyullah and Shah Rafi'uddin have translated this sentence thus: "Crooked have become your hearts." Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, Sufyan Thauri and Dahhak have given this meaning of it: "Your hearts have swerved from the right path." Imam Razi explains it thus: "Your hearts have swerved from what is right, and the right implies the right of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace)." And 'Allama Alusi's commentary is Although it is incumbent on you that you should approve what the Holy Messenger (upon whom he peace) approves and disapprove what he disapproves, yet in this matter your hearts have swerved from conformity with him and turned in opposition to him." 
*8 The word tazahur means to cooperate mutually in opposition to another person, or to be united against another person. Shah Waliyullah has translated this sentence, thus: "If you mutually join together to cause distress to the Prophet." Shah 'Abdul Qadir's translation is: "If you both overwhelm him." Maulana Ashraf 'AII Thanwi's translation urns: "And if you both continued to work thus against the Prophet." And Maulana Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmami has explained it thus: "lf you two continued to work and behave thus (against the Prophet)."
THE VERSE IS CLEARLY ADDRESSED TO TWO LADIES AND THE CONTEXT SHOWS THAT THESE LADIES ARE FROM AMONG THE WIVES OF THE HOLY PROPHET (upon whom be peace) for in vv. 1-5 of this Surah the affairs concerning the Holy Prophet's wives only have been discussed continuously, and this becomes obvious from the style of the Qur'an itself. As for the question who were the wives, and what was the matter which caused Allah's displeasure, the details are found in the Hadith. In Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Nasa'i, a detailled tradition of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas has been related, which describes the incident with sane variation in wording.

Ibn 'Abbas says:
"I had been thinking a long time to ask Hadrat 'Umar as to who were the two of the Holy Prophet's wives, who had joined each other against him, and about whom Allah sent down this verse: In tatuba.....; but I could not muster courage because of his awe-inspiring personality until he left for Hajj and I accompanied him. On our way back while helping him to perform ablutions for the Prayer at one place I had an opportunity to ask him this question. He replied: they were 'A'ishah and Hafsah. Then he began to relate the background, saying: "We, the people of Quraish, were used to keeping our women folk under strict control. Then when we came to Madinah, we found that the people here were under the control of their wives, and the women of Quraish too started learning the same thing from them. One day when I became angry with my wife, I was amazed to see that she argued with me. I felt badly about her conduct. She said, 'Why should you feel so angry at my behaviour? By God, the wives of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) answer him back face to face,' (the word in the original is li yuraji nahu) and some one of them remains angrily apart from hire for the whole day. (According to Bukhari: the Holy Prophet remains angry and- apart from her the whole day). Hearing this I came out of my house and went to Hafsah (who was Hadrat `Umar's daughter and the Holy Prophet's wife). I asked her. Do you answer back to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) face to face? She said: Yes asked: And does one of you remain apart from him for the whole day (According to Bukhiiri: the Holy Prophet remains angry and apart from her for the entire day). She said: Yes. I said: Wretched is the one from among you, who behaves thus. Has one of you become so fearless of this that AIIah should afflict her with His wrath because of the wrath of His Prophet and she should perish? So, do not be rude to the Prophet (here also the words are: la turaji-'i), nor demand of him anything, but demand of me whatever you desire. Do not be misled by this that your neighbor (i.e. Hadrat `A'ishah) is more beautiful and dearer to the Holy Prophet. After this I left her house and went to the house of Umm Salamah, who was related to me, and talked to her on this subject. She said: Son of Khattab, you are a strange man: you have meddled in every matter until you are now interfering in the affair between Allah's Messenger and his wives. She discouraged me. Then it so happened that an Ansari neighbor came to my house at night and he called out to me. We used to sit in the Holy Prophet's assembly by turns and each used to pass on to the other the news of the day of his turn. It was the time when we were apprehending an attack by the Ghassanids any time. On his call when I came out of my house, he said that something of grave significance had happened. I said: Have the Ghassanids launched an attack? He said: No, but something even more serious! The Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has divorced his wives. I said: Doomed is Hafsah (the words in Bukhari are: Raghima anfu Hafsah wa `Aishah). I already had a premonition of this."
We have left out what happened after this, how next morning Hadrat 'Umar went before the Holy Prophet and tried to appease his anger. We have described this incident by combining the traditions of Musnad Ahmad and Bukhari. In this the word muraj`at which Hadrat `Umar has used cannot be taken in its literal sense, but the context shows that the word has been used in the sense of answering back face to face and Hadrat `Umar's saying to his daughter: La turaji- `I Rasul Allah clearly has the meaning: Do not be impudent to the Messenger of Allah, Some people say that this is a wrong translation, and their objection is: Although it is correct to translate muraja `at as answering hack, or answering hack face to face, yet it is not correct to translate it as "bing impudent" . These objectors do not understand that if a person of a lower rank or position answers back or retorts to a person of a higher rank and position, or answers him back face to face this very thing is described as impudence. For example, if a father rebukes his son for something or feels angry at his behaviour, and the son instead of keeping quiet or offering an excuse, answers back promptly this could only he described as impudence. Then, when the matter is not between a father and a son, but between the Messenger of Allah and an individual of his community, only a foolish person could say that it was not impudence.
Some other people regard this translation of ours as disrespectful, whereas it could be disrespectful in case we had had the boldness to use such words in respect of Hadrat Hafsah from ourselves. We have only given the correct meaning of the words of Hadrat 'Umar, and these words he had used while scolding and reproving his daughter for her error. Describing it as disrespectful would mean that either the father should treat his daughter with due respect and reverence even when scolding and rebuking her or else the translator should render his rebuke and reproof in a way as to make it sound respectful and reverent.
Here, what needs to be considered carefully is that if it was such an ordinary and trivial matter that when the Holy Prophet said something to his wives they would retort to Him, why was it given so much importance that in the Qur'an. **AIIah administered a severe warning directly to the wives themselves? **And why did Hadrat 'Umar take it as such a grave matter that first he reproved his own daughter, then visited the house of the other wives and asked them to fear the wrath of Allah? **And, about alI, was the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) also so sensitive that he would take offence at minor things and become annoyed with his wives, and was he, God forbid, so irritable that once having been annoyed at such things he had severed his connections with all his wives and retired to his private apartment in seclusion? If a person considers these questions deeply, he will inevitably have to adopt one of the two views in the explanation of these verses Either on account of his excessive concern for reverence for the holy wives he should not at aII mind if a fault is imputed to AIIah and His Messenger, or else he should admit in a straightforward way that at that time the attitude and behaviour of these holy wives has actually become so objectionable that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was justified in becoming annoyed over it, and more than that, AIIah Himself was justified that He should administer a severe warning to the wives on their unseemly behaviour and attitude. 
*9 That is, "You would only harm yourselves if you upheld and supported each other against the Messenger of AIlah (upon whom be Allah's peace), for none could succeed against him whose Protector was Allah and who had Gabriel and the angels and alI the righteous Believers on his side. " 

عَسَىٰ رَبُّهُ إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَاجًا خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ مُسْلِمَاتٍ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ قَانِتَاتٍ تَائِبَاتٍ عَابِدَاتٍ سَائِحَاتٍ ثَيِّبَاتٍ وَأَبْكَارًا {66:5}

[Q66:5] 'Asaa rabbuhooo in tallaqakunna anyyubdilahooo azwaajan khairam minkunna muslimaatim mu'minaatin qaanitaatin taaa'ibaatin 'aabidaatin saaa'ihaatin saiyibaatinw wa abkaaraa.
[Q66:5] Maybe, his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful, obedient, penitent, adorers, fasters, widows and virgins.

[Q66:5] Boleh jadi, jika Nabi menceraikan kamu, Tuhannya akan menggantikan baginya isteri-isteri yang lebih baik daripada kamu, yang menurut perintah, yang ikhlas imannya, yang taat, yang bertaubat, yang tetap beribadat, yang berpuasa, (meliputi) yang janda dan yang anak dara.  

THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAD DISCRETIONARY POWER TO DIVORCE ANY OR ALL HIS WIVES, AND IF HE DID SO ALLAH (SWT) WOULD GIVE HIM GOOD WOMEN AS HIS WIVES IN PLACE OF THE EXISTING WIVES, who were, in view of verse 5 of this Surah, ordinary women harbouring envy, jealousy, and ill-will against others; particularly A-isha's hostility towards Ali Ibn abi Talib has been recorded by all the well known historians. At last she led an army of insurgents against him in the battle of Jamal. See details of this battle in the Early History of Islam by Dr. Safdar Husain.

©  At that time there were better women of character and integrity than the wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).

The evil demonstrated by the two has been described as sufficient transgression to be condemned to the fire of hell; so the believing and obedient wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) are warned to save themselves from a fire whose fuel is men and stones as stated in Baqarah 2:24.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:5) Maybe if he were to divorce you, your Lord might grant him in exchange wives better than you *10 – those who truly submit to Allah, *11 are full of faith, obedient, *12 disposed to repentance, *13 and given to worship *14 and fasting *15 – both previously wedded ones and virgins.

*10 This shows that the fault did not lie only with Hadrat 'A'isha and Hadrat Hafsah but the other wives also had some share in it. That is why, after them, aII the other wives too, have been warned in this verse. No light has been thrown on the nature of the error in the Qur'an. However, some details are found in the Hadith, which we shall relate below. 
**In Bukhari, a tradition has been reported from Hadrat Anas, saying that Hadrat 'Umar said: "The Holy Prophet's wives because of their mutual envies and rivalries had utterly displeased him. At this I said to them: It may well be that if the Holy Prophet divorced you, Allah would give him in your place better wives than you." **Ibn Abi Hatim has, on the authority of Hadrat Anas, reported the statement of Hadrat Umar in these words: "I was informed that a discord had been created between the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and his wives. At this I went to each of them and asked them to refrain from vexing the Holy Prophet; otherwise Allah would give him in their stead better wives than them selves. So much so that when I went to the last of them (and according to a tradition of Bukhari, to Umm Salamah), she said to me: O `Umar, is not the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) himself enough to admonish his wives? Then why should you come out to counsel them? This made me quiet, and after this Allah sent down this verse.'
**In Muslim, Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas has related that Hadrat 'Umar said to him: "When the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) separated himself from his wives, I went to the Mosque and found the people worried and upset and playing with pebbles and saying to one another: 'The Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has divorced his wives.' After this Hadrat `Umar related his visiting the apartments of Hadrat 'A'ishah and Hafsah and admonishing them then said: I went before the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and said: Why do you feel upset with regard to your wives? If you divorce them, AIIah is with you, all the angels and Gabriel and Michael are with you, and I and Abu Bakr and all the Believers are with you. I thank Allah that seldom has it so happened that I said a thing and did not have hope from AIIah that He would testify to what I said. So, after this these verses of Surah At-Tahrim were sent down. Then I asked the Holy Prophet: Have you divorced your wives'? He said: No. Thereupon I stood at the entrance of the Mosque and announced in a loud voice: The Holy Prophet has not divorced his wives."
**The traditions related in Bukhari from Hadrat Anas and in Musnad Ahmad from Hadrat 'Abdullah bin `Abbas, Hadrat 'A'ishah and Hadrat Abu Hurairah say that the Holy Prophet had pledged to remain away from his wives for a month and he retired in seclusion to his apartment. When 29 days passed, Gabriel came and said; "You have fulfilled your oath: a month has come to completion."
**Hafiz Badruddin 'Aini in 'Umdat al-Qari has related this on the authority of Hadrat 'A'ishah: The wives of the Holy Prophet had become divided into two parties one party consisted of Hadrat 'A'ishah herself and Hadrat Hafsah. Hadrat Saudah and Hadrat Safiyyah, and the other of Hadrat Zainab, Hadrat.Umm Salamah and the rest of the wives.
These traditions indicate to some extent the conditions that existed in the Holy Prophet's domestic life at that time, which made it necessary that AIIah Almighty should intervene and reform the attitude of the holy wives. Although the wives were the best ladies of society, yet they were human beings and were not free from human weaknesses. Sometimes when it became difficult for them to lead a life of continous poverty and hardship, they would become restive, impatient and would start pressing the Holy Prophet for better maintenance. At this AIIah sent down vv. 28-29 of Surah AI-Ahzah and admonished them to the effect: 'If you seek the world and it adotnments, 0ur Messenger will give you of these and send you of in a good way. But if you seek AIIah and His Messenger and the Hereafter, you should bear up against the hardships with patience, which you might have to face when living with the Messenger." (For details, see E.N. 41 of Surah Al-Ahzab and the Introduction to it). Then on account of the feminine nature they sometimes happened to behave in a way, which though not unusual in everyday human life, did not go well with the unique dignity and great responsibilities of the house to which AIIah had given them the honour to belong. So, when it was apprehended that those things might embitter the Holy Prophet's domestic life and might even adversely affect the great mission that AIIah had entrusted to him, He sent down this verse in the Qur'an, and reformed them so that the holy wives may realize the responsibilities of the position and rank which they had attained as the life-companions of the Last Messenger of Allah, and should not regard themselves as ordinary women and their household as a common household. The very first sentence of this verse was such as might have caused their hearts to shudder. There could be no severer warning for them than this: `It may well be that if the Prophet divorces aII of you, Allah will give him in your place better wives than yourselves." In the first place, even the thought of being divorced by the Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) was unbearable for them: more than that, this would deprive them of the honour of being Mothers of the Believers, and the other women whom Allah would give as wives to the Prophet would be better than them, After this it was no longer possible for the holy wives to behave in a way as would have occasioned a reproof from AIlah. That is why we find only two places in the Qur'an where these select and distinguished ladies have been administered a warning, in Surah Al-Ahzab and here in Surah ,At-Taltrim.
*11 In the places where the words muslim and mu’min have been used together, muslim means the one who carries out Divine commands practically, and mu min the one who believes sincerely and truly Thus, the foremost quality of the best Muslim wives is that they should be believing in AIIah and His Messenger and His Religion (din) sincerely and also practically following Allah's Religion in their morals, habits, customs and conduct.
*12 "Obedient" has two meanings and both are implied here (1) They are obedient to AIIah and His Messenger: (2) they are obedient to their husbands.
*13 The word ta’ib when used as attribute of a man does not imply the one who offers repentance only once but the one who continues to implore AIIah again and again for the forgiveness of his mistakes, whose conscience is alive and active, who is always a are of his weaknesses and errors and is penitent for them. Such a person never feels proud, arrogant and conceited, but is gentle and clement by nature.
*14 A worshipper can never be so heedless of God as a non-worshipper. This also helps much in making a woman a good wife. Being devout she adheres to the bounds set by AIIah, recognizes and discharges the rights of others and keeps her faith fresh and alive at aII times. Because of these qualities she can better be expected that she would not reject obedience to Divine Commands.
*15 The word sa ihat in the original has been interpreted by several companions and large number of their successors to mean the same as sa imat 1 those given to fasting). The reason why the word siyahat journeying has been used for fasting is that in the ancient times journeys were mostly undertaken by the monks and ascetics, who had no provisions and had to go without food till they got something to eat from somewhere. On that account fasting also is a kind of asceticism, for a faster has to remain hungry until the time of breaking the fast. Ibn Jarir in his Commentary of At-Taubah 12 has cited a saying of Hadrat 'A'ishah, saying: "The journeying (i.e. asceticism) of the Ummah is fasting. Here, making mention of fasting as an attribute of the pious wives dces not mean that they observe the obligatory fasting month of Ramadan only but that they observe voluntary fasts also besides the obligatory fasts.
Addressing the holy wives Allah's saying: "If the Holy Messenger divorces aII of you, AIIah will give him in your place better wives who will have this quality" does not mean that the wives were not virtuous, but it means; "Give up your wrong conduct which is causing so much distress to the Holy Prophet; instead, pay attention to developing in yourselves these noble qualities to the highest degree.' 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ {66:6}

[Q66:6] Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena samanoo qooo anfusakum wa ahleekum naaranw waqoodu han naasu wal hijaaratu 'alaihaa malaaa'ikatun ghilaazun shidaadul laa ya'soonaL Laaha maa amarahum wa yaf'aloona maa yu’maroon. 
[Q66:6] O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones; over it are angels stern and strong, they do not disobey ALLAH (SwT) in what He commands them, and do as they are commanded.

[Q66:6] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Peliharalah diri kamu dan keluarga kamu dari Neraka yang bahan-bahan bakarannya: Manusia dan batu (berhala); Neraka itu dijaga dan dikawal oleh malaikat-malaikat yang keras kasar (layanannya); mereka tidak menderhaka kepada ALLAH (SwT) dalam segala yang diperintahkanNya kepada mereka, dan mereka pula tetap melakukan segala yang diperintahkan.  

THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE EVIL CONDUCT ON THE PART OF THE TWO CONSORTS OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) viz., **A-isha and Hafsa could be very easily estimated from the trend of the admonition starting from the two directly involved in the issue, **to all the wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) **AND NOW in this verse the address being to all the faithful ones.

©  Regarding men and the stones being fuel of the hell-fire see verse 2:24. BY STONES is meant the stone idols as symbolical of unbending arrogance in infidelity and falsehood. The stones taken to be the ordinary ones could be sulphur stones which could produce intense heat.

WHEN VERSE 6 OF THIS SURAH was recited by the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALLI ALAA MUHAMMAD WA ALI MUHAMMAD) a man stood up and said: "I try my best to make the members of my family follow the commands of ALLAH (SWT), do good and avoid evil, but my advice falls on deaf ears and they-do not obey."

The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) said:

"Blessed is he who teaches righteousness and the commands of ALLAH (SwT) to his family. If they do not listen to you, they shall be the fuel of the fire. You are safe because you have done your duty."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:6) Believers, guard yourselves and your kindred against a Fire whose fuel is human beings and stones, *16 a Fire held in the charge of fierce and stern angels who never disobey what He has commanded them, and always do what they are bidden. *17

*16 This verse tells that a person's responsibility is not confined to making effort to save himself from the punishment of God but it is also his responsibility that he should so educate and train to the best of his ability members of his family also to become Allah's favourite servants, who have been entrusted to his care in the natural process of life; and if they might be following a path to Hell, he should try. as far as he can, to correct them. His concern should not only be that his children should lead a happy and prosperous life in the world but; more than that, he should be anxious to see that they do not become fuel of Hell in the Hereafter. According to a tradition reported in Bukhiiri by Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Umar, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) said: "Each one of you is a herdsman and is accountable with regard to his herd: the ruler is a herdsman and is accountable with regard to his subjects; the man is a herdsman of his family and is accountable with regard to them; and the woman is a herdsman of her husband's house and his children and is accountable with regard to them."
Whose fuel...stone" probably implies coal. Ibn Mas' ud, Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Suddi say that this will be brimstone. 
*17 That is, they will enforce on every culprit precisely the same punishment which they will be commanded to enforce on him without making any alteration in it, or showing any pity for him. 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا الْيَوْمَ ۖ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ {66:7}

[Q66:7] Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena kafaroo la ta'tazinul yawma innamaa tujzawna maa kuntum

ta’maloon.
[Q66:7] O you who disbelieve! Do not urge excuses today; you shall be rewarded only according to what you did.

[Q66:7] Malaikat itu akan berkata kepada orang-orang yang dimasukkan ke dalam Neraka): Hai orang-orang yang kufur ingkar! Janganlah kamu menyatakan uzur (dengan meminta ampun) pada hari ini, (kerana masanya telah terlambat). Kamu hanyalah dibalas dengan balasan apa yang kamu telah kerjakan.  

The punishment which the disbelievers or the offenders of the Divine Laws would receive on the Day of Judgment WOULD BE NO HARDSHIP OR INJUSTICE TO THEM BUT THAT WHICH THEY THEMSELVES HAD EARNED. It will be the exact reflection of their own life, the consequences of their own disbelief and evil deeds during their life on earth.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:7) (It will then be said): “Unbelievers, make no excuses today. You are being recompensed for nothing else but your deeds.” *18

*18 The style of both these verses contains a severe warning for the Muslims. In the first verse the Muslims have been addressed and told that they should save themselves and their households from the dreadful punishment; in the second that this will be said to the disbelievers while subjecting them to punishment in Hell. This by itself gives the meaning that the Muslims in the world should avoid adopting that conduct and behaviour in consequence of which they may have to meet with the fate as the disbelievers in the Hereafter: 

SECTION 2

Repentance earns forgiveness

Repentance-sincere, earns forgiveness from sins---ALLAH (SWT) will abse not the Apostle and those who believe with him---To be strict against the disbelievers---Similitude of the unfaithful and the faithful women of the past---The purity and goodness of Mary, daughter of Aaron (mother of Jesus).

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ {66:8}

[Q66:8] Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aammano toobooo ilaL Laahi tawbatan nasoohan 'asaa rabbukum any-yukaffira 'ankum sayyi aatikum wa yudkhilakum jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaaru yawma laa yukhzil laahun nabiyya waLLazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo nooruhum yas'aa baina aydeehim wa baymaanihim yaqooloona rabbanaaa atmim lanaa nooranaa waghfir lana innaka 'alaa kulli shai'in qadeer.
[Q66:8] O you who believe! turn to ALLAH (SwT) a sincere turning; maybe your Lord will remove from you your evil and cause you to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, on the day on which ALLAH (SwT) will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him; their light shall run on before them and on their right hands; they shall say: Our Lord! Make perfect for us our light, and grant us protection, surely Thou hast power over all things.

[Q66:8] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bertaubatlah kamu kepada ALLAH (SwT) dengan Taubat Nasuha, mudah-mudahan Tuhan kamu akan menghapuskan kesalahan-kesalahan kamu dan memasukkan kamu ke dalam Syurga yang mengalir di bawahnya beberapa sungai, pada hari ALLAH (SwT) tidak akan menghinakan Nabi dan orang-orang yang beriman bersama-sama dengannya; cahaya (iman dan amal soleh) mereka, bergerak cepat di hadapan mereka dan di sebelah kanan mereka (semasa mereka berjalan); mereka berkata (ketika orang-orang munafik meraba-raba dalam gelap-gelita): Wahai Tuhan kami! Sempurnakanlah bagi kami cahaya kami dan limpahkanlah keampunan kepada kami; sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Kuasa atas tiap-tiap sesuatu. 

THE OFT-FORGIVING LORD INVITES MAN TO TURN TO HIM WITH SINCERE REPENTANCE so that He may bestow His grace on him and forgive his sins. SINCERE REPENTANCE implies [1] giving up and [2] discontinuing of evil in thought and action with a [3] firm determination not to repeat it ever again. If it is done then ALLAH (SWT) will wipe off his past sins and admit him to the eternal land of bliss and happiness.

Ü  The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) said:

"A sincere repentant never sins again as the milk drawn from the breast never can go back to its source."

Ü  Imam Ali said:

"A sincere repentant (i) is ashamed of his past sins, (ii) takes up the duties overlooked and fulfills them, (iii) makes good the willfully ignored conditions of a trust managed by him, (iv) forgives those who provoke him, (v) does not demand repayment of loans from those who are in financial distress, (vi) makes firm determination not to sin ever again, (vii) surrenders his self to the adoration, devotion and service of ALLAH (SWT) when it had swelled to the point of exploding due to inordinate consumption of worldly pleasures, transgression and disobedience."

For "those who believe with him" refer to the commentary of Fat-h 48:29.

IN THE LIGHT OF AHZAB 33:33, THE AHLUL BAYT ALONE ARE LIKE THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) IN *PURITY, *WISDOM AND *CHARACTER BECAUSE OF WHICH [1] HE TOOK THEM WITH HIM IN MUBAHILAH (ALI IMRAN 3:61), AND BECAUSE OF WHICH [2] THEIR LOVE HAS BEEN MADE OBLIGATORY ON ALL MUSLIMS IN VERSE 42:23 OF SHURA, AND [3] THEY HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN SALAWAT OR DURUD IN VERSE 33:56 OF AHAZAB.

±  REFER TO THE COMMENTARY OF BAQARAH 2:2 to 5 FOR WHAT THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) SAID ABOUT FATIMAH ZAHRA. The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALLI ALAA MUHAMMAD WA ALI MUHAMMAD) said:

1.        "Ali and I are from one and the same light."

2.        "The children of Fatimah and Ali are my children."

3.        "Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn."

NOT ONLY IMAM HASAN AND IMAM HUSAYN BUT ALL THE IMAMS OF THE AHLUL BAYT ARE REFERRED TO AS "IBN RASULALLAH (SWT)" (SON OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (SWT)) BY ALL THE MUSLIM HISTORIANS AND SCHOLARS, NO MATTER WHICH SCHOOL OF THOUGHT THEY BELONG TO.

ß  Refer to Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al Maghazi, vol. 3, for the saying of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad): "O Ali, you are from me and I am from you." Also refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:124.

AS STATED IN SAD 38:75 THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) AND HIS AHLUL BAYT BELONG TO THE CLASS OF ‘ALIN’ (THE MOST EXALTED).

The righteous companions of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) OR those believers who lived after him and shall come in this world till the Day of Resurrection are classified into different categories according to the degree of their submission to the will of ALLAH (SWT).

There were people whose behaviour has been described in the commentary of several verses

[1] Pertaining to battles of Uhad, Khandaq and Hunayn, and

[2] At the time of the treaty of Hudaybiya, and

[3] At the time of the departure of the Holy Prophet (hadith al qirtas),

CAN AT MOST REACH THE LEVEL OF PARDONED SINNER.

For "their light will run before them" refer to the commentary of Hadid 57:12; Nur 24:33 to 37.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:8) Believers, turn to Allah in sincere repentance; *19 maybe your Lord will expunge your evil deeds and admit you to the Gardens beneath which rivers flow. *20 This will be on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who have embraced faith and are with him; *21 their light will be running before them and on their right hands, and they will say: “Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Surely You have power over everything.” *22

*19 Literally, "taubat an-nasuh-an "may either mean that **one should offer such true repentance as may have no tinge of pretence and hypocrisy in it, or that** one should wish one's own self well and repenting of sin should save oneself from the evil end, or that **one should so adorn and improve one's life after repentance as to become a cause of admonition for others, and seeing his example others also may reform themselves accordingly. These are the meanings of taubat an-nasuh which- are indicated by its literal sense. As for its religious meaning, its explanation is found in the Hadith which Ibn Abi, Hatim has related on the authority of Zirr bin Hubaish. He says: "When I asked Hadrat Ubayy bin Ka'b the meaning of taubat an-nasuh, he said that he had asked the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) the same question, and he had replied: 'It implies that when you happen to commit an error, you should feel penitent for it, then should implore Allah for forgiveness remorsefully, and then should refrain from committing the same error again." This same meaning has been reported from hadrat 'Umar. Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud and Hadrat 'Abdullah bin `Abbas also, and in a tradition Hadrat 'Umar has defined taubat an-nasuh, thus: °After offering repentance one should not even think of committing the sin, not to speak of repeating it." (Ibn Jarir) Hadrat 'Ali once heard a desert Arab chanting the words of repentance and forgiveness quickly and mechanically and remarked: `This is the repentance of the liars." The man asked: 'What is true repentance? Hadrat 'AIi replied: It should be accompanied by six things:
(1) You should feel penitent for the wrong you have done: (2) you should carry out the duties that you have ignored; (3) restore the rights that you have usurped; (4) ask forgiveness of him whom you have wronged; (5) make a resolve not to repeat the sin again; and (6) consume yourself in obedience to AIlah as you have so far been consuming it in wrongdoing, and cause it to taste the bitterness of obedience as you have so far been causing it to enjoy the sweet taste of disobedience and sin. " (Al-Kashshaf)
In connection with repentance there are some other points also which should be well understood: (I) That repentance, in fact, is to show remorse for an act of disobedience only because it is a disobedience of Allah; otherwise to make a resolve to refrain from a sin because it is harmful for health, for instance, or it is likely to cause defamation or financial loss, is no repentance; (2) that man should offer repentance as soon as he realizes that he has committed disobedience of Allah and should compensate for it without delay in whatever form possible and should not defer it in any way; (3) that violating one's repentance again and making a jest of repentance and repeating the sin again and again of which one has repented, is a proof of the falsity of one's repentance, for the essence of repentance, is penitence, and breaking one's repentance repeatedly is a sign that it has not been motivated by penitence; (4) that if the person who has repented sincerely and resolved not to repeat the sin again, happens to repeat it once again because of human weakness, it will not revive his past sin: however, he should offer a fresh repentance for the latter sin and should resolve more firmly that he would not commit the sin in future; (5) that it is not necessary to renew one's repentance again everytime one remembers the disobedience committed in the past, but if one's self derives pleasure from the remembrance of the past, sinful life, one should offer repentance again and again until the remembrance of the sins causes remorse instead of pleasure and enjoyment. For the person who has actually repented of disobedience because of fear of God cannot derive pleasure from the thought chat he has been disobeying God. His deriving pleasure from it is a sign that fear of God has not taken root in his heart.
*20 The words of the verse deserve deep consideration. It has not been said chat if you repeat, you will surely be forgiven and will certainly be admitted to Paradise, but that: "If you offer true repentance, it may well be that AIIah will treat you kindly." It means that it is not incumbent upon AIIah to accept the repentance of the sinner and to grant him Paradise instead of subjecting him to punishment but it will be His kindness and compassion that He may forgive well as reward His servant. One should have hope of His forgiveness, but one should not commit a sin with the confidence that one will achieve forgiveness by repentance.
*21 That is, `He will not allow the reward of their good deeds to go to waste. He will not let the disbelievers and the hypocrites taunt the believers that they had gained nothing in spite of their worship. Humilitation will be the fate of the rebels and the disobedient and not of the faithful and obedient."
*22 When this verse is read along with w. 12-13 of Surah AI-Hadid, it becomes clear that the running on of the light before the believers will take place when they will be proceeding towards Paradise from the Plain of Resurrection. There it will be pitch dark all around and those who will have been condenmed to Hell, will be groping; about in it; the light will only be with the believers by which they will be travelling on their way. On this critical occasion, hearing the wailings and groanings of those groping in the dark the believers will be feeling terrorstricken- In view of their past errors and short-comings they will be afraid lest they too should be deprived of their light and made to grope about like those-wretched people. Therefore, they will pray: "O our Lord, forgive us our sins and Iet our light remain with us until we reach Paradise." Ibn Jarir has cited Hadrat Abdullah bin 'Abbas as explaining the meaning of Rabbana-atimim lana nurana thus They will implore AIIah AI-mighty that their light be allowed to remain with them and kept from going out until they have crossed the bridge across Hell." The commentary given by Hadrat Hasan Basri, Mujahid and Dahhak also is almost the same. Ibn Kathir has cited their this saying: °When the believers see that the hypocrites have been deprived of the light, they will pray to Allah for the perfection of their light." (For further explanation, see E.N. 17 of Surah Al Hadid). 

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ {66:9}

[Q66:9] yaaa ayyuuhan nabiyyu jaahidil kuffaara walmunaa-fiqeena waghluz 'alaihim; wa maawaahum jahannamu wa bi'sal maseer. 
[Q66:9] O Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be hard against them; and their abode is hell; and evil is the resort.

[Q66:9] Wahai Nabi! Berjihadlah (menentang) orang-orang kafir dan orang-orang munafik, serta bertindak keras terhadap mereka dan (sebenarnya) tempat mereka ialah Neraka Jahannam dan itulah seburuk-buruk tempat kembali. 

Refer to the commentary of Bara-at 9:73. THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD)   WAS COMMENDED TO WAGE WAR UPON THE DISBELIEVERS AND THE HYPOCRITES.

WAR WITH THE INFIDELS, the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)   fought whatever he was forced by the infidel themselves, to do it, BUT THE WAR WITH THE HYPOCRITES, he had to leave it to his vicegerent Ali since the hypocrites called themselves all Muslims AND WITH them the war was with strict enforcement of the penalties to their limits.

Ë  But when after the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) openly revolved they were fought by Ali ibne Abi Talib at Siffin in the battle of Jamal (the Camel) and at Nahrawan.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:9) O Prophet, strive against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be severe with them. *23 Hell shall be their resort. What a grievous end!

*23 For explanation, see E. N . , 82 of Surah At-Taubah. 

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ {66:10}

[Q66:10] DarabaL Laahu masalal lillazeena kafarum ra ata Noobinw wamra ata Loot, kaanataa tahta 'abdaini min 'ibaadinaa saalihaini fakhaanataahumaa falam yughniyaa 'anhumaa minaL Laahi shai anw-wa qeelad khulan naara ma'ad Daakhileen. 
[Q66:10] ALLAH (SwT) sets forth an example to those who disbelieve the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut: they were both under two of Our righteous servants, but they acted treacherously towards them so they availed them naught against ALLAH (SwT), and it was said: Enter both the fire with those who enter.

[Q66:10] ALLAH (SwT) mengemukakan satu misal perbandingan (yang menyatakan tidak ada manfaatnya) bagi orang-orang kafir (berhubung rapat dengan orang-orang mukmin selagi mereka tidak beriman dengan sebenar-benarnya), iaitu: Perihal isteri Nabi Nuh dan isteri Nabi Lut; mereka berdua berada di bawah jagaan dua orang hamba yang soleh dari hamba-hamba Kami (yang sewajibnya mereka berdua taati); dalam pada itu mereka berlaku khianat kepada suami masing-masing; maka kedua-dua suami mereka (yang berpangkat Nabi itu) tidak dapat memberikan sebarang pertolongan kepada mereka dari (azab) ALLAH (SwT) dan (sebaliknya) dikatakan kepada mereka berdua (pada hari pembalasan): Masuklah kamu berdua ke dalam Neraka bersama-sama orang-orang yang masuk (ke situ).

THE REFERENCE HERE IS TO THE WIVES OF NOAH AND LOT. It is to compare the position of the consorts of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), to say that **the mere companionship of the two women with Noah and Lot OR **their being the wives of the apostles of ALLAH (SWT), did not change their individual positions as the rebellious ones, against ALLAH (SWT), SIMILARLY THE POSITION OF THE TWO CONSORTS of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), who annoyed him was not to be different merely being the wives of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).

THE WIFE OF NOAH used to tell her people that Noah was a mean fellow AND THE WIFE OF LOT used to secretly inform the people of the guests that visited Lot---both of them were caught in the warth of ALLAH (SWT) AND SIMILARLY the consorts of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) who annoyed him, would not be spared from the chastisement merely for their having been his wives. THE EXAMPLE of the wives of Noah and that of Lot, IS TO INDICATE THAT THE GOODNESS OF ONE CAN NEVER PROFIT THE OTHER, UNLESS THE OTHER ALSO EARNS IT.

HERE IS A NOTE ADMONISHING THOSE WHO INDISCRIMINATELY SEND THEIR SALUTATIONS TO ONE AND ALL OF THE WIVES OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) MERELY FOR THEIR BEING HIS WIVES.

¤        FOR NOAH’S stay see verses 11:36-48, 11 and LOT SEE verses 7:83 and 11:81.

NONE CAN CLAIM THE MERITS OF THE EXCELLENCE OF ANOTHER---EVERYONE SHALL BEAR ONE’S OWN BURDEN. This universal law has been repeatedly declared---see verse 2:48; 6:165; 17:15; 35:18; 39:7 and 53:38.

THIS VERSE SERVES NOT ONLY AS A ‘WARNING’ BUT ALSO A DEFINITE PROPHECY OF WHAT HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:10) Allah has set forth for the unbelievers the parable of the wives of Noah and Lot. They were wedded to two of Our righteous servants, but each acted treacherously with her husband, *24 and their husbands could be of no avail to them against Allah. The two of them were told: “Enter the Fire with all the others who enter it.”

*24 This betrayal" was not in the sense that they had committed an indecency but in the sense that they did not follow the Prophets Noah and Lot on the way of faith but sided with their enemies against them. Ibn 'Abbas say: °No Prophet's wife has ever been wicked and immoral. The betrayal of these two women in fact was in the matter of faith and religion: they did not acknowledge the religion of the Prophets Noah and Lot. The Prophet Noah's wife used to convey news about the believers to the wicked of her people, and the Prophet Lot's wife used to inform the immoral people about those who visited him in his house. "(Ibn Jarir). 

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِنْدَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ {66:11}

[Q66:11] Wa darabaL Laahu masa lal-lillazeena aamanumra ata Fir'awn; iz qaalat rabbibni lee 'indaka baitan fil jannati wa najjinee min Fir'awna wa 'amalihii wa najjinee minal qawmiz zaalimeen .
[Q66:11] And ALLAH (SwT) sets forth an example to those who believe the wife of Firon when she said: My Lord! Build for me a house with Thee in the garden and deliver me from Firon and his doing, and deliver me from the unjust people:

[Q66:11] Dan ALLAH (SwT) mengemukakan satu misal perbandingan (yang menyatakan tidak ada mudaratnya) kepada orang-orang mukmin (berhubung rapat dengan orang-orang kafir kalau tidak terjejas keadaan imannya), iaitu: Perihal isteri Firaun, ketika dia berkata: Wahai Tuhanku! Binalah untukku sebuah rumah di sisiMu dalam Syurga dan selamatkanlah daku dari Firaun dan perbuatannya (yang kufur dan buas), serta selamatkanlah daku dari kaum yang zalim; 

TRADITIONALLY THE WIFE OF FIRAWN, known as Asiya, is one of the four divinely exalted perfect women, the other three are

î   [1] Maryam, mother of Isa;

î   [2] Khadijah, wife of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and mother of Fatimah Zahra and

î   [3] Fatimah Zahra, daughter of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and wife of Ali ibne Abi Talib and mother of Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, the progenitor of the rest of the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (see Baqarah 2:124).

FIRAWN is known for arrogance, godlessness, wickedness and transgression of all bounds. To lay greater emphasis on what has been said in VERSE 10 that being a wife of a prophet in no way exempts a woman from punishment if she is evil; THE REVERSE EXAMPLE OF ASIYA IS GIVEN IN THIS VERSE that in spite of being the wife of an accursed man like Firawn, she is among the four most honoured women of the world.

As stated in verse 28:9 of Qasas she saved the life of Musa. After seeing the miracles performed by Musa in the court of Firawn her spiritual vision was directed to ALLAH (SWT) and she became a believing women. She was persecuted for her true faith. Her prayer implies a desire for martyrdom. At last she attained her crown of martyrdom.

It is said that when Asiya saw the miracles performed by Moses in the court of her husband, Pharaoh, she embraced the faith and Pharaoh tried his best to reconvert her to his infidelity. She was laid on burning sand under the scorching sun and yet she was steadfast and prayed to ALLAH (SwT) and ALLAH (SwT) caused the heat of the sun not to affect her in the least. A heavy stone was placed on her but the lady’s faith in ALLAH (SwT) was not shaken in the least, and she prayed to ALLAH (SwT) to be taken away into an abode near to Him. The prayer was granted and the Lady attained her crown of martyrdom.

Could not a question be asked here: “Are not the cowards of men who feared death in the battlefields and deserted the truth and the Apostle of ALLAH (SWT) and ran away, are far below even women in their courage and steadfastness in faith? Putting the question the other way: “Can such deserters of the hypocrites ever deserve or claim any regard or consideration thereafter, when the truth has been firmly established at the cost of the sufferings and the sacrifices of the others of the faithful?”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:11) Allah has set forth for the believers the parable of Pharaoh’s wife. She prayed: “My Lord, build for me a house with You in Paradise and deliver me from Pharaoh and his misdeeds; *25 and deliver me from the iniquitous people.”

*25 From Pharaoh and his work": from the evil end that Pharaoh would meet in consequence of his evil deeds. 

وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ {66:12}

[Q66:12] Wa Maryamab nata 'Imraanal lateee ahsanat farjahaa fanafakhnaa feehi mir roobinaa wa saddaqat bikali maati Rabbihaa wa Kutubihee wakaanat minal qaaniteen. 
[Q66:12] And Marium, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration and she accepted the truth of the words of her Lord and His books, and she was of, the obedient ones.

[Q66:12] Dan juga (satu misal perbandingan lagi, iaitu): Mariam binti Imran (ibu Nabi Isa seorang perempuan) yang telah memelihara kehormatan dan kesuciannya (dari disentuh oleh lelaki; tetapi oleh sebab Kami telah takdirkan dia mendapat anak) maka Kami perintahkan Jibril meniup masuk ke dalam kandungan tubuhnya dari roh (ciptaan) Kami dan (sekalipun Mariam itu hidup di antara kaum kafir) dia mengakui kebenaran Kalimah-kalimah Tuhannya serta Kitab-kitabNya dan dia menjadi dari orang-orang yang tetap taat.  

IMRAN WAS THE NAME OF THE FATHER OF MARYAM, THE MOTHER OF ISA. See Ali Imran 3:33 to 46 and Maryam 19:16 to 34. ALLAH (SWT) made her and her son a sign (miracle) for all peoples.

WILL OF ALLAH (SWT) IS NOT CONTROLLED BY ANY LAW OF NATURE ON THE OTHER HAND ALL LAWS GOVERNING THE UNIVERSE AND NATURE OBEY AND FOLLOW HIS WILL, so whenever He wills they are adjusted to serve His plan and purpose.

Call to mind all that which you have read so far about Maryam and Isa. MERE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OR CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), WITHOUT FAITH AND VIRTUE CAN DO NO GOOD.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(66:12) Allah has also set forth the parable of Mary, the daughter of Imran, *26 who guarded her chastity, *27 and into whom We breathed of Our Spirit, *28 and who testified to the words of her Lord and His Books. She was among the obedient. *29

*26 It may be that the name of Mary's father was °Imran, or she may have been called "daughter of 'Imran" because she belonged to the family of 'Imran. 
*27 This is a refutation of the accusation by the Jews that the birth of Jesus was, God forbid, the result of a sin of his mother. Their same accusation has been called a monstrous calumny" in An-Nisa`: 156. (For explanation, see E.N. 190 of An-Niasa').
*28 That is, without her having any connection with a man, AIIah breathed into her womb a Spirit from Himself. (For explanation, see E.N.'s 212, 213 of An-Nisa' and E.N. 89 of Al-Anbiya').
*29 For the explanation of the object for which these three kinds of women have been cited as an example, see the Introduction to the Surah.

*****************