66al-TaḥrīmProhibitionسُورَةُ التحريم

Madinan · 12 ayat · 107th in order of revelation

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Some incidents pertaining to the Prophet’s wives

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكَۖ تَبۡتَغِي مَرۡضَاتَ أَزۡوَٰجِكَۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ 

O Prophet! Why do you disallow for yourself what Allah has made admissible for you, out of an aspiration to please your wives? But Allah is immensely forgiving, immeasurably wise.

قَدۡ فَرَضَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ تَحِلَّةَ أَيۡمَٰنِكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ مَوۡلَىٰكُمۡۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ 

Allah has already enjoined upon you an expiation of [such of] your oaths [as may contravene what is appropriate and good for you]: for, Allah is your prevailing Lord, and He is the Infinitely Knowledgeable, the Really Wise.

وَإِذۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضِ أَزۡوَٰجِهِۦ حَدِيثٗا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتۡ بِهِۦ وَأَظۡهَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ عَرَّفَ بَعۡضَهُۥ وَأَعۡرَضَ عَنۢ بَعۡضٖۖ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِۦ قَالَتۡ مَنۡ أَنۢبَأَكَ هَٰذَاۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِيَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ 

And as it happened, the Prophet privately conveyed an assertion to hardly any of his wives; and when she [one of them] thereupon divulged it [to another of his wives], and Allah notified him [of what happened], he acquainted [the others] with some of it and deflected some of it. And when he let her know [that he knew what she did], she asked, “Who has informed you about this?” — [to which] he replied, “The One who informed me is the One who knows everything, the One who is well acquainted with everything.”

إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ فَقَدۡ صَغَتۡ قُلُوبُكُمَاۖ وَإِن تَظَٰهَرَا عَلَيۡهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ مَوۡلَىٰهُ وَجِبۡرِيلُ وَصَٰلِحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَۖ وَٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ 

[Say, O Prophet], “Would that both of you turn to Allah in repentance, for the hearts of both of you have veered [from what is proper]! And were both of you to team up against him [who is Allah’s Prophet, then know that] Allah Himself is his lord and sponsor, and [that], therefore, Gabriel, and all the out-and- out committed muslims, in addition to all the [other] malā’ikah, are his mainstay [backers].”

عَسَىٰ رَبُّهُۥٓ إِن طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُۥٓ أَزۡوَٰجًا خَيۡرٗا مِّنكُنَّ مُسۡلِمَٰتٖ مُّؤۡمِنَٰتٖ قَٰنِتَٰتٖ تَٰٓئِبَٰتٍ عَٰبِدَٰتٖ سَٰٓئِحَٰتٖ ثَيِّبَٰتٖ وَأَبۡكَارٗا 

[O wives of the Prophet!] Were he to divorce [any of] you, Allah might well replace you with spouses better than you — women who are yielding [to Allah], committed [to Allah], obedient [to Allah], remorseful [to Allah], compliant [with Allah], on the move [for Allah, seeking His goodly acceptance] — be they women who were married before or women who are not married yet.

Avoiding the fire, sincere repentance, and the all-out effort to tackle the God-deniers

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَأَهۡلِيكُمۡ نَارٗا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡحِجَارَةُ عَلَيۡهَا مَلَٰٓئِكَةٌ غِلَاظٞ شِدَادٞ لَّا يَعۡصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمۡ وَيَفۡعَلُونَ مَا يُؤۡمَرُونَ 

O you who are sincerely committed! Ward off from yourselves and from your kinfolk that fire [in the hereafter] whose fuel is humans and stones: [extending control] over it are angelic powers, rough-and-ready [and] severe, who do not disobey Allah in whatever He tells them [to do], but [always] do what they are told [to do].

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَا تَعۡتَذِرُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ إِنَّمَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ 

[Hence], O you who have rejected [Allah]! Do not hold out any excuse(s) today: [in the life to come] you shall have the payback that corresponds to what you did [while you lived your preceding life].

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوۡبَةٗ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمۡ وَيُدۡخِلَكُمۡ جَنَّٰتٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ يَوۡمَ لَا يُخۡزِي ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِيَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥۖ نُورُهُمۡ يَسۡعَىٰ بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَبِأَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتۡمِمۡ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ 

O you who are fervently committed [to Allah]! Express your sincerest repentance to Allah: in all likelihood your Sustainer will cancel out your wrongdoings and admit you into gardens with rivers streaming under them, on a Day on which Allah will not shame the Prophet and those who shared with him [a lifelong divine commitment]. Their luminosity shall precede them and esteem them; and they [in that honorable status] will speak out, “O our Sustainer! Bring to perfection our radiance and forgive us [for any wrong we may have done]: for, surely, You have power over everything.”

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ جَٰهِدِ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ وَٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱغۡلُظۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ وَمَأۡوَىٰهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ 

O Prophet! Do your utmost against the God-deniers and the “muslim” political hypocrites, and be adamant with them. [And if they do not change their attitude] their lodging place shall be Hell — and how dire a destiny!

Illustrations of committed muslim women and God-denying women

ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱمۡرَأَتَ نُوحٖ وَٱمۡرَأَتَ لُوطٖۖ كَانَتَا تَحۡتَ عَبۡدَيۡنِ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا صَٰلِحَيۡنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمۡ يُغۡنِيَا عَنۡهُمَا مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيۡـٔٗا وَقِيلَ ٱدۡخُلَا ٱلنَّارَ مَعَ ٱلدَّٰخِلِينَ 

For those who are in denial of Allah, Allah has put forward an example in [the stories of] Nūḥ’s wife and Lūṭ’s wife: they were joined in matrimony to two of Our [dear and] righteous subjects, but then both of them betrayed their husbands; and neither of the two [husbands] will be of any redeeming value for these two [women] in the attendance of Allah when they are told [on the Day of Judgement], “Enter the Fire with all those [villains] who are to pass into it!”

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱمۡرَأَتَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ إِذۡ قَالَتۡ رَبِّ ٱبۡنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيۡتٗا فِي ٱلۡجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ 

And for those who affirm Allah, Allah has put forward an example in [the story of] Pharaoh’s wife as she appealed [to Allah], “O my Sustainer! Build for me a mansion where You are, in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his shenanigans, and save me from all evildoing folk!”

وَمَرۡيَمَ ٱبۡنَتَ عِمۡرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتۡ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتۡ مِنَ ٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ 

And [We bring to your attention another example of God-awareness in the story of] Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imrān, who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed of Our rūḥ (life-force) into that [body part where life is conceived], and who asserted the words of her Sustainer [relayed to her] and His decrees — and she was consistently obedient.