Al-Ahzab 33:31
The Combined Forces · Juz 22 · Page 422
۞ وَمَن يَقۡنُتۡ مِنكُنَّ لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحٗا نُّؤۡتِهَآ أَجۡرَهَا مَرَّتَيۡنِ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لَهَا رِزۡقٗا كَرِيمٗا ٣١
And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allāh and His Messenger and does righteousness - We will give her her reward twice; and We have prepared for her a noble provision.
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 33:30–31
The Wives of the Prophet are not like Other Women
This Ayah is addressed to the wives of the Prophet who chose Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter, and remained married to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Thus it was befitting that there should be rulings which applied only to them, and not to other women, in the event that any of them should commit open Fahishah. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "This means Nushuz (rebellion) and a bad attitude." Whatever the case, this is a conditional phrase and it does not imply that what is referred to would actually happen. This is like the Ayat:
وَلَقَدْ أُوْحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ
(And indeed it has been revealed to you, as it was to those before you: "If you join others in worship with Allah, surely your deeds will be in vain.") (39:65)
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُواْ لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ
(But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.) (6:88)
قُلْ إِن كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْعَبِدِينَ
(Say: "If the Most Gracious had a son, then I am the first of (Allah's) worshippers.") (43:81)
لَّوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً لاَّصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ سُبْحَنَهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
(Had Allah willed to take a son, He could have chosen whom He willed out of those whom He created. But glory be to Him! He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.) (39:4). Because their status is so high, it is appropriate to state that the sin, if they were to commit it, would be so much worse, so as to protect them and their Hijab. Allah says:
مَن يَأْتِ مِنكُنَّ بِفَحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ يُضَاعَفْ لَهَا الْعَذَابُ ضِعْفَيْنِ
(Whoever of you commits an open Fahishah, the torment for her will be doubled,) Malik narrated from Zayd bin Aslam:
يُضَاعَفْ لَهَا الْعَذَابُ ضِعْفَيْنِ
(the torment for her will be doubled,) "In this world and the next." Something similar was narrated from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid.
وَكَانَ ذلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيراً
(and that is ever easy for Allah.) it is very easy indeed. Then Allah mentions His justice and His bounty, in the Ayah:
وَمَن يَقْنُتْ مِنكُنَّ للَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ
(And whosoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Messenger,) i.e., obeys Allah and His Messenger ,
نُؤْتِهَآ أَجْرَهَا مَرَّتَيْنِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهَا رِزْقاً كَرِيماً
(We shall give her, her reward twice over, and We have prepared for her a noble provision.) i.e., in Paradise, for they will be in the dwellings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the highest reaches of `Illiyin, above the dwellings of all the people, in Al-Wasilah which is the closest of the dwellings of Paradise to the Throne.
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33:31
۞ وَمَن يَقۡنُتۡ مِنكُنَّ لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحٗا نُّؤۡتِهَآ أَجۡرَهَا مَرَّتَيۡنِ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لَهَا رِزۡقٗا كَرِيمٗا ٣١
And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allāh and His Messenger and does righteousness - We will give her her reward twice; and We have prepared for her a noble provision.
33:32
يَٰنِسَآءَ ٱلنَّبِيِّ لَسۡتُنَّ كَأَحَدٖ مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِنِ ٱتَّقَيۡتُنَّۚ فَلَا تَخۡضَعۡنَ بِٱلۡقَوۡلِ فَيَطۡمَعَ ٱلَّذِي فِي قَلۡبِهِۦ مَرَضٞ وَقُلۡنَ قَوۡلٗا مَّعۡرُوفٗا ٣٢
O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allāh, then do not be soft in speech [to men],1 lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.
1 translator’s note
- The meaning has also been given as "You are not like any among women if you fear Allāh. So do not be soft in speech..." ↩
33:33
وَقَرۡنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجۡنَ تَبَرُّجَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِيَّةِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰۖ وَأَقِمۡنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتِينَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِعۡنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذۡهِبَ عَنكُمُ ٱلرِّجۡسَ أَهۡلَ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ تَطۡهِيرٗا ٣٣
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Allāh intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
33:34
وَٱذۡكُرۡنَ مَا يُتۡلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ لَطِيفًا خَبِيرًا ٣٤
And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allāh and wisdom.1 Indeed, Allāh is ever Subtle2 and Aware.
33:35
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ وَٱلۡمُسۡلِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ وَٱلصَّٰدِقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّٰبِرَٰتِ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعِينَ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمِينَ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظِينَ فُرُوجَهُمۡ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظَٰتِ وَٱلذَّٰكِرِينَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرٗا وَٱلذَّٰكِرَٰتِ أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٗ وَأَجۡرًا عَظِيمٗا ٣٥
Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allāh often and the women who do so - for them Allāh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.