Al-Ahzab

O Prophet! Fear God, remain in fear of Him, and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites, [and so follow them] in what contravenes your Law. Truly God is Knower, of what will happens before it happens, Wise, in what He creates.

And follow what is revealed to you from your Lord, namely, the Qur’ān. Truly God is Aware of what you do (ta‘malūna; a variant reading has ya‘malūna, ‘[what] they do’).

And put your trust in God, regarding this affair of yours; and God suffices as Guardian, to preserve you. And [the members of] his [the Prophet’s] community are subject to the same [admonitions] in all of the above.

God has not placed two hearts inside any man: [this was revealed] in order to refute those disbelievers who said that they each had two hearts with which they could reason better than Muhammad’s single mind; nor has He made your wives whom (read as allā’ī, or allā’) you repudiate by zihār (read tazzahharūna, or tuzāhirūna; the original tā’ [of tatazāharūna] has been assimilated with the zā’) — a man would say to his wife for example, ‘You are for me as [untouchable as] my mother’s back’ — your mothers, in other words, [He has not made you wives] like [your] mothers, so that they are illicit [for conjugality] in that respect, [a practice] which in pre-Islamic times was considered a [valid form of] divorce. An atonement with [necessary] conditions is necessary in such a case, as mentioned in sūrat al-Mujādila [Q. 58:2-3]. Nor has He made those whom you claim as [adopted] sons (ad‘iyā’, the plural of da‘iyy, which is one claimed as the son of one who is not his [biological] father) your sons, in reality. That is a mere utterance of your mouths, namely, [of] the Jews and the hypocrites. When the Prophet (s) married Zaynab bt. Jahsh, who had been Zayd b. Hāritha’s wife, the adopted son of the Prophet (s), they said, ‘Muhammad married his son’s wife!’, and so God proved them liars in this. But God speaks the truth, in this [matter], and He guides to the way, the way of truth.

Instead, attribute them to their [true] fathers. That is more equitable, [that is] more just, in the sight of God. If you do not know their [true] fathers, then they are your brethren in religion and [as] your associates. And you would not be at fault for any mistake you make, in this respect, except, in, what your hearts may premeditate, after the prohibition [has been issued]. And God is Forgiving, of whatever you said before the prohibition [was issued], Merciful, to you in this respect.

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their [own] souls, in terms of what he calls them to and what their own souls have called them to contravene, and his wives are their mothers, insofar as they [the believers] are forbidden to marry them. And those related by blood, kinsmen, are more entitled, to inherit [from], one another in the Book of God than the [other] believers and the Emigrants, in other words, than inheriting on account of [their sharing] faith and the Emigration, which had been the case at the beginning of Islam but was then abrogated; barring any favour you may do your friends, by [making] a bequest, which is permissible. This, namely, the abrogation of inheritance on account of [shared] faith and Emigration by the inheritance on account of kinship, is written in the Book — in both instances al-kitāb, ‘the Book’, denotes the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfūz).

And, mention, when We took a pledge from the prophets, at the point when they were brought forth from the loins of Adam, the size of atoms, and from you, and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary, that they worship [only] God and call others to worship Him (the mention of the five [names] is an instance of supplementing the specific to the general). And We took from them a solemn pledge, a solid [one], that they fulfil what they have been charged with, and this was [effected] by [swearing] an oath to God, after which the pledge was consummated;

that He, God, may question the truthful about their truthfulness, in delivering the Message, as a way thereby to [justifiably] reproach the disbelievers; and He, exalted be He, has prepared for those who disbelieve, in them, a painful chastisement (‘adhāban alīman is a supplement to akhadhnā, ‘We took’).

O you who believe! Remember God’s favour to you when hosts, of disbelievers, came against you, as confederates, at the time the Ditch (al-khandaq) was being dug, and We unleashed against them a [great] wind and hosts, of angels, you did not see. And God is ever Seer of what you do (read ta‘malūna to imply ‘in the way of [your] digging of the ditch’; or read ya‘malūna, ‘[of what] they do’, to imply ‘the idolaters’ forming of a confederation’).

When they came at you from above you and from below you, in other words, from the higher side of the valley and from its lower side, from the east and from the west, and when the eyes turned away [in fear], from everything, to [gaze at] their enemies [approaching] from every side, and the hearts lept to the throats (hanājir, the plural of hunjura, which lies at the bottom of the gullet) out of intense fear, while you entertained all sorts of, different, thoughts concerning God, [some] of assistance, some of despair;

it was there that the believers were [sorely] tried, [there] they were tested, to distinguish the sincere individual from the one otherwise, and were shaken with a mighty shock, because of the severity of the terror.

And, mention, when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is sickness, namely, weakness of conviction, were saying, ‘What God and His Messenger promised us, of assistance [to victory], was [nothing] but delusion’, falsehood.

And when a party of them, namely, the hypocrites, said, ‘O people of Yathrib!, namely, the region of Medina (it [Yathriba] is a diptote because of its being a proper noun and because of the [morphological similarity it bears to a] verbal form) there is not a stand [possible] (read muqām or maqām) for you [here], in other words, no place to stay and no [strategic] position, so turn back, to your dwellings in Medina — they had set out with the Prophet (s) towards the foot of a mountain outside Medina for battle. And a group of them [even] sought the permission of the Prophet, to turn back, saying, ‘Our homes are exposed, unprotected and we fear for them’. God, exalted be He, says: although they were not exposed. They only sought to flee, from battle.

And had they been invaded in it, namely, Medina, from all sides and had they been exhorted, in other words, had the invaders exhorted them, to treachery, [a return to] idolatrous ways, they would have committed it (read la-ātawhā, or la-atawhā, meaning, ‘they would have offered it’, or ‘they would have committed it’ [respectively]) and would have hesitated thereupon but a little.

Though they had assuredly pledged to God before that, that they would not turn their backs [to flee]; and a pledge given to God must be answered for, regarding whether it was fulfilled [or not].

Say: ‘Flight will not avail you should you flee from death or [from] being slain, and then, if you were to flee, you would not be extended comfort, in this world, after you have fled, except a little’, [except for] the remainder of your terms [of life].

Say: ‘Who is it that can protect you, grant you sanctuary, from God should He desire [to cause] you ill, [whether it be] destruction or defeat, or, [who is it that] can cause you ill, should He, God, desire for you mercy?’, good. And they shall not find for themselves besides God, in other words, other than God, any protector, to avail them, or helper, to ward off harm from them.

Indeed God already knows the hinderers among you and those who say to their brethren, ‘Come to us’, and they do not engage in the battle except a little, for show and for [the sake of their] reputation,

grudging to you, in their help (ashihha, ‘grudging’, is the plural of shahīh, and is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the subject [of the verb] ya’tūna, ‘they engage’). And when there is a panic, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling like one, that is, like the look of one, or the rolling of one, fainting at death, in other words, [one] in the throes thereof; but when the panic subsides, and the spoils have been secured, they scald you, they hurt you, or they smite you, with [their] sharp tongues, in their greed for the riches, in other words, for the spoils, which they demand [greedily]. Those, they never believed, really. Therefore God has invalidated their works, and that, invalidation, is easy for God, by His will.

They suppose that the confederates, of disbelievers, have not [yet] departed, to Mecca, because of their fear of them, and were the confederates to come, a second time, they would wish that they were in the desert with the Bedouins asking about your news, your encounters with the disbelievers. And if they were among you, this second time, they would fight but a little, for show and for fear of being reviled.

Verily there is for you a good example (read iswa or uswa) in the Messenger of God, to emulate in combat and in holding one’s ground [therein], for whoever (li-man substitutes for lakum, ‘for you’) hopes for [the encounter with] God, fears Him, and the Last Day, and remembers God often, in contrast to those who do not.

And when the believers saw the confederates, of disbelievers, they said, ‘This is what God and His Messenger promised us, in the way of trial and [assistance to] victory, and God and His Messenger were truthful’, about the promise. And that only increased them in faith, in belief in God’s promise, and submission, to His command.

Among the believers are men who are true to the covenant they made with God, in steadfastly remaining alongside the Prophet (s). Some of them have fulfilled their vow, having died or been killed [fighting] for God’s cause, and some are still awaiting, for this [fate], and they have not changed, [their commitment to] the covenant, in the least, and they stand in contrast to the situation with the hypocrites;

that God may reward the truthful for their truthfulness and chastise the hypocrites, if He will, by causing them to die in [a state of] hypocrisy, or relent to them. Surely God is Forgiving, to he who repents, Merciful, to him.

And God repulsed those who were disbelievers, namely, the confederates, in their rage, without their attaining any good, [without achieving] their desire in any way to triumph over the believers. And God spared the believers from fighting, by [unleashing] the wind and the angels. And truly God is Strong, in bringing about what He wants, Mighty, prevailing with His way.

And He brought down those of the People of the Scripture, namely, the [Banū] Qurayza, who had supported them from their strongholds (sayāsī is the plural of sīsa, and is that in which one fortifies himself [against an enemy]) and He cast terror into their hearts, [so that] some, of them, you slew, and these were the combatants, and some, of them, you took captive, namely, their children.

And He made you inherit their land and their homes and their possessions, and a land you had not trodden, thitherto, and this was [the territory of] Khaybar, which was captured after [that of] Qurayza. And God has power over all things.

O Prophet! Say to your wives: — who were nine, and they had asked him for some of the adornments of this world, which he did not possess — ‘If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, come [now], I will provide for you, in other words, the compensation [to be provided] for divorce, and release you in a gracious manner, I will divorce you and will not coerce [you to stay].

But if you desire God and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter, namely, Paradise, then God has indeed prepared for the virtuous among you, [virtuous for] desiring the Hereafter, a great reward’, namely, Paradise: so choose the Hereafter over [the life of] this world.

O wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits manifest indecency (read mubayyana, or mubayyina, meaning [respectively], ‘it has become evident’, meaning, ‘one that is evident’) the chastisement shall be doubled (yudā‘af: a variant reading has [2nd form] yuda‘‘af, and still another has nuda‘‘if, ‘We shall double’, in which case [read] al-‘adhāba, as accusative) for her, in other words, twice the chastisement for other women; and that is easy for God.

But whoever of you is obedient to God and His Messenger, and acts righteously, We shall give her a twofold reward, in other words, twice the reward for other women (variant readings [for ta‘mal and nu’tihā] are [impersonal] ya‘mal, ‘[whoever] acts’, and yu’tihā, ‘He will give her’). And We have prepared a noble provision for her, in Paradise, in addition [to the twofold reward].

O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other, group of, women. If you fear, God, for you are more exalted [in status], then do not be complaisant in your speech, with men, lest he in whose heart is a sickness, hypocrisy, aspire [to you], but speak honourable words, without any complaisance.

And stay in your houses (read qirna or qarna, derived from al-qarār, and is actually, aqrirna or aqrarna from qarirtu or qarartu: the vowelling of the rā’ is moved to the qāf and [the rā’] is omitted together with the conjunctive hamza) and do not flaunt your finery (tabarrajna, with one of the two original tā’ [of tatabarrajna] letters omitted) in the [flaunting] manner of the former Time of Ignorance, in other words, before Islam, when they used to display their beauty to men — [the stipulation regarding] such ‘displays’ after [the coming of] Islam is mentioned in the verse: and not to display their adornment except what is apparent [Q. 24:31]. And maintain prayer and pay the alms, and obey God and His Messenger. Indeed God will but to rid you of sin, O, People of the House, in other words, [O] women of the Prophet (s), and to purify you, of it, with a thorough purification.

And remember that which is recited in your houses of the revelations of God, [of] the Qur’ān, and wisdom, the Sunna. Truly God is Kind, to His friends, Aware, of all His creatures.

Indeed the men who have submitted [to God] and the women who have submitted [to God], and the believing men and the believing women, and the obedient men and the obedient women, and the men who are truthful and the women who are truthful, in their faith, and the patient men and the patient women, [steadfast] in [performing] acts of obedience, and the humble men and the humble women, and the charitable men and the charitable women, and the men who fast and the women who fast, and the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard their private parts, from what is unlawful, and the men who remember God often and the women who remember God often — for them God has prepared forgiveness, of [their] acts of disobedience, and a great reward, for their acts of obedience.

And it is not [fitting] for any believing man or believing woman, when God and His Messenger have decided on a matter, to have (read takūna or yakūna) a choice in their matter, in contravention of the decision of God and His Messenger. This [verse] was revealed regarding ‘Abd Allāh b. Jahsh and his sister Zaynab, whose hand the Prophet had asked for in marriage, but meaning on behalf of Zayd b. Hāritha. They were loathe to this [proposal] when they found out [that it was on the latter’s behalf], for they had thought that the Prophet (s) wanted to marry her himself. But afterwards they consented because of the [following part of the] verse: And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger has certainly strayed into manifest error. Thus the Prophet (s) gave her in marriage to Zayd. Then on one occasion he [the Prophet] caught sight of her and felt love for her, whereafter [when he realised that] Zayd lost his affection for her and so said to the Prophet (s), ‘I want to part with her’. But the Prophet said to him, ‘Retain your wife for yourself’, as God, exalted be He, says:

And when (idh is dependent because of [an implied preceding] udhkur, ‘mention [when]’) you said to him to whom God had shown favour, by [guiding him to] Islam, and to whom you [too] had shown favour: by manumitting him — this was Zayd b. Hāritha, who had been a prisoner of war before [the coming of] Islam (in the period of al-jāhiliyya). The Messenger of God (s) purchased him before his call to prophethood, and then manumitted him and adopted him as his son — ‘Retain your wife for yourself and fear God’, before divorcing her. But you had hidden in your heart what God was to disclose, [what] He was to manifest of your love for her and of [the fact] that should Zayd part with her you would marry her, and you feared people, would say, ‘He has married his son’s wife!’, though God is worthier that you should fear Him, in all things, so take her in marriage and do not be concerned with what people say. Zayd subsequently divorced her and her [obligatory] waiting period was completed. God, exalted be He, says: So when Zayd had fulfilled whatever need he had of her, We joined her in marriage to you — the Prophet consummated his marriage with her without [the customary] permission [from her legal guardian] and gratified the Muslims with [a feast of] bread and meat — so that there may not be any restriction for the believers in respect of the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have fulfilled whatever wish they have of them. And God’s commandment, that which He has decreed, is bound to be realised.

There is no restriction for the Prophet in what God has ordained, [in what] He has made lawful, for him: [that is] God’s precedent (sunnata’Llāhi is in the accusative because the operator of the oblique has been removed [from the oblique construction ka-sunnati’Llāhi, ‘as is God’s precedent’) with those who passed away before, of prophets, which is that there is no restriction for them in this respect, a [special] dispensation for them regarding marriage — and God’s commandment, what He does, is inexorable destiny

— [those] who (alladhīna qualifies the previous alladhīna) deliver the Messages of God and fear Him, and fear no one except Him, and therefore they do not fear what people [might] say about that which God has made lawful for them. And God suffices as Reckoner, as keeper of the deeds of His creatures and [as One] to reckon with them.

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you: he is not Zayd’s biological father and so it is not unlawful for him to marry his [former] wife Zaynab [after him]; but, he is, the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and so he will not have a son that is a [fully grown] man to be a prophet after him (a variant reading [for khātim al-nabiyyīna] has khātam al-nabiyyīn, as in the instrument [known as a] ‘seal’, in other words, their [prophethood] has been sealed by him). And God has knowledge of all things, among these is the fact that there will be no prophet after him, and even when the lord Jesus descends [at the end of days] he will rule according to his [Muhammad’s] Law.

O you who believe! Remember God with much remembrance.

And glorify Him morning and evening, in other words, at the beginning of the day and at the end of it.

It is He Who blesses you, that is to say, Who shows mercy to you, and His angels, ask forgiveness for you, that He may bring you forth, that He may always bring you forth, from darkness, namely, [from] disbelief, into light, namely, faith. And He is Merciful to the believers.

Their greeting, from Him, exalted be He, on the day they encounter Him will be ‘Peace’, [extended to them] by the tongues of the angels. And He has prepared for them a noble reward, namely, Paradise.

O Prophet! Indeed We have sent you as a witness, against those to whom you have were sent, and as a bearer of good tidings, for those who affirm your sincerity, of Paradise, and as a warner, for those who deny you, of the [punishment of the] Fire,

and as a summoner to God, to obedience to Him, by His leave, by His command, and as a illuminating lamp, in other words, the equivalent of it, in terms of one’s being able to find guidance therewith.

And give good tidings to the believers that there will be for them a great bounty from God, namely, Paradise.

And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites, in [assenting to do] what contravenes your Law; and disregard, leave aside, their injuriousness — do not retaliate against them for it until you receive a command [from God] regarding [how to deal with] them. And put your trust in God, for He will suffice you, and God suffices as Guardian, One to Whom matters are entrusted.

O you who believe if you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them (read tamassūhunna or tumāsūhunna) that is, before you have copulated with them, there shall be no [waiting] period for you to reckon against them, [no] waiting period [needed to preclude pregnancy] or otherwise. But provide for them, give them what they can use for [securing] comforts, in cases where no dowry has been fixed for them; otherwise theirs is to retain half of what was fixed, but no more — this is what Ibn ‘Abbās said and it is [the opinion] followed by al-Shāfi‘ī’; and release them in a gracious manner, leave them be without [the intention to cause them any] harm.

O Prophet! Indeed We have made lawful for you your wives whom you have given their dowries and what your right hand owns, of those whom God has given you as spoils of war, from the disbelievers, [whom you have] taken captive, such as Safiyya and Juwayriyya, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you, as opposed to those who did not emigrate, and any believing woman if she gift herself [in marriage] to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, and ask for her hand in marriage without paying [her] a dowry — a privilege for you exclusively, not for the [rest of the] believers (nikāh, ‘marriage’, when expressed by the term hiba, ‘gift’, denotes [marriage] without dowry). Indeed We know what We have imposed upon them, namely, the believers, with respect to their wives, in the way of rulings, to the effect that they should not take more than four wives and should only marry with [the consent of] a legal guardian, [the presence of] witnesses and [the payment of] a dowry, and, with respect to, what their right hands own, of slavegirls, in the way of purchase or otherwise, so that the handmaiden be one lawful for her master, such as a slavegirl belonging to the People of the Scripture (kitābiyya), and not a Magian or an idolater, and that she should be ascertained [as not carrying child] with the necessary waiting period (istibrā’) before copulation; so that (li-kaylā is semantically connected to what came before [this last statement]) there may be no [unnecessary] restriction for you, [no] constraint in marriage [for you]. And God is Forgiving, of what is difficult to guard against, Merciful, in giving dispensations [allowing for latitude] in this respect.

You may put off (read turji’ or turjī), you may postpone [consorting with], whomever of them you wish, namely, of your wives, from their turn [for intimacy], and consort, embrace [in conjugality], whomever you wish, of them, and come unto her, and as for whomever you may desire of those whom you have set aside, from their share, you would not be at fault, to desire her and consort with her [again]. He was given the choice in this respect after it had been obligatory for him to give each wife her [equal] share [of conjugality]. That, freedom of choice, makes it likelier that they will be comforted and not grieve, and that they will be satisfied with what you give them, of what has been mentioned of your freedom to choose [whom to consort with], every one of them (kulluhunna emphasises the subject of [the verb] yardayna, ‘they will be satisfied’) will be well-pleased with what you give her. And God knows what is in your hearts, with respect to [your] women and [your] preferring some [to others]. We have given you the freedom to choose [from among them] in order to make it easier for you to have what you desire. And God is Knower, of His creatures, Forbearing, in refraining from punishing them.

Women are not lawful for you (read lā tahillu, or lā yahillu) beyond that, beyond the nine that have chosen you [as their husband], nor [is it lawful] for you to change (tabaddala: one of the two original tā’ letters [of tatabaddala] has been omitted) them for other wives, by divorcing them or some of them and marry in place of those whom you divorce, even though their beauty impress you, except those whom your right hand owns, of slavegirls, which is [in contrast] lawful for you. In addition to these [slavegirls] the Prophet (s) came to own Māriya [the Copt]. She bore for him Ibrāhīm, who died during his lifetime. And God is Watcher over, Preserver [of], all things.

O you who believe, do not enter the Prophet’s houses unless permission is granted you, to enter by invitation, to [share] a meal, and so you enter, without waiting for the [right] moment, [for] when it is ready (ināhu, a verbal noun from anā, ya’nī). But when you are invited, enter, and, when you have had your meal, disperse, without, lingering for, any [leisurely] conversation, amongst yourselves. Indeed that, lingering, is upsetting for the Prophet, and he is [too] shy of you, to make you leave, but God is not shy of the truth, that you should leave — in other words, He would never refrain from declaring it (a variant reading [for yastahyī] has yastahī). And when you ask anything of [his] womenfolk, in other words, the wives of the Prophet (s), ask them from behind a screen, a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts, than [entertaining] sinful thoughts. And you should never cause the Messenger of God hurt, in any way; nor ever marry his wives after him. Assuredly that in God’s sight would be very grave, as a sin.

Whether you disclose anything or keep it hidden, regarding marrying them after him, truly God has knowledge of all things, and will requite you for it.

They [the Prophet’s wives] would not be at fault with regard to [socialising with] their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their own, believing, women, or what their right hands own, of slavegirls or [male] servants, in seeing them or conversing with them without a screen. And fear [O women] God, in what you have been commanded. Surely God is Witness to all things, with nothing being hidden from Him.

Indeed God and His angels bless the Prophet, Muhammad (s). O you who believe, invoke blessings on him and invoke peace upon him in a worthy manner, in other words, say: ‘O God, bless our master Muhammad and grant him peace’ (Allāhumma sallī ‘alā sayyidinā Muhammad wa-sallim).

Indeed those who are injurious to God and His Messenger — and they are the disbelievers, who attribute to God what He is exalted above of such things as [His having] a son or a partner and they deny His Messenger — God has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter, He has banished them [from His mercy], and has prepared for them a humiliating chastisement, and that is the Fire.

And those who cause hurt to believing men and believing women without the latter’s having done anything, [those who] accuse them of what they have not done, have verily borne [the guilt of] calumny, they have borne lies, and [the burden of] manifest sin.

O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks closely over themselves (jalābīb is the plural of jilbāb, which is a wrap that covers a woman totally) — in other words, let them pull part of it [also] over their faces, leaving one eye [visible], when they need to leave [the house] for something. That makes it likelier that they will be known, to be free women, and not be molested, by being approached. In contrast, slavegirls did not use to cover their faces and so the disbelievers used to pester them. And God is Forgiving, of any occasion in the past when they may have neglected to cover themselves, Merciful, to them in His veiling them.

If (la-in, the lām is for oaths) the hypocrites do not desist, from their hypocrisy, and likewise those in whose hearts is a sickness, [in their urge] to fornicate, as well as the scaremongers in the city, who alarm the believers by saying [to them things like], ‘Your enemy is here and your raiding parties have been massacred!’, or [they say to them], ‘They have been defeated!’. Assuredly We will urge you [to take action] against them, We will give you sway over them, then they will not be your neighbours, they will not dwell near you, in it except for a little [while], after which they will depart.

Accursed, banished from mercy, [shall they be], wherever they are found they shall be seized and slain violently, that is to say, that is the ruling concerning them — meant as a command [for the Prophet].