Al-Ahzab

O Prophet, remain firm, you and those with you, on being Mindful, through carrying out His commands and refraining from His prohibitions, and fear Him alone. And do not obey the disbelievers and hypocrites in what they desire. Allah is Knowing of the plans the disbelievers and hypocrites make, and Wise in His creating and managing.

And follow the revelation your Lord reveals to you. Allah is Aware of what you do. None of that escapes Him, and He shall reward you for your actions.

And rely on Allah alone in all your affairs. And He is sufficient as a protector for those of His servants who trust in Him.

Just as Allah has not placed two hearts in the chest of any man, as some of them believe, likewise He did not make wives like mothers with respect to being forbidden to marry, and likewise He did not make claimed sons like biological sons, because thihar which is for a man to make his wife unlawful for himself, and likewise, claiming the children of others as one’s own are practices of ignorance which Islam has nullified. That making unlawful through thihar and taking as sons those whose fathers you are not is a statement you repeat with your mouths, which has no reality. The wife is not a mother nor is the claimed son rightfully for the claimant. And Allah says the truth so that His servants practice it, and He guides towards the path of truth.

Attribute those you claim to be your sons towards their real fathers, because attributing them towards them is justice in the eyes of Allah. But if you do not know their fathers to whom you can attribute them, then they are your brothers in religion and the sons of your uncles, so call them by: “O brother” or “O cousin”. And there is no sin on you if one of you makes a mistake and attributes a claimed son towards his claimant, but you will be sinful if you intentionally say that. And Allah is Forgiving to those of His servants who repent, Merciful to them as He did not punish them due to mistakes.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has more right over the believers than their own selves in whatever he calls them to, even if they incline towards something else. And his wives are like mothers for all believers, hence it is unlawful for any believer to marry any of them after he passes away. Relatives are more deserving of one another in inheritance by Allah’s decree than the believers and those who migrated for Allah's cause, who would previously inherit by means of contractual agreement between themselves in the beginning of Islam. Then Allah abrogated their inheriting from one another after that. Except if you, O believers, do good towards your close associates besides the inheritors, by making a bequest for them and being kind to them, then that is your right. That is a decree inscribed in the Preserved Tablet.

O Messenger, remember when I took a firm covenant from the prophets that they will worship Allah alone and not associate any partner with Him, and that they will convey the revelation sent to them. And I have taken it especially from you, and from Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus son of Mary. I have taken a firm covenant from them to fulfil the conveying of Allah’s messages they have been entrusted with.

Allah took this firm covenant from the prophets so He can ask the truthful Messengers regarding their truthfulness, to silence the disbelievers, and Allah has prepared for those who disbelieve in Him and His Messengers a painful punishment on the Day of Judgment, and it is the fire of hell.

O those who have faith in Allah and practice what He has legislated, remember Allah’s favour on you when the armies of the disbelievers came to Madina, prepared to fight you, and the hypocrites and Jews supported them. Then I sent upon them the eastern winds through which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was helped, and I sent armies of angels you did not see. Then the disbelievers turned away fleeing, not being able to do anything. And Allah is Seeing what you do. None of that is hidden from Him and He shall reward you for that.

And that was when the disbelievers came to you from the top of the valley and from the bottom, from the East and West, when the eyes turned away from everything besides seeing the enemy and the hearts reached the throats due to intense fear. And you were thinking different thoughts regarding Allah. At times you were thinking of help and at time you were thinking of losing hope from Him.

In that position in the Battle of the Trench, the believers were tested through the enemies.

On that day, the hypocrites and those of weak faith, whose hearts contain doubts said: “The promise of Allah and his messenger for victory and being established on this land is false and baseless.”

O Messenger, remember when a group of hypocrites said to the people of Madina: “O people of Yathrib (the name for Madina before Islam), there is no stability for you by the peak of Silah near the trench, so return to your homes”. And a group of them was seeking permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to return to their homes, claiming that their homes were exposed to the enemy, but they were not exposed as they claimed. They were only seeking to flee from their enemy through this false excuse.

And if the enemy were to enter upon them in Madina from all its sides and ask them to return to disbelieving and associating partners with Allah, they would grant their enemy this, and they would not lag behind from becoming renegade and turning back towards disbelief except a little.

And these hypocrites had promised Allah after they fled from fighting on the occasion of Uhud that if Allah were to make them witness another battle, they will definitely fight their enemy and not flee out of fear. However, they broke their promise. And the servant is responsible for the promise he made to Allah and he will soon be questioned about it.

O Messenger, say to these people: “Fleeing will never benefit you if you flee from fighting, out of fear of death or being killed, because the appointed times are fixed, and fighting do not bring them closer nor does fleeing distance them. And if you do flee and your time has not come, you will not be able to enjoy life except for a short while”.

O Messenger, say to them: “Who can save you from Allah if He intends for you the death or being killed you dislike, or He intends for you the safety and good you hope for? There is nobody to save you from that”. And these hypocrites will not find for themselves any associate besides Allah to take care of their affairs, nor any helper to save them from Allah punishing them.

Allah knows those of you who hold others back from fighting alongside Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and those who say to their brothers: “Come to us and do not fight alongside him, lest you get killed, because we fear you will get killed”. And these forsaken people do not come to battle or participate in it except rarely, to remove blame from themselves, not to help Allah and His Messenger.

O group of believers, they are miserly with you with their wealth, so they do not help you by spending it; miserly with their souls, so they do not fight alongside you; and miserly with their love, so they do not love you. Then when fear at the time of meeting the enemy comes, you will see them looking at you, O Messenger, with their eyes rolling out of cowardice, just as the eyes of a person who is suffering the pangs of death roll. But when fear leaves them and they become content, they harm you verbally with abusive sharp tongues. They are greedy for booty which they look for. Those who have been described with these qualities have not truly believed, so Allah cancelled the reward of their actions. And this cancelling was easy for Allah.

These cowards think the coalition conspiring to fight Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and fight the believers will never leave until they totally destroy the believers. And if it is decreed that the coalition come another time, these cowardly hypocrites will wish they were not in Madina, but rather they were with the bedouins far from it, asking regarding your news: what happened to you after your enemies fought you? And even if they were amongst you, O believers, they would not have fought alongside you except a little, so do not pay attention to them or be sad over them.

There has been for you an excellent example in what Allah’s Messenger said, carried out and practiced, for he presented his own noble self and personally engaged in battle, so how after that can you be miserly with your souls over his soul? And only he who is hopeful of the Last Day, works for it and remembers Allah abundantly will follow Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). As for the one who is not hopeful of the Last Day and does not remember Allah abundantly, he does not follow His Messenger (peace be upon him).

When the believers saw the companies which had gathered to fight them, they said: “This is the test, tribulation and help Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger were true in this, for it has occurred”. And seeing the companies did not increase them except in faith and submission to Him.

Amongst the believers are men who were true to Allah, so they fulfilled what they promised Him, namely firmness and patience on striving in Allah’s way. Amongst them are those who died or were killed in Allah’s way and amongst them are those who await martyrdom in His way. And these believers did not change what they promised Allah like the hypocrites did with their promises.

So that Allah rewards the truthful who fulfilled what they promised Allah, by virtue of their truth and fulfilling their promises, and punish the hypocrites who broke their promises if He wishes, by making them die before they repent from their disbelief, or by accepting their repentance by enabling them to repent. And Allah is Forgiving to one who repents for his sins and Merciful to him.

And Allah repelled the disbelieving groups who were conspiring to fight the believers and they were not successful in totally destroying the believers as they intended, losers who were angry due to their returning in failure. And Allah sufficed the believers in fighting them, by the winds He sent and the angels He sent down. And Allah is Powerful and Mighty; nobody attempts to overpower Allah except that He will be left defeated and deserted.

And Allah brought the Jews who helped them down from their fortresses in which they would protect themselves from their enemy, and Allah put fear into their hearts. A group of them you kill, O believers, and a group of them you take as captives.

And Allah made you owners of their land, along with the crops and date trees they contained, after destroying them, and He made you owners of their homes and other wealth, and He made you owners of the land of Khaybar which you have not yet trodden, but you will soon tread on it. This is a promise and good news for the believers. And Allah is Powerful over everything; Nothing is outside His ability.

O Prophet, say to your wives if they seek an increase in spending but you did not have anything more to spend on them: “If you seek the worldly life and the adornment it contains, then let me give you the provisions given to a divorced women, and I will let you go in the best of manners without causing harm.”

But if you desire the pleasure of Allah and the pleasure of His Messenger, and you seek paradise in the abode of the afterlife, remain patient on your condition, for Allah has prepared a great reward for those of you who do good through patience and good companionship”.

O wives of the Prophet, whoever amongst you comes with an open sin, her punishment will be doubled on the Day of Judgment, due to her status and rank, and to protect the personage of the Prophet (peace be upon him). And this doubling is easy for Allah.

Whoever from among you obeys Allah and His Messenger, and does good deeds which are pleasing to Allah, Allah will grant her double the reward all other women get, and will prepare for her a noble reward in the Hereafter, which is Paradise.

O the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him), You are not like other women in terms of privilege and nobility; you are on a level of privilege and nobility other women can never reach even if they were to fulfil the commands of Allah and refrain from things He has not allowed. Therefore, do not soften your tone when you speak to unrelated men, in case those with the disease of hypocrisy or impermissible desires begin to lust. Rather, speak in a manner well clear of any doubt, by speaking in a serious and not trivial tone as necessary.

And remain within your homes; do not leave them unless for a need; do not expose your beauty like the women who would do so before Islam to attract men; perform prayer to perfection; give Zakat of your wealth, and obey Allah and His Messenger. O wives of the Messenger of Allah and people of His household! Allah (may He be glorified) only intends to remove harm from you, and wants to purify your souls by adorning them with excellent characteristics such that no blemish remains.

And mention whatever verses of Allah are revealed to His Messenger in your homes, and the pure ways of Allah’s Messenger that you observe. Indeed, Allah is kind to you by favouring you with putting you in the house of His Prophet; He knows you well because He chose you as wives for His Messenger and as mothers of all the believers from his people.

Indeed, the males who submit to Allah and the females who submit; the male believers in Allah and the female believers; the males who obey Allah and the females who obey; the males who are truthful in their belief and their statements and the females who are truthful; the males who are patient in obedience, in refraining from sins and during trials and the females who are patient; the males who give in obligatory and optional charity from their wealth and the females who give in charity; the males who keep obligatory and optional fasts and the females who fast; the males who guard their private parts from exposure to those who are forbidden from seeing them and from the immorality of fornication and anything leading to it, and the females who guard their private parts; and the males who remember Allah abundantly in private and in public and the females who remember Allah, Allah has prepared His special forgiveness for them from their sins, and an immense reward on the Day of Judgement which is Paradise.

It is not correct for a believing man or woman when Allah and His Messenger decide a matter for them that they have a choice in accepting or rejecting it. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly deviated from the straight path.

O Messenger! When you said to the one whom Allah had blessed with the bounty of Islam, and you had favoured with freeing him - the person intended here is Zayd bin Ḥārithah may Allah be pleased with him - when he came to you seeking counsel in divorcing his wife Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, you said to him, “Keep your wife; do not divorce her, and be mindful of Allah by fulfilling His commands and refraining from the things He has not allowed” whilst, O Messenger, you were hiding within your heart that which Allah was going to expose: that Zayd should divorce her and He would command you to marry her. You were fearing the people and did not express that which you knew, when Allah is more deserving of your fear than the people. So when Zayd disinclined from her, and was happy at heart with divorcing her, he divorced her and I married you to her, so that there would be no sin on the believers if they were to marry the wives of their adopted sons after they had divorced them. Allah’s command will always come to pass, nothing can stop or obstruct it.

There is no sin or oppression on the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his marriage to the wife of his adopted son which Allah made permissible for him. In fact, in doing so, he is following in the way of the Prophets before him; he is not any different to the messengers in that regard. The Prophet had no choice in the completion of this marriage and nullifying of adoption that Allah decreed; it was a decree which was to pass, there was no one who could overturn it.

These Prophets who convey the messages of Allah that are revealed to them to their nations, and do not fear anyone except Allah (may He be glorified), they do not pay attention to what others say when they do whatever Allah has permitted for them. Allah is sufficient as a guardian for the actions of His servants so that He may take them to account over them and requite them; if they are good then with good, if evil then with punishment.

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, so he is not the father of Zayd, therefore his marrying his wife is not impermissible for him when Zayd divorces her. However, he is the Messenger of Allah sent to the people and the seal of the prophets: there is no prophet to come after him. Allah is the knower of everything, nothing is hidden from Him from the affairs of His servants.

O those who have faith in Allah and do whatever He has legislated for them! Remember Allah abundantly with your hearts, tongues and limbs.

And exalt Him by glorifying Him (saying Subḥānallah) and proclaiming His oneness (Lā ilāha illallāh) at the start and the end the day, because of their virtue and the ease in remembering Allah through them.

He is the one who showers mercy upon you and praises you, and His angels pray for you that He removes you from the darkness of disbelief into the light of faith. And Allah is merciful to the believers, so He does not punish them when they obey Him by fulfilling His command and refrain from what He has prohibited.

The greeting of the believers on the day they meet their Lord will be one of peace and security from all evil, And Allah has already prepared for them a generous reward, Paradise as a recompense for them obeying His commandments and staying away from His prohibitions.

O Prophet! Indeed, I have sent you to the people as a witness against them that you convey to them the message; as a giver of glad tidings to the believers of the Paradise I have prepared for them, and as a warner for the disbelievers of the punishment I have prepared for them.

And I have sent you as a caller to the sole worship and obedience of Allah. and towards obedience to His command. I have also sent you as an illuminating lantern from which every person seeking guidance can take light.

And inform the believers in Allah who do whatever Allah legislated for them, of something that will please them: that they will have a great privilege from Allah (may He be glorified), which includes Allah helping them in the world and them succeeding in the Hereafter by entering Paradise.

And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites in their call to preventing people from the religion of Allah, and turn away from them; perhaps that will be more effective in them believing in what you have brought to them. And rely on Allah in all your matters, of which is His helping you against your enemies. Allah is sufficient as a guardian the servants can rely upon in all their affairs in the world and the Hereafter.

O those who have faith in Allah and do whatever Allah has legislated for them! When you tie the knot of marriage with believing women, and then you divorce them before consummating the marriage with them, they are not required to go through the waiting period for you, regardless of whether it is through menstrual cycles or by counting months. This is because their wombs being free is known due to you having not consummated marriage with them. Also, give them some compensation according to your financial situations to console their broken emotions as a result of divorce, and clear the way for them to return to their families without causing them any inconvenience.

O Prophet! I have made permissible for you those of your wives whom you have given their dowry to, and those female servants that you possess from the captives Allah has given to you as booty. I have also made permissible for you, marriage to the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts, who have emigrated with you. I have also made permissible for you to marry the believing woman who presents herself to you for marriage without any dowry. The permissibility of this type of marriage, without a dowry, is exclusive to the prophet (peace be upon him), and is not permissible to anyone else from his Nation. Verily, I know what I have made obligatory upon the believers with regards to their wives: it is not permissible for them to marry more than four women at once. I am also aware of legislating for them with regards to their female servants: that they can make use of however many they want without any restriction on number. And I have also permitted for you from the aforementioned that which I have not made permissible for others, so that there is no difficulty or difficulty upon you. Allah Forgiving to those of His servants who repent, and is merciful to them.

O Messenger! Defer the turn of whichever of your wives you wish to defer by not spending the night with her when it is her turn that you do, and spend the night with whichever of your wives you wish. And there is no sin on you should you wish to spend the night with the one whose turn you deferred. This choice and broadening your options for you is more effective in making you the coolness of the eyes of your wives and in them being pleased with whatever you give all of them, because they know that you have not left out an obligation or have not fulfilled a right. O Men! Allah knows the inclination of your hearts towards some of your wives over others; Allah is the knower of the actions of His servants, nothing from them is hidden from Him. He is also forbearing; He does not punish them immediately in case they repent to Him.

O Messenger! It is not permissible for you to marry women other than your wives who are already in your protection, neither is it permissible for you to divorce them, or divorce any one of them so that you may marry another woman, even if her beauty appeals to you. However, it is permissible for you to take captive women into your possession. And Allah is a guardian over everything. This ruling proves the virtue of the mothers of the believers, because the Prophet peace be upon him was prohibited from divorcing them and marrying others whilst he was married to them.

O those who have faith in Allah and do whatever Allah has legislated for them! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet except after he has given you permission to enter by inviting you for food. And do not come too early so you end up sitting for longer than needed, waiting for the food to be cooked, rather when you are invited, then enter and after you have eaten, return. Do not remain behind socialising with each other, because remaining behind causes inconvenience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he feels embarrassed to ask you to leave, but Allah is not embarrassed to command you to do what is right, and so he has commanded you leave so that you do not cause inconvenience to him (peace be upon him) by staying for too long. And when you ask for something from the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) i.e. utensils etc. then ask from behind a veil, not face to face, in a manner that you cannot see them with your eyes. This is to protect them due to the stature of the Messenger of Allah. Asking from behind a veil is purer for your hearts and their hearts, so that Satan cannot influence your hearts through whispers and beautifying evil. And O believers! It is not befitting for you to cause inconvenience to the Messenger of Allah by remaining behind to socialise, nor that you marry his wives after he has passed away, because they are the wives of the believers and it is not permissible for anyone to marry his mother. Indeed, that causing inconvenience - of which is your marrying his wives after his death - is forbidden and regarded as a great sin by Allah.

If you reveal any of your actions or keep them to yourselves secretly, none of them are hidden to Allah anyway. Indeed, Allah knows everything none of your actions or anything else is hidden from Him, and He will requite you for your deeds: if good then with good, and if evil then with bad.

There is no sin on the wives of the Messenger if their fathers, sons, brothers, nephews, from lineage or breast feeding, see them and talk to them without a veil. And there is no sin on them if believing women or the servants they possess talk to them without a veil. O believing women! Be mindful of Allah in whatever He (may He be glorified) has commanded you to do and prohibited you from, because He is Watchful over what you do.

Indeed, Allah showers praise upon the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to His angels, and His angels supplicate for him. O those who have faith in Allah and do whatever He has legislated for His servants! Send salutations upon the Messenger and pray for peace for him abundantly.

Indeed, those who attempt to bring harm to Allah and His messenger through speech or action, Allah will distance them from the vastness of His mercy in the world and the Hereafter, and He has prepared a humiliating punishment for them in the Hereafter.

And as for those who cause the male and female believers inconvenience through speech or actions, without them having committed any wrong i.e. a crime that necessitates punishment, they have indeed, taken up the burden of clear slander and sin.

O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters, and the wives of the believers: “Let your outer garments you wear hang loosely over you so that your bodies are not revealed to unrelated men.” That is more likely to distinguish them as free women so that they are not subject to harassment like the servant girls are. And Allah Forgiving of the sins of whichever of His servants repents, and He is merciful to them.

The hypocrites who conceal their disbelief and outwardly show Islam, whose hearts are transgressive in nature by being attached to their desires, and who spread false information in Al-Madīnah to create disunity among the believers, if they do not stop their hypocrisy, O Messenger, I will definitely command you to punish them and impose a punishment upon them. Then, they will not be able to live in Al-Madīnah with you except for a short while, because of their destruction or exile as a result of their causing corruption on Earth.

They are exiled from the mercy of Allah; in whatever place they are found they will be seized and eliminated because of their hypocrisy and spreading corruption on Earth.

This is the divine custom of Allah that is in force regarding the hypocrites when they reveal their hypocrisy. And the custom of Allah is permanent; you will never find any change in it.

O Messenger! The idolaters ask you in denial and rejection, and the Jews also ask you, regarding the final hour: “When will it occur?” Say to them: “The knowledge of the hour is with Allah; I have no knowledge of it.” O Messenger! What do you know, the hour could be near!

Indeed, Allah (may He be glorified) has exiled the disbelievers from His mercy, and prepared a flaring fire that awaits them on the Day of Judgement.

They will remain in the punishment of that fire forever. They will not find a guardian that benefits them in it, nor a helper who protects them from its punishment.

On the Day of Judgement their faces will be turned in the hellfire, and they will say out of severe regret and remorse: “If only we obeyed Allah by doing what He commanded us to and refrained from the things He prohibited us from, and obeyed the Messenger in what he brought from his Lord!”