58:1. Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who pleads with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah. Allah hears the discussion between the two of you, for Allah is All- Hearing, All-Seeing.^{1The meanings of the verses of the Qur'an in this book (with some minor changes to the punctuation) have been translated by the translator. (Editor)}

58:2. As for those among you who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers, they are not their mothers; none can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. Verily they utter words that are abhorrent and false, but Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

58:3. But as for those who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers then decide to retract what they have said, they must free a slave before [the couple] touch one another. Thus you are admonished to do, and Allah is well aware of all that you do.

58:4. Anyone who lacks the means [to free a slave] must fast for two consecutive months before [the couple] touch one another, but whoever is unable to do that mast feed sixty needy persons. That is so that you may truly believe in Allah and His Messenger. Such are the limits ordained by Allah, and for the disbelievers there will be a painful punishment.

These verses were revealed concerning a man of the Ansar^{2Wherever possible, Arabic terms have been translated into English. In cases where we have chosen to retain the Arabic, the transliterated word or phrase is shown in italics the first time it appears in the text. The term is also defined in the glossary found at the end of this book. (Editor)} whose wife complained to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - Glorified and Exalted is He) and took her case to the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - blessings and peace be upon him), when he prohibited intimacy with her to himself after a lengthy marriage and having children, and he was a very old man.

She complained to Allah and to His Messenger about what had happened between them, and did so repeatedly and persistently.

﴾Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who pleads with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah. Allah hears the discussion between the two of you﴿ that is, what you say to one another.﴾for Allah is All-Hearing﴿ and hears all voices at all times, expressing all kinds of needs

﴾All-Seeing﴿ - He can see the footsteps of a black ant walking on a solid rock on a dark night.

This tells us of the perfect nature of His hearing and seeing, and that they encompass all things, small and great. That also indicates that Allah will respond to her complaint and remove her distress. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentioned the ruling on her case and that of others in general terms, as He says:

﴾As for those among you who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers, they are not their mothers; none can be their mothers except those who gave them birth﴿. This refers to a form of divorce called dhihar that was practised during the jahiliyah, in which a man would say to his wife, “You are to me as the back of my mother” or some other mahram relative, or “Intimacy with you is prohibited for me.” The custom was usually to refer to the back (dhahr). hence Allah called this practice dhihar and said: ﴾As for those among you who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers, they are not their mothers﴿. What is meant is: how can they say such words, which are known to have no basis in reality, and liken their wives to their mothers who bore them?

Allah regarded this matter as something extremely serious and abhorrent, hence He said: ^Verily they utter words that are abhorrent﴿ that is, repulsive ﴾and false﴿ that is, lies.

﴾but Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful^ to the one who commits some infractions, but follows them with sincere repentance.

(﴾But as for those who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers then decide to retract what they have said﴿ - what is meant is that such a person wants to have intercourse with the wife whom he divorced by likening her to his mother, and that as soon as he decidesthat he wants to do so he must offer the expiation mentioned. This is indicated by the fact that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says concerning this expiation that it must be offered before they touch one another, and that is as soon as the decision is made.

Once the husband decides to retract what he said, the expiation for forbidding intimacy with his wife for himself is to ﴾free a slave﴿ that is, a believing slave, as is defined in a different verse. The slave may be male or female, but it is stipulated that he or she must be free of any defects that could affect his or her ability to work.

﴾before [the couple] touch one another﴿ that is, the husband must refrain from having intercourse with the wife whom he divorced by likening her to his mother, until he has offered expiation by freeing a slave.

﴾Thus you are admonished to do﴿ that is, the ruling has been explained to you, accompanied by the warning, because what is meant by admonishing is explaining the ruling along with encouragement and warning. If the one who wants to divorce his wife by likening her to his mother is told that he must free a slave in expiation, he will refrain from doing that.

fjand Allah is well aware of all that you dop and He will requite each person for his deeds.

f﴾ Anyone who lacks the means [to free a slave] [a that is, he does not own a slave whom he can free, and he cannot find a slave or find the money with which to buy one, then he «[must fast for two consecutive months before [the couple] touch one another, but whoever is unable to do that﴿ namely fasting, s[musl feed sixty needy persons﴿ either by giving them enough of the local staple food to suffice them, as is the view of many commentators, or by feeding each poor person a mudd of wheat or half a sa ‘ of another foodstuff that is acceptable as zakat al-fitr, as is the view of others.

This ruling that We have explained and clarified to you is ﴾so that you may truly believe in Allah and His Messenger﴿, by adhering to this and other rulings, and acting in accordance with them.

Adherence to the rulings of Allah and acting in accordance with them is part of faith; indeed it is the aim of faith and is one of the things that cause faith to increase, develop and become complete.

﴾Such are the limits ordained by Allah﴿ that one should not transgress.

﴾and for the disbelievers there will be a painful punishment﴿.

This passage contains a number of rulings, including the following:

• The kindness of Allah to His slaves and His care for them, as He mentions the complaint of this woman who was distressed, and He relieved her of that distress. In fact He relieved her distress with a ruling that was general in application, for anyone who is faced with a similar issue.

• Dhihar has to do specifically with forbidding to oneself intimacy with one’s wife, because Allah says ﴾f As for those among you who divorce their wives... If a man forbids to himself intimacy with his slave woman, that is not dhihar; rather it comes under the heading of forbidding food and drink to oneself, for which only the expiation for breaking an oath (kafarat al-yameen) is required.

• It is not valid to divorce a woman by dhihar before marrying her, because she is not one of a man’s wives at the time of dhihar. just as it is not permissible to divorce her by lalaq.

• Dhihar is prohibited, because Allah describes it as words that are abhorrent and false.

• Allah highlights the wisdom behind the ruling, as He says: ﴾they are not their mothers﴿.

• It is disliked for a man to call his wife by the names of his mahrams, such as saying, “O my mother” or “O my sister” and the like, because this makes her like a maliram.• Expiation only becomes obligatory once the decision to retract his words is made, not when the words of dbihar itself are uttered.

• With regard to freeing a slave in expiation, it is acceptable to free one who is young or old, male or female, because of the general meaning of the verse which speaks of that.

• The expiation, whether it is by freeing the slave or fasting, must be offered before the couple touch one another, as Allah has specified. This is in contrast to expiation by feeding poor persons, in which case it is permissible for the couple to resume intimacy during the period when the food is being distributed.

• Perhaps the wisdom behind requiring expiation before the couple touch one another is to put more pressure on the individual to offer that expiation, because if he is longing to have intercourse with his wife, but he knows that he cannot do that until after expiation has been offered, he will hasten to offer expiation.

• It is essential to feed sixty poor persons. If he collects food for sixty poor persons, then gives it to one or more individuals, but less than sixty, that is not acceptable, because Allah says: fj... must feed sixty needy persons﴿.

58:5. Verily those who oppose Allah and His Messenger will be abased, as those who came before them were abased, for We have indeed sent down clear signs. And for the disbelievers there will be a humiliating punishment,

58:6. on the day when Allah will resurrect them all and will inform them about what they used to do. Allah has kept account of it whilst they have forgotten it. And Allah is Witness over all things.

Opposing Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) means going against them and disobeying them, especially with regard to serious matters, such as opposing Allah and His Messenger by disbelieving and showing enmity towards the close friends of Allah.

﴾will be abased, as those who came before them were abased﴿ that is, they will be humiliated and disgraced, as was done to those who came before them, as a requital and a fitting punishment.

They have no excuse before Allah, for Allah has established the ultimate proof against humanity; He sent down clear revelations and proofs to explain the facts of faith and explain the ultimate aims and goals. So whoever follows them and acts in accordance with them is one of those who are guided and will triumph.

﴾And for the disbelievers﴿ who disbelieve in them ﴾there will be a humiliating punishment﴿ that is, it will humiliate them and debase them. As they were too arrogant to follow the revelations of Allah, He will humiliate them and bring them low.

﴾fon the day when Allah will resurrect them all﴿ and they rise from their graves quickly, He will requite them for their deeds, ﴾and will inform them about what they used to do﴿), both good and evil, because He knows that and has written it in al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh. and He commanded the noble angelic scribes to record it.

Moreover, the doers of those deeds have forgotten what they did, but Allah has kept a record of it.

q'And Allah is Witness over all things﴿, both visible deeds and what is hidden in people's hearts, and all hidden matters. Hence He speaks of the vastness of His knowledge and that it encompasses all that is in the heavens and on earth, both small and great.

58:7. Do you not see that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth? There is no private conversation among three but He is their fourth, or among five but He is their sixth, or among fewer or more than that, but He is w ith them, wherever they may be. Then He will inform them of their deeds, on the Day of Resurrection. Verily Allah has knowledge of all things.

﴾There is no private conversation among three but He is their fourth, or among five but He is their sixth, or among fewer or more than that, but He is with them, wherever they may be:). What is meant by this being with is that He is with them by means of His knowledge, which encompasses all that they talk about in private and keep to themselves. Hence He says: ﴾Verily Allah has knowledge of all things﴿.

Then He says:

58:8. Have you not seen those who were forbidden to converse [maliciously] in private, yet they go back to what they were forbidden to do, and converse privately in sin and transgression, and in disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you, they greet you in a manner other than that in which Allah greets you,^{1This refers to some of the Jews of Madinah, who greeted the Prophet («£g) with the phrase “as-samu alavk (death be upon you)”, which sounded like the customary greeting “as-saldmu 'alavk (peace be upon you)”. The Prophet’s response was to say “my; 'alavkum (and also upon you)”.} and they say to one another: Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?^{2This reflects their attitude that if Muhammad («(gg) was indeed a Prophet, Allah would punish them for speaking to him with such disrespect. (ash-Shawkani)} Sufficient for them is hell, which they will enter - a hapless journey’s end.

58:9. O you who believe, when you converse in private, do not do so in sin and transgression, and in disobedience to the Messenger; rather do so in righteousness and piety. And fear Allah, unto Whom you will be gathered.

Private conversation is a conversation between two or more people. It may be a discussion about something good or something evil.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs the believers to converse in righteousness, which includes all kinds of goodness, obedience, fulfilling duties towards Allah and His slaves, and righteousness and piety, which here refers to refraining from all kinds of forbidden and sinful actions.

The believer complies with this divine command, so you will not find him conversing or talking about anything but that which brings him closer to Allah and keeps him away from that which incurs His wrath.

The evildoer takes the command of Allah lightly, and converses in sin and transgression, and in enmity and disobedience towards theMessenger (gg), as the hypocrites did all the time with the Messenger t-(And when they come to you, they greet you in a manner other than that in which Allah greets you﴿-) that is, they have poor etiquette with you when they greet you.

﴾and they say to one another﴿) that is, they whisper to one another, saying what the Knower of the unseen and the seen tells us about, which is that they said: GfWhy does Allah not punish us for what we say?﴿)

What this means is that they took the matter lightly and thought, because the punishment was not hastened for them, that there was nothing wrong with what they said.

But Allah te) says, explaining that He gives respite but does not forget: ﴾Sufficient for them is hell, which they will enter﴿ that is, hell will suffice them, in which all wretchedness and punishments will be combined and will encompass them, and they will be subjected to torment therein, ﴾fa hapless journey’s end﴿).

The people mentioned here are either some of the hypocrites who outwardly pretended to be believers and addressed the Messenger (ﷺ) in this manner, which might give the impression that they intended good towards him, but they were lying, or they are some of the People of the Book who would greet the Prophet (ﷺ) by saying As-sam ‘alayka yd Muhammad, meaning “may death be upon you”.

58:10. [Malicious] private conversation is only prompted by the Shaytan, so that he may cause grief to the believers, but he cannot harm them in the least, except by Allah’s leave. And in Allah let the believers put their trust.

﴾[Malicious] private conversation﴿ that is, private conversations in which the enemies of the believers plotted against them and planned to do them harm

Ifis only prompted by the Shaytan﴿ whose stratagem is weak and whose plots do not lead to any results.

﴾so that he may cause grief to the believers﴿ - this is all that they can achieve by means of this plot.

﴾but he cannot harm them in the least, except by Allah’s leave﴿. For Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has promised to suffice the believers and support them against their enemies, as He says elsewhere:

if. ..but the plotting of evil affects none but its authors...﴿ (Fdtir35. 43) No matter how much the enemies of Allah, His Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers maliciously converse and plot, they only harm themselves, and they cannot harm the believers except only as much as Allah wills and decrees.

if And in Allah let the believers put their trust﴿ that is, let them rely on Him and have confidence in His promise, for whoever puts his trust in Allah, Allah will suffice him against the plots of his enemies and will take care of his religious and worldly affairs.

58:11. O you who believe, when you are told to make room in your gatherings, then make room; Allah will grant you abundance.^{1Abundance here refers to everything that people would like to have in abundance in this world and the hereafter, such as space, provision, patience, and space in the grave and in paradise. (al-Kash-shaf; Ibn} And when you are told to rise, then rise; Allah will raise in status those of you who believe and [especially] those who have been given knowledge. And Allah is well aware of all that you do.

Here Allah is teaching manners to His believing slaves, when they come together in a community gathering, and there is a need to make room for one another or for newcomers in the gathering. It is good manners to make room for them, and that will not harm anyone who is already sitting in the slightest, for his brother will be able to have room without causing any harm to the one who is already there. The reward is of the same nature as the deed, so whoever makes room for others, Allah will grant him abundance.

﴾And when you are told to rise﴿ that is, to give up your space in a gathering for some reason,

﴾then rise﴿ that is, hasten to get up to serve that purpose.

Doing these things is part of knowledge and faith, for Allah will raise the people of knowledge and faith in status according to what He has bestowed upon them of knowledge and faith.

﴾And Allah is well aware of all that you dots and He will requite each person for his deeds; if they are good, then the outcome will be good, and if they are bad then the outcome will be bad.

This verse refers to the virtue of knowledge, and tells us that the beauty and outcome thereof is to observe proper etiquette and act in accordance with that knowledge.

58:12. O you who believe, when you wish to converse privately with the Messenger, give something in charity beforehand. That is better for you and more conducive to purity. But if you do not have the means, then verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

58:13. Do you find yourselves reluctant to give something in charity before conversing privately [with him]? As you have not done so, and Allah has pardoned you, then establish prayer and give zakdh, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is well aware of all that you do.

Here Allah instructs the believers to give charity before conversing privately with His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ), by way of disciplining them and teaching them how to venerate and show respect to the Messenger (sgg), for this veneration is better for the believers and more conducive to purity. In other words, this will enable you to observe good manners and increase you in reward, and you will be purified from bad manners, such as not showing respect to the Messenger (ﷺ) and failing to observe proper etiquette by conversing too much with him for no good reason. If a person is instructed to give charity before conversing with him, this will distinguish between those who are keen to benefit and leam, so they will not mind giving charity, and those who are not keen to leam and have no desire for good; rather their only aim is mere chitchat, so they will stop disturbing the Messenger (ﷺ).

This ruling is applicable to the one who can afford to give charity. As for the one who cannot afford to give it, Allah did not make things difficult for him; rather He pardoned him and let him off, and made it permissible for him to converse privately with the Messenger (sig) without giving charity that he is not able to give.

When Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) saw that the believers were reluctant and found it burdensome to give charity every time they wanted to converse privately with the Messenger (ﷺ), He made it easier for them and did not hold them to account. The obligation to give charity before conversing with him was waived, but the obligation of venerating the Messenger and respecting his status remained in effect and was not abrogated, because the requirement of giving charity was introduced for a purpose, and was not an aim in and of itself; rather the purpose behind it was to observe proper etiquette with the Messenger (ﷺ) and show respect to him.

Allah (is) instructed them to adhere to the main commands that are intended for their own sake (and not for another purpose), as He said: ﴾As you have not done so﴿﴿ that is, because it was not easy for you to give charity,

﴾fand Allah has pardoned you﴿ that is. He has forgiven you for that ﴾then establish prayer﴿ with all of its essential parts, fulfilling all of its conditions and doing it properly ﴾and give zakah'p, which is an obligation upon your wealth, to those who are entitled to it.

These two acts of worship are the most important physical and financial acts of worship. Whoever does them in the manner prescribed has fulfilled his duty towards Allah and towards His slaves. Hence Allah says after that: ﴾and obey Allah and His Messenger﴿ this is the most comprehensive of commands.

That includes obeying Allah and obeying His Messenger by complying with their commands, heeding their prohibitions, believing what they have told us, and adhering to the limits set by Allah.

What matters in all of that is sincerity and doing them properly. Hence Allah says: tf And Allah is well aware of all that you do﴿. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) knows their deeds, how they were done and the intention behind them, so He will requite them according to his knowledge of what was in their hearts.

58:14. Do you not see those who take as allies people who have incurred the wrath of Allah? They are neither of you nor of them, and they knowingly swear to a lie.^{1This refers to the hypocrites in Madinah who used to swear to the Muslims that they were sincere in their faith.}

58:15. Allah has prepared for them a severe punishment. Evil indeed is what they have been doing.

58:16. They have taken their oaths as a cover [for their hypocrisy] in order to bar people from the path of Allah. Theirs will be a humiliating punishment.

58:17. Neither their wealth nor their children will avail them at all against Allah. They will be inhabitants of the fire; they will abide therein forever.

58:18. On the day when Allah resurrects them all, they will swear to Him as they swear to you, thinking that their oaths will benefit them. Indeed it is they who are the liars.

58:19. The Shaytan has gained control over them and has thus caused them to forget the remembrance of Allah. They are the party of the Shaytan; indeed it is the party of the Shaytan who will be the losers.

Here Allah tells us about the abhorrent situation of the hypocrites who take as allies the disbelievers among the Jews, Christians and others with whom Allah is angry and who have incurred a big share of divine wrath, and He tells us that those hypocrites belong neither to the believers nor to the disbelievers,

﴾[Wavering in between, belonging neither to these nor those. ..i? (an-

They are not believers, either outwardly or inwardly, because inwardly they are with the disbelievers; and they are not with the disbelievers, either outwardly or inwardly, because outwardly they are with the believers. This is the description that Allah gives of them. In fact they swear to the opposite of that, which is a lie; they swear that they are believers, whilst they know that they are not believers.

The requital for these treacherous evildoers and liars is that Allah has prepared a severe punishment for them, the extent and severity of which no one can know. Evil indeed is what they have been doing, for they did that which incurred the wrath of Allah and brought punishment and curses upon them.

﴾They have taken their oaths as a cover﴿ that is, as a shield with which to protect themselves from the blame and rebuke of Allah, His Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers. Because of that they have themselves turned away, and turned others away, from the path of Allah, which is the path that will lead the one who follows it to thegardens of bliss, but whoever turns away from it will have nothing but a path that leads to hell.

﴾Theirs will be a humiliating punishment﴿ because they were too arrogant to believe in Allah and submit to His revelations, they will be humiliated with an eternal punishment that will not be alleviated for even a short while, and they will not be given respite.

﴾Neither their wealth nor their children will avail them at all against Allah﴿, so they will not ward off the punishment from them in the slightest, or bring them any share of reward.

﴾They will be inhabitants of the fire﴿ who will remain in it and never emerge from it, and ﴾they will abide therein forever﴿.

Whoever lives his life adhering to something will die in that state. Just as the hypocrites tried to deceive the believers in this world, swearing to them that they were believers, on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah raises them all, they will swear to Allah as they swore to the believers, thinking that their oath will benefit them, because their disbelief, hypocrisy and false beliefs kept sinking deeper and deeper into their minds until they were thoroughly deceived by them and thought that they were following something worthwhile, that would bring them reward. But they were lying, and it is well known that the Knower of the unseen and the seen will not be deceived by lies.

What happened to them was the result of the Shaytan gaining control over them, making their deeds fair-seeming to them and causing them to forget the remembrance of Allah, for he is the avowed enemy who intended nothing but evil towards them;

﴾...he only calls his followers so that they may become inhabitants of the raging fire.﴿ (Fdtir 35: 6)

﴾They are the party of the Shaytan; indeed it is the party of the Shaytan who will be the losers'p, for they will lose their religious commitment, their worldly interests, their own souls and their families.

58:20. Verily those who oppose Allah and His Messenger will be among the most humiliated.

58:21. Allah has decreed: I and My Messengers will surely prevail. Verily Allah is Strong, Almighty.

This is a promise and warning. It is a warning to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger by disbelieving and disobeying, that they will be defeated and humiliated, and their fate will not be good.

And it is a promise to those who believe in Him and in His Messengers, and follow the message that the Messengers brought, and were thus among the party of Allah who will be successful; victory and success will be theirs, and they will prevail in this world and the hereafter. This is a promise that will not be broken or changed, for it comes from One Who is truthful, strong and Almighty, and nothing He wills is beyond Him.

(rr

58:22. You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having close ties with those who oppose Allah and HisMessenger, even if they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their kindred. It is they in whose hearts Allah has inscribed faith and strengthened them with divine aid. He will admit them to gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. They are the party of Allah; verily it is the party of Allah who will be the successful ones.

﴾You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having close ties with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger﴿ that is, faith and close ties with the disbelievers cannot coexist. A person cannot truly be a believer in Allah and the Last Day unless he acts in accordance with what faith dictates and requires, of loving and taking as allies those who have faith, and resenting and opposing those who do not have faith, even if they are the closest of people to him.

This is true faith that leads to the proper outcome and achieves its purpose.

Such people are the ones in whose hearts Allah has inscribed faith; in other words. He has instilled it in such a way that it will not be shaken or affected by specious arguments and doubts.

They are the ones whom Allah has strengthened with divine aid, namely His revelations, help, reinforcement and kindness.

They are the ones who will have a good life in this world, and will have gardens of bliss in the hereafter, in which there is everything that their souls may desire and that may delight their eyes, and they will have the best and greatest bliss of all, which is that Allah will bestow His pleasure upon them and will never be angry with them; they will be pleased with their Lord and with what He gives them of all kinds of honour, abundant reward and gifts, and high status, in such a way that they will not think that anyone has been given anything better than what He has given them.

As for those who claim to believe in Allah and the Last Day, yet despite that they have close ties to the enemies of Allah, and they love those who have abandoned faith and turned their backs on it, their so-called faith is not real. Every matter should have proof and evidence; mere claims are of no value and the one who makes them cannot be sincere.

This is the end of the commentary on Sooral al-Mujitdilah.

All praise and thanks are lor Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.