66:1. 0 Prophet, why do you prohibit [for yourself] that which Allah has made lawful for you, seeking to please your wives? Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

66:2. Allah has already prescribed for you a way of releasing yourselves from your oaths. Allah is your Guardian, and He is All-Knowing, Most Wise.

66:3. And [remember] when the Prophet told something in confidence to one of his wives. When she divulged it [to another] and Allah informed him of that, he made known [to her] part of it, and overlooked another part. When he informed her of that, she said: Who has informed you of this? He said: The All-Knowing, All- Aware has informed me of it.1 x

66:4. If you both repent to Allah [that will be better for you], for you have sinned. But if you conspire against him, then know that Allah is his Protector, and Jibreel and the righteous believers; and, moreover, the angels are his supporters.

66:5. It may well be, if he were to divorce you, that his Lord would give him in your stead wives better than you, submissive to Allah, believers, obedient, repentant, devout in worship and given to fasting - previously married and virgins.

This is a rebuke from Allah to H is Prophet Muhammad when he forbade to himself either intimacy with his slave woman Mariyah {radiya Allahu anhd - may Allah be pleased with her) or a drink made of honey, in order to please one of his wives, according to the well-known story. Therefore Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent down these verses.

﴾O Prophet﴿ that is, O you whom Allah has blessed with prophethood, revelation and the message ﴾why do you prohibit [for yourself] that which Allah has made lawful for you﴿ of the good things that Allah has bestowed upon you and your Ummah lx The phrase dwhen the Prophet told something in confidence﴿﴿ refers to his telling his wife Hafsah that he had prohibited to himself either the drink made from honey or intimacy with Mariyah (see v. 1). Hafsah disclosed it to "A’ishah and discussed it with her, even though she had been told not to mention it to anyone else. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) informed His Prophet (ﷺ) of the disclosure of the secret and everything that had been said concerning it, but the Prophet (ﷺ) only told Hafsah some of what he had been informed of, not all of it, out of kindness towards her.﴾seeking﴿ by means of this prohibition ﴾jto please your wives? Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿.

This is a clear statement that Allah had forgiven His Messenger (ﷺ), absolved him of blame and bestowed mercy upon him. Thus that prohibition that he imposed upon himself became a means of prescribing a ruling that was applicable to the entire Ummah. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said, prescribing a general ruling that was applicable to all oaths:

sf Allah has already prescribed for you a way of releasing yourselves from your oaths﴿ that is, He has already prescribed for you that by means of which you may release yourselves from your oaths before breaking them, and that by means of which you may offer expiation after breaking them.

This is like the passage in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾0 you who believe, do not forbid [to yourselves] the good things that Allah has made lawful for you, and do not overstep the limits... The expiation thereof is to feed ten poor persons with the average type of food that you give to your own families, or to clothe them, or to free a slave. If that is beyond your means, then fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths you have sworn...﴿ (al-Ma’idah5: 87-89)

Anyone who forbids to himself something that is permissible, whether it is food or drink, or a concubine, or swears an oath by Allah to do something or not to do something, then breaks that oath or wants to break that oath, must offer the expiation mentioned above.

Allah is your Guardian﴿ that is. He is in control of your affairs and takes care of you in the best manner with regard to both your religious and worldly affairs, and that by means of which He wards off evil from you. Therefore He has prescribed for you a way of releasing yourself from your oaths, so that you may be free of any burden of sin.

tfand He is All-Knowing, Most Wise﴿ Whose knowledge encompasses all that is visible of you and all that is unseen, and He is Most Wise in all that He creates and ordains.

Therefore He has prescribed for you of rulings that which He knows is in your best interests and appropriate to your situation.

﴾And [remember] when the Prophet told something in confidence to one of his wives﴿ - many of the commentators said that she was Hafsah, the Mother of the Believers. The Prophet told her something in confidence and instructed her not to tell anyone about it,butshetold "A’ishah about it (radiya Allahu 'anhuma-may Allah be pleased with them both). Allah informed him of what she had disclosed, and the Prophet (ﷺ) told her of some of what she had said, but he refrained from mentioning some of it, out of generosity and forbearance on his part.

﴾she said﴿ to him: ﴾Who has informed you of this﴿ matter which no one knows but us?

﴾He said: The All-Knowing, All-Aware has informed me of it﴿ from Whom nothing is concealed, and He knows all that is secret and yet more hidden.

{(If you both repent to Allah [that will be better for you], for you have sinned i﴿ - these words are addressed to the two noble wives of the Prophet (ﷺ), ‘A’ishah and Hafsah (i^e), who were the reason why the Prophet (ﷺ) had prohibited to himself something that he loved.

Allah urged them to repent, and rebuked them for what they had done, telling them that they had sinned - that is, they had transgressed and done something that they should not have done, and had strayed from piety and from proper etiquette and respect towards the Messenger (ﷺ), when they should have avoided causing trouble for him.

﴾But if you conspire against him﴿ that is, if you plan to cause trouble for him, and persist in doing so,

﴾(then know that Allah is his Protector, and Jibreel and the righteous believers; and, moreover, the angels are his supporters﴿ that is, they are all helpers and supporters of the Messenger (ﷺ), and whoeveris supported by these will prevail, and those who oppose him will be defeated.

This highlights the great virtue and honour of the leader of the Messengers, as the Creator Himself and the elite of His creation are the helpers of this noble Messenger (ﷺ).

This was also a warning to these two noble wives of the Prophet (IHX as is quite clear.

Then Allah alarms them by telling them of something that is very difficult for women, namely divorce, which is the worst thing for them, as He says:

﴾It may well be, if he were to divorce you, that his Lord would give him in your stead wives better than you﴿ that is, so do not be arrogant towards him, for if he were to divorce you, that would not be difficult for him, for he does not need you; he would find, and Allah would replace you with, wives who are better than you in terms of religious commitment and beauty. This was a kind of warning that did not come to pass, and there was no need for it to happen.

He did not divorce them, but if he had divorced them, then there would have been other wives, as Allah mentions, who would have been women of virtue who combined Islam, which is outward compliance with the laws, and faith, which is inward compliance with the laws by way of belief and actions of the heart.

﴾obedient﴿ - the word translated here as ‘obedience’ refers to a constant state of obedience to Allah

﴾repentant﴿ that is, repenting from all that Allah dislikes. Thus they are described as doing that which Allah loves and repenting from that which Allah dislikes.

﴾previously married and virgins﴿ that is, some of them would be previously married and some of them would be virgins.

When they heard this warning and discipline, they hastened to seek the pleasure of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) Thus this description wasapplicable to them, and they became the best of believing women. This indicates that Allah did not choose for His Messenger (ﷺ) anything but the best of circumstances and the most sublime of options. Because Allah chose for His Messenger (iijjz) that the wives mentioned here would stay with him, this indicates that they were the best and most perfect of women.

66:6. O you who believe, guard yourselves and your families against a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are [appointed] angels harsh and stem, who do not disobey Allah in whatever He commands them, and they do whatever they are commanded to do.

That is, O you whom He has blessed with faith, do what faith requires of you.

﴾guard yourselves and your families against a fire﴿ that is described in these terrifying terms. Protect yourselves by forcing yourselves to adhere to what Allah has enjoined and to comply with His commands, avoid what He has forbidden, and repent from that which angers Allah and incurs His punishment.

The way to protect oneself and one’s children is by disciplining them, teaching them and forcing them to comply with the commands of Allah. No one can be safe unless he does what Allah has commanded, with regard to himself and with regard to those who are under his guardianship, namely his wives, children and others who are under his guardianship and control.

Allah describes the fire in these terms so as to deter His slaves from being heedless with regard to His command.

﴾a fire whose fuel is men and stones﴿ - this is like the verse in which Allah Ofe) says:

﴾Verily, you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for hell; to it you will [surely] come.﴿ (al-Anbiva'21. 98) ﴾over which are [appointed] angels harsh and stem﴿ that is, their manner is harsh, their rebuke is terrifying, their voices are alarming and their image is frightening. They humiliate the inhabitants of hell with their strength and obey the command of Allah with regard to them, for He has decreed punishment for them and has subjected them to a severe torment.

﴾who do not disobey Allah in whatever He commands them, and they do whatever they are commanded to do﴿ - these are also words of praise for those noble angels and their compliance with the command of Allah and their obedience to H im in all that He instructs them to do.

66:7. [It will be said:] O you who disbelieved, make no excuse this day; you will be requited only for what you used to do.

That is, the people of hell will be rebuked in this manner on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to them: t-jO you who disbelieved, make no excuse this day﴿, for the time for excuses has gone and they will be of no benefit. Now there is nothing left but requital for deeds, but you did not send on ahead anything but disbelief in Allah, rejectionof His signs and revelations, and opposition to His Messengers and close friends.

66:8. O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance; it may be that your Lord will absolve you of your bad deeds and admit you to gardens through which rivers flow, on a day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will stream ahead of them and on their right, and they will say: Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us; verily You have power over all things.

In this verse Allah enjoins sincere repentance, and promises in return expiation of bad deeds, admittance to paradise, triumph and success, when the believers on the Day of Resurrection will walk in the light of their faith, and will enjoy its comfort and reassurance. They will feel apprehensive when the lights that wete given to the hypocrites are extinguished, and they will ask Allah to perfect their light for them. Allah will answer their prayer, and what they have of light and certainty will enable them to reach the gardens of bliss and nearness to the Most Generous Lord. All of this will be the outcome of sincere repentance.

What is meant is repentance that includes all sins, repentance with which a person turns to Allah seeking nothing but His pleasure and nearness to Him, and he persists in that repentance in all situations.

66:9. O Prophet, strive and fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh with them. Their abode will be hell, a hapless journey’s end.

Here Allah Ws) enjoins His Prophet (ﷺ) to strive against the disbelievers and hypocrites, and to be harsh towards them in doing so. This includes striving against them by establishing proof against them, calling them with gentle preaching, proving the falseness of all the types of misguidance that they follow, and striving against them in battle, in the case of those who refuse to respond to the call of Allah and accept His rulings. This latter category is to be striven against and treated harshly.

As for the first stage of striving, that should be done in the way that is best.

For the disbelievers and hypocrites there will be punishment in this world, as Allah will cause His Messenger (ﷺ) and His party to prevail over them and will enable them to strive against them and fight them. And theirs will be the punishment of fire in the hereafter, a hapless journey’s end, which will be the ultimate fate of every doomed loser.

66:10. Allah sets forth, as an example to those who disbelieve, the wife of Nooh and the wife of Loot, who were married to two of Our righteous slaves, but they were disloyal to them. [Their husbands] could not avail them anything against [the punishment] of Allah, and they were told: Enter the fire along with those who enter it.

66:11. And Allah sets forth, as an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh, who said: My Lord, build me a house near You in paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his misdeeds, and save me from the people who are given to wrongdoing.

66:12. And [there is another example] in Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity. We blew into her [garment] through Our angel [Jibreel], and she believed in the words and Books of her Lord, and was one of the obedient.

These are two examples that Allah sets forth to the believers and the disbelievers, so as to highlight to them the fact that if a disbeliever is connected to a believer and is close to him, that will not avail him anything, and that if a believer is connected to a disbeliever, that will not harm him in the slightest, so long as he does what is required of him.

It is as if this is an implicit warning to the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) against sin, and telling them that their connection to him will not avail them anything if they engage in misconduct.

c-[Allah sets forth, as an example to those who disbelieve, the wife of Nooh and the wife of Loot, who were married to two of Our righteous slaves﴿, namely Nooh and Loot.

﴾but they were disloyal to them﴿ with regard to religion, because they followed a religion other than that of their husbands. This is what is meant by disloyalty; it does not refer to marital infidelity, because no wife of any Prophet ever committed adultery; Allah would never cause the wife of any of His Prophets to be an adulteress.

﴾f[Their husbands]﴿ namely Nooh and Loot ﴾could not avail them﴿ namely their wives ﴾anything against [the punishment] of Allah, and they were told: Enter the fire along with those who enter it﴿.

﴾And Allah sets forth, as an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh﴿ namely Asiyah bint Muzahim (may Allah be pleased with her),

﴾who said: My Lord, build me a house near You in paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his misdeeds, and save me from the people who are given to wrongdoing﴿.

Allah describes her as believing and beseeching her Lord, asking her Lord for the most sublime of goals, which is admittance to paradise and being near to the Most Generous Lord, and asking Allah to save her from the persecution of Pharaoh and his evil deeds, and from the persecution of every wrongdoer.

Allah answered her prayer and she was able to attain perfect faith and remain steadfast, and she was saved from persecution. Hence the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

«Many men have attained perfection, but no women attained perfection except Maryam bint ‘Imran, Asiyah bint Muzahim, and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid. And the superiority of ‘A’ishah over other women is like the superiority of thareed over all other foods.» (Recorded by Ibn Katheer with a strong chain of narration)

﴾And [there is another example] in Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity﴿ that is, who protected herself from shameful deeds, because of her perfect religious commitment, dignity and sublime conduct.

﴾We blew into her [garment] through Our angel [Jibreel]﴿-Jibreel blew into the collar of her chemise, and his breath reached Maryam; from that came ‘Eesa ibn Maryam the noble Messenger and great leader.

﴾and she believed in the words and Books of her Lord﴿ - this is a description of her knowledge, for believing in the words of Allah includes His revelations and decrees. Believing in His Books requires awareness of the requirements of belief, and that can only be attained by having knowledge and acting upon it. Hence Allah says:

﴾and was one of the obedient﴿ that is, she was one of those who constantly obey Allah, with fear of Him and humility towards Him.

This is a description of her as being perfect in deeds, for she was strong and true in faith, which means attaining perfection in knowledge and action.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat at-Tahreem.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah he upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly t ntil the Day of Judgement.