Surah Al-Ahzab: Difference between revisions

Verse 33: “…Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.”

As mentioned previously, some exegetes understood this verse to be specific for the wives of the Prophet; however due to the use of the masculine plural pronoun, the intent is not specific to the wives of the Prophet. There are some interesting points to note about this verse:

The word, innama (<span lang="ar" dir="rtl">انما</span>) is used within this verse, and this word typically signifies exclusivity. Thus it implies the exclusivity or uniqueness of impurity being repelled from the People of the Household. <ref name=":28">Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Page 310</ref>

Verse 6: “The Prophet is closer to the faithful than their own souls, and his wives are their mothers. The blood relatives are more entitled to inherit from one another in the Book of Allah than the [other] faithful and Emigrants, barring any favour that you may do your comrades. This has been written in the Book.”

It has been narrated in the Sahih that Umar said, “O Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah that you are the most beloved to me compared to all other things, except my soul.” The Prophet replied, “No, O Umar, I am even more beloved to you than your soul.” Umar thus replied, “O Prophet of Allah, by God, you are more beloved to me than all other things, even my soul.” The Prophet replied, “Now you are correct O Umar.” This is why Allah said, “The Prophet is closer to the faithful than their own souls.” <ref name=":31">Ibid., Page 340</ref>

It has been narrated from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Umra, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet who said, “There is not from among the believers a person - except that I am the closest of people to him in this world and in the hereafter. Say, if you want, that the Prophet is even closer to the believers then their own souls. Whatever property a believer leaves behind, his tribe will inherit it, whoever they are. However, if a believer leaves behind the world or waste and comes to me, then I will be his master.” <ref name=":31" />

Verse 25: “Allah sent back the faithless in their rage, without their attaining any advantage, and Allah spared the faithful of fighting, and Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.”

It has been narrated in the Sahihayn from Ismail ibn Abu Khalid, from Abd Allah ibn Abu Awfa who said that the Prophet prayed during the battle of Ahzab that, “O my Lord, the revealed Book makes prompt judgements, and defeats the parties, O my Lord, defeat them and shake them.” <ref name=":32">Ibid., Page 354</ref>

Verse 33: “Stay in your houses and do not display your finery with the display of the former [days of] ignorance. Maintain the prayer and pay the zakat and obey Allah and His Apostle. Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.”

Thaabit al-Banani narrates from Anas that a group of women came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the men leave with excellence for jihad in the way of Allah, however there is nothing for us (as women) that is equivalent to the act of those who fight in the way of Allah.” The Prophet replied, “Whoever from among you sits in their house, then she has surely committed an act equivalent to that of those who fight in the way of Allah.” <ref name=":33">Ibid., Page 363</ref>

Ali ibn Zayd narrates from Anas ibn Maalik, that the Prophet would pass by the door of Fatimah  when he would leave for morning prayers for six months, and he would say, “I commend you to prayers O People of the Household, ‘Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.’” <ref name=":34">Ibid., Page 365</ref>

Auzai narrates from Shaddad Abu Ammar who said that he entered upon Wathila ibn al-Asqa while he was sitting among a gathering where they mentioned Ali, and they began cursing him and he began cursing Ali along with them. Once they got up, he said to me, “Did you curse this man as well?” I said, “They cursed him and you cursed him alongside them, did I not tell you about what I saw from the Prophet.” He replied, “No.” I said, “I came to Fatimah and asked her about Ali and she said, ‘Pay attention to the Messenger of Allah,’ so I sat down and was waiting until the Prophet came along with Ali, Hasan and Husayn, and each of them grabbed the Prophet’s hand until he entered. Then he brought Ali and Fatimah close to himself and made them sit down in front of him, and he made Hasan and Husayn sit upon his thigh, then he wrapped his thobe around them and recited the verse, “Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.” Then he continued: “O my Lord these are the People of my House, indeed they are the most righteous.” <ref name=":35">Ibid., Page 366</ref>

It has been narrated from Abu Hurayrah, from Umm Salamah who said, “Fatimah came to the Prophet with a pot in which she was making pudding which she carried on a dish. She put it in the hands of the Prophet and he said, ‘Where is the son of your uncle and your two sons?’ She replied, ‘They are in the house.’ He said, ‘Call them.’ So she went to Ali and said, ‘You and your sons should respond to the Messenger of Allah.’” Umm Salma continues:  “Then when he saw them come forth, he extended his hand towards a cloak that was in the room. He then spread the cloak and made them sit on it, and grabbed the four corners of the cloak with his left hand, held it above their heads and signaled with his right hand to his Lord and said, ‘O my Lord these are the People of my House, repel impurity from them and purify them with a thorough purification.” <ref name=":36">Ibid., Page 367</ref>

Verse 35: “Indeed the Muslim men and the Muslim women, and the faithful men and the faithful women, and the obedient men and the obedient women, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women, 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, and the men who remember Allah greatly and the women who remember [Allah greatly] - Allah holds in store for them forgiveness and a great reward.”

Abd al-Rahman ibn Shaybah narrates that he heard Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet, say, “I said to the Prophet that why is it such that we (women) have not been mentioned in the Quran, but men have? He did not pay attention to this until one day I heard his voice from the pulpit and my hair was uncovered. So I covered my hair and left the room of my house, and put my ears against the palm branch wall as he was saying from the pulpit, ‘O People, surely Allah has said, ‘Indeed the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the faithful men and the faithful women…’’” <ref name=":37">Ibid., Page 371</ref>

Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr narrates from Abdullah ibn Amr that the Prophet came to us one day as if he was mild-tempered and said, “I am Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet” three times, and then he said, “And there is no Prophet after me, I have been given the openings, endings and comprehensiveness of speech. I know how to protect from the fire, and the bearings of the throne. Permission is given through me, I have been forgiven and my people have also been forgiven. So listen and obey me as long as I am among you and once I am taken away, then you must refer to the Book of Allah. Make permissible what is permissible in it, and prohibit what is prohibited in it.” <ref name=":38">Ibid., Page 383</ref>

Verse 41: “O you who have faith! Remember Allah with frequent remembrance.”

It has been narrated from Amr ibn Qays who said that I heard Abdullah ibn Basr say, “Two Bedouins came to the Prophet and one of them said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which type of people are the best?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Those who have extended lives and good actions.’ Then the other Bedouin said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, the laws of Islam have become too much for us, give me a command and I will stick to that.’ He replied, ‘Your tongue should not stop being moist with the remembrance of Allah.’” <ref name=":38" />

Verse 53: “O you who have faith! Do not enter the Prophet’s houses unless permission is granted to you for a meal, without waiting for it to be readied. But enter when you are invited, and disperse when you have taken your meal, without settling down to chat. Indeed such conduct torments the Prophet, and he is ashamed of [asking] you [to leave]; but Allah is not ashamed of [expressing] the truth. And when you ask anything of [his] womenfolk, ask it from them from behind a curtain. That is more chaste for your hearts and their hearts. You may not torment the Apostle of Allah, nor may you ever marry his wives after him. Indeed that would be a grave [matter] with Allah.”

Sulayman ibn al-Mughayrah narrates from Thaabit, from Anas that when Zaynab had her monthly period, the Prophet said to Zayd, “Go and remind her about me.” So Zayd left until he reached her, and she had been waiting for the dough to rise. He said, “When I saw her my chest became heavy”, and he mentioned the rest of the narration, which we mentioned before ?where?, along with the verse from the Quran, ‘So when Zayd had got through with her, We wedded her to you, so that there may be no blame on the faithful in respect of the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have got through with them, and Allah's command is bound to be fulfilled,’ <ref name=":39">Surah al-Ahzab, verse 37</ref>  then he added the following words at the end of the narration: ‘And Hishaam has mentioned in his narration the verse that, ‘Do not enter the house(s) of the Prophet except when he gives permission to you.’’” <ref name=":40">Ibid., Page 401</ref>

Verse 56: “Indeed Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; ‘O you who have faith! Invoke blessings on him and invoke peace upon him in a worthy manner.’”

It has been narrated from Ibn Abu Layli, from Kab ibn Ajrah who said that it was said, “O Messenger of Allah as for sending peace upon you, we have come to understand that. But how is the grace of Allah sent?” The Prophet replied, “Say, O my Lord, send grace upon Muhammad and upon his family, just as you sent grace upon the family of Ibrahim, surely you are the most Praiseworthy and Exalted. O my Lord, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad just as you sent blessings upon the family of Ibrahim, surely you are the most Praiseworthy and Exalted.” <ref name=":41">Ibid., Page 405</ref>

It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn, from his father from Ali ibn al-Husayn, from his father that the Messenger of Allah said, “The stingy is someone who when I am mentioned (before them),  he does not send blessings upon me.” <ref name=":42">Ibid., Page 414</ref>

Benefits of Reciting this Surah

It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Sinaan from Abu Abdullah who said, “Whoever recites Surah al-Ahzab a lot, on the Day of Judgement he will be the neighbour of Prophet Muhammad and his wives.” <ref name=":43">Tabrisi, Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Page 526</ref>

Verse 23: “Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to Allah. Of them are some who have fulfilled their pledge, and of them are some who still wait, and they have not changed in the least.”

Amr ibn Thaabit narrates from Abu Ishaaq from Ali ibn Abi Talib who said, “Allah revealed this verse about me and my companions.” <ref name=":44">Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Page 304</ref>

Verse 28: “O Prophet! Say to your wives, ‘If you desire the life of the world and its glitter, come, I will provide for you and release you in a graceful manner.’”

It has been narrated in Al-Kaafi through Dawood ibn Sarhaan, from Abu Abdullah that he said, “Zaynab, the daughter of Jahsh said, ‘Does the Prophet know that if he leaves us, we will not find a spouse other than him?’ The Prophet had disassociated himself from his wives for 29 days, so when Zaynab said this, Allah sent Jibrail to the Prophet and he said, ‘If you desire the life of the world and its glitter, come, I will provide for you.’ Then the wives of the Prophet said, ‘We choose Allah and His Prophet and the Hereafter.’” <ref name=":45">Ibid., Page 315</ref>

Verse 37: “When you said to him whom Allah had blessed, and whom you [too] had blessed, ‘Retain your wife for yourself, and be wary of Allah,’ and you had hidden in your heart what Allah was to divulge, and you feared the people though Allah is worthier that you should fear Him, so when Zayd had got through with her, We wedded her to you, so that there may be no blame on the faithful in respect of the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have got through with them, and Allah’s command is bound to be fulfilled.”

It has been narrated in Uyoon al-Akhbar al-Ridha in the chapter on Imam al-Ridha’s session with Mamoon and various other people, in a narration where the Imam replies to Ali ibn al-Jahm’s question concerning the infallibility of the Prophets that he said, “As for Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, and what Allah said to him that, ‘…and you had hidden in your heart what Allah was to divulge, and you feared the people though Allah is worthier that you should fear Him,’ Allah told His Prophet the names of his wives in this world and in the hereafter and that they were the mothers of the believers. One of the women who was named as his wife was Zainab binte Jahsh, however she was, during those days, the wife of Zayd ibn Haritha so the Prophet had her name hidden in his heart. He did not say anything about her so that none of the hypocrites would criticize him for claiming that a woman in the house of another man was one of his wives from among the mothers of the believers. He was afraid of what the hypocrites would say and thus Allah said that, ‘…Allah is worthier that you should fear Him.’” <ref name=":46">Ibid., Page 304</ref>

Verses 41-42: “O you who have faith! Remember Allah with frequent remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening.”

It has been narrated in Al-Khisaal from Zayd al-Shahham that Abu Abdullah said that, “A believer is not tried by anything more severely upon him than being deprived of three qualities.” It was said, “What are they?” He said, “When a person condoles himself due to poverty; being just with other people; and mentioning Allah very much; verily I do not say to you, ‘Praised be Allah’, ‘Thanks to Allah’, ‘No God but Allah’, ‘Great be Allah’, except that Allah should be remembered alongside that which has been permitted and alongside that which has been prohibited.” <ref name=":46" />

Verse 56: “Indeed Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who have faith! Invoke blessings on him and invoke Peace upon him in a worthy manner.”

It has been narrated in Thawab al-Amaal from Abu al-Mazi from Abu al-Hasan in a narration where it says: “I asked: ‘What is the meaning of the blessings of Allah, His angles and the believers?’ He replied: ‘The blessings of Allah are His mercy, the blessings of the angels are the pronouncement of his integrity from them, and the blessings of the believers are a prayer from them for him.’” <ref name=":46" />

It has been narrated in Al-Khisaal from Imam Ali in narration number 400 that he said, “Send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, for surely Allah will accept your prayers when they are alongside the mention of Muhammad, and your prayers for him and your memory of him.” <ref name=":47">Ibid., Page 343</ref>

Ahmad and Tirmidhi narrated from al-Hasan ibn Ali that the Prophet said, “A stingy person is someone who when I am mentioned does not send blessings upon me.” <ref name=":48">Ibid., Page  344</ref>

Verse 64: “Indeed Allah has cursed the faithless and prepared for them a blaze.”

It has been narrated in Al-Kafi from Muhammad ibn Saalim, from Abu Jafar in a narration where he said, “Allah does not curse a believer, Allah has said, ‘Indeed Allah has cursed the faithless and prepared for them a blaze.’” <ref name=":48" />

Verse 72: “Indeed We presented the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were apprehensive of it; but man undertook it. Indeed he is most unfair and senseless.”

It has been narrated in Nahj al-Balagha that, “As for the fulfillment of the Trust, surely anyone who is not of aware of it has gone wrong. Surely the Trust was presented to the built skies, the leveled earths, and the erect mountains of great length. There is nothing longer, wider, higher or greater then them. If a thing was to not be possible due to its length, width, power or strength, then they would refuse it. They demonstrated pity because of their lacking, and were sensible of that which he who was weaker than them was ignorant of. That was man, indeed he is the most unfair and senseless.” <ref name=":32" />

It has been narrated in Al-Kafi from Ishaaq ibn Ammar, from a man, from Abu Abdullah concerning the words of Allah, ‘Indeed We presented the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains’ that he said, “This Trust was the wilaayat (guardianship) of Imam Ali.” <ref name=":49">Ibid., Page 344</ref>