النص المفهرس

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disease, etc. But who would know about the suffering of individuals and
single persons? Who can reach them? Let us look at the matter of divorce
which obviously is a result of mutual discord, anger and disharmony
which usually results in the relationship which was established on the
basis of extreme concord, love and affection changing to the opposite i.e
combined emotions of hate enmity and revenge. The above mentioned
verse of the Holy Qur'an and many other similar verses have given such
instructions to Muslims to be observed right at the time of divorce that
they fully test gracefulness of behavior and courteous discharge of social
obligations. The emotions keep on inciting one to take as much revenge as
one can from the woman who has inflicted so much pain and agony to
him that the relationship had to be terminated. But the noble Qur'an has
bound the common divorced woman to stay during the period of 'iddah in
the house of her husband; it has been made obligatory on the husband
not to turn the divorced woman out of his house during the period of
'iddah and to continue to provide her the usual daily maintenance and
upkeep during that period. It has also been made desirable for the
husband to give her mut'ah i.e. a set of clothes at the time of departure
after completion of the period of 'iddah and to release her with grace and
respect. Only those women are exempt from the period of 'iddah who
have only gone through nikah without stepping into the husband's
house, without having had true privacy, but more stress has been laid on
offering mut'ah to them as compared to other women.
The third injunction is :(سَرّحُوُهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا) "Release them
gracefully" which has imposed a restriction on the husband not to say
anything harsh even verbally nor to indulge in taunts or sarcasms.
Only that person can honor the rights of the opponents during
confrontation who can control his emotions and passions. All the
teachings of Islam have laid due emphasis on this principle.
Verses 50 - 52
يَأَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ ◌ِنََّ اَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ الْتِى أَتَيْتَ أُجُوْرَهُنَّ وَمَا
مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّآ أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنْتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنْتِ عَمُّتِكَ
وَبَنْتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنْتِ حُلْتِكَ الْتِى هَاجَرُنَ مَعَكَ وَامْرَأَةً مُّؤْمِنَةً إِنْ

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وَّهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِّ إِنْ آَرَادَ النَّبِىُّ أَنْ يَّسُتَنْكِحَهَاء خَالِصَةً لَّكَ مِنْ
دُوُنِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ، قَد عَلِمُنَا مَا فَرَضُنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِىِّ أَزْوَاجِهِمُ وَمَا
مَلَكَتْ آَيْمَانُهُمْ لِكَيْلاً يَكُوْنَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ وَكَانَ اللهُ غَفُوْرًا
رَّحِيْمًا ﴿.٥) تُرُجِىُ مَنْ تَشَآءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُقُوِىُ إِلَيْكَ مَنْ تَشَآءُ وَمَنٍ
أَبْتَغَيْتَ مِمَّنٌ عَزَلْتَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكَ ذلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ تَقَرَّ أَعُيُنُهُنَّ
وَلَا يَحْزَنَّ وَيَرْضَيْنَ بِمَآ أَتَيْتَهُنَّ كُلُّهُنَُّ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى قُلُوُبِكُمُ ءُ
وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَلِيمًا ﴿٥١) لَا يَحِلُّ لَكَ النِّسَآءُ مِنْ بَعْدُ وَلَا أَنْ
تَبَدَّلَ بِهِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجٍ وَّلَوْ اَعُجَبَكَ حُسُنُهُنَّ إِلَّ مَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِيُّنُكَطـ
وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ رَّقِيْبًا ﴿٢﴾
O prophet, We have made lawful for you all your wives
whom you have given their dowers, And those
(bondwomen) whom you own, out of the captives Allah
has given to you as spoils of war, and daughters of your
paternal uncle, and daughters of your paternal aunts,
and daughters of your maternal uncle, and daughters of
your maternal aunts, who have migrated with you, and
a believing woman who offers herself for (marrying) the
prophet without dower, if the prophet wishes to bring
her into his marriage, these rules being exclusive for
you, and not for the (rest of the) believers, -- We know
what We have prescribed for them in respect of their
wives and the slave-girls they own --- so that there
should be no difficulty for you. And Allah is
Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [50] You may postpone
(the turn) of any one you wish from among them, and
may accommodate with you any one you wish. And
should you recall any one from those whom you kept
aside, there is no blame on you. It is more likely, in this
way, that their eyes will stay content, and they will not
grieve, and all of them will be happy with whatever you
give to them. And Allah knows whatever lies in your
hearts. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [51] No
women are lawful for you after this, nor is it lawful
that you replace them ( the present wives) with other
wives, even though their goodness may attract you,

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except the bond-women you own. And Allah is watchful
of every thing. [52]
Commentary
These verses contain seven injunctions about marriage and divorce
that are specific to the Holy Prophet g and these specifics signify his
distinctive eminence and his special honor. Some of these injunctions are
such that their being specific to the Holy Prophet
is absolutely plain
and obvious and some of them are such that, despite their being general
for all Muslims, they are subject to certain conditions and qualifications
that are specific to the Holy Prophet 3. The details are given below:
The First injunction
O prophet We have made lawful) إِنََّ احْلَلُنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ الْتِىِ اتَيْتَ أُجُوُرَهُنَّ
(halal) for you all your wives whom you have given their dowers - 50.)
Apparently, this ruling is general for all Muslims, because their existing
wives are lawful for them too, but the reason for its being specific is that,
at the time of revelation of this verse, the Holy Prophet
had more than
four wives, while it is not permissible for Muslims in general to keep more
than four wives at any time. So it was particular for the Holy Prophet
that having more than four wives was made lawful for him.
The words, ◌َّالّتِىُ اتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُن "whom you have given their dowers" in this
verse are not of restrictive nature nor a pre-condition for permissibility of
keeping them as wives, but it is a statement of fact that the Holy Prophet
f had paid the mahr (dower) of all the women with whom he had
performed nikah promptly in cash and did not leave it as debt payable by
him. His noble practice was to pay or give whatever was due to him
immediately and become free of the liability, without delaying it
unnecessarily. The statement of this fact is to persuade Muslims in
general to follow this practice.
The second Injunction
And those (bond women) whom you own) وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِيُنُكَ مِمَّآ أَفَاءَ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ
out of the captives Allah has given to you as spoils of war").
The word (U used here for the spoils of war is _ 'fai' which in its
technical sense is restricted to the wealth acquired from the enemy
without actual fighting. But at times it is used for the spoils of war
acquired through actual fighting. Here the word is used in a general

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sense. Moreover, it does not mean that only those slave-girls will be lawful
for him who would come to him as his share in the spoils of war, but the
permissibility covers those bondwomen also who were purchased by him.
But, apparently, in this injunction, there is nothing particular for the
Holy Prophet
because this is a rule for all Muslims and the whole
Ummah that those bondwomen whom they own as their share in the
spoils of war or those who are purchased for a price are lawful for them.
At the same time the style of the context indicates that the injunctions
contained in these verses should have some special applications for the
Holy Prophet g. As such it is stated in 'Ruh ul-Ma'ani' as a particularity
of the Holy Prophet that just as the nikah of any of his te wives with any
other Muslim is not lawful after him, similarly any of his bondwomen is
not lawful for any Muslim after him . Accordingly the nikah of
Sayyidah Mariyah Al-Qibtiyyah رضى الله عنها who was sent by the Roman
Emperor Muqauqis as gift to the Holy Prophet 5, was not made lawful
for anyone after him.
The third Injunction
The daughters of paternal uncle and of paternal بَنْتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنْتِ عَمْتِکَ
aunts and the daughters of the maternal uncle and of maternal aunt
have been made lawful for the Holy Prophet . This injunction includes
all the women of his "father's family and of his mother's family". And this
rule is, though, applicable to all Muslims in general, yet in the case of the
Holy Prophet
it has been subjected to a condition imposed on him
exclusively that they must have migrated with him from Makkah- not
necessarily in his company or at the same time, but the words, "with you"
are to denote that they should have migrated at any time in accordance
with his command. If any of them did not migrate for any reason, they
did not become lawful for him as was the case with Umm Hani' Que Ulla),
the daughter of his paternal uncle Abu Talib who, as per her statement,
was not lawful for the Holy Prophet g, because she did not migrate from
Makkah.
Migration being the condition of lawfulness for the Holy Prophet 5
was only with regard to the women of his parent's family. This condition
was not applicable to other women in general - their being Muslim was
enough. The wisdom in applying this condition of migration for the
women of his parent's family was perhaps that the women of the family

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are proud of their family which is unbecoming for the wife of a prophet.
This propensity was taken care of by imposing the condition of migration,
because only that women would migrate whose love for Allah and His
Messenger # prevails over her love for her family, home and property.
Also, one has to suffer great difficulties during migration and these
sufferings in the way of Allah have a special place in ones spiritual
reform.
Fourth Injunction:
وَامْرَأَةً مُّؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَّهَبَتُ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِىُّ أَنْ يَّسُتَنْكِحَهَاوَ خَالِصَةً لَّكَ مِنْ
دُوْنِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
"And a believing woman who offers herself for (marrying) the
prophet without dower if the prophet wishes to bring her into
his marriage, these rules being exclusive for you, and not for
the (rest of the) believers". (33:50)
The exclusiveness of this exception for the Holy Prophet g is
absolutely obvious, because dower is an essential condition for the
marriage of common Muslims, so much so that if, at the time of marriage,
the woman says that she does not want any dower or the man says that
he will not pay any dower, even this mutual agreement is considered by
Shari ah as null and void, and dower as prevalent in their families would
become compulsory. Only the Holy Prophet 5 has been exclusively
permitted to marry without dower when the woman is desirous of
marriage with him without dower.
Scholars differ in determining whether the Holy Prophet
did
actually marry a woman without dower who offered herself for marriage
without dower. Some scholars say that marriage of the Holy Prophet
with a woman in this way is not proved, whereas some others have
proved some such marriages (Ruh ul-Ma'ani)
Some scholars have considered the sentence Ju ( exclusively for
you) to be specific to the fourth injunction, whereas some other
commentators like Zamkhshri, etc., have applied it to all the injunctions
mentioned before it, meaning that all the above mentioned rules are
exclusively for the Holy Prophet . And at the end it is stated 33;
ES Sle which means that these injunctions have been made exclusive
for the Holy Prophet to save him from any difficulty. Of these

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exclusive rules mentioned above, the first rule wherein more than four
wives have been allowed for him and the fourth rule that marriage
without dower has been made lawful for him are obviously meant to
facilitate and remove difficulties; but the second, third and fifth rules
apparently add more conditions which should increase difficulty. But this
is a hint that despite these conditions being apparently more strict, they
are, in fact, for his good because in their absence he would have suffered
from mental anguish. As such, even the additional conditions are to
remove his difficulty.
Fifth Injunction:
The fifth injunction deduced from the words "believing women" in the
above verses is that unlike the common Muslims who can marry the
Christian or Jewish women, it is not permissible for the Holy Prophet
to marry them. It is necessary for him that his wives are Muslims.
After stating the exclusiveness of the five rules for the Holy Prophet
, the Holy Qur'an has briefly mentioned the rule for Muslims in
general:
قَدْ عَلِمُنَا مَا فَرَضُنَا عَلَيْهِمُ فِىِّ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكْتُ أَيْمَانُهُمُ
"We know what We have prescribed for them in respect of their
wives and the slave girls they own" - 50.
It means that the above mentioned rules are exclusive for the Holy
Prophet g, but as for the marriage of other Muslims, Allah Knows what
He has prescribed for them. For example, no Muslim can marry a woman
without dower and a Muslim is allowed to marry a Christian or a Jewish
woman. Similarly, the conditions in the previous rules determined to be
obligatory for the Holy Prophet
are not applicable to other Muslims.
Towards the end, it is said, ◌ٌلِكَيُلا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَج (so that there should be
no difficulty for you - 50). It means that these special injunctions in the
matter of nikah for the Holy Prophet were prescribed so that he does
not face any difficulty. As for the restrictions and conditions imposed on
the Holy Prophet
and not on other Muslims which appear to be
difficult, but keeping in view the expedience and wisdom under which the
restrictions were placed, those restrictions were, in fact, to remove the
spiritual discomfort and embarrassment.

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So far five rules of marriage have been enunciated which have some
exclusiveness for the Holy Prophet 5 Further on two rules have been
stated which are related to the above five rules.
Sixth Injunctions
You may postpone (the turn) of any") تُرُجِىُ مَنْ تَشَآءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُؤِىُ إِلَيْكَ مَنْ تَشَآءُ
one you wish from among them, and may accommodate with you any one
you wish." - 51) This rule is specific to the Holy Prophet . The normal
rule is that a Muslim husband having more than one wife must distribute
his nights between his wives in equal numbers and similarly must provide
means of sustenance and maintenance to each one of them equally. It is
not permissible to violate the principle of equality. But the Holy Prophet
has been exempted from this rule and has been allowed to postpone
the turn of any one of his blessed wives according to his own expedience;
he could also recall the one whose turn he had postponed earlier.
Allah Almighty so honored the Holy Prophet = that he was exempted
from observing equality between his wives but the Holy Prophet &g never
availed of this concession in practice; he always maintained full equality
between all his blessed wives. Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas has stated that
as per narrations of Hadith, the Holy Prophet & always maintained
equality between the blessed wives even after the revelation of this verse;
he goes on to a Hadith from Sayyidah 'A'ishah رضى الله عنها, with his own
chain of narrators, which is also available in Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi,
Nasa'I, Abu Dawud etc .:
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْسِمُ فَيَعْدِلُ فَيَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ هَذَا قسمى فِيْمَا
أَمْلِكُ فَلاَ تَلُمُنِىُ فِيُمَا لَا أَمْلِكُ قَالَ أَبُوُ دَاود يَعُنِى الْقَلْبَ
"The Messenger of Allah ? used to maintain equality between
all wives and used to supplicate, "O Allah I have maintained
equality in whatever is within my power (meaning provision of
means of sustenance and in spending of nights), so do not
reprove me for that which is not within my power (meaning love
and affection being more for someone and less for another that
is not within one's control).
According to another narration, also from Sayyidah 'A'ishah ault ,
and reported by Bukhari, if the Holy Prophet 25 had to postpone his
visit to any of the blessed wives at her turn, for some reason, he would
seek her permission even after the revelation of this verse wherein he was

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exempted from observing equality between his blessed wives.
Another Hadith is also well known and is found in all books of Hadith
that when it became difficult for the Holy Prophet during his last
illness to move between the houses of his blessed wives on daily basis, he
sought permission from all of them before staying in the house of
Sayyidah 'A'ishah رضى الله عنها where he passed the remaining days of his
illness.
It was the habit of all the prophets in general, and that of the Holy
Prophet
in particular, that whenever a concession was given to them
by Allah Ta'ala in a rule of Shari'ah, they generally used to act upon the
original rule as a demonstration of their gratitude to Allah, and did not
avail of the concession except at a time of a dire need.
The wisdom of Sixth Injunction
The Holy Qur'an has then stated the wisdom of the sixth injunction
i.e. exempting the Holy Prophet from maintaining equality between
his wives and making all options open for him in this regard. In the words
of the Holy Qur'an the wisdom behind this exemption was the following,
it is more likely, in this way, that their) ذَلِكَ أَدْنى أَنْ تَقَرَّ اَعُيُنُهُنَّ وَلاَ يَحْزَنَّ وَيَرُضَيْنَ
eyes will stay content, and they will not grieve, and all of them will be
happy with whatever you give to them. - 51)
A doubt may arise here that, apparently, this rule of exemption would
be against the wishes and intent of the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن and may
cause them anguish; how can it be considered to be a source of their
happiness? In answer to this question, one has to bear in mind that the
real reason for one's grievance is one's perception of his or her due rights.
If one believes that a certain right is due on somebody and he is
neglecting or violating it, then one feels hurt and aggrieved. But if
somebody who does not owe us anything and still gives us something, this
act of kindness generates sheer pleasure. Accordingly, when it has been
stated that it is not obligatory upon the Holy Prophet
to observe
equality among all the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن rather he may use his
discretion, then whatever attention and company a wife gets from him
would be considered a favor and an act of courtesy and kindness which
would be a source of happiness and satisfaction.
At the end of this injunction the Holy Qur'an has declared:

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وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَافِىٌ قُلُوُبِكُمْ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَلِيْمًا
"And Allah knows whatever lies in your hearts. And Allah is
All-Knowing, All-Wise." - 51
The context of the foregoing and forthcoming verses is the mention of
the rules peculiar to the Holy Prophet 5 in the matter of marriage. In
between these rules, the statement that Allah knows whatever lies in
your hearts and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise does not appear to bear
any nexus with the subject. It is stated in Ruh ul-Ma'ani that the
permission given to the Holy Prophet " to marry more than four wives or
to marry without dower could have created satanic scruples in somebody's
mind. So, this verse, coming in between, has directed that Muslims have
to guard themselves against such suspicions and scruples and have to
firm up their faith that all these exclusive exemptions are given by Allah
Almighty on the basis of His infinite wisdom and expedience, and that the
selfish desires have no room here.
The pious life of the Holy Prophet ag and the issue of polygamy
The enemies of Islam have always targeted the issue of polygamy,
specially the number of the wives of the Holy Prophet 5 for their
criticism. But if the whole life of the Holy Prophet
is kept in view, even
the Satan cannot find scope to cast doubts on the character of the Holy
Prophet . It is a proved fact that his first marriage at the age of
twenty-five was with Sayyidah Khadijah Lie all go, who was an aged
widow with children and had been married twice before. The Holy
Prophet 2 spent his whole prime of life, upto the age of fifty, with that
aged wife only. All these fifty years were spent right before the eyes of the
people of Makkah who had started his opposition when he was of forty
years and had announced his prophethood. His opponents did not leave
any stone unturned in harassing and stigmatizing him. They called him a
magician, a poet, a mad man, but no enemy could ever find a single
chance to cast doubts in his piety, modesty or purity.
At the age of fifty, after the death of Sayyidah Khadijah, he married
Sayyidah Sawdah رضى الله عنها who was also a widow.
After migration to Madinah, at the age of fifty-four, in the second
year of Hijrah, Sayyidah 'A'ishah Que Ul >, came to the Holy Prophet's
home as wife. He married Sayyidah Hafsah رضى الله عنها a year later and

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 50 - 52
Sayyidah Zainab bint Khuzaymah Li dla, a few days after that, who
expired a few months later. He married Sayyidah Umm Salamah Ul +)
Que, a widow with children, in the year 4 of Hijrah. In the year 5 when
he was fifty eight years old, he married Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh )
Lis al in accordance with Allah's order, as detailed in the beginning of the
present surah. The rest of the blessed wives entered his house in the last
five years.
The rules pertaining to the private life of a prophet and his domestic
affairs constitute a major portion of a religion. The contribution of these
nine blessed wives lafic all so, to the propagation and education of Islam
can be imagined from the fact that Sayyidah 'A'ishah Lis will sie, alone
narrated two thousand two hundred and ten ahadith and Sayyidah
Umm Salamah sul narrated three hundred and sixty-eight
ahadith which have been collected in reliable books. Hafiz Ibn al-
Qayyim, in his I'lmul Muwaqqi'in, has commented that the rulings of
Shari ah (fatawa) disclosed by Sayyidah Umm Salamah Li aUl so, would
constitute a separate book. More than two hundred noble companions of
the Holy Prophet
were disciples of Sayyidah 'A'ishah is Auto, who
learnt hadith, figh (Islamic jurisprudence) and fatawa from her.
Another wisdom of bringing a number of the blessed wives lafic all ,
to the house of the Holy Prophet was to attract their clans towards
Islam. After keeping these facts in view and considering the general
pattern of his pure life, can one find any scope for saying that the
multiplicity of his wives was, Allah forbid, to fulfill selfish or sexual
desires? If this was the case, why the last stage of life would have been
selected for this purpose after spending the whole prime of life either in
celibacy or with an aged widow. This subject along with the religious,
intellectual, biological and economic issues of the polygamy has been
thoroughly discussed with full details under the explanation of the third
verse of Surah Nisa' in volume II of this book.
Seventh Injunction:
لَا يَحِلُّ لَكَ النِّسَآءُ مِنْ بَعُدُ وَلَا أَنْ تَبَدَّلَ بِهِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجٍ وَّلَوْ اَعْجَبَكَ حُسُنُهُنَّ
(No women are lawful for you after this, nor is it lawful that
you replace them (the present wives) with other wives, even
though their goodness may attract you .- 52).

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The words &","after this" in this verse may be interpreted in two
ways. One is that no women are lawful for you after the present wives.
Some noble companionscá
and leading commentators have adopted this
meaning. Sayyidna Anas 4ge has stated that when the blessed wives 2)
Jte All were given the choice by Allah Ta'ala to either opt for the pleasure
of the worldly life and its charms but separation from the Holy Prophet
or to remain with him and be content with every economic condition they
may face, all of them gave up their demand for increase in maintenance
and elected to remain with him. Allah Ta'ala, as a reward for their
decision, restricted the Holy Prophet to those nine wives and it was no
more permissible for him to marry other women. (Al-Baihaqi, as quoted by
Ruh-ul- Ma'ani)
Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas de has stated that Allah Ta'ala has restricted
the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن exclusively to the Holy Prophet * in that
they could not marry anybody after him. Similarly, the Holy Prophet
has been restricted to the blessed wives in the sense that he could not
marry any other women. Sayyidna 'Ikrimah has also given this
explanation as per one narration.
The second interpretation of these words, as reported by different
authorities, like Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah and Mujahid, according to some
narrations is that . "after this" means it is not lawful for the Holy
Prophet to marry any women beyond the categories mentioned in the
earlier verse. For example, the earlier verse has allowed for him only
those women of his parents' families who had migrated from Makkah to
Madinah either with him or later, according to his command; similarly the
restriction that his wife must be a Muslim has made the Christian or
Jewish women unlawful for him. As such the meaning of the words, "after
this" would be that he cannot marry those women who do not fall in the
categories made lawful for him. Thus, according to this explanation, this
is not a new injunction; it is rather an elaboration to highlight the
consequential outcome of the rule already laid down in the preceding
verse . According to this interpretation, this verse does not prohibit
marriage with other women after the nine blessed wives vois al gio;
instead, it prohibits marriage with non-Muslims and with women of the
parents families who did not migrate, as already known from the previous
verse.

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This second interpretation finds support from a narration of Sayyidah
'A'ishah 4us dul , to the effect that the permission of further marriages
remained applicable for him (even after the revelation of the present
verse)
Nor is it lawful that you replace them (the present" وَلَا أَنْ تَبَدَّلَ بِهِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجٍ
wives) with other wives" - 52.
The clear meaning of these words in view of the second explanation of
this verse is that although the Holy Prophet 5 is permitted to marry
other women besides his present wives subject to the conditions
mentioned, yet it is not lawful for him to divorce a wife and to marry
another woman to replace her.
However, the meaning of these words in view of the first explanation
of this verse would be that he can neither marry any woman in addition
to the present wives, nor can he replace them by divorcing one and
marrying another.
Towards the end of these verses it is clarified that a bond woman
owned by the Holy Prophet 25 is exempt from fifth and seventh rules in
the sense that she is lawful for him, even if she is a Christian or Jew, and
it is also permitted for him to replace her with another bondwoman. Lastly
it has been reminded that Allah Ta'ala is watchful of everything's reality,
appearance and underlying reasons. All these injunctions and rules are
based on divine wisdom and expedience, even if the wisdom is not stated
specifically, and hence no one has the right to question them or raise
objections against them.
Verses 53 - 55
◌َيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَدُخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمُ إِلى
طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نْظِرِيْنَ إِنْهُ « وَلَكِنُ إِذَا دُعِيْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوا فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ
فَانْتَشِرُوا وَلَا مُسْتَأْنِسِيْنَ لِحَدِيْثٍ * إِنَّ ذَلِكُمْ كَانَ يُؤْذِى النَّبِىَّ
فَيَسْتَحْيِ مِنْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَسْتَحُي مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَإِذَاسَلْتُمُوْهُنَّ مَتَاعًا

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فَسُثَلُوُهُنَّ مِنْ وَّرَآءِ حِجَابٍ ﴿ ذلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمُ وَقُلُوُبِهِنَّ، وَمَا
كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُؤْذُوْا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَلَا أَنْ تَنْكِحُوْا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ
أَبَدًا إِنَّ ذَلِكُمْ كَانَ عِنْدَ اللهِ عَظِيمًا ﴿٥٣﴾ إِنْ تُبُدُوا شَيْئًا أَوْ تُخْفُوُهُ
فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيْمًا ﴿٥٤) لَاجُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فِىٌّ ابَآئِهِنَّ
وَلَا أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ وَلَا إِخْوَانِهِنَّ وَلَا أَبْنَاءِ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ وَلَا أَبْنَاءٍ آخَوَاتِهِنَّ
وَلَا نِسَآئِهِنَّ وَلَا مَامَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ وَاتَّقِيْنَ اللّهَ، إِنَّ اللهَ كَانَ عَلى
كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدًا ﴿٥٥﴾
O those who believe, do not enter the houses of the
Prophet, unless you are permitted for a meal, not (so
early as) to wait for its preparation. But when you are
invited, go inside. Then, once you have had the meal,
then disperse, and (do) not (sit for long) being keen for a
chat. This (conduct of yours) hurts the Prophet, but he
feels shy of (telling) you (about it). And Allah is not shy
of the truth. And when you ask any thing from them
(the blessed wives of the Prophet), ask them from
behind a curtain. That is better for the purity of your
hearts and their hearts. And it is not allowed for you
that you hurt Allah's Messenger, nor that you ever
marry his wives after him. Indeed, it would be an
enormity in the sight of Allah. [53] If you disclose any
thing, or conceal it, Allah is All-Knowing about every
thing. [54] There is no sin for them (the wives of the
Prophet) in (appearing without hijab before) their
fathers, or their brothers, or the sons of their
brothers, or the sons of their sisters, or their own
(Muslim) women, or their slave-girls. And (O wives of
the Prophet,) fear Allah. Surely, Allah is witness to
every thing. [55]
Commentary
These verses have laid down some etiquettes and rules of Islamic
social behavior. The reason for mentioning them in the context of the
previous verses is that these rules were initially revealed for the Holy
Prophet's household and his wives, although their applicability is not
specific or exclusive to him.

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The First Injunction
Etiquettes for hosts and guests
◌َأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَدُخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيِّ ◌ِلَّ أَنْ يُّؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَى طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نْظِرِيْنَ إِنْهُ (
وَلْكِنُ إِذَا دُعِيْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوا فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ فَانْتَشِرُوا وَلَا مُسْتَأْنِسِيْنَ لِحَدِيْثٍ
(O those who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet,
unless you are permitted for a meal, not (so early as) to wait for
its preparation. But when you are invited, go inside. Then, once
you have had the meal, then disperse, and (do) not (sit for long)
being keen for a chat. This (conduct of yours) hurts the Prophet,
but he feels shy of (telling) you (about it). And Allah is not shy of
the truth). (33:53)
This verse has laid down three rules pertaining to a situation where a
person is invited to have meal in someone's house. These rules are
applicable to all Muslims in general, but since they were prompted by an
incident which took place in the house of the Holy Prophet , therefore
the Prophet's house has been mentioned in the text.
The first rule is:ْلاَ تَدُخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُم"Do not enter the houses of
the Prophet, unless you are permitted .. "
The second etiquette is that despite invitation to dine and permission
to enter the house, one should not enter the house so early as to wait for
the meal's preparation; rather he should go inside the house when he is
invited to do so.
The third etiquette is that once the invitees have had the meal, they
should disperse and should not sit for long being keen for a chat. This
direction is restricted to the general cases where guests' sitting for long
after having the meal causes inconvenience to the host, either because
the host wants to get busy with his own work, or because he has to serve
meals to others after these guests. But where the practice and norm is
that the guests remaining busy in conversation till late after they had
their meals does not pose any problem for the hosts, as it has become
customary in dinners and parties these days, this rule would not apply,
because the next sentence of the verse has specifically highlighted the
reason of this rule where it is said that this behavior brings discomfort to
the Holy Prophet . In the specific incident that was the cause of the
revelation of this verse, the meals were served in the ladies apartments of
the Holy Prophet and the discomfort caused to the family members

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 53 - 55
because of the guests staying till late is obvious.
The verse also states that although such behavior of the guests hurts
the Holy Prophet &g, yet since they are his own guests, he feels shy of
telling and educating them them about it, but Allah Ta'ala is not shy of
telling them the truth.
The above sentence of the verse also tells us the extent to which a host
is required to show respect and give honor and regard to his guests,
because despite the fact that it was one of the obligations of the Holy
Prophet to teach people how they should behave when they are invited
as guests, he postponed to teach his own guests this etiquette (lest they
should feel disgraced) till Allah Ta'ala Himself taught this etiquette in the
Qur'an.
The Second Injunction - Hijab for Women
وَإِذَاسَاَلْتُمُوُهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَسُثَلُوُهُنَّ مِنْ وَّرَآءٍ حِجَابٍ ﴿ ذلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوُبِكُمُ وَقُلُوُبِهِنَّمـ
And when you ask any thing from them (the blessed wives of
the Prophet), ask them from behind a curtain. That is better for
the purity of your hearts and their hearts. (33:53)
This rule has also been prompted by a particular incident involving
the blessed wives
, but the rule is general for the whole Ummah.
Briefly, the rule states that if non-mahram men have to ask anything of
common use from women, they should ask them from behind a curtain -
not face to face. The reason stated for this rule is that it is better for the
purity of the hearts of both.
The special Importance of Women's Hijab
It is worth noting here that the men and women who are the direct
addressees of these rules of hijab are, on the one hand, the women who
are the blessed wives رضى الله عنهما of the Holy Prophet * the purification
of whose hearts has been undertaken by Allah Ta'ala Himself as
mentioned in the verse preceding the present one, and on the other hand
they are the men who are the noble companions
of the Holy Prophet
many of whom have been exalted even above angels. Despite all these
صَلى اله
credentials, hijab was deemed to be necessary between men and women
for the purity of their hearts and to protect them from sensual scruples.
Who can claim that his inner-self is purer than those of the noble
companions ge and the inner-selves of his women are purer than those of

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the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن and thus believe that mixing of men and
women would not have any bad consequences?
The Background of the revelation of these verses
Different incidents have been related by the commentators as the
background for the revelation of the these verses. But there is no
contradiction between these narrations, because it is likely that all these
incidents combined together constitute the reason for the revelation. As
for the first verse which lays down the etiquettes of guests, its background
is mentioned by Sulayman Ibn Arqam, as reported by Ibn Abi Hatim,
that it was revealed about some boorish people who would enter a house
without being invited and keep waiting there for the preparation of a
meal.
And Imam 'Abd Ibn Humaid has reported the statement of Sayyidna
Anas de that this verse was revealed about some people who would look
for an opportunity to enter and sit in the Holy Prophet's
y house well
before the time of dining, remain busy in conversation between
themselves till the preparation of the meal and then would join the
dining. These incidents took place before the injunction of hijab when
men used to enter women's apartments.
As for the second rule relating to the hijab of women, Imam Bukhari
has cited two narrations about the reason for its revelation. One is
narrated by Sayyidna Anas de that Sayyidna 'Umar Ibn Khattab
des-
said to the Holy Prophet , "O Messenger of Allah ! you are visited by all
sorts of people, and as such it appears advisable that you order your
blessed wives رضى الله عنهن to observe Hijab". At this, the verse of hijab was
revealed.
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim both have reported the following
statement of Sayyidna 'Umar Ibn Khattab que :
وافقتُ ربِّى فى ثلث: قلت يا رسول الله! لو اتخذت فى مقام ابراهيم مَصَلَّى، فانزل
الله تعالى وَأَتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَّقَامٍ إِبْرِهِيُمَ مُصَلَّى وَقُلْتُ: يَارَسُولَ اللهِ! إِنَّ نِسَآءَ كَ يَدْخُلُ
عَلَيْهِنَّ الْبُّ وَالْفَاحِرُ فَلَوْ حجبتهن فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ آيَةَ الْحِجَابِ وَقُلْتُ لِأَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى
اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا تمالأن عَلَيْهِ فِى الْغَيْرَةِ عَسَى رَبُّه، إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُّبْدِلَهُ، أَزْوَاجًا
خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ، فَنَزَلَتُ كَذلِكَ

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"My opinion appeared to be in consonance with my Lord in three
things. One is that I asked the Holy Prophet * to adopt the
Station of Ibrahim (Maqam Ibrahim) as the place of your
وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ prayers (Salah). Then Allah Ta'ala revealed the verse
And take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of) مَّقَامِ إِبْرِهِيُمَ مُصَلَّى
prayer). And I said to the Holy Prophet % that all sorts of good
and bad people appear before your blessed wives s dla ; it
would be better if you ask them to observe hijab. Then the verse
of hijab was revealed. And when the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن of
the Holy Prophet & developed envy between themselves, I told
them that if the Messenger of Allah # divorces you, it is not
unlikely that Allah Ta'ala may provide him wives better than
you. So Qur'an was revealed in the same very words."
Sayyidna 'Umar's respectful speech is worth noting that instead of
saying that his Lord accorded with him in three things, he said that his
opinion was found to be in consonance with Him in three things.
Another narration reported in Şahiņ of Bukhari, also from Sayyidna
Anas 4ge is that he said:
"I know the facts about the verse of hijab more than anybody else,
because I was present when Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh Que Ul >),
after her marriage with the Holy Prophet , entered his house and was
present in the house with him, when some of the people whom he had
invited for walimah (the dining arranged after consummation of
marriage) which he % had got prepared for them, just kept sitting there
and talking. The narration in Tirmidhi adds that the Holy Prophet 25 was
also present there along with Sayyidah Zainab رضى الله عنهن and she had
turned her face towards the wall due to modesty. The Holy Prophet
was displeased by the people sitting there so long; he went out of the
house to meet and greet other blessed wives رضى الله عنهن.When he came
back, they were still there. And then they realized and dispersed. The
Holy Prophet entered the house, but came out after a little while. I was
present there. He recited this verse of hijab which had been revealed just
at that time.
The narrations of Hadith mention these three incidents as the causes
for the revelation of the verses of hijab. There is no contradiction between
them, because possibly all the three incidents combined together
constitute the cumulative cause of the revelation of these verses.

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The Third Injunction
And it is not allowed") وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُؤُذُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَنْ تَنْكِحُوُآ أَزْوَاجَهُ مِنْ بَعُدِهَ ابَدًا
for you that you hurt Allah's Messenger, nor that you ever marry his
wives after him".) (33:53)
The first part of this verse has declared all such utterances and
actions unlawful (haram) which cause anguish or hurt to the Holy
Prophet
Then it is laid down that no one can marry his blessed wives
.after him رضى الله عنهن
All the rules mentioned in this verse are though addressed to the Holy
Prophet or his blessed wives رضى الله عنهن, their application is general for
the whole Ummah, except this last rule which is specific to the blessed
wives رضى الله عنهن that they cannot marry any one after him, while the
rule for the Ummah in general is that after the death of the husband, his
wife can marry another person after the expiry of the period of 'iddah.
The reason may be that according to Qur'an, the blessed wives of the
Holy Prophet
are mothers of the Muslims, and although their being
mothers does not affect their spiritual offspring in the sense that, being
brothers and sisters, they would not be able to marry each other, yet their
motherhood was limited to their own-selves in the sense that they cannot
marry anyone.
It may also be said that they Holy Prophet
is alive in his honored
grave, his g expiry being like a husband missing from his home. That is
why his inheritance was not distributed, and that is why his blessed wives
vois al gio, were not in the same situation as that of the wives of common
men after the death of their husbands.
Another reason for this injunction is that according to the rule of
Shari'ah, every woman in Paradise would be with her last husband.
Sayyidna Hudhaifah 4ge had told his wife at his death that if you wish to
be my wife in Paradise, do not marry any one after me because in
Paradise, a woman would go to her last husband. (Qurtubi)
So, the honor that Allah Ta'ala had bestowed upon the blessed wives
in this world was thus preserved for them in paradise also by رضى الله عنهن
forbidding their marriage to anyone after him.
Besides, no husband naturally likes that his wife should marry

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anyone, but for common people, the Shari'ah did not make it necessary to
fulfill this desire. Allah Ta'ala, by respecting this natural desire of the
Holy Prophet # bestowed an exclusive honour upon him.
There is a consensus in the Ummah that the above rules apply to all
the blessed wives رضى الله عنهن who remained in the bond of marriage with
the Holy Prophet till his expiry. However there are different views
about whether or not this rule is applicable to those of his wives who were
either divorced by him or who separated from him for some other reason.
Qurtubi has detailed these views.
Indeed, it would be an enormity in the sight of) إِنَّ ذلِكُمْ كَانَ عِنْدَاللهِ عَظِيمًا
Allah - 53). It means that causing any harm to or to hurt the Holy Prophet
in any way or to marry his wives after him would be an enormity in
the eyes of Allah.
If you disclose any thing, or) إِنْ تُبُدُوا شَيْئًا أَوْتُخْفُوُهُ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا
conceal it, Allah is All-Knowing about every thing - 33:54). It has been
repeated again in this verse that Allah Ta'ala knows even the intents and
thoughts hidden in the hearts. So whether you disclose or conceal, Allah
Ta'ala knows it all. What is being emphasized here is that one should not
let any doubt or suspicion enter one's mind or heart about the
above-stated rules, and must avoid any violation of these rules.
The issue of Hijab for women, out of the three injunctions in the
above mentioned verse, needs some further elaboration which is being
given below.
Injunctions of Hijab
And the Islamic system for prevention of misdeeds
Immodesty, adultery and the overtures leading to them are some of
those destructive evils of this world which do not only affect the
individuals, but also ruin families and tribes, and sometimes destroy
large countries as well. If the cases of murder and plunder in this world
are thoroughly investigated, sexual emotions would be found behind the
scenes. This is the reason that ever since this world came into existence,
there has been no nation, religion or region that has not unanimously
believed in the evil and destructive nature of these misdeeds.

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The European nations in the present age, after doing away with the
religions limits and breaking away from their ancient and entrenched
customs and traditions, do not consider adultery a crime in itself and they
have moulded their culture and society in such a fashion that sexual
anarchy and immodest acts are permitted freely, but even they could not
exclude the consequences of these evil acts from the list of the crimes -
prostitution, rape and obscenities in public had to be declared punishable
offences.
This is really comparable to somebody collecting inflammables,
sprinkling oil on them, then setting them on fire and when it bursts into
flames, then prohibiting the flames and taking measures to stop them.
Another example would be to kindle a fire under a cooking pot and then
try to stop it from steaming and boiling.
Islam, on the other hand, when declares some harmful acts as
punishable offences, it also imposes restrictions on the overtures leading
to them and declares them forbidden also. In the present case the real
objective was to prevent adultery and fornication. So the start was made
by the rule to keep one's eyes down, by preventing free mixing of men
and women, by directing women to stay inside the four walls of houses; by
requiring women to cover their bodies from head to feet by means of a
covering dress called 'burqa' or simply by a longish shawl when they have
to go out due to some need, and to walk on the side of the street and not to
wear perfume or to wear a 'ringing ornament when going out. If someone
crosses all these limits, breaks all these barriers and defies all the
restrictions to do what is forbidden, then the punishment is so severe and
terrifying that once it is given to some adulterer or fornicator, the whole
nation would learn an unforgettable lesson.
The Europeans and their camp-followers have put forward arguments
justifying their obscenities by trying to prove the hijab for women to be
harmful for the society in regard to women's health, economic and social
status and by trying to prove the benefits for women being without hijab.
Their detailed rejoinder has been given by many modern scholars in their
books. Here it would be adequate to understand that no crime or sin is
devoid of some gain or benefit. Even stealing, robbery, cheating are very
profitable in some respects. But when the destructive harms that take
place as a result and consequence of these acts come to view, nobody