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Prohibition (At-Tahrîm)

In the name of Allah, Gracious, Merciful.

¹O prophet! why do you hold to be forbidden that which Allah has made lawful to you? You seek to please your consorts. But Allah is often forgiving, most merciful.¹

²Allah has already ordained for you the dissolution of your oaths: and Allah is your protector and He is full of knowledge and wisdom.²

³When the prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts and she then divulged it and Allah made it known to him, he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part. Then when he told her thereof she said “Who told you this?” He said “He told me who knows and is well acquainted with all things.”

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

¹Ya ayuhan nabiyu lima tuharimu ma ahallal lahu laka tabtagi mardata azwajik wal lahu gafuru rahim

²Qad faradal lahu lakum tahil lata aimanikum wallahu maulakum wa huwal alimul hakim

³Wa iz asaran nabiyu ilabadi azwajihi hadistsa falam ma nabba at bihi wa azharahul lahu alaihi ar rafa badahu wa arada an badin falam ma nabba ahabihi qalat man an ba aka haza qala nabba aniyal alimul kabir

1. The following Hadith is what this verse refers to: Sahih Al-Bukhari’s Hadith 7.193

Narrated by Aisha: Allah’s Apostle was fond of honey and sweet edible things and (it was his habit) that after finishing the ‘Asr prayer he would visit his wives and stay with one of them at that time. Once he went to Hafsa, the daughter of ‘Umar and stayed with her more than usual. I got jealous and asked the reason for that. I was told that a lady of her folk had given her a skin filled with honey as a present, and that she made a syrup from it and gave it to the Prophet to drink (and that was the reason for the delay).

I said, “By Allah we will play a trick on him (to prevent him from doing so).” So I said to Sauda bint Zam’a “The Prophet will approach you, and when he comes near you, say: ‘Have you taken Maghafir (a bad-smelling gum)?’ He will say, ‘No.’ Then say to him: ‘Then what is this bad smell which I smell from you?’

He will say to you, ‘Hafsa made me drink honey syrup.’ Then say: Perhaps the bees of that honey had sucked the juice of the tree of Al-’Urfut.’ I shall also say the same. O you, Safiyya, say the same.” Later Sauda said, “By Allah, as soon as he (the Prophet ) stood at the door, I was about to say to him what you had ordered me to say because I was afraid of you.” So when the Prophet came near Sauda, she said to him, “O Allah’s Apostle! Have you taken Maghafir?” He said, “No.” She said, “Then what is this bad smell which I detect on you?” He said, “Hafsa made me drink honey syrup.” She said, “Perhaps its bees had sucked the juice of Al-’Urfut tree.” When he came to me, I also said the same, and when he went to Safiyya, she also said the same. And when the Prophet again went to Hafsa, she said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Shall I give you more of that drink?” He said, “I am not in need of it.” Sauda said, “By Allah, we deprived him (of it).” I said to her, “Keep quiet.”

Maulana Ali points to a different story regarding Mary the Copt, who was an Egyptian wife of the prophet and because of that was looked down upon and for this reason the wives of the prophet conspired against him to at least prevent him from going to Mary’s house. Muhammad gave in to the trickery of his wives and this verse speaks about what he did which he should not have done for the fear of his wives.

2. Once an oath is given, one is bound to keep the words of the oath, but here Allah is making an exception for men, not women. The Bible says that God does not favor those who make foolish oaths; Ecclesiastes 5:4: “When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.” In comparison to the Qur’an, God will not tolerate men from taking an oath and getting out of the oath.

⁴If you two turn in repentance to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined; but if you back up each other against him, truly, Allah is his protector and Gabriel and every righteous one among those who believe, and furthermore, the angels will back him up.

⁵It may be if he divorced you, that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you who submit, who believe, who are devout, who turn to Allah in repentance, who worship, who travel, and fast, previously married or virgins.

⁴Intatuba ilallahi faqad sagat qulubukuma wa in tazahara alaihi la innal laha huwa maulahu wa jib rilu wa salihul muminin wal mala ikatu bada zalika zahir

⁵Asa rabbuhu in tal laqakun na ayubdilahu azwajan kairan minkuna muslimatim muminatin qanitatin ta ibatin abidatin saihatin sayibatiw wa abkara

 [Commentary continues below.]

⁶O you who believe! save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones over which are angels stern and severe who flinch not from executing the commands they receive from Allah but do what they are commanded.

⁷“O you unbelievers! make no excuses this day! You are being but requited for all that you did!”

⁶Ya ayuha lazina amanu qu anfusakum wa ahlikum naraw wa quduhan nasu wal hijaratu alaiha mala ikatun gilazun sidadul la yasunal laha ma amarahum wa yafaluna ma yumarun

⁷Ya ayyuha lazina kafarula tatazirul yaum innama tujzauna ma kuntum tamalun

[Commentary continues below.]

⁸O you who believe! turn to Allah with sincere repentance: in the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow, the day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them and by their right hands while they say “Our Lord! perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness; for You have power over all things.”

⁹O prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be firm against them. Their abode is hell, an evil refuge indeed.³

¹⁰Allah sets forth for an example to the unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were under two of Our righteous servants, but they were false to their and they profited nothing before Allah on their account but were told: “Enter you the fire along with others that enter!”⁴

⁸Ya ayuha lazina amanu tubu ilal lahi taubatan nasuha asa rabukum ayukaf fira ankum say yiatikum wa yudhilakum janatin tajri min tahtihal anharu yauma la yukhzil lahun nabiya wal lazina amanu maahu nuruhum yasabaina aidihim wa bi aimanihim ya quluna rabbana atmim lana nu rana wagfir lana innaka ala kulli saiin qadir

⁹Ya ayyuhan nabiyu jahidil kufara wal munafiqina wagluz alaihim wa mawahum jahan nam wa bisal masir

¹⁰Darabal lahu matsalal lil lazina kafarum ra ata Nuhiw wamra ata Lut kanata tahta abdaini min ibadina salihaini fakhanatahuma falam yughniya anhuma minallahi sai awa qilad kulan nara maad da hilin

3. If Muhammad is the Holy Spirit who was to come, why is he being told to strive (fight) against unbelievers and the hypocrites instead of convicting them of sin, righteousness and judgment. Jesus said that that will be the work of the Holy Spirit when he comes; John 16:8: “When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” Muhammad's commission was to be firm against the non-Muslims, something not shared by the Holy Spirit.

4. The wife of Lot became a pillar of salt, not so the wife of Noah. There is no Biblical support for this claim by Allah.

 [Commentary continues below.]

¹¹And Allah sets forth as an example to those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: “O my Lord! build for me in nearness to You a mansion in the garden and save me from Pharaoh and his doings and save me from those that do wrong”;

¹²And Mary the daughter of Imran who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into her of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His revelations and was one of the devout servants.⁵

¹¹Wa darabal lahu matsalal lil lazina amanum ra ata firaun iz qalat rabibni lil indaka baitan fil jan nati wa naj jini min Firauna wa amalihi wa najini minalqaumiz zalimin

¹²Wa Maryamab nata Imranal latu ahsanat farjaha fanafahna fihi mir ruhina wa sad daqat bikalimati rabbiha wa kutubihi wa kanat minal qanitin

5. Mary, the daughter of Ammran, was the sister of Moses and Aaron. She is completely different from Mary, the mother of Jesus, whom this verse is pointing to.