یٰۤاَیُّهَا O Prophet النَّبِیُّ O Prophet قُلْ Say لِّاَزْوَاجِكَ to your wives اِنْ If كُنْتُنَّ you تُرِدْنَ desire الْحَیٰوةَ the life الدُّنْیَا (of) the world وَ زِیْنَتَهَا and its adornment فَتَعَالَیْنَ then come اُمَتِّعْكُنَّ I will provide for you وَ اُسَرِّحْكُنَّ and release you سَرَاحًا (with) a release جَمِیْلًا good وَ اِنْ But if كُنْتُنَّ you تُرِدْنَ desire اللّٰهَ Allah وَ رَسُوْلَهٗ and His Messenger وَ الدَّارَ and the Home الْاٰخِرَةَ (of) the Hereafter فَاِنَّ then indeed اللّٰهَ Allah اَعَدَّ has prepared لِلْمُحْسِنٰتِ for the good-doers مِنْكُنَّ among you اَجْرًا a reward عَظِیْمًا great یٰنِسَآءَ O wives النَّبِیِّ (of) the Prophet مَنْ Whoever یَّاْتِ commits مِنْكُنَّ from you بِفَاحِشَةٍ immorality مُّبَیِّنَةٍ clear یُّضٰعَفْ will be doubled لَهَا for her الْعَذَابُ the punishment ضِعْفَیْنِ ؕ two fold وَ كَانَ And that is ذٰلِكَ And that is عَلَی for اللّٰهِ Allah یَسِیْرًا easy 33. Al-Ahzab Page 422 وَ مَنْ And whoever یَّقْنُتْ is obedient مِنْكُنَّ among you لِلّٰهِ to Allah وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ and His Messenger وَ تَعْمَلْ and does صَالِحًا righteousness نُّؤْتِهَاۤ We will give her اَجْرَهَا her reward مَرَّتَیْنِ ۙ twice وَ اَعْتَدْنَا and We have prepared لَهَا for her رِزْقًا a provision كَرِیْمًا noble یٰنِسَآءَ O wives النَّبِیِّ (of) the Prophet! لَسْتُنَّ You are not كَاَحَدٍ like anyone مِّنَ among النِّسَآءِ the women اِنِ If اتَّقَیْتُنَّ you fear (Allah) فَلَا then (do) not تَخْضَعْنَ be soft بِالْقَوْلِ in speech فَیَطْمَعَ lest should be moved with desire الَّذِیْ he who فِیْ in قَلْبِهٖ his heart مَرَضٌ (is) a disease وَّ قُلْنَ but say قَوْلًا a word مَّعْرُوْفًاۚ appropriate
(33:28) O Prophet,41 tell your wives: “If you seek the world and its embellishments, then come and I will make some provision for you and release you in an honourable way.
(33:29) But if you seek Allah and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter, then surely Allah has prepared a great reward for those of you who do good.”42
(33:30) Wives of the Prophet, if any of you commit flagrant indecency, her chastisement shall be doubled.43 That is easy for Allah.44
(33:31) But whoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Messenger and does good deeds, Allah will double her reward.45 We have prepared for her a generous provision.
(33:32) Wives of the Prophet, you are not like other women.46 If you fear Allah, do not be too complaisant in your speech lest those with diseased hearts should covet you; but speak in a straight forward manner.47
41. Verses 28-35 of this surah were revealed during the Campaigns of Ahzab and Bana Qurayzah. Muslim narrates a tradition from Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah. It states that one-day Abu Bakr and ‘Umar called on the Prophet (peace be on him) and saw him sitting in the company of his wives. Addressing ‘Umar he said: “They are sitting around me as you see and they are asking for maintenance”. Upon hearing this both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar scolded their daughters [who were wives of the Prophet], saying that they were harassing the Prophet (peace be on him) and asking him to provide them with something that he did not have. (Muslim, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Bayan anna Takhyir Imra'tihi la Yakun ...) One thus learns that the Prophet (peace be on him) was faced with acute financial problems during this period. This demand at a time when his mind was acutely occupied with the battle raging between the forces of unbelief and Islam, irked him all the more.
42, At the time of the revelation of this verse, the Prophet (peace be on him) had four wives — Sawdah, ‘A’ishah, Hafsah and Umm Salamah. In other words, he had not by then married Zaynab. (Ibn al-’Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur'an, comments on verses 28-29.) When this verse was revealed, the Prophet (peace be on him) first spoke to ‘A’ishah saying: “I want to have a word with you. You need not hurry in answering. You may consult your parents and then inform me of your decision”. Then he told her the content of the verse revealed to him and then recited this verse to her.
She replied: “Do I have to consult my parents in this matter? Without any hesitation I seek ‘Allah and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter’”. Then the Prophet (peace be on him) called on his other wives and told them the same. All of them gave the same reply that ‘A’ishah had given. (Muslim, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Bayan anna Takhyir Imra’tihi la Yakun ...; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah and Nasa'I, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab al-Tawqit fi al-Jana’iz.) The term takhyir signifies a husband authorising his wife to decide unilaterally between continuing to live with or separating from him. Since God had asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to offer this choice to his wives, he accordingly took his wives into his confidence. However, had any of them opted for separation, this would not have been automatic.
Rather, the Prophet (peace be on him) would have released them from the bond of wedlock, as is borne out by the text of the verse: “... I will make some provision for you and release you in an honorable way”.
It was, nonetheless, obligatory for the Prophet (peace be on him) to grant them separation if any of them so desired. For, it was inconsistent with his position as a Prophet not to honor his promise. Moreover, after such separation, that wife would no longer have belonged to the category of “mothers of the believers”. It seems that it would not have been unlawful then for any Muslim to marry them, for they would have chosen separation from the Prophet (peace be on him) out of their love for “the world and its embellishments” and this purpose would obviously remain unaccomplished if they were deprived of the opportunity to marry.
On the other hand, if any of his wives chose “Allah and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter”, the Prophet (peace be on him) would henceforth cease to have the right to divorce those of his wives who had so expressed their preference for God, His Messenger and the Hereafter.
The choice offered them inevitably led to one of two logical consequences.
Should they prefer this world and its embellishments, they would have to separate; if they expressed their preference for God, His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter, they would continue to remain as they were, wives of the Prophet (peace be on him) and “mothers of the believers”.
In Islamic law, takhyir is the term used for delegating to one’s wife the right to divorce, a right that originally belongs to the husband. A wife, thus, has the choice to remain in wedlock or be separated. The detailed injunctions in this regard, as deduced from the Qur’an and the Sunnah, are as follows: i. Once a husband grants this right to his wife, he can neither withdraw it nor prevent his wife from exercising it. It is, of course, not mandatory for the wife to necessarily exercise this right. She may choose to continue the marital tie and thus let the right to be separated go by default.
There are two ways to grant this right to a wife. First, by the husband’s authorizing his wife, in unequivocal terms, that she has the authority to invoke divorce. Secondly, whereby the husband does not clearly specify delegating the right of divorce to his wife, but says something that carries the intention to delegate this right to her. For example, he may say to her: “You have the right”, or “Your matter is in your hands”. The use of such suggestive expressions without corresponding intention on the husband’s part, however, does not amount to delegating to his wife the power to invoke divorce. If she claims to have received such a delegation of power and the claim is contestably the husband under oath, this by the husband saying that he did not intend to divorce his wife, the husband’s version will be accepted. An exception can only be made when the wife produces firm evidence to the effect that she was granted this right in the course of a marital quarrel or in the course of their discussion on divorce. For in that context, it would be understood that the husband intended to divorce his wife.
Another condition pertaining to takhytr is that the delegation of this power is made known to the wife. If the wife is not present when the husband makes such a statement, she must receive definite information about it. If she is present, she should herself hear her husband’s statement to this effect. Unless she receives.
information about his delegation of the right of divorce or directly hears this statement from her husband, she cannot exercise this right.
There is some difference of opinion among jurists regarding the duration of the validity of this right, particularly when the husband grants his wife this right in absolute terms, without specifying any time period for its validity. According to one group of scholars, the wife may exercise this right in the same sitting in which her husband granted this right to her. If she moves away without giving any response or is engaged in something which may indicate that she does not want to make any response, she forfeits her right. This is the opinion of ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, Jabir ibn Zayd, ‘Ata’, Mujahid, Sha’bi, Nakha’i, Malik, Abu Hanifah, Shafi'i, Awza'I, Sufyan al-Thawri and Abu Thawr.
According to another group of scholars, the wife’s right is not limited to that particular sitting. She may also exercise it later. This opinion is held by Hasan al-Basri, Qatadah, and Zuhri.
If the husband at the time of delegating the power of divorce to his wife, mentions a specific period of time, say a month or a year, the wife will have this right only during that period. However, if he leaves the timing to her discretion, her right will remain valid for an unlimited period.
If the wife seeks separation, she should express it in clear, unmistakable terms. A vague statement in this regard will not be deemed valid.
In terms of legal procedure, the husband may delegate this power to his wife in one of the following three ways: by either saying to her (a) “Your matter is in your hands”, or (b) “You have the right”, or (c) “You are divorced, if this is what you want”. Each of these, however, has different legal implications: If the husband says to his wife: “Your matter is in your hands”, and she responds to this in clear words that indicate her choice of separation, then, according to the Hanafi School, this constitutes a single irrevocable (ba’in) divorce. (In other words, the husband will forfeit his right to revoke the divorce. After the expiry of the waiting period, however, the spouses may re-marry if they decide to do so.) However, if the husband says at the time while delegating the power of divorce: “Your matter is in your hands to the extent of a single divorce”, this amounts to a single revocable divorce. Hence, the husband: may take her back as his wife during her waiting period. However, if while making the above statement his intention was to vest her with the right of triple divorce, or if he explicitly said so, this is tantamount to divorce irrespective of whether she explicitly pronounces triple divorce on herself or declares only once that she has separated herself from her husband or that she has divorced herself.
If the husband grants his wife the right of separation by saying to her: “You have the right”, and his wife explicitly exercises that right, this will lead, according to the Hanafi School, only to a single irrevocable (ba‘in) divorce, even if the husband intended triple divorce. However, if he explicitly delegates to her the right of triple divorce, her exercise of that right will lead to triple divorce. Shafi’, however, maintains that if the husband’s intention was divorce and the wife secures separation, this amounts to a single revocable divorce. According to Malik, however, this amounts to triple divorce of the wife if the husband had consummated his marriage.
However, the husband’s claim for a single divorce will be accepted if his marriage with that wife had not been consummated.
If the husband says to his wife: “You are divorced, if that is what you want”, and the wife exercises this option, the divorce that will come into effect will be revocable, not ba’in.
vii. If, despite the husband’s delegation of the divorce right to his wife, she expresses her willingness to continue to be his wife, no divorce will come into force. This is the view of ‘Umar, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’‘ud, ‘A’ishah, Abu al-Darda’, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar. This represents the mainstream view. When Masruq sought ‘A’ishah’s ruling on the issue, she replied: “The Prophet (peace be on him) delegated this right to his wives, yet they preferred to continue their marital tie with him. It was, therefore, not deemed as divorce”. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab man Khayyara Azwajahu.) According to one report, only ‘Ali and Zayd ibn Thabit were of the opinion that even in this case a single, revocable divorce will come into force. However, according to another report, both ‘Ali and Zayd ibn Thabit held the opinion that no divorce would come into force. (Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on verse 28 and Ibn al-‘Arabi, Alkkam al-Qur’an, comments on verses 28-29.)
43. This statement does not mean at all that there was any apprehension that the Prophet's wives would commit “flagrant indecency”. The purpose of this statement was to make them realise that the expectations of them were in proportion to their elevated position in Islamic society. Hence, it was expected that their conduct should represent the highest moral standards. The statement made here is similar to the one made in Surah al-Zumar 39:65: “(Tell them clearly that) it was revealed to you and to all Prophets before you: ‘If you associate any others with God in His Divinity, your works will surely come to naught and you will certainly - be among the losers?” This too does not mean that there was any fear that the Prophet (peace be on him), God forbid, would ever be involved in polytheism. The real purpose of the statement was to impress the ‘monstrosity of polytheism on the Prophet (peace be on him) and through him on others, essentially driving home how it is absolutely necessary to stay away from it.
44. Neither their being the Prophet’s wives nor their exalted positions could prevent God from His punishment, if He so decided.
45. The Prophet's wives will receive double the punishment for their sins and double the reward for their good deeds. This is on account of their high position in society, for people generally follow in the steps of their leaders, both in good and evil. If they are evil, their misdeeds corrupt the whole nation. Hence such people deserve punishment for their own misdeeds as well as for the misdeeds of those who were prompted to corruption by their example. By the same token, the goodness of their leaders’ deeds will not remain confined to them, but will also spread to others. When such people commit evil deeds they receive greater punishment because of the unwholesome impact of their behavior on others. On the contrary, when they do good, they are rewarded not only for their own deeds but also for the wholesome impact they had on others.
This verse also brings to light the principle that the more sacrosanct something is, the more sacrilegious is its violation, hence entailing a more severe penalty. For example, drinking in a mosque is a much more outrageous sin than doing so within the confines of one’s home.
Committing unlawful sex with a woman of prohibited degree is a graver sin than committing it with any other woman, and would naturally entail a more grievous punishment.
46. This marks the beginning of the passage (vv. 32-34) which lays down injunctions pertaining to hijab. Although it is addressed to the Prophet’s wives, the aim is to introduce the reforms enshrined in these verses to all Muslim households. Once the Prophet’s household sets the model of piety and rectitude, that model will be emulated by other Muslim women.
Some people express the view that since these verses are addressed to the Prophet's wives, the injunctions enshrined in them are meant only to apply to the Prophet's wives. Just consider, however, what is said in the verses that follow and decide which of the directives mentioned in them is exclusively required for the Prophet’s wives and not for other Muslim women. Could it be God’s purpose that only the Prophet's wives be free of all uncleanness and that only they should obey God and His Messenger, and that only they offer Prayers and pay Zakah? Now, since this is not the case, how can the Qur’anic injunction that they stay in their homes and not go about displaying their allurements, as was done in the former Time of Ignorance, and not be complaisant in their speech with men unrelated to them be considered as injunctions specific to the Prophet's wives only and not to other Muslim women? There are no grounds whatsoever for considering some of these injunctions to be of general and others of specific import.
The Qur’anic statement that the Prophet’s wives “are not like other women”, obviously does not mean that other women may go out alluringly dressed, that they may speak complaisantly to men unrelated to them whereas the Prophet's wives should not do so. In fact, this statement resembles a refined person’s telling his children: “Do not use abusive words; you do not belong to a group of vulgar children”. No intelligent person will interpret this statement to mean that the person concerned considers the use of abusive words blameworthy only for his own children but not for others’ children; that he does not mind if this habit is found among others.
47. It is not blameworthy for a woman to speak to other men, whenever that is needed. However, a Muslim woman should speak in a straightforward manner so that it leaves no room for anyone to entertain amorous expectations. Her speech should be free from endearing overtones, complaisant tones and affected sweetness that arouses a man’s sensual passions and encourage him to make advances. God makes it plain that this manner of conversation does not behave a God-fearing woman who desires to stay away from immoral conduct. In other words, this manner of conversation with men is characteristic of immoral women, not of pious, believing women. Let us consider this verse together with the following Qur’anic directive: “Nor should they stamp their feet on the ground in such a manner that their hidden ornament becomes revealed” (al-Nur 24:31), The message of this Divine directive is loud and clear. Women should not display their charms and allurements to men not related to them. If need arises, and they have to speak to them, they should exercise all necessary precautions when doing so. It is in view of this that women may not make the adhan. If a woman is performing Congregational Prayer, unlike men, she may not pronounce the words Subhan Allah aloud to alert the imam that he has made some mistake. Instead, she may only strike one of her palms against the other.
Considering that Islam does not approve of women’s speaking in an alluring manner to men not related to them and, in fact, would rather like them not to speak to such men unless there is need to do so, how can that religion then approve of their appearance on the stage, singing, dancing or walking with dalliance, making a display of their amorous playfulness and behaving, on the whole, coquettishly? How could Islam possibly support women singing melodious love songs, containing lewd stuff, on the radio and other modes of mass media that whip up men’s desires? How can it allow her to act in dramas and play the role of someone's wife or beloved? Can it allow women to serve as air hostesses adept at charming passengers? Can it permit their appearing, publicly so as to flaunt their attractions in social clubs and other public places in mixed gatherings of men and women? Can it sanction their uninhibited mingling with men and cracking jokes with them? Such practices have no sanction in the Qur’an. The Quranic directives on such matters are common knowledge. Can anyone point to any evidence in the Qur’an that legitimizes the kind of permissive culture described above?