Surah 33. Al-Ahzab

Now whenever God and His Apostle have decided a matter,⁴⁰ it is not for a believing man or a believing woman to claim freedom of choice insofar as they themselves are concerned:⁴¹ for he who [thus] rebels against God and His Apostle has already, most obviously, gone astray.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., whenever a specific law has been formulated as such in the Qur'an or in an injunction promulgated by the Prophet.

Lit., "to have a choice in their concern (min amrihim)" - i.e., to let their attitude or course of action be determined, not by the relevant law, but by their personal interests or predilections.

It is not fitting for a believing man or a believing woman to have an option in their affairs when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Rasool; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Rasool has indeed strayed into a clearly wrong path.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND Lo,⁴² [O Muhammad,] thou didst say unto the one to whom God had shown favour and to whom thou hadst shown favour,⁴³ "Hold on to thy wife, and remain conscious of God!" And [thus] wouldst thou hide within thyself something that God was about to bring to light⁴⁴ - for thou didst stand in awe of [what] people [might think], whereas it was God alone of whom thou shouldst have stood in awe!⁴⁵ [But] then, when Zayd had come to the end of his union with her,⁴⁶ We gave her to thee in marriage, so that [in future] no blame should attach to the be-lievers for [marrying] the spouses of their adopted children when the latter have come to the end of their union with them.⁴⁷ And [thus] God's will was done.

  - Mohammad Asad

For this rendering of the particle idh, see surah {2}, note [21]. - With the above verse, the discourse returns to the problem of "elective" relationships touched upon in verses {4} ff. Several years before Muhammad's call to prophethood, his wife Khadijah made him a present of a young slave, Zayd ibn Harithah, a descendant of the North-Arabian tribe of Banu Kalb, who had been taken captive as a child in the course of one of the many tribal wars and then sold into slavery at Mecca. As soon as he became the boy's owner, Muhammad freed him, and shortly afterwards adopted him as his son; and Zayd, in his turn, was among the first to embrace Islam. Years later, impelled by the desire to break down the ancient Arabian prejudice against a slave's or even a freedman's marrying a "free-born" woman, the Prophet persuaded Zayd to marry his (Muhammad's) own cousin, Zaynab bint Jahsh, who, without his being aware of it, had been in love with Muhammad ever since her childhood. Hence, she consented to the proposed marriage with great reluctance, and only in deference to the authority of the Prophet. Since Zayd, too, was not at all keen on this alliance (being already happily married to another freed slave, Umm Ayman, the mother of his son Usamah), it was not surprising that the marriage did not bring happiness to either Zaynab or Zayd. On several occasions the latter was about to divorce his new wife who, on her part, did not make any secret of her dislike of Zayd; and each time they were persuaded by the Prophet to persevere in patience and not to separate. In the end, however, the marriage proved untenable, and Zayd divorced Zaynab in the year 5 H. Shortly afterwards the Prophet married her in order to redeem what he considered to be his moral responsibility for her past unhappiness.

I.e., Zayd ibn Harithah, whom God had caused to become one of the earliest believers, and whom the Prophet had adopted as his son.

Namely, that the marriage of Zayd and Zaynab, which had been sponsored by Muhammad himself, and on which he had so strongly insisted, was a total failure and could only end in divorce (see also next note).

Lit., "whereas God was more worthy (ahaqq) that thou shouldst stand in awe of Him". Referring to this divine reprimand (which, in itself, disproves the allegation that the Qur'an was "composed by Muhammad"), A'ishah is reliably quoted as having said, "Had the Apostle of God been inclined to suppress anything of what was revealed to him, he would surely have suppressed this verse" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Lit., "ended his want of [or "claim on"] her", se., by divorcing her (Zamakhshari).

Thus, apart from the Prophet's desire to make amends for Zaynab's past unhappiness, the divine purpose in causing him to marry the former wife of his adopted son (stressed in the phrase, "We gave her to thee in marriage") was to show that - contrary to what the pagan Arabs believed - an adoptive relationship does not involve any of the marriage-restrictions which result from actual, biological parent-and-child relations (cf. note [3] on verse {4} of this surah).

O Prophet, remember when you said to the one (Zaid, Prophet's adopted son) whom Allah as well as you had favored: "Keep your wife in wedlock and fear Allah". You sought to hide in your heart what Allah intended to reveal; you were afraid of the people whereas it would have been more appropriate to fear Allah. So when Zaid divorced his wife, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there remains no hindrance for the believers to wed the wives of their adopted sons if they divorced them. And Allah's Command had to be carried out.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when thou saidst unto him on whom Allah hath conferred favor and thou hast conferred favor: Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear Allah. And thou didst hide in thy mind that which Allah was to bring to light, and thou didst fear mankind whereas Allah had a better right that thou shouldst fear Him. So when Zeyd had performed the necessary formality (of divorce) from her, We gave her unto thee in marriage, so that (henceforth) there may be no sin for believers in respect of wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have performed the necessary formality (of release) from them. The commandment of Allah must be fulfilled.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[Hence,] no blame whatever attaches to the Prophet for [having done] what God has ordained for him.⁴⁸ [Indeed, such was] God's way with those that have passed away aforetime⁴⁹ -and [remember that] God's will is always destiny absolute-;

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., his marriage with Zaynab, which was meant to exemplify a point of canon law as well as to satisfy what the Prophet regarded as his personal moral duty.

I.e., the prophets who preceded Muhammad, in all of whom, as in him, all personal desires coincided with their willingness to surrender themselves to God: an inborn, harmonious disposition of the spirit which characterizes God's elect and - as the subsequent, parenthetic clause declares - is their "destiny absolute" (qadar maqdur).

There can be no blame attached to the Prophet for doing what is sanctioned for him by Allah. Such has been the way of Allah with those who have gone before; and the decrees of Allah are preordained.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

There is no reproach for the Prophet in that which Allah maketh his due. That was Allah's way with those who passed away of old and the commandment of Allah is certain destiny.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[and such will always be His way with] those who convey God's messages [to the world], and stand in awe of Him, and hold none but God in awe: for none can take count [of man's doings] as God does!

  - Mohammad Asad

Those who are charged with the mission of conveying the message of Allah are to fear Him, they are supposed to fear none but Allah; for Allah is sufficient to settle their account.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Who delivered the messages of Allah and feared Him, and feared none save Allah. Allah keepeth good account.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And know, O believers, that] Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men,⁵⁰ but is God's Apostle and the Seal of all Prophets.⁵¹ And God has indeed full knowledae of evervthina.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., he is the spiritual "father" of the whole community (cf. note [8] on verse {6} of this surah), and not of any one person or particular persons - thus, incidentally, refuting the erroneous idea that physical descent from a prophet confers, by itself, any merit on the persons concerned.

I.e., the last of the prophets, just as a seal (khatam) marks the end of a document; apart from this, the term khatam is also synonymous with khitam, the "end" or "conclusion" of a thing: from which it follows that the message revealed through Muhammad - the Qur'an - must be regarded as the culmination and the end of all prophetic revelation (cf. note [66] on the first sentence of the second paragraph of 5:48 , and note [126] on 7:158 ). See also note [102] on 21:107 .

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men (he is not going to leave any male heirs). He is the Rasool of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has the knowledge of all things.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is Aware of all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! Remember God with unceasing remembrance,

  - Mohammad Asad

O believers! Remember Allah as a frequent remembrance,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and extol His limitless glory from morn to evening.⁵²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "at morn and evening", i.e., at all times.

and glorify Him morning and evening.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And glorify Him early and late.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He it is who bestows His blessings upon you, with His angels [echoing Him], so that He might take you out of the depths of darkness into the light. And, indeed, a dispenser of grace is He unto the believers.

  - Mohammad Asad

It is He Who sends His blessings on you (believers) and so do His angels, that He may bring you out of darkness into light, for He is Merciful to the believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He it is who blesseth you, and His angels (bless you), that He may bring you forth from darkness unto light; and He is Merciful to the believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

On the Day when they meet Him, they will be welcomed with the greeting, "Peace"; and He will have readied for them a most excellent reward.

  - Mohammad Asad

On the Day of their meeting with Him, their greeting shall be: "Salaam (peace)!": and He has prepared for them a generous reward.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Their salutation on the day when they shall meet Him will be: Peace. And He hath prepared for them a goodly recompense.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And as for thee,] O Prophet - behold, We have sent thee as a witness [to the truth], and as a herald of glad tidings and a warner,

  - Mohammad Asad

O Prophet! Surely We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and as a Warner,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Prophet! Lo! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and as one who summons [all men] to God by His leave,⁵³ and as a light-giving beacon.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., at His behest (Tabari).

and to call the people towards Allah by His leave and a lamp spreading light (guidance).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [so,] convey to the believers the glad tiding that a great bounty from God awaits them;

  - Mohammad Asad

Give good news to the believers that they shall have great blessings from Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And announce unto the believers the good tidings that they will have great bounty from Allah.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and disregard their hurtful talk,⁵⁴ and place thy trust in God: for none is as worthy of trust as God.

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "yet [withal,] abstain from injuring them" (Zamakhshari) - depending on whether adha-hum is taken to mean "the hurt caused by them" or "done to them".

Do not obey the unbelievers and the hypocrites, disregard their annoyances and put your trust in Allah; for Allah is sufficient as a disposer of affairs.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And incline not to the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Disregard their noxious talk, and put thy trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! If you marry believing women and then divorce them ere you have touched them, you have no reason to expect, and to calculate, any waiting-period on their part:⁵⁵ hence, make [at once] provision for them, and release them in a becoming manner.⁵⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "you have no waiting-period whatever upon them which you should count" - i.e., "which either of you should take into account as an obligation": cf. the first part of 2:228 , and the corresponding note [215]. Since the question of pregnancy does not arise if the marriage has not been consummated, a waiting-period on the part of the divorced wife would be meaningless and of no benefit either to her or to her former husband.

This injunction, relating to certain marital problems which affect the believers in general, forms an introduction, as it were, to a resumption, in the next verse, of the discourse on the marital laws applying exclusively to the Prophet: thus, it connects with the passage beginning with the words, "O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any of the [other] women" (verse {32}), as weld as with the subsequent reference to his marriage with Zaynab (verses {37} f.).

O believers! If you marry believing women and divorce them before the marriage is consummated, you are not required to observe the Iddat (waiting period) which you should count for them, so give them some present and relieve them gracefully.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! If ye wed believing women and divorce them before ye have touched them, then there is no period that ye should reckon. But content them and release them handsomely.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O PROPHET! Behold, We have made lawful to thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowers,⁵⁷ as well as those whom thy right hand has come to possess from among the captives of war whom God has bestowed upon thee.⁵⁸ And [We have made lawful to thee] the daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with thee [to Yathrib];⁵⁹ and any believing woman who offers herself freely to the Prophet and whom the Prophet might be willing to wed:⁶⁰ [this latter being but] a privilege for thee, and not for other believers- [seeing that] We have already made known what We have enjoined upon them with regard to their wives and those whom their right hands may possess.⁶¹ [And] in order that thou be not burdened with [undue] anxiety - for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace-

  - Mohammad Asad

The term ajr is in this context synonymous with faridah in its specific sense of "dower" (mahr): see surah {2}, note [224].

As pointed out in several places (see, in particular, note [32] on 4:25 ), Islam does not countenance any form of concubinage, and categorically prohibits sexual relations between a man and a woman unless they are lawfully married to one another. In this respect, the only difference between a "free" woman and a slave is that whereas the former must receive a dower from her husband, no such obligation is imposed on a man who marries his rightfully owned slave (lit., "one whom his right hand possesses") - that is, a woman taken captive in a "holy war" (jihad ) waged in defence of the Faith or of liberty (note [167] on 2:190 and note [72] on 8:67 ) - : for, in such a case, the freedom conferred upon the bride by the very act of marriage is considered to be equivalent to a dower.

This was - in addition to his not being allowed to divorce any of his wives (see verse {52} below) - a further restriction imposed on the Prophet in the matter of marriage: whereas all other Muslims are free to marry any of their paternal or maternal cousins, the Prophet was allowed to marry only such from among them as had proved their strong, early attachment to Islam by having accompanied him on his exodus (the hijrah) from Mecca to Medina. In the opinion of Baghawi - an opinion obviously based on the corresponding, ancient Arabian usage - the term "daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts" comprises in this context not only the actual paternal cousins but, in general, all women of the tribe of Quraysh, to which Muhammad's father belonged, while the term "daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts" comprises all women of his mother's tribe, the Banu Zuhrah.

The relevant clause reads, literally, "if she offered herself as a gift (in wahabat nafsaha) to the Prophet". Most of the classical commentators take this to mean "without demanding or expecting a dower (mahr)", which, as far as ordinary Muslims are concerned, is an essential item in a marriage agreement (cf. 4:4 and {24}, and the corresponding notes; also surah {2}, note [224]).

The above parenthetic sentence refers to the previously revealed, general laws relating to marriage (see 2:221 , {4:3-4} and {19-25}, as well as the corresponding notes; also surah {2}, note {224}).

O Prophet! We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have given their dowers; and those ladies whom your right hands possess (from the prisoners of war) whom Allah has assigned to you; and the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with you; and the believing woman who gave herself to the Prophet if the Prophet desires to marry her - this permission is only for you and not for the other believers; We know what restrictions We have imposed on the other believers concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess. We have granted you this privilege as an exception so that no blame may be attached to you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war, and the daughters of thine uncle on the father's side and the daughters of thine aunts on the father's side, and the daughters of thine uncles on the mother's side emigrated with thee, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage, a privilege for thee only, not for the (rest of) believers. We are aware of that which We enjoined upon them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess that thou mayst be free from blame, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall