Surah 66 of 114 · Madani · 12 ayat
At-Tahrim التحريم
The Prohibition
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكَ تَبْتَغِى مَرْضَاتَ أَزْوَٰجِكَ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
PickthallO Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Yusuf AliO Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which Allah has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The agreed readingThe Prophet had made unlawful for himself something God had made lawful for him, seeking to please his wives, and he is asked why. What he had bound was himself; nothing was made forbidden to anyone else, and the binding is undone in the āyah that follows. And God is Forgiving, Merciful.
قَدْ فَرَضَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ أَيْمَٰنِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
PickthallAllah hath made lawful for you (Muslims) absolution from your oaths (of such a kind), and Allah is your Protector. He is the Knower, the Wise.
Yusuf AliAllah has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases): and Allah is your Protector, and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
The agreed readingGod has appointed for you the release of your oaths — the expiation set out elsewhere in the Book. What the commentaries take from it is that an oath which ought not to stand can be lawfully undone, at a price, rather than kept to the harm of the man who swore it. God is your Protector, and He is the Knowing, the Wise.
وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَٰجِهِۦ حَدِيثًا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتْ بِهِۦ وَأَظْهَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُۥ وَأَعْرَضَ عَنۢ بَعْضٍ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِۦ قَالَتْ مَنْ أَنۢبَأَكَ هَٰذَا قَالَ نَبَّأَنِىَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ
PickthallWhen the Prophet confided a fact unto one of his wives and when she afterward divulged it and Allah apprised him thereof, he made known (to her) part thereof and passed over part. And when he told it her she said: Who hath told thee? He said: The Knower, the Aware hath told me.
Yusuf AliWhen the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts, and she then divulged it (to another), 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 thee this? "He said, "He told me Who knows and is well-acquainted (with all things)."
The agreed readingThe Prophet confided something to one of his wives, and she passed it on. God let him know of it, and he told her part of what she had done and passed over part. The commentaries stop on the part he passed over and read it as forbearance: he did not press the whole of it on her. When he told her, she asked who had told him, and he said: the Knowing, the Aware told me.
إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا وَإِن تَظَٰهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَٰلِحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ
PickthallIf ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban); and if ye aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even He, is his Protecting Friend, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore the angels are his helpers.
Yusuf AliIf ye two turn in repentance to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined; But if ye 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.
The agreed readingIf the two of them turn to God, there is cause for it, for their hearts had swerved — swerved, as the commentaries put it, from what was owed to him, which was to want what he wanted and dislike what he disliked. And if they support one another against him, then God is his Protector, and Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, and the angels after that are his support.
عَسَىٰ رَبُّهُۥٓ إِن طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبْدِلَهُۥٓ أَزْوَٰجًا خَيْرًا مِّنكُنَّ مُسْلِمَٰتٍ مُّؤْمِنَٰتٍ قَٰنِتَٰتٍ تَٰٓئِبَٰتٍ عَٰبِدَٰتٍ سَٰٓئِحَٰتٍ ثَيِّبَٰتٍ وَأَبْكَارًا
PickthallIt may happen that his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your stead wives better than you, submissive (to Allah), believing, pious, penitent, devout, inclined to fasting, widows and maids.
Yusuf AliIt may be, if he divorced you (all), that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you,- who submit (their wills), who believe, who are devout, who turn to Allah in repentance, who worship (in humility), who travel (for Faith) and fast,- previously married or virgins.
The agreed readingIt may be that, if he divorced you, his Lord would give him in your place wives better than you — women submitting, believing, obedient, turning in repentance, worshipping, given to fasting, some married before and some not. The commentaries note that no such exchange ever took place, because the condition never came about: what the āyah does is remove any thought that the place they held was owed to them.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَٰٓئِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَّا يَعْصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
PickthallO ye who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire whereof the fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels strong, severe, who resist not Allah in that which He commandeth them, but do that which they are commanded.
Yusuf AliO ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded.
The agreed readingGuard yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is people and stones — a fire fed by what no fire of this world is fed by. Over it are angels, harsh and severe, who do not disobey God in what He commands them and who do what they are commanded. Both traditions read the guarding as instruction rather than power: a man commands his household what he commands himself, and that is what is asked of him.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Pickthall(Then it will be said): O ye who disbelieve! Make no excuses for yourselves this day. Ye are only being paid for what ye used to do.
Yusuf Ali(They will say), "O ye Unbelievers! Make no excuses this Day! Ye are being but requited for all that ye did!"
The agreed readingYou who refused, make no excuses today. The commentaries place these words at the moment of entering the Fire, and read the prohibition as a statement of the case rather than a refusal to listen: there is nothing an excuse could do there. You are only being repaid for what you were doing.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
PickthallO ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands; they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.
Yusuf AliO ye 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 Thou hast power over all things."
The agreed readingTurn to God in sincere repentance. The commentaries of both traditions define that sincerity in the same words: that a man repents of the sin and then does not go back to it, nor intend to. It may be that your Lord will strike your bad deeds off you and admit you into Gardens with rivers running beneath them, on a day when God will not disgrace the Prophet nor those who believed with him. Their light runs before them and on their right, and they say: our Lord, complete our light for us, and forgive us; You have power over everything.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ جَٰهِدِ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
PickthallO Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end.
Yusuf AliO Prophet! Strive hard against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed).
The agreed readingStrive against those who refuse and against the hypocrites, and be stern with them. The commentaries separate the two: against the first the striving is by arms, against the second by tongue and argument, since they stand inside the community and are not fought. The sternness belongs to this life; their lodging is Hell, and a wretched journey's end it is.
ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَٱمْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَٰلِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا وَقِيلَ ٱدْخُلَا ٱلنَّارَ مَعَ ٱلدَّٰخِلِينَ
PickthallAllah citeth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot, who were under two of Our righteous slaves yet betrayed them so that they (the husbands) availed them naught against Allah and it was said (unto them): Enter the Fire along with those who enter.
Yusuf AliAllah sets forth, for an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of our righteous servants, but they were false to their (husbands), and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: "Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!"
The agreed readingGod sets as a likeness for those who refuse the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. Both were married to two righteous servants of God, and both betrayed them — the betrayal being in religion, as the commentaries specify. Their husbands could avail them nothing against God, and it was said: enter the Fire with those who enter. Being close to a prophet saves nobody who has none of his faith.
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ٱبْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِى مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِى مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
PickthallAnd Allah citeth an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said: My Lord! Build for me a home with thee in the Garden, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work, and deliver me from evil-doing folk;
Yusuf AliAnd 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 Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong";
The agreed readingAnd God sets as a likeness for those who believe the wife of Pharaoh, when she said: my Lord, build me a house with You in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and from what he does, and save me from the wrongdoing people. The commentaries name her and record what she bore for believing: she was under the worst of husbands, and it did not touch her standing with God.
وَمَرْيَمَ ٱبْنَتَ عِمْرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْقَٰنِتِينَ
PickthallAnd Mary, daughter of 'Imran, whose body was chaste, therefor We breathed therein something of Our Spirit. And she put faith in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and was of the obedient.
Yusuf AliAnd Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) 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).
The agreed readingAnd Mary daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into it of Our Spirit; and she held true the words of her Lord and His books — the words being what He sent down to the prophets — and she was of the obedient. The commentaries read the four women of these āyāt together: ruin came to the first two by their own treachery and honour to the last two by their own faith, and in neither case did the marriage decide it.