Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 32

(Ayah 32) ➊ { يٰنِسَآءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَاَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَآءِ … :} That is, your status and rank are not like ordinary women; rather, the honor that has been granted to you by being the wives of the Prophet has elevated your position above other women, and you are a model for them. Some scholars have deduced from this verse that the pure wives are superior to other women, except for Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh, Maryam bint Imran, and Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), because their superiority is established by authentic texts. See Surah Al Imran (42). Zamakhshari said: The word {’’أَحَدٍ‘‘} is used for masculine, feminine, singular, dual, and plural, and the meaning is that you are not like any group among the groups of women. That is, when the community of women is considered group by group, there is no group among them that is equal to you in virtue and precedence.

➋ { اِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ :} This is connected to the previous sentence, meaning that being superior to other women is conditional upon piety. This was said so that they do not become fearless, but always remain in awe of Allah and avoid those actions from which Allah has forbidden. The pure wives remained steadfast upon piety until the end, which is an established fact; therefore, their superiority is also certain. {’’ اِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ ‘‘} can also be connected to the following sentence, meaning that if you adopt piety, then do not speak with softness and gentleness.

➌ { فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ … :} Just as Allah has placed sexual attraction for men in the existence of women, for the protection of which the command of veiling and lowering the gaze has been given, similarly, there is a natural charm, softness, and delicacy in the voice of a woman, which attracts men towards her. Therefore, the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were commanded that when speaking to men, they should adopt a tone in which, instead of softness and charm, there is some firmness and strength, so that no one with a diseased heart is emboldened by any wrong thought to proceed further. From this, it is understood that the Mothers of the Believers were permitted to speak to non-mahram men in such a tone that was devoid of softness and gentleness. Especially because regarding the household life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the issues of women, they could best and most fully inform the Ummah, and indeed, they fulfilled this duty in the best manner. Generally, it is said that it is not permissible for a non-mahram to hear a woman's voice, but this is not correct. It should be clear that this command is not exclusive to the Mothers of the Believers, but is for all the women of the Ummah, because the pure wives are a model for the women of the Ummah. The commands mentioned in the next verse are also evidence of this, that although the primary addressees are the Mothers of the Believers, this command is for everyone; otherwise, other women would be permitted to display their adornment openly like the women of the time of ignorance, whereas they are not even allowed to stamp their feet loudly to reveal hidden adornment. See Surah An-Nur (31).

➍ { وَ قُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوْفًا :} The prohibition of speaking softly does not mean to say something that is against good manners or that insults the addressee, but only that the tone should be firm; in any case, the speech must be good and according to custom.

32-1. That is, your status and rank are not like those of ordinary women. Rather, because Allah has granted you the honor of being the wives of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, you have a distinguished position, and just as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is a model for the Ummah, you too should become an example for the Ummah. Thus, after making them aware of their status and rank, some instructions are being given to them. Although the direct addressees are the pure wives, who have been declared as the Mothers of the Believers, the style of expression makes it clear that the real purpose is to make the entire Muslim women's community understand and be warned. Therefore, these instructions are for all Muslim women.

32-2. Just as Allah Almighty has placed sexual attraction for men within the existence of women (for the protection of which special instructions have also been given so that women do not become a source of temptation for men), similarly, Allah Almighty has naturally placed charm, softness, and delicacy in the voices of women, which attracts men towards them. Therefore, instructions have also been given regarding this voice, that when speaking to men, deliberately adopt such a tone that, instead of softness and gentleness, there is a certain harshness and roughness, so that no ill-intentioned person is attracted to you by the softness of your tone, and no evil thought arises in his heart.

32-3. That is, the roughness should be limited only to the tone; do not utter any word that is against the known rules and morals. By saying اِنِ اتقیتن, it has been indicated that this matter and the other instructions that are coming ahead are for pious women, because only they are concerned that their Hereafter should not be ruined. Those whose hearts are devoid of the fear of Allah, what connection do they have with these instructions? And when do they care about these instructions?

32. O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women [45]. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [46] (when talking to men), lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire, but speak in an appropriate manner.

[45]
Commands for the Elimination of Immorality from Society:

From the previous two verses, in fact, a program for the purification of society from immoralities is being given. At the beginning of this, two things have been especially taken into consideration: firstly, its commencement has been made from the household of the Prophet; secondly, the mention of the manifest immorality (i.e., adultery) has been made first. After this, now the series of commands for the prevention of adultery is beginning, and in this, it has been especially clarified at the outset that your case is not like that of ordinary women. Rather, the consequences of your character are far-reaching. Therefore, you must fully act upon these commands. People will consider your every action as a proof and will present it as such.

[46]
Restriction on the Voice:

Until before the Battle of Ahzab, the state of Arab society was such that even Muslim women would roam about unveiled with their full adornment and makeup. There was no restriction on the entry of non-mahram men into Muslim households either. The pure wives of the Prophet also used to go out of their homes in the same way as other women. For the reformation of this unveiled society, first of all, a restriction was placed on mutual conversation and voice between non-mahram men and women, and in this command, the wives of the Prophet were especially addressed because people often needed to ask them about religious matters and issues. Thus, they were commanded that their voice should not be sweet and melodious, but rather rough and reasonably loud. They should never speak in a subdued tone that carries a soft undertone. A melodious and sweet voice in itself is a disease of the heart. Then, if the listener already has such an ailment in his heart, he will, from this pleasant conversation alone, begin to harbor many wrong kinds of thoughts and imaginations in his heart. Although, in terms of the context, its meaning is as stated above, nevertheless, this command is general. And the fundamental restriction on a woman's voice is that non-mahram men should not be able to hear her voice. Also, her voice should not have softness, melody, coquettishness, or sweetness. This is why a woman cannot give the adhan, or if the imam makes a mistake in congregational prayer, she can neither say Subhan Allah nor prompt him. Rather, she is commanded to clap, that is, to strike one hand on the other to produce a sound and thus alert him.