Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 53

(Ayah 53) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَدْخُلُوْا بُيُوْتَ النَّبِيِّ … :} In the previous verses, guidance was given regarding the mutual matters between the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his pure wives. Now, a few etiquettes are being taught to the Ummah regarding the Mothers of the Believers, and a few rulings are being stated about entering the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which, after some time, were also enforced for entering the houses of all Muslims in Surah An-Nur. In the era of ignorance, the Arabs used to enter each other's houses without hesitation; they did not consider it necessary to stand at the door to seek permission or wait to meet someone. Rather, every person would go inside the house, talk to the women, and inquire about the owner of the house, and the women also did not observe hijab. Sometimes, this would lead to the beginning of many moral evils. Therefore, first, this rule was established for the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whether a friend or a relative, no one should enter his houses without permission. Then, in Surah An-Nur (27), this rule was announced for entering all houses.

➋ {اِلٰى طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نٰظِرِيْنَ اِنٰىهُ … : ’’ اِنٰىهُ ‘‘} is the verbal noun of {’’إِنًي‘‘ ’’أَنٰي يَأْنِيْ‘‘} (ض), which means "the time of something has come." As it is said: « اَلَمْ يَاْنِ لِلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوْبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ» [ الحدید : ۱۶ ] "Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humble for the remembrance of Allah?" This word is also used in the meaning of food being cooked, because when it is cooked, its time to be eaten arrives. Among the uncivilized customs that were widespread among the Arabs was that they would estimate the time of food and arrive at someone's house, or they would come and sit in the house until the time of food arrived. This would put the owner of the house in difficulty; he could neither say that it is my mealtime, please leave, nor was he able to prepare food for those who came along with his own meal. Sometimes, people were invited for food, but the invited guests would arrive before time and sit, which would cause great discomfort to the household. Allah Almighty forbade this indecent habit and commanded that you should not go and sit in advance waiting for the food to be prepared, but rather go when the owner of the house calls you for food. This ruling also started as an example from the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), otherwise, this is the ruling for the houses of the entire Ummah.

➌ { وَ لَا مُسْتَاْنِسِيْنَ لِحَدِيْثٍ :} This is a correction of another indecent habit. Some people are invited to a meal, and after finishing the food, they start a conversation there, which does not seem to end. They do not care how much discomfort this causes to the household, as due to modesty, they cannot ask them to leave, nor can they freely do their own work.

➍ { اِنَّ ذٰلِكُمْ كَانَ يُؤْذِي النَّبِيَّ فَيَسْتَحْيٖ مِنْكُمْ:} That is, after finishing eating and drinking, your sitting there engaged in conversation always causes discomfort to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The meaning of "always" is indicated by {’’ كَانَ ‘‘}. Then, out of modesty, he cannot say to you, "Now get up and leave." But Allah Almighty does not shy away from saying the truth, so He has given these rulings. In this verse, Allah Almighty did not tolerate freeloaders (uninvited guests) and those who become a burden for His Prophet, so how can an ordinary person tolerate them?

➎ In this verse, the command of hijab for the Mothers of the Believers was revealed, so it is also called the verse of hijab. This is among the concurrences of Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), that is, among those matters in which the Qur'an was revealed in accordance with his opinion. But his beautiful etiquette was that instead of saying that the Qur'an agreed with my opinion, he said, "I agreed with my Lord in three matters." So, one of them is: [ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! لَوْ أَمَرْتَ نِسَاءَكَ أَنْ يَحْتَجِبْنَ، فَإِنَّهُ يُكَلِّمُهُنَّ الْبَرُّ وَالْفَاجِرُ، فَنَزَلَتْ آيَةُ الْحِجَابِ ] [ بخاري، الصلاۃ، باب ما جاء في القبلۃ… : ۴۰۲ ] "I said, O Messenger of Allah! Good and bad people (for religious or worldly matters) come to your wives; I wish you would command them to observe hijab." So Allah Almighty revealed the verse of hijab.

➏ The occasion of the revelation of this verse has been described by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) married Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her), (at the wedding feast) meat and bread were served. I was sent to invite people. People would come, eat, and leave, then others would come, eat, and leave. I invited everyone until no one was left. Finally, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Now I cannot find anyone else to invite.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Alright, now remove the food.' (All the people ate and left) and three people remained sitting in the house, talking. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out and went towards the room of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and said, 'O people of the house! { ”اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ“ }' They said: [ وَ عَلَيْكَ السَّلَامُ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ، كَيْفَ وَجَدْتَ أَهْلَكَ بَارَكَ اللّٰهُ لَكَ ] 'Peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you too. How did you find your family? May Allah bless you.' In the same way, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to all his wives' houses and greeted them as he did Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and all replied as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) did. Then, when he returned, he saw that those three men were still sitting in the house, talking. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was extremely modest, so he again went to the room of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). I do not know whether I informed him or someone else did that those people had left. So, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned, and in such a state that one foot was inside the threshold of the door and the other was outside, he hung a curtain between me and himself, and the verse of hijab was revealed." [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب قولہ : « لا تدخلوا بیوت النبي…» : ۴۷۹۳ ]

➐ { وَ اِذَا سَاَلْتُمُوْهُنَّ مَتَاعًا … :} With the revelation of this verse, it was commanded that no one except mahram men should enter the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and whoever needs anything from the women should speak from behind a curtain, whether it is to ask for something, or to ask a question or a religious issue.

➑ { ذٰلِكُمْ اَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوْبِكُمْ وَ قُلُوْبِهِنَّ :} With a little attention to this sentence, it can be understood that when the Mothers of the Believers, who were the purest women in the world, and the Companions, who were the purest men in the world, were commanded to observe hijab when speaking to each other to keep their hearts pure, then what possibility can there be in Islam for men and women to meet each other without hijab, that is, for free mixing in homes, hospitals, schools, colleges, parks, courts, and assemblies, and what guarantee can there be for the purity and cleanliness of their hearts? Now, those people who, despite being Muslims, say that the real hijab is of the heart, because modesty and evil thoughts are related to the heart, and this apparent hijab is not necessary, such people have not truly accepted the commands of Allah and His Messenger from the heart.

➒ { وَ مَا كَانَ لَكُمْ اَنْ تُؤْذُوْا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ :} That is, to cause harm to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whether it is entering his house without permission, or sitting in his house without his wish, or speaking to the pure wives without hijab, or, like the hypocrites, saying any kind of hurtful words—in short, in any way—is not permissible for you, nor does it ever befit you.

➓ { وَ لَاۤ اَنْ تَنْكِحُوْۤا اَزْوَاجَهٗ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهٖۤ اَبَدًا :} This is a grave sin in the sense that the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are the mothers of the believers. If anyone were to marry them, it would be as if he married his own mother. Then, the respect that Allah has granted them he would never be able to observe, and instead, he would ruin his own hereafter.

53. 1 The reason for the revelation of this verse is that, upon the invitation of the Prophet ﷺ, the companions came to the wedding feast of Zainab, among whom some, after eating, remained seated and continued talking, which caused particular discomfort to the Prophet ﷺ. However, due to modesty and good manners, the Prophet ﷺ did not ask them to leave (Sahih Bukhari). Therefore, in this verse, the etiquettes of invitation have been explained: firstly, go only when the food is ready, do not go beforehand and sit waiting. Secondly, as soon as you finish eating, return to your homes and do not remain seated there talking. The mention of food is due to the reason for revelation, otherwise the intent is that whenever you are invited, whether for food or any other matter, do not enter the house without permission.
53. 2 This command was revealed upon the wish of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet ﷺ, "O Messenger of Allah! All kinds of people, good and bad, come to you. If only you would command the Mothers of the Believers to observe veiling, it would be better." Upon this, Allah revealed this command (Sahih Bukhari).
53. 3 This is the wisdom and reason for veiling: that through it, the hearts of men and women will be protected from falling into temptation and doubt with one another.
53. 4 Whether it is in any respect, entering the house of the Prophet ﷺ without permission, remaining seated in the house without his wish, and conversing with the purified wives without hijab—these matters also cause harm, so avoid them as well.
53. 2 This command is regarding those purified wives who were in the bond of marriage with the Prophet ﷺ at the time of his death. However, regarding those whom he divorced after consummation during his lifetime and separated from himself, whether they are included in this generality or not, there are two opinions. Some consider them included, and some do not. But the Prophet ﷺ had no such wife, so this is merely a hypothetical situation. Besides, there is a third category of women with whom the Prophet ﷺ married but divorced before consummation; there is no known dispute regarding the permissibility of their marriage to other people (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

53. O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet [86] unless you are given permission, nor should you wait for a meal to be prepared [87]. But when you are invited, then enter; and when you have eaten, then leave, and do not linger, engaged in conversation [88]. This was troublesome for the Prophet, but he was shy to tell you; yet Allah is not shy of the truth. And when you ask his wives for anything [89], ask them from behind a screen. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts [90]. And it is not lawful for you to harm Allah’s Messenger [91], nor to ever marry his wives [92] after him. Surely, this is a grave offense in the sight of Allah.

[86]
Restriction on Entering Homes (Permission):

In this verse, several social etiquettes are being mentioned. In this same surah, earlier the wives of the Prophet were addressed and told that the real place for women is the home. They should not go out of the house without necessity, nor should women go out adorned and displaying their beauty like in the days of ignorance. And this command was limited only to going out or to the restriction of voice. Even now, people used to come and go freely in all homes, even in the houses of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself, and especially Sayyiduna Umar ؓ found it unpleasant that all kinds of people would enter the Prophet’s house without restriction. Thus, in accordance with his wish, divine revelation was sent down as is clear from the following hadith: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ says that Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said to the Noble Prophet ﷺ: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Good and bad people of all kinds come to you. Would it not be better if you commanded the Mothers of the Believers (your wives) to observe the veil?” At that time, Allah Almighty revealed the command of the veil. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
After this, the verses of Surah Nur were revealed, and according to verse 27, this command was enforced upon all Muslim households that no person should enter another’s house without permission.
[87]
Etiquette of Invitation to Food:

In this sentence, two further instructions are given. One is that if the master of the house himself invites you, especially for a meal, then you should go to his house, and his invitation itself is his permission. The second instruction is that you should come at the time you are invited, not before. It should not happen that you come early and keep looking at the cooking and serving utensils, waiting for when the food will be ready and when you will get to eat. This also becomes a cause of discomfort for the host.
[88] In this context, the fourth instruction is that when you have finished eating, do not just sit there and start talking about various matters and stories. Rather, when you have finished eating, you should leave, and not become a cause of waiting and discomfort for the host, because after the invitation, they also have many tasks to attend to.
[89]
The Verse of Hijab:

This is the verse which is called the Verse of Hijab. Hijab means to create such a barrier between two things with a cloth or something else that both things become hidden from each other. According to this verse, a curtain was hung outside the houses of all the wives of the Prophet. Then other Muslims also hung curtains in front of their homes, and this practice became a part of Islamic social conduct. Now, if anyone needed to ask the purified wives anything or needed something from them, he was commanded to ask from outside the curtain. Now, observe the reason for the revelation of this verse as narrated by Sayyiduna Anas ؓ:

The Three Persons Who Remained Seated After the Wedding Feast:

Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that when you ﷺ married Zainab bint Jahsh and consummated the marriage, (for the wedding feast) meat and bread were prepared. I was sent to invite people. People would come, eat, and leave, then others would come, eat, and leave. I invited everyone until there was no one left whom I had not invited. You ﷺ said to me: “Alright, now remove the food.” (People left, but) three persons remained sitting and kept talking. You ﷺ got up and went towards the room of Sayyidah Aisha ؓ and said: “As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.” Sayyidah Aisha ؓ replied: “Wa ‘alayka as-salam wa rahmatullah! How did you find your wife? May Allah bless you ﷺ.” Then you ﷺ visited the rooms of all your wives and greeted them as you had greeted Sayyidah Aisha ؓ, and they replied in the same way. Then you ﷺ returned home, but those three men were still sitting and talking. You ﷺ were very modest by nature (so you did not say anything to them), so you went again to the room of Sayyidah Aisha ؓ. Then someone informed you ﷺ that those three men had now left. So you ﷺ returned, and as you stood at the threshold, one foot inside and one outside, you hung a curtain between me and yourself. At that moment, Allah Almighty revealed the verse of the veil. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
[90]
Prevention of Free Mixing Between Men and Women and the Command of Veil:

This is an effective measure to prevent free mixing between men and women and to curb indecency, that no non-mahram man should look at a strange woman, nor should any evil thought or temptation arise in anyone’s heart. In other words, to eradicate immodesty and indecency from society, the veil is a very necessary thing. Now, those people who, despite being Muslims, say that the real veil is the veil of the heart, because modesty and evil thoughts are related to the heart, and this outward veil is not necessary—such people are in fact mocking the commands of Allah.
[91]
That Which Causes Harm to the Messenger of Allah is Unlawful:

In terms of the context, this refers to those people who, after eating, would not even think of leaving. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ found this behavior very unpleasant and distressing, but due to his modesty and gentle nature, he could not tell them to leave. However, this command is general and its scope is very broad. It also includes the accusations that, in those days, the hypocrites along with the disbelievers were making against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as well as every matter which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finds unpleasant; Muslims must avoid such things. For example, if someone accepts another’s word over the Messenger of Allah, or prefers someone else’s statement over the Sunnah of the Messenger, or abandons the Sunnah and promotes or spreads innovations, then these things cause distress to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and in all such matters, Muslims should be cautious.
[92] This is a grave sin in that the wives of the Prophet ﷺ are the mothers of the believers. And if anyone were to marry them, it would be as if he had married his own mother. Then, the respect which Allah has granted them would never be observed, and one would ruin his own hereafter.