Surah At-Tahrim (66) — Ayah 1

(Ayah 1) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ :} What was the thing that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made unlawful for himself and these verses were revealed? Regarding this, one is the famous incident which is narrated in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and others. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: [ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَشْرَبُ عَسَلاً عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ وَ يَمْكُثُ عِنْدَهَا فَوَاطَأْتُ أَنَا وَحَفْصَةُ عَنْ أَيَّتُنَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَلْتَقُلْ لَّهُ أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيْرَ، إِنِّيْ أَجِدُ مِنْكَ رِيْحَ مَغَافِيْرَ، قَالَ لاَ وَلٰكِنِّيْ كُنْتُ أَشْرَبُ عَسَلاً عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ فَلَنْ أَعُوْدَ لَهُ وَ قَدْ حَلَفْتُ لاَ تُخْبِرِيْ بِذٰلِكَ أَحَدًا ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب : «یا أیھا النبي لم تحرم…» : ۴۹۱۲۔ مسلم : ۱۴۷۴ ] "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to drink honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) and would stay there, so Hafsa and I agreed that whichever of us he came to, she should say to him, 'You have eaten Maghafir, for I find the smell of Maghafir from you.' (When this was said to him upon his arrival) he said: 'No, but I used to drink honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh. I will never drink it again, and I have taken an oath. Do not tell anyone about this.'" Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has also narrated this hadith in {’’كِتَابُ الطَّلاَقِ‘‘}, in which these words are also present: [ فَنَزَلَتْ : « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ » ] [ بخاري، الطلاق، باب : «لم تحرم ما أحل اللّٰہ لک » : ۵۲۶۷ ] "Upon this incident, this verse was revealed: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ » 'O Prophet! Why do you make unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you?'" It should be noted that Maghafir is a foul-smelling sweet gum that grows on a plant called 'Arfut.' The intention of Aisha and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with them) was that since you dislike bad smells very much, you would stop drinking honey thinking that the smell of Maghafir was coming from the honey, as it was possible that the bees had made honey from the nectar of the 'Arfut' plant.

The second incident is that which Imam Nasa'i narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): [ أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ يَطَؤُهَا فَلَمْ تَزَلْ بِهِ عَائِشَةُ وَحَفْصَةُ حَتّٰی حَرَّمَهَا عَلٰی نَفْسِهِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ » إِلٰی آخِرِ الْآيَةِ ] [ نسائي، عشرۃ النساء، باب الغیرۃ : ۳۴۱۱ ] "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a slave woman with whom he had relations, so Aisha and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with them) kept insisting until he made her unlawful for himself, so Allah the Exalted revealed this complete verse: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ » 'O Prophet! Why do you make unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you?'" Al-Albani said: {’’إِسْنَادُهُ صَحِيْحٌ‘‘} and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, while commenting on {’’كِتَابُ الطَّلاَقِ، بَابُ : « لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ » ‘‘}, said the chain of this hadith is Sahih. This slave woman was Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her), who was the mother of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) son Ibrahim. Diya al-Maqdisi narrated in {’’ اَلْأَحَادِيْثُ الْمُخْتَارَةُ ‘‘} that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِحَفْصَةَ لاَ تُحَدِّثِيْ أَحَدًا وَّ إِنَّ أُمَّ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ عَلَيَّ حَرَامٌ فَقَالَتْ أَتُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ ؟ قَالَ فَوَ اللّٰهِ ! لاَ أَقْرَبُهَا، قَالَ فَلَمْ يَقْرَبْهَا، حَتّٰی أَخْبَرَتْ عَائِشَةَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ : « قَدْ فَرَضَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ اَيْمَانِكُمْ » ] [الأحادیث المختارۃ : ۱۸۹] "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her): 'Do not tell anyone that Umm Ibrahim is unlawful for me.' She said: 'Are you making unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Allah! I will not go near her.' So he did not go near her until she (Hafsa) told this to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), so Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: « قَدْ فَرَضَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ اَيْمَانِكُمْ » 'Indeed, Allah has ordained for you the expiation of your oaths.'" At the end of the hadith, Diya al-Maqdisi said: {’’إِسْنَادُهُ صَحِيْحٌ‘‘} and Ibn Kathir, after narrating it from the Musnad of Haytham bin Kulayb in his Tafsir, said: "This chain is Sahih, and none of the six books have narrated it, and Diya al-Maqdisi selected it in his {’’ اَلْمُسْتَخْرَجُ ‘‘}."

Some other incidents have also been mentioned in this regard, but none of their chains are Sahih. Of these two incidents, the chain of the honey incident is more authentic because it is in the Sahihayn, so some commentators have considered only this as the reason for the revelation of these verses. Thus, the summary of Qurtubi's statement is that of all the opinions, the first is the most authentic, and the correct view is that you made honey unlawful for yourself, which you used to drink at the house of Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her). Ibn Kathir, after narrating many reports about this, said: "The correct view is that this matter happened because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made honey unlawful for himself." And Alusi said: "Nawawi said in the commentary of Muslim that the correct view is that this verse is about the honey incident, not about the incident of Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her), which is mentioned in books other than the Sahihayn, and the incident of Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) has not come with any Sahih chain." But as mentioned above, the chain of the story of Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) has been declared Sahih by Diya al-Maqdisi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Hajar, and Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on them). There is no contradiction with the honey incident, and a verse can have multiple reasons for revelation, so the correct view is that both incidents are the reason for the revelation of these verses, and Shawkani has also given this verdict.

➋ It is evident from the hadiths that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make honey unlawful for the Ummah, but only took an oath not to drink it himself. Similarly, he did not make their slave women unlawful for the Ummah, but only made one of their slave women unlawful for himself, yet Allah expressed displeasure at this as well, because by doing so, it would result in the Prophet being deprived of those blessings which Allah had made lawful for him. Moreover, there was a fear that seeing the Prophet, the people of the Ummah, for whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the perfect and best example, would also avoid honey, and both these things were not acceptable to Allah.

➌ From this, it is understood that the practice of the Sufi elders who abstain from animal products, whether Jalali or Jamali, i.e., during their spiritual retreats and practices, they do not eat any living thing or anything derived from it, such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, ghee, honey, etc., is against this warning of Allah. In reality, this practice is taken from Hindu yogis or Christian monks; there is no room for it in Islam.

➍ The purpose of addressing with the words of {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ ‘‘} is that your duty is to follow divine revelation and convey it; you are not permitted to do anything of your own accord.

➎ From this verse, it is understood that every statement, action, and tacit approval of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) bears the seal of divine revelation and all of it is religion, because if any of his ijtihad was not correct, Allah would immediately correct it. This is the meaning of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) being infallible. No one except the Prophets has this quality, that their mistakes are corrected through revelation. Therefore, the statement of any companion, Imam, or spiritual leader is not a proof for the Ummah, because it can be correct or incorrect.

➏ { تَبْتَغِيْ مَرْضَاتَ اَزْوَاجِكَ:} In this, there is a lesson for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Ummah that keeping wives happy is a good thing, but only as long as it is done while adhering to the commands of Allah. One should not try to please them by displeasing the Lord.

➐ { وَ اللّٰهُ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ:} This is a special favor and grace of Allah upon His noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that while expressing reproach, He also gave the glad tidings of forgiveness and mercy, as He said: « عَفَا اللّٰهُ عَنْكَ لِمَ اَذِنْتَ لَهُمْ» [ التوبۃ : ۴۳ ] "Allah has forgiven you; why did you give them (the hypocrites) permission to stay behind?"

O Prophet! Why do you forbid that which Allah has made lawful for you? 1. (Do) you seek the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

O Prophet! Why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you? Do you seek the pleasure of your wives [1]? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[1]
The Prophet’s Oath to Abstain from Honey and the Instruction of Secrecy:

It was the daily routine of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that after the Asr prayer, he would visit all his wives’ homes, so that he could remain fully informed about the household affairs and ensure that all was well. Once, when he visited Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ, she gave him a drink of honey. Thus, he stayed there for a while. The next day as well, Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ gave him honey to drink, and since the Prophet ﷺ liked honey and its drink very much, this too became a sort of daily routine, that he would spend some time at Sayyidah Zainab’s ؓ house. This was displeasing to the other wives, especially Sayyidah Aisha ؓ and Sayyidah Hafsa ؓ, because each of the Prophet’s wives wanted to be the main focus of his attention. So, Sayyidah Aisha ؓ and Sayyidah Hafsa ؓ devised a plan to make the Prophet ﷺ give up his habit of drinking honey at Sayyidah Zainab’s ؓ house. They decided to say to him that a smell of maghafir (a type of gum with an unpleasant odor) was coming from his mouth. When one wife said this and then the other said something similar, the Prophet ﷺ began to suspect that perhaps such an odor was indeed coming from him, and he had a strong aversion to unpleasant smells. Also, he wished to please these wives. Therefore, he swore an oath that he would no longer drink honey at Sayyidah Zainab’s ؓ house. Imam Bukhari has briefly narrated this incident as follows: Sayyidah Aisha ؓ says: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to stay at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ and drink honey. Hafsa ؓ and I agreed that whichever of us the Prophet ﷺ visited, she would say: “Did you eat maghafir? I smell maghafir from you.” (And so they did.) The Prophet ﷺ said: “No! Rather, I drank honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ. Now I swear that I will never drink honey again. And do not tell anyone about this.” [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ تفسير سورة تحريم]

The Authority to Declare Lawful and Unlawful Belongs Only to Allah:

Incidentally, this verse sheds light on several important matters. For example:
1. The authority to declare something lawful (halal) or unlawful (haram) belongs only to Allah. Not even a prophet, including the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, had the authority to declare something lawful or unlawful by his own will, or to declare something lawful as unlawful or something unlawful as lawful.
2.
The Status of the Messenger is Distinct from Ordinary People:

If a person, for some reason, declares a lawful thing unlawful for himself, or abandons it for a period, or swears an oath to give it up, this in itself is not a major sin. For example, if some people are harmed by beef and therefore stop eating it or swear not to eat it, this is not a sin. But the matter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is not of a personal nature. Rather, his essential and fundamental status is that of a Messenger, whose every action is a model and obligatory to follow for the Ummah. Therefore, Allah took him to task for this action, lest his Ummah also consider honey unlawful or at least disliked. In other words, any action of the Prophet that is not in accordance with Allah’s pleasure and will, even if it is only a matter of leaving what is preferable (tark-e-awla), is immediately corrected through clear revelation.
3.
Types of Hidden Revelation (Wahi Khafi):

Just as there are three types of Sunnah: verbal (qawli)—that which is known or established from the Prophet’s ﷺ words; practical (fi’li)—that which is known or established from his actions; and written (tahriiri) sunnah—when an action occurs in his presence and he does not object or remains silent, and such Sunnah is also a proof. Similarly, there are three types of hidden revelation (other than the Quran). Verbal revelation are the sayings that were revealed to the Prophet ﷺ through Jibreel ؑ, such as prescribed supplications and tashahhud, etc. Practical revelation is the act whose method was taught to the Prophet ﷺ by Jibreel ؑ, for example, the method of performing prayer. Tacit revelation is when Allah, by way of approval, remains silent regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ ijtihad, statement, or action. Many of the Prophet’s sayings and actions are of this kind. And if there is anything in the Prophet’s statement or action that is contrary to Allah’s will, He immediately corrects it by drawing attention to it.

The Meaning of the Infallibility of the Prophets:

It is possible for even the greatest of distinguished humans, including the Prophets, to make a mistake. The only difference is that the mistake of the Prophets is immediately corrected through revelation, so that their lives remain completely unblemished (which, in technical terms, is called the infallibility of the Prophets), making them a model worthy of imitation and obligatory to follow for the Ummah. This status is not granted to anyone other than the Prophets.