Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 30

(Ayah 30) ➊ In {يٰنِسَآءَ النَّبِيِّ مَنْ يَّاْتِ مِنْكُنَّ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ … :} it is stated: {’’اَلْفَاحِشَةُ الزِّنَا وَمَا يَشْتَدُّ قَبْحُهُ مِنَ الذُّنُوْبِ وَ كُلُّ مَا نَهَي اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ‘‘} meaning “Fahishah means adultery and those sins which are extremely vile, and everything from which Allah Almighty has forbidden.” In the Noble Qur’an, the word { ’’اَلْفَاحِشَةُ‘‘} (the specific indecency, with definite article) is used for adultery, as He said: «{ وَ الّٰتِيْ يَاْتِيْنَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مِنْ نِّسَآىِٕكُمْ فَاسْتَشْهِدُوْاش عَلَيْهِنَّ اَرْبَعَةً مِّنْكُمْ }» [ النساء : ۱۵ ] “And those among your women who commit adultery, call to witness four men from among you against them.” Whereas {’’فَاحِشَةٌ‘‘} (indefinite) refers to any sin, and {’’فَاحِشَةٌ مُّبَيِّنَةٌ‘‘} refers to obscene speech, bad character, causing harm, or any open sin, which includes adultery as well. See Surah An-Nisa (19). From here, a few admonitions are given to teach manners to the Mothers of the Believers, because they are a model for the Ummah. It is said, O wives of the Prophet! Whoever among you commits an open indecency, her punishment will be doubled, meaning whoever among you deals with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with bad character, obscene speech, or causes him harm, she will be given double punishment, because the higher the status of a person, the more severe the punishment in case of disobedience. Allah Almighty said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in case of inclining towards the disbelievers: «{ اِذًا لَّاَذَقْنٰكَ ضِعْفَ الْحَيٰوةِ وَ ضِعْفَ الْمَمَاتِ }» [ بني إسرائیل : ۷۵ ] “Then We would have made you taste double (punishment) in life and double after death.”
In Al-Wasit (by Tantawi) it is written: “Someone said to Ali Zain al-Abidin, the son of Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘You, the Ahl al-Bayt, are already forgiven.’ So he became angry and said that the law should apply to us even more, which Allah Almighty applied to the wives of His Prophet (peace be upon him), that the one among us who does evil will have double punishment and the one who does good will have double reward.” If the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) committed a sin, it would also reflect upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), and this would be a great distress for him, which is a greater sin than causing distress to ordinary Muslims and is a cause of Allah’s curse. He said: «{ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يُؤْذُوْنَ اللّٰهَ وَ رَسُوْلَهٗ لَعَنَهُمُ اللّٰهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ الْاٰخِرَةِ وَ اَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُّهِيْنًا }» [ الأحزاب : ۵۷ ] “Indeed, those who harm Allah and His Messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and has prepared for them a humiliating punishment.”
➋ The word { ’’ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} is general because it is indefinite, so besides bad character and obscene speech, adultery can also be meant. In this case, the question arises: God forbid, was there any fear of evil from the pure wives? The answer is that this is a conditional sentence; it is not necessary for it to actually happen. The purpose is only to warn the pure wives, considering their status, that in case of committing a sin, they will receive double punishment, just as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was warned of the consequence of an even greater, in fact, the greatest of all sins, as He said: «{ وَ لَقَدْ اُوْحِيَ اِلَيْكَ وَ اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَىِٕنْ اَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَ لَتَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْخٰسِرِيْنَ }» [ الزمر : ۶۵ ] “And verily, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: If you associate (partners with Allah), surely your deeds will become worthless and you will surely be among the losers.” This does not mean that there was any fear of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) or the previous Prophets committing shirk.
➌ { وَ كَانَ ذٰلِكَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ يَسِيْرًا :} meaning you should not be under the misconception that you are the wives of the Prophet and there will be no accountability for you.