Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 33

(Ayah 33) ➊ {وَ قَرْنَ فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُنَّ : ’’ قَرْنَ ‘‘} is the feminine plural imperative form from the verb {’’قَرَّ يَقَرُّ قَرَارًا‘‘} (to stay in a place), which was originally {’’اِقْرَرْنَ‘‘}. The first "ra" was omitted for ease, and its fatha was given to the "qaf." The hamzat al-wasl was no longer needed, so it was also omitted, just as {’’ظَلِلْتَ‘‘} becomes {’’ظَلْتَ‘‘} by omitting the first "lam." Some commentators have considered it derived from {’’وَقَرَ يَقِرُ وَقَارًا‘‘} (ض), but this is only possible in the recitation where {’’ قَرْنَ ‘‘} is read with a kasrah on the "qaf" as {’’قِرْنَ‘‘}. In this case, it would be on the pattern of {’’عِدْنَ‘‘} from {’’وَعَدَ يَعِدُ‘‘}. In the case of a fatha on the "qaf," it is difficult to consider it derived from {’’وَقَارٌ‘‘}. In this verse, the pure wives were commanded to remain inside their homes, as this provides them with greater protection and safety. This command applies to other women as well. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلْمَرْأَةُ عَوْرَةٌ وَ إِنَّهَا إِذَا خَرَجَتِ اسْتَشْرَفَهَا الشَّيْطَانُ وَ إِنَّهَا لَا تَكُوْنُ أَقْرَبَ إِلَی اللّٰهِ مِنْهَا فِيْ قَعْرِ بَيْتِهَا ] [طبراني في الأوسط : 189/3، ح : ۲۸۹۰، عن ابن عمر رضی اللہ عنھما ۔ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : 187/6، ح : ۲۶۸۸ ] "A woman is an object of concealment; when she goes out, the devil looks at her, and she is never closer to Allah than when she is inside her house."

➋ The meaning of { وَ لَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْاُوْلٰى: ’’ تَبَرُّجَ ‘‘} is a woman displaying her adornment before non-mahram men, which she is obliged to conceal, i.e., do not do as women used to do in the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, coming before men adorned and beautified. Here, the word {’’ الْاُوْلٰى ‘‘} is not for exception, but either as an idiom like the ignorance of the ignorant, or it is said in view of the pre-Islamic state. In the era of ignorance, it was customary for women to go out adorned and without veil. Alas! Now this same custom has become prevalent among Muslims under the names of culture and other attractive titles. From this sentence, it is understood that a woman may go out for necessity while concealing her adornment. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that after the command of hijab was revealed, Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her) went out for her need; she was a large woman and could not remain hidden from those who recognized her. Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) saw her and said: "O Sawda! By Allah, you are not hidden from us, so see how you go out?" Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that she turned back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was in my house, eating the evening meal, and a piece of meat was in his hand when she (Sawda) came and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I went out for a need, and Umar said such and such to me." She says that Allah revealed to him in that state, the piece of meat was still in his hand, he had not put it down, and he said: [ إِنَّهُ قَدْ أُذِنَ لَكُنَّ أَنْ تَخْرُجْنَ لِحَاجَتِكُنَّ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب قولہ : « لا تدخلوا بیوت النبي…» : ۴۷۹۵ ] "Permission has been given to you women to go out for your needs." From this hadith, it is understood that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) wished to impose a complete restriction on women going out, but Allah granted them permission to go out for necessity. However, for this, the condition of hijab was imposed, so much so that even if they wish to go to the mosque for congregational prayer, the command is that they should not go out displaying adornment or wearing perfume.

➌ { وَ اَقِمْنَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اٰتِيْنَ الزَّكٰوةَ … :} After commanding the pure wives to avoid things that bring disgrace, they were then commanded to fulfill the obligations. Thus, the command for prayer, the most virtuous of bodily acts of worship, and for zakat, the most virtuous of financial acts of worship, was given. After this, a comprehensive command was given to obey Allah and His Messenger in every matter. In this, there is also glad tidings for the pure wives that a time of prosperity was coming for them, in which they would pay zakat. Thus, after the conquest of Khaybar, the time of hardship ended, as mentioned earlier, and then during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, when Rome, Syria, Egypt, and Persia were conquered, the annual stipend for each of the Mothers of the Believers was set at twelve thousand dirhams, which is approximately one thousand dinars (about four and a half kilograms of gold). However, due to the blessing of the companionship of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they were so trained that they would spend it in the way of Allah.

➍ { اِنَّمَا يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ … :} That is, the purpose of forbidding you from speaking in a soft, alluring voice and from displaying adornment as in the time of ignorance is not to humiliate you or to express displeasure with you, but Allah wants to remove from you all kinds of outward and inward impurity and to purify you thoroughly from every defect. It should be clear that this does not mean, God forbid, that such impurity existed in them before; rather, in the Qur'an, the words for leaving something are also used for abstaining from it, as Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: «{ اِنِّيْ تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ هُمْ بِالْاٰخِرَةِ هُمْ كٰفِرُوْنَ }» [ یوسف : ۳۷ ] "Indeed, I have left the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah, and they are disbelievers in the Hereafter."

➎ { اَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ :} Before this, the word {’’يَا‘‘} is omitted, due to which this is in the accusative case, meaning "O people of the house!" From the verses before and after this verse, it is clear that what is meant is the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). In the previous verses, {’’ وَ قَرْنَ فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُنَّ ‘‘} and in the following verses, {’’ وَ اذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلٰى فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُنَّ ‘‘} are clear evidence that the household refers to the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Some people, despite the clear context, have refused to accept the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as Ahl al-Bayt just because in {’’ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ ‘‘} the pronoun {’’كُمْ‘‘} is used in the masculine form, whereas the Arabs commonly use the masculine pronoun {’’كُمْ‘‘} when addressing women, and in the Qur'an, the wife of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is called his Ahl al-Bayt and addressed with the pronoun {’’كُمْ‘‘}. Thus, when the angels gave her the glad tidings of a son and grandson, and she expressed amazement at having children in old age, the angels said to her: «{ اَتَعْجَبِيْنَ مِنْ اَمْرِ اللّٰهِ رَحْمَتُ اللّٰهِ وَ بَرَكٰتُهٗ عَلَيْكُمْ اَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ }» [ ہود : ۷۳ ] "Do you wonder at Allah's command? May Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you, O people of the house!" This verse is clear evidence that a wife is part of Ahl al-Bayt and a woman is addressed with the pronoun {’’كُمْ‘‘}. The famous Islamic poet Umar ibn Abi Rabi'ah said:

{فَإِنْ شِئْتُ حَرَّمْتُ النِّسَاءَ سِوَاكُمْ ¤ وَ إِنْ شِئْتُ لَمْ أَطْعَمْ نُقَاخًا وَلَا بَرْدًا}

Authentic hadiths also indicate that the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are his Ahl al-Bayt. Thus, when the Mother of the Believers Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was slandered, one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a sermon from the pulpit and said: [ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ! مَنْ يَّعْذِرُنِيْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ قَدْ بَلَغَنِيْ أَذَاهُ فِيْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِيْ؟ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب : « لو لا إذ سمعتموہ… » : ۴۷۵۰ ] "O assembly of Muslims! Who will help me against a man whose harm has reached my Ahl al-Bayt (i.e., my household)?"

Although it is established from the Qur'an and authentic hadiths that the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are meant by Ahl al-Bayt, it is also established from hadiths that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also included Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them) among the Ahl al-Bayt. The hadith also shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed to Allah to include them among his Ahl al-Bayt. Thus, the Messenger of Allah's stepson, Umar ibn Abi Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them both), narrates: [ نَزَلَتْ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةُ عَلَی النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ : «{ اِنَّمَا يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ اَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيْرًا }» [الأحزاب : ۳۳] " [ترمذي، المناقب، باب في مناقب أھل بیت النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ۳۷۸۷، و قال الألباني صحیح ] "When this verse: «{ اِنَّمَا يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ اَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيْرًا }» was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the house of Umm Salamah, he called Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn, and covered them with a cloak, and Ali was behind his back, so he covered him with a cloak, then said: 'O Allah! These are my Ahl al-Bayt, so remove impurity from them and purify them thoroughly.' Umm Salamah said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Am I with them?' He said: 'You are at your place and you are upon goodness.'" From this hadith, it is understood that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) included Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them) among the Ahl al-Bayt by supplicating for them and prayed for impurity to be removed from them and for them to be purified. This verse had already been revealed before, which clearly shows that before this event, the verse was meant to refer only to the pure wives. As for Umm Salamah's question and the Prophet's answer, some have tried to infer from this that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not include her among the Ahl al-Bayt, whereas he reassured her that there was no need for her to ask, because she was already in that position and upon goodness. It is astonishing that some people are not willing to accept the original referents of the verse as Ahl al-Bayt, and insist that only those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) included by supplication are Ahl al-Bayt. May Allah grant understanding.