Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 34

(Ayah 34) ➊ { وَ اذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلٰى فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُنَّ … :} In the previous verses, the Mothers of the Believers were commanded to act, which included abstaining from certain things and performing certain duties. Now they are commanded to acquire knowledge and convey it further. {’’ اذْكُرْنَ ‘‘ ’’ذِكْرٌ‘‘} is derived from, which means to remember in the heart and also to recite something with the tongue. That is, remember and keep in mind the verses of Allah and wisdom that are recited in your homes, never be heedless of them, and mention them before others and convey them to them. Because it was the responsibility of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to convey Allah’s commands to the Ummah. His duty was fulfilled by conveying a command to one man or one woman, then it became the duty of that man or woman to convey it further, as Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ بَلِّغُوْا عَنِّيْ وَلَوْ آيَةً ] [ بخاري، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب ما ذکر عن بني إسرائیل : ۳۴۶۱ ] “Convey from me, even if it is a single verse.” It was neither his responsibility nor possible for him to convey every command to every individual of the Ummah personally. Since many of the sayings, actions, and states of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were related to domestic life and only the purified wives had knowledge of them, they were commanded to remember the verses and wisdom, to keep them in mind, and to mention them before people. The Mothers of the Believers fulfilled this duty with great grace and full responsibility. Thus, a large portion of religious matters has reached the Ummah through them. Whenever the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) faced any difficulty, they would ask them, and they would find a satisfactory solution from them, especially from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

➋ This verse is a clear proof for teaching religion to women; just as it is obligatory for men, it is also obligatory for them to acquire knowledge of the Qur’an and Hadith and to convey it further.

➌ {’’ اٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} refers to the verses of the Noble Qur’an. The literal meaning of {’’ الْحِكْمَةِ ‘‘} is wisdom and words of intellect; what is meant by it are the sciences and meanings of the Qur’an which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to explain. Similarly, it includes all the sayings, actions, and states of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because they were also the practical exegesis of the Qur’an, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: [ كَانَ خُلُقُهُ الْقُرْآنَ ] [ مسند أحمد : 91/6، ح : ۲۴۶۵۵ ] “The Qur’an was his character.” That is, the Qur’an had become his natural habit so that every action of his was automatically in accordance with the Noble Qur’an. Therefore, Imam Shafi’i and other Imams have proven from many evidences that {’’ الْحِكْمَةِ ‘‘} means the Sunnah. Some people raise the objection that this means the Sunnah was recited like the Qur’an, but this objection is baseless, because restricting the word “recitation” only to the recitation of the Qur’an is a later technical usage. In the Qur’an, this word is not used as a technical term. In Surah Al-Baqarah, the same word is used regarding the words of magic which the devils used to recite to people attributing them to Solomon (peace be upon him), as He said: «{ وَ اتَّبَعُوْا مَا تَتْلُوا الشَّيٰطِيْنُ عَلٰى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمٰنَ }» [ البقرۃ : ۱۰۲ ] “And they followed what the devils used to recite during the reign of Solomon.” Obviously, there “recitation” means that they used to recite it to people. In any case, reciting the Hadith of the Messenger for memorization is also a virtuous act, and one who memorizes Hadith has to recite it repeatedly. Yes, there is certainly a difference in the manner of recitation.

➍ This verse is also a clear proof that the purified wives are the Ahl al-Bayt, because in {’’ فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُنَّ ‘‘} the houses of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are called their houses.

➎ In the word { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ كَانَ لَطِيْفًا خَبِيْرًا : ’’ لَطِيْفًا ‘‘} there is the meaning of performing an act with extreme kindness, subtlety, and in a hidden manner. Mentioning both these attributes here points to several things, for example, Allah Almighty choosing the purified wives from among all women for the companionship of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), taking care of their purity, granting them the opportunity to attain perfection in knowledge and action, is the result of His being aware of the most hidden matters, His being extremely kind, and His being fully aware of everything. That is why He considered them worthy and chose them for this rank. There is also an indication that since these verses were revealed regarding the demand for an increase in the expenses of the purified wives, the meaning is that although the circumstances apparently seem difficult for you, if you give preference to Allah, His Messenger, and the Hereafter, then along with the blessings of the Hereafter, worldly prosperity is not far either. Allah Almighty brings about whatever He wills in such subtle ways that no one can even imagine. He is Subtle and All-Aware; He made those who were indifferent to the adornments of the world the owners of the east and west of the earth, and those who were seekers of the world and whose entire effort was for the world, He made them slaves.