Tafseer of The Clans · Al-Ahzaab · 33:29
But if you should desire Allah and His Messenger and the home of the Hereafter - then indeed, Allah has prepared for the doers of good among you a great reward."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
وَإنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُردْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ("And if you desire Allah and His Messenger") — He says: and if you desire the good pleasure of Allah and the good pleasure of His Messenger, and obedience to them both, then obey them both.
فَإنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلْمُحْسِنَاتِ مِنكُنَّ ("Then indeed Allah has prepared for the doers of good among you") — and they are those among them who act according to the command of Allah and the command of His Messenger —
أجْرًا عظِيما ("a tremendous reward").
It is mentioned that this verse was sent down upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) because ʿĀʾisha asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for something of the goods of this world, whether an increase in provision or something else. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) withdrew from his wives for a month, as is mentioned. Then Allah commanded him to have them choose between patiently remaining with him, being content with what He had apportioned to them and acting in obedience to Allah, or that he should provide them (with a parting gift) and separate from them if they were not content with what He apportioned to them. And it is said: the cause of that was a jealousy that ʿĀʾisha had felt.
Mention of the narration with the statement of those who said: that was because of something concerning provision and the like.
Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ayyūb, on the authority of Abū al-Zubayr, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not come out for the prayers. They said: what is the matter with him? Then ʿUmar said: if you wish, I will find out his condition for you. He came to the Prophet (ﷺ), and began to speak and to raise his voice, until permission was granted to him. He said: I began to say to myself: with what word shall I address the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that he might perhaps laugh, or words to that effect. Then I said: O Messenger of Allah, if only you had seen so-and-so when she asked me for provision and I struck her a blow. He said: "That is what has held me back from you." He (ʿUmar) said: then he came to Ḥafṣa and said: do not ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for anything; whatever you need, that is with me. Then he passed by the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) and began to address them. He said to ʿĀʾisha: does it make you arrogant that you are a beautiful woman and that your husband loves you? Desist, or else a revelation from the Qurʾān will be sent down concerning you. He (ʿUmar) said: then Umm Salama said: O son of al-Khaṭṭāb, is there nothing left for you but that you meddle between the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his wives? For the woman only asks (for something) for the benefit of her husband. He said: and the Qurʾān was sent down: يا أيُّها النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إنْ كُنْتنَّ تُرِدْنَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيا وَزِينَتَهَا ... ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment ...") up to His word أجْرًا عَظِيمًا ("a tremendous reward"). He said: then he began with ʿĀʾisha and had her choose, and he recited the Qurʾān to her. She said: have you begun before me with any of your wives? He said: "No." She said: then I choose Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode, and do not inform them of that. He said: then he passed by them, and began to have them choose and to recite the Qurʾān to them, and he informed them of what ʿĀʾisha had done, and they followed one another in that.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا فَتَعَالَيْنَ أُمَتِّعْكُنَّ وَأُسَرِّحْكُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلا ... ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and release you in a comely manner ...") up to His word أجْرًا عَظيمًا ("a tremendous reward"). He said: al-Ḥasan and Qatāda said: he had them choose between this world and the Hereafter, and between the Garden and the Fire, on account of something of the world that they had desired. And ʿIkrima said: it was concerning a jealousy that ʿĀʾisha had felt. He had at that time nine wives, five of whom were from the Quraysh: ʿĀʾisha, Ḥafṣa, Umm Ḥabība bint Abī Sufyān, Sawda bint Zamʿa and Umm Salama bint Abī Umayya. And he had (further as wives) Ṣafiyya bint Ḥuyayy the Khaybarī, Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith the Hilālī, Zaynab bint Jaḥsh the Asadī, and Juwayriyya bint al-Ḥārith from Banū al-Muṣṭaliq. He began with ʿĀʾisha, and when she chose Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode, joy became visible on the face of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Thereupon they all followed one another in that and chose Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — and it is the statement of Qatāda — concerning the word of Allah يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا ... ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment ...") up to His word عَظِيمًا ("tremendous"). Both of them said: Allah commanded him to have them choose between this world and the Hereafter, and between the Garden and the Fire. Qatāda said: and it was a jealousy of ʿĀʾisha on account of something of the world that she wanted. He had nine wives: ʿĀʾisha, Ḥafṣa, Umm Ḥabība bint Abī Sufyān, Sawda bint Zamʿa, Umm Salama bint Abī Umayya, Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith the Hilālī, Juwayriyya bint al-Ḥārith from Banū al-Muṣṭaliq, and Ṣafiyya bint Ḥuyayy ibn Akhṭab. He began with ʿĀʾisha, and she was the dearest of them to him. When she chose Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode, joy became visible on the face of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and they followed one another in that.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — and it is the statement of Qatāda — he said: when they chose Allah and His Messenger, Allah expressed His gratitude to them for that and said: لا يَحِلُّ لَكَ النِّسَاءُ مِنْ بَعْدُ وَلا أَنْ تَبَدَّلَ بِهِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ حُسْنُهُنَّ ("It is not lawful for you (to take) women after these, nor that you exchange them for other wives, even though their beauty should please you"). Thus Allah restricted him to them, and they were the nine who had chosen Allah and His Messenger.
* Mention of those who said that it was on account of jealousy:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the word of Allah تُرْجِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُؤْوِي إِلَيْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ ... ("You may defer whom you wish of them and take to yourself whom you wish ...") — the verse. He said: his wives had become jealous of the Prophet (ﷺ), whereupon he secluded himself from them for a month. Then the having-them-choose of Allah for him concerning them was sent down: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment"). He recited until he came to وَلا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُولَى ("and do not display your beauty as it was displayed in the first Ignorance (jāhiliyya)"). Thus he had them choose between the choice that he would clear their way and let them go, or that they would remain if they desired Allah and His Messenger, on condition that they were the mothers of the believers who would never marry again, and on condition that he would take to himself whomever of them he wished — for her who had given herself to him — until he should raise his head toward her; and that he would defer whomever he wished until he should raise his head toward her; and whomever he desired of her who was with him and whom he had (temporarily) set aside — in that no blame befell him. ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ تَقَرَّ أَعْيُنُهُنَّ وَلا يَحْزَنَّ وَيَرْضَيْنَ ("That is nearer that their eyes may be cooled, that they may not grieve and may be content") when they know that it is part of My disposition over them, the preferring of some of them over others; أَدْنَى أَنْ يَرْضَيْنَ ("nearer that they be content"). He said: وَمَنِ ابْتَغَيْتَ مِمَّنْ عَزَلْتَ ("and whomever you desire of those you have set aside") — whomever he desired, him she reached, and whomever he had set aside, him she did not reach. Thus he had them choose between being content with this, or that he would separate from them. Thereupon they chose Allah and His Messenger, except for one bedouin woman who went away. And it remained thus, after this condition had been laid down for him; he continued to act justly between them until he met Allah.
Aḥmad ibn ʿAbda al-Ḍabbī related to us, saying: Abū ʿAwāna related to us, on the authority of ʿUmar ibn Abī Salama, on the authority of his father, he said: ʿĀʾisha said: when the verse of choice was sent down, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: "I want to put a matter before you; do not make a decision about it until you have consulted both your parents." She said: I said: and what is it, O Messenger of Allah? He said: then he recited it to her (again). She said: what is it, O Messenger of Allah? He said: then he recited to them يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا ... ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment ...") to the end of the verse. She said: I said: no, we choose Allah and His Messenger. She said: thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) rejoiced over that.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Bishr related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr, on the authority of Abū Salama, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, she said: when the verse of choice was sent down, the Prophet (ﷺ) began with ʿĀʾisha and said: "O ʿĀʾisha, I put a matter before you; do not make a hasty decision about it until you have put it before both your parents, Abū Bakr and Umm Rūmān." She said: O Messenger of Allah, and what is it? He said: "Allah has said: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment") up to عَظِيمًا ("tremendous"). Then I said: I desire Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode, and I will not consult about it both my parents Abū Bakr and Umm Rūmān. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) laughed, and then he went around the (other) chambers and said: "ʿĀʾisha has said such-and-such." They said: and we say the same as what ʿĀʾisha has said.
Saʿīd ibn Yaḥyā al-Umawī related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr, on the authority of ʿAmra, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, that the Prophet (ﷺ), when he was commanded concerning his wives to have them choose, entered upon me and said: "I will put a matter before you; do not hasten until you have consulted your father." I said: and what is it, O Prophet of Allah? He said: "I have been commanded to have you choose." And he recited to her the verse of choice, to the end of the two verses. She said: I said: and what is that which you say — "do not hasten until you have consulted your father"? I choose Allah and His Messenger. Thereupon he rejoiced, and he put it before his wives, and they all followed one another and chose Allah and His Messenger.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Mūsā ibn ʿAlī and Yūnus ibn Yazīd informed me, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, he said: Abū Salama ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān informed me, that ʿĀʾisha, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), said: when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was commanded to have his wives choose, he began with me and said: "I put a matter before you; it will not harm you when you do not hasten until you have consulted both your parents." She said: he knew that both my parents would never command me to separate from him. She said: then he recited this verse يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا فتَعالَيْنَ أُمَتِّعْكُنَّ وأُسَرِّحْكُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَميلا ("O Prophet, say to your wives: if you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and release you in a comely manner"). She said: I said: about which of this would I consult both my parents? For I desire Allah and His Messenger and the Last Abode. ʿĀʾisha said: then the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) did the same as what I had done. And that was, when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spoke it to them and they chose him, not a divorce, because they had (indeed) chosen him.
