Tafseer of The Clans · Al-Ahzaab · 33:30
O wives of the Prophet, whoever of you should commit a clear immorality - for her the punishment would be doubled two fold, and ever is that, for Allah, easy.
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: "O wives of the Prophet, whoever among you commits a clear immorality, for her the punishment will be doubled twofold, and that is easy for Allah" (33:30).
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says to the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "O wives of the Prophet, whoever among you commits a clear immorality," by which He says: whoever among you commits the well-known fornication (zinā) for which Allah has made the prescribed punishment (ḥadd) obligatory; "for her the punishment will be doubled," for her immorality in the Hereafter; "twofold," in comparison with the immorality of the wives of other people.
As Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "for her the punishment will be doubled twofold," he said: by this the punishment of the Hereafter is meant.
The reciters differed over the reading of this. Most of the reciters of the regions read it as (يُضَاعَفْ, yuḍāʿaf) with the alif, except for Abū ʿAmr, for he read it as (يُضَعَّفْ, yuḍaʿʿaf) with the doubling (tashdīd) of the ʿayn, on the basis of his interpretation in this reading that yuḍaʿʿaf means: the doubling of something once, namely that one thing is made into two things. Thus, according to him, the meaning of the saying becomes: that the punishment of whoever among the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commits a clear immorality, in this life and in the Hereafter becomes twice the punishment of the rest of the women. And he says: yuḍāʿaf means that to something the same is added twice more, so that it becomes three times as much. Thus, according to him, the meaning of whoever read (يُضَاعَفْ) would be that her punishment is three times the punishment of women other than the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; therefore he preferred (يُضَعَّفْ) over (يُضَاعَفْ). The others, who read (يُضَاعَفْ), rejected what he said, and said: we know of no difference between (يُضَاعَفْ) and (يُضَعَّفْ).
The correct view regarding the reading of this is that upon which the reciters of the regions are agreed, namely (يُضَاعَفْ). As for the interpretation which Abū ʿAmr adhered to: that is an interpretation which we do not know anyone among the people of knowledge to have claimed except himself and except Abū ʿUbayda Maʿmar ibn al-Muthannā. And it is not permissible to depart from that upon which the authoritative proof is in agreement, on the basis of an interpretation which has no proof from the path to which one ought to submit.
And His saying: "and that is easy for Allah," the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and the doubling of the punishment for whoever of them does that is "easy for Allah." And Allah knows best.
