Tafseer of The Pleading Woman · Al-Mujaadila · 58:8
Have you not considered those who were forbidden from private conversation, then they return to that which they were forbidden and converse among themselves about sin and aggression and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you, they greet you with that [word] by which Allah does not greet you and say among themselves, "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?" Sufficient for them is Hell, which they will [enter to] burn, and wretched is the destination.
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 words of the Exalted: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نُهُوا عَنِ النَّجْوَى ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ بِالإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَةِ الرَّسُولِ وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ وَيَقُولُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَوْلا يُعَذِّبُنَا اللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ (Have you not seen those who were forbidden the secret counsel, yet they return to that which was forbidden them, and conspire secretly in sin, hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you, they greet you with that with which Allah has not greeted you, and they say within themselves: "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?" Hell (jahannam) is sufficient for them; they shall burn therein, and what an evil destination!) (8).
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad, ﷺ: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نُهُوا عَنِ النَّجْوَى (Have you not seen those who were forbidden the secret counsel) — of the Jews — ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ (yet they return); for Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, had indeed forbidden it to them, and yet they conspire secretly among themselves in sin, hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger.
And in agreement with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) spoke.
* Mention of those who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نُهُوا عَنِ النَّجْوَى (Have you not seen those who were forbidden the secret counsel), he said: those are the Jews.
His words: ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ (yet they return to that which was forbidden them) — He, whose praise is exalted, says: then they return to the secret counsel that was forbidden them. وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ بِالإثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَةِ الرَّسُولِ (and conspire secretly in sin, hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger) — He, whose praise is exalted, says: and they conspire secretly concerning what Allah has forbidden them of vile deeds and hostility, and that is contrary to the command of Allah, and it is disobedience to the Messenger Muḥammad, ﷺ.
The reciters differed in the recitation of His words: وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ. The general reciters of Medina and Basra, and some of the Kūfans and Basrans, recited it as ( وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ ) according to the pattern "yatafāʿalūn." Yaḥyā, Ḥamza, and al-Aʿmash recited ( وَيَنْتَجُونَ ) according to the pattern "yaftaʿilūn." Those who recited it as ( يَتَنَاجَوْنَ ) adduced as their argument His words: إِذَا تَنَاجَيْتُمْ (when you confer secretly), and He did not say "idhā antajaytum."
And His words: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ (and when they come to you, they greet you with that with which Allah has not greeted you) — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad, ﷺ: and when these, O Muḥammad, who were forbidden the secret counsel and whose characteristic Allah, whose praise is exalted, has described, come to you, they greet you with a greeting other than the greeting that Allah has appointed as a greeting for you. Their greeting with which they used to greet him — concerning which Allah has reported that He did not greet him with it — was, according to what is reported in the traditions, that they said: "al-sāmu ʿalayka" (death be upon you).
Mention of the report that is transmitted concerning this:
Ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, both of them saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū al-Ḍuḥā, on the authority of Masrūq, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, who said: "A number of people of the Jews came to the Prophet, ﷺ, and they said: 'al-sāmu ʿalayka, O Abū al-Qāsim.' I then said: 'al-sāmu ʿalaykum, and may Allah do such and such to you.' The Prophet, ﷺ, then said: 'O ʿĀʾisha, truly, Allah does not love coarse speech.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, do you not see what they say?' He said: 'Do you not then see that I cast back to them what they say? I say: ʿalaykum (upon you).'" And this verse was revealed concerning that: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ وَيَقُولُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَوْلا يُعَذِّبُنَا اللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū al-Ḍuḥā, on the authority of Masrūq, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, who said: "The Jews came to the Prophet, ﷺ, and said: 'al-sāmu ʿalaykum', and he would say: 'ʿalaykum.'" ʿĀʾisha said: "al-sāmu ʿalaykum, and the wrath of Allah!" The Prophet, ﷺ, then said: "Truly, Allah does not love the coarse one who falls into coarseness." She said: "But do they not say: 'al-sāmu ʿalaykum'?" He said: "Indeed I say: ʿalaykum." Then was revealed: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ. He said: for the Jews came to the Prophet, ﷺ, and said: "al-sāmu ʿalaykum."
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū al-Ḍuḥā, on the authority of Masrūq, concerning وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ, he said: the Jews came to the Prophet, ﷺ, and said: "al-sāmu ʿalaykum."
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His words: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ ... up to فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ, he said: the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) would say to the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, when they greeted him: "sāmun ʿalaykum." Then Allah said: حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ (Hell is sufficient for them; they shall burn therein, and what an evil destination!).
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ, he said: they say: "sāmun ʿalaykum"; he said: they too are Jews.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ, he said: the Jews said: "sāmun ʿalaykum."
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, that ʿĀʾisha perceived their utterance and said: "and upon you death and the curse!" The Prophet, ﷺ, then said: "Gently, O ʿĀʾisha, truly, Allah loves gentleness in all matters." She said: "O Prophet of Allah, have you not heard what they say?" He said: "Have you then not heard what I cast back to them? I say: ʿalaykum."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, that the Prophet of Allah, ﷺ, while he was sitting with his companions, was visited by a Jew who greeted them, whereupon they returned his greeting. The Prophet of Allah, ﷺ, then said: "Do you know what he said?" They said: "He uttered the greeting of peace, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "No, he said: 'saʾmun ʿalaykum', that is to say: may aversion to your religion overtake you." The Prophet, ﷺ, then said [to the Jew]: "Did you say: 'saʾmun ʿalaykum'?" He said: "Yes." The Prophet, ﷺ, then said: "When one of the People of the Book (ahl al-kitāb) greets you, say: 'wa-ʿalayka' (and upon you)" — that is to say: upon you what you have said.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His words: وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ, he said: these are Jews; three men of them came to the door of the Prophet, ﷺ, and conferred secretly for a while. Then one of them asked permission, and the Prophet, ﷺ, granted him permission, whereupon he said: "al-sāmu ʿalaykum." The Prophet, ﷺ, said: "ʿalayka." Then the second, then the third. Ibn Zayd said: "al-sām" is death.
And His words, whose praise is exalted: وَيَقُولُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَوْلا يُعَذِّبُنَا اللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ (and they say within themselves: "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?") — He, whose praise is exalted, says: and those who greet you with this greeting — the Jews — say: "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say to Muḥammad, ﷺ, and hasten His punishment upon us for it?" Allah says: sufficient for whoever says that, O Muḥammad, is Hell, and it is enough for them; they shall burn therein on the Day of Resurrection, and what an evil destination is Hell.
