Tafseer of The Prohibition · At-Tahrim · 66:5
Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you - submitting [to Allah], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping, and traveling - [ones] previously married and virgins.
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 Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: Perhaps the Lord of Muḥammad, if he divorces you, O company of the wives of Muḥammad ﷺ, will give him in exchange wives who are better than you.
It was said: this verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as a warning from Allah to his wives, when they united against him in jealousy.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb and Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, both of them saying: Hushaym related to us, he said: Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl informed us, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, who said: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The wives of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ united against him in jealousy, so I said to them: perhaps his Lord, if he divorces them, will give him in exchange wives who are better than you. He said: and then it was revealed thus.
Yaʿqūb related to us, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ḥumayd, on the authority of Anas, on the authority of ʿUmar, who said: Something reached me concerning some of our mothers, the mothers of the believers, regarding harshness toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and their hurting him. So I went through them one by one, admonishing each woman and forbidding her from hurting the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I said: if you refuse, Allah will give him in exchange someone better than you, until I came — I think he said: to Zaynab — and she said: O son of al-Khaṭṭāb, is there not in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ enough to admonish his wives, that you should admonish them? So I restrained myself, and Allah revealed: عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَاجًا خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ (Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in exchange wives who are better than you).
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Ḥumayd, on the authority of Anas, who said: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: Something reached me concerning the mothers of the believers, so I went through them and said: you shall surely refrain from hurting the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, or Allah will give him in exchange wives who are better than you — until I came to one of the mothers of the believers, and she said: O ʿUmar, is there not in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ enough to admonish his wives, that you should admonish them? So I restrained myself, and Allah revealed: عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَاجًا خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ مُسْلِمَاتٍ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ (Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in exchange wives who are better than you: women who submit, believing) ... the verse.
The reciters differed over the reading of His word أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُ . Some of the reciters of Mecca, Medina, and Basra read it with doubling (tashdīd) of the dāl: "yubaddilahu azwājan," derived from al-tabdīl (replacement). And most of the reciters of Kūfa read it: يُبْدِلَهُ with lightening (takhfīf) of the dāl, derived from al-ibdāl (giving in exchange).
And the correct view of the statement is that they are two well-known readings, both of which are correct in meaning; with whichever of the two the reciter reads, he has hit upon what is correct.
And His word: مُسْلِمَاتٍ (women who submit) — he says: women who submit to Allah in obedience. مُؤْمِنَاتٍ (believing) — he means: women who hold Allah and His Messenger to be true.
And His word: قَانِتَاتٍ (devoutly obedient) — he says: women who are obedient to Allah.
As Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word of Allah قَانِتَاتٍ he said: obedient women.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: قَانِتَاتٌ he said: obedient women.
And His word: تَائِبَاتٍ (repentant) — he says: women who return to that which Allah loves of them, namely obedience to Him, away from that which He detests of them. عَابِدَاتٍ (worshipping) — he says: women who humbly submit to Allah through obedience to Him.
And His word: سَائِحَاتٍ (wandering) — he says: fasting women.
The exegetes differed over the meaning of His word: سَائِحَاتٍ . Some of them said: its meaning is: fasting women.
* Mention of who said that:
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, concerning His word: سَائِحَاتٍ he said: fasting women.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: سَائِحَاتٍ he said: fasting women.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, he said: "al-sāʾiḥāt" are the fasting women.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh saying: ʿUbayd related to us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk saying concerning His word: سَائِحَاتٍ he means: fasting women.
Others said: "al-sāʾiḥāt" are the women who performed the emigration (hijra).
* Mention of who said that:
Isḥāq ibn Abī Isrāʾīl related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad al-Darāwardī related to us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam, he said: "al-sāʾiḥāt" are the women who performed the emigration.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: سَائِحَاتٍ he said: women who performed the emigration; there is in the Qurʾān, nor in the community of Muḥammad, no "siyāḥa" (wandering) except the hijra, and that is what Allah spoke of when He said السَّائِحُونَ (the wanderers).
And we have already previously set forth the correct view of the statement concerning the meaning of "al-sāʾiḥūn," with the evidences for it, together with the mention of the statements of those who differed over it, and we deemed it undesirable to repeat that.
And some of the linguists used to say: we hold that the fasting person is called only "sāʾiḥ" (wanderer) because the wanderer carries no provisions with him and eats only where he finds food; it is as if it is derived from that.
And His word: ثَيِّبَاتٍ (previously married women) — these are those who have been deflowered and whose virginity has departed. وَأَبْكَارًا (and virgins) — these are those with whom no intercourse has taken place and who have not been deflowered.
