33.

Sura Ahzab (or The Confederates)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

O Prophet! Keep up your duty to your Lord (fear God); do not obey the
infidels, put your trust in Him and follow the inspiration from your Lord.
Truly, God is Omniscient, Wise, well acquainted with all that do and enough is
He as a Disposer of affairs. God has not given two hearts to any human being
(two inconsistent attitudes); nor made your wives as your mothers by way of
Ziha (verbal evil Arab custom); or your adopted children as your own blood-
children. Such is only your manner of speech (and not a reality) and call them
by their actual fathers’ names. But there is no sin if a mistake (in this regard) is
made unintentionally (what is aimed at is to destroy the superstition of
erecting false relationships). And God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The
Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are as
mothers to them. The reverence or friendship does not supercede the blood
relationship among believers. Only blood relatives are entitled to receive share
in a deceased’s property. However, all believers are friends and they should be
treated kindly and courteously. God secured solemn covenant from the
prophets – Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus son of Mary: that He may question
about their mission, i.e. the Truth with which they were charged with (the
primary custodians of spiritual Truth are the Prophets), but in descending
degree all men to whom God’s Message comes are included. And for the
Unbelievers, grevious penalty awaits them in the Hereafter.

O you who believe! Recollect the favour of your Lord when hosts
(enemy) came against you. They came in large number and you were few
against them. They surrounded you from every side. You were awfully fearful;
and some of you were imagining vain thoughts concerning God. The
Believers, although shaken in that situation, were sorely tried by their Lord. In
that extremely trying situation the help of God did reach the Muslims. He sent
a violent storm against them and forces of angels which could not be seen. He
is the Beholder of all whatever you do. And (recollect) when the hypocrites
and the person with diseased hearts were saying that God and His Apostle
promised nothing but delusion. A party among them were saying to the people
of Yasrib (Madinah) that it was not the place for them to stay and they should
quit and return to their homes. Then a section of these people actually asked
the Prophet for leave giving reason that their houses were exposed to the
hostile incursion. But in fact it was not so. If no gateway was possible for
them (due to the enemy surrounding the field), they would not have hesitated
to commit even treachery. They were under the pledge with God that they
would not turn their backs to the foe. The oath to God must be answered for.
Say to them (O Prophet): “running away from the fear of death or homicide
will not profit them and who is going to screen them if He intends to harm
them. And that they would not find for themselves friend or helper besides
God. God is well aware of those who are in the battle field but for little stress
and incite others to be on their side. These people, when in fear, look at you,
with their eyes revolving as if death was hovering over their heads, for
protection; and keep themselves snugly from the fight. But when the fear is
past, they will come and wrangle and show their covetousness or greed for
gain. Because of their motives of envy, greed, and covetousness, any good
they may have done becomes vain. And that is easy for God. Even when the
enemy had withdrawn, they were afraid that the enemy might return! In such a
case, they decided to dwell in the desert and spy on Madinah, and if caught
they would fight little and intrigue much. Such was the psychology of the
Hypocrites.

Truly, in the Messenger of God there is an excellent pattern of conduct

for the one who looks to God and the Final Day, and who remembers God
intensively. And when the true believers saw the confederates; they were sure
that it was what God and His Prophet had promised them. Such people fully
accomplished their pledge. However, some let pending but not changed their
determination. Thus was it, so that God may reward the truthful and punish the
hypocrites, if He will it or turn to them in Mercy: for He is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful. God repulsed the siege of Madinah and all the plans of the evil
forces were frustrated. They departed in haste. This was their last and dying
effort against the forces of Islam. God also brought the people of the Book
(i.e. the Banu Karizas), who supported your enemy from their strongholds and
caused panic into their hearts. You slew some and made others as your
prisoners. He then made you inheritors of their properties. And God is Full of
Strength, able to enforce His Will.

O Prophet! Tell your household that they were not for worldly ends
and have a place and dignity beyond ordinary women. They should be soft and
suitable in their speech; to stay complacently within their houses; establish
regular prayer, pay the obligatory charity and should not display themselves in
public. They must recite and proclaim the Signs of God; and should be
obedient to God and His Apostle in every respect. God intended to remove
from them abomination. But any found guilty of any wrong-doing, her
punishment would be doubled similarly the recompense. Truly God
understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted with them.

God to forgive and reward magnificently Muslim men and women

alike (for women have spiritual virtues and duties like that of men) who:

 maintain Islamic attitude to God, His Apostle and conform their orders;
 believe in God; His Apostle and the Qur-an;
 are devoute and obedient to the Divine orders as contained in the Qur-an;
 always speak the truth whatever whatever the circumstances may be;
 are patient and steadfast in their conduct. They are not elated or dismayed
by worldly viscissitudes;
 are submissive, humble by their nature; and are not given to arrogance or
vanily;
 are charitable; and radily give the obligatory and the optional alms;
 obesve mandatory fasts of the month and other optional fasts;
 safeguard their chastity and are not given to lewdness or adultery;
 offer the prescribed prayers with full devotion and also remember God at all
times;
 in case God or the Prophet had finally settled an issue it was not for any
believer to interfere with the decision in any away.

Such are the people for them their Lord has forgiveness and a great reward in
the Hereafter. You (O Muhammad) you were saing to him (Zaid bin Haris, a
freed slave of the Prophet and his adopted son, married by the Prophet to his
cousin; but the marriage proved a failure and was dissolved by Zaid) to whom
God had bestowed a favour that he keep his wife with him and fear God. (But
Zaid divorced her). And Prophet was exhorted to marry her by the Lord.
Prophet was hesitant and fearing the public. God said to the Prophet that he
should fear only his Lord and no one else. It was so, to establish that their be
no restraint into believers in respect of the wives of their adopted sons. And
God’s command must be fulfilled and is enough as a Reckoner. Muhammad is
not father of any son, but he is the Apostle of God and the closing (i.e. the
Final) Prophet. And God knows all the things.

O you who believe! Remember God with much remembrance and

glorify Him in the morning and in the evening. It is He who sends His
blessings on you and so do His angels. that He may take you out from the
darkness into the night as He is Merciful to the believers. “Peace” will be His
greeting to them when they will finally be present before Him on the Day of
Judgement. O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness (to your performance), a
bearer of glad tidings to the believers; and as a warner. Do not follow the
disbelievers and the hypocrites, and ignore their annoyance. Put your trust in
God and enough is God as the disposer of affairs! O you who believe! when
you marry believing women (and) then divorce them before the maritial
contact, then there is no waiting period for them. Give them some benefit and
discharge them in a handsome manner, Exclusively for the Prophet, the lawful
person for marriage are:

 the woman he had acquired as the spoils of war (those falling outside the
war spoils are also authorized to the Prophet);
 the daughters of his paternal uncles and paternal aunts who had migrated to
Madinah;
 the daughters of his maternal uncles and maternal aunts who had migrated
to Madinah.

The Prophet was also permitted to:

 to defer the turn of any of his wives;
 to accommodate any other wife vice her;
 to receive back such of the wives whose turn was deferred, the object being
to rehabilitate them in the Prophet’s affection, remove their frustration and
restore happiness to them. He was kind, loyal and affectionate to them.

Prophet’s consorts were advised not to entertain jealousy among themselves

and not to grudge the Prophet his privileges. Next, God forbidden the Prophet
to:
 divorce any of his wives and marry another woman in her place (it may
imply that mere divorce was not forbidden and further the above
injunctions did not apply to the female slaves possessed by the Prophet).

Believers should cultivate refined respect in social and spiritual life. O

you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet, except when
permission is accorded to you, for a meal, without having to wait for it (i.e.
don’t go early than the fixed time); but when you are called in, enter (the
house), and when you have finished the meal, disperse and do not engage in
discourse. Indeed that hurts the Prophet, who is diffident about you, and god is
not diffident about a fact. And when you ask them (i.e. the Prophet’s consorts)
for anything,l ask them for it from behind a curtain. That makes for greater
purity for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not for you to cause
annoyance to the Messenger of God and ever to marry his consorts after him.
Certainly that constitutes a gross offence before God. He knows well all things
whether you disclose or keep it secret. Certain exceptions in the rules of
“behind the curtain”. These are in favour of fathers (including uncles), their
sons, their brothers, sons of their brothers and sisters respectively, women-
folk, including the women visitors, and the household female. The consorts of
the Prophet were admonished to bear in mind the instructions and fear God
against the violation. It will call to His displeasure. The fact that He is the
Omniscient and witness all events, whatsoever, should be kept in mind. god
and His angels honour and bless the Prophet. We, the muslims, are also asked
to send benedictions on him and greet him with obeisance. Those who annoy
God and His Apostle, they are cursed, in this world and the Hereafter, by the
Lord. And those who annoy believing men or women undeservedly, they shall
surely bear the guilt of the false accusation.

O Prophet! Tell your consorts, daughters and the womken of the

believers that they should draw down their covering over themselves. This will
distinguish them, so as not to be molested by any mischievous. And God is the
Forgiving, the Merciful. The hypocrites (who pretended to be in Islam but
whose moral and manners were anti-Islamic); those with diseased hearts
(those who molested innocent women); those who stirrued up sedition (put
false rumours in circulation to excite the crowd); God shall certainly set you
(muslims) against them; to be seized and slained. This is the practice of God
since ancient and you will find no change in it. The knowledge of the Hour
(resurrection) is with God alone and it might be near. The disbelievers are
cursed and a burning fire is prepared for them as their final and eternal abode.
Then they will find no friend or helper and will repent as they should have
obeyed God and His Apostle. And they should have not obeyed their chieftains
who led them astray and would wish them double the penalty with a grave
imprecation.

O you the believers! do not be like those who annoyed Moses. But God
cleared him of what they said about him and he was honourable in the sight of
God. Fear God and say the right word. He will forgive you your sins and
whoso obeys God and His Apostle, he shall certainly have attained an eminent
achievement. Lo! God offered the Trust (hypothetical sending down of the
Qur-an) to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains. But they pleaded
their inability to undertake it (such Parables are put forth in order to aid men to
reflection). The man under took it (may be due to his presumptuousness to be
equal to the job)! Indeed he was unjudicious, ignorant! According to the
implications of the Trust.