اٰتَیۡتَ
Appears 2 times in Quran
Occurrences in Quran
Found 2 verses containing "اٰتَیۡتَ".
وَقَالَ مُوۡسٰی رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّکَ اٰتَیۡتَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَمَلَاَہٗ زِیۡنَۃً وَّاَمۡوٰلًا فِی الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا رَبَّنَا لِیُضِلُّوۡا عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِکَ ۖ رَبَّنَا اطۡمِسۡ عَلٰۤی اَمۡوٰلِہِمۡ وَاشۡدُدۡ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ فَلَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡا حَتّٰی یَرَوُا الۡعَذَابَ الۡاَلِیۡمَ
10:97-98.
یہاں لامِ عاقبت ہے یعنی یہ پہلی بات کا نتیجہ ہے۔
اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں کہ خداتعالیٰ زبردستی لوگوں پر عذاب نازل کرتا ہے بلکہ مطلب یہ ہے کہ یہ لوگ گمراہی میں اتنے بڑھ گئے ہیں کہ اب ایمان لانے میں ان کی الٰہی امدادنہیں ہونی چاہیے۔ ہاں عذابوں کو دیکھ کر آپ ہی توبہ کرلیں تو کرلیں۔
10:97-98.
Tamasa ‘alai-hi means, he destroyed him or it; he obliterated its trace (Lane).
Shaddash-Shai’a means, he made the thing hard; Shadda ‘alai-hi means, he attacked him (Lane).
10:97-98.
Important Words:
زینة (embellishment) is the substantive noun from زان which means, he or it adorned, decorated, embellished, beautified or graced (him or it). زینة means, a thing with which one is adorned or embellished or beautified; any ornature, decoration, embellishment or grace. The words زینة الحیوة الدنیا (lit. ornature of the present life) particularly include wealth and children (Lane).
ل (with the result that) means, (1) so that; (2) with the result that.
اطمس (destroy) is derived from طمس meaning, it became effaced or obliterated. They say طمس علیه i.e. he effaced or obliterated or extirpated it; or he destroyed it. طمسه means, he transformed or metamorphosed him or it (Lane).
اشدد علی قلوبھم (attack their hearts). اشدد is derived from شد. They say شدہ i.e. he tied, bound or made him or it fast. شد عضده means, he strengthened his arm. شد علی العدو means, he charged or assaulted or attacked the enemy (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that God gave wealth and splendour to Pharaoh and his chiefs so that by means of these things they might lead men astray from His path. It simply means that God bestowed upon Pharaoh and his chiefs the gifts of this world and the result was that, instead of being thankful to Him for His manifold favours, they began to lead men astray from His path. The verse is, in fact, a forceful expression by Moses of regret and condemnation.
In his words of prayer, Our Lord, destroy their riches and attack their hearts, which form a parenthetical clause, Moses wishes Pharaoh and his chiefs no evil; on the contrary, the words constitute a pathetic prayer for their good. Realizing that they had become so hardened in disbelief that nothing but God’s severe punishment could make them believe, Moses prayed to God to send down His punishment on them not to destroy them but to turn their hearts to truth. So the words, seemingly containing a prayer for the destruction of Pharaoh and his chiefs, in reality embody a prayer for their good and spiritual wellbeing. The prayer in fact resembles a request by a well-wisher for the amputation of the diseased limb of a patient, and is therefore definitely a prayer for mercy though couched in apparently harsh words.
The clause اشدد علی قلوبھم (attack their hearts) has wrongly been interpreted by some as "harden their hearts." According to Arabic idiom, the words only mean "attack their hearts," signifying that some affliction should befall them to turn their hearts to truth. The word قلوب (hearts) corresponds to the word زینة (embellishment) occurring in the foregoing clause and, as زینة here signifies progeny and children (see Important Words), therefore attacking their hearts would mean attacking their progeny. Now an attack upon the progeny of a people may be made in two ways: either by the children being smitten with some calamity or misfortune, or by making the children renounce the faith of their forefathers and go over to the new faith. It was in the latter way that the hearts of disbelievers were attacked in the time of the Holy Prophet, for their children embraced Islam. In the time of Moses, however, his enemies were punished with the death of all their firstborn children (Exod. 12:29).
It is worthy of note here that in the first part of the verse where mention is made of the favours of God, the word زینة (embellishment), which here stands for "children," is placed before اموال (wealth), while in the prayer where reference is made to punishment, اموال(wealth) is mentioned before قلوب (hearts) which here stands for "children," thus reversing the previous order. The reason for this change in the order of words is that while mentioning His favours God has put زینة (embellishment), which represents children, before اموال(wealth), because of its being the more important of the two, but when referring to punishment, the lesser calamity has been mentioned first, hinting thereby that if disbelievers mended their ways after suffering a financial loss, they might still be spared the punishment concerning their progeny. This change in the order of words, besides revealing the wisdom underlying the arrangement of words in the Quran, also throws interesting light on the tender-heartedness of Moses.
b
10:97-98.
1
یہاں لامِ عاقبت ہے یعنی یہ پہلی بات کا نتیجہ ہے۔
2
اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں کہ خداتعالیٰ زبردستی لوگوں پر عذاب نازل کرتا ہے بلکہ مطلب یہ ہے کہ یہ لوگ گمراہی میں اتنے بڑھ گئے ہیں کہ اب ایمان لانے میں ان کی الٰہی امدادنہیں ہونی چاہیے۔ ہاں عذابوں کو دیکھ کر آپ ہی توبہ کرلیں تو کرلیں۔
a
10:97-98.
1361
Important Words:
زینة (embellishment) is the substantive noun from زان which means, he or it adorned, decorated, embellished, beautified or graced (him or it). زینة means, a thing with which one is adorned or embellished or beautified; any ornature, decoration, embellishment or grace. The words زینة الحیوة الدنیا (lit. ornature of the present life) particularly include wealth and children (Lane).
ل (with the result that) means, (1) so that; (2) with the result that.
اطمس (destroy) is derived from طمس meaning, it became effaced or obliterated. They say طمس علیه i.e. he effaced or obliterated or extirpated it; or he destroyed it. طمسه means, he transformed or metamorphosed him or it (Lane).
اشدد علی قلوبھم (attack their hearts). اشدد is derived from شد. They say شدہ i.e. he tied, bound or made him or it fast. شد عضده means, he strengthened his arm. شد علی العدو means, he charged or assaulted or attacked the enemy (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that God gave wealth and splendour to Pharaoh and his chiefs so that by means of these things they might lead men astray from His path. It simply means that God bestowed upon Pharaoh and his chiefs the gifts of this world and the result was that, instead of being thankful to Him for His manifold favours, they began to lead men astray from His path. The verse is, in fact, a forceful expression by Moses of regret and condemnation.
In his words of prayer, Our Lord, destroy their riches and attack their hearts, which form a parenthetical clause, Moses wishes Pharaoh and his chiefs no evil; on the contrary, the words constitute a pathetic prayer for their good. Realizing that they had become so hardened in disbelief that nothing but God’s severe punishment could make them believe, Moses prayed to God to send down His punishment on them not to destroy them but to turn their hearts to truth. So the words, seemingly containing a prayer for the destruction of Pharaoh and his chiefs, in reality embody a prayer for their good and spiritual wellbeing. The prayer in fact resembles a request by a well-wisher for the amputation of the diseased limb of a patient, and is therefore definitely a prayer for mercy though couched in apparently harsh words.
The clause اشدد علی قلوبھم (attack their hearts) has wrongly been interpreted by some as "harden their hearts." According to Arabic idiom, the words only mean "attack their hearts," signifying that some affliction should befall them to turn their hearts to truth. The word قلوب (hearts) corresponds to the word زینة (embellishment) occurring in the foregoing clause and, as زینة here signifies progeny and children (see Important Words), therefore attacking their hearts would mean attacking their progeny. Now an attack upon the progeny of a people may be made in two ways: either by the children being smitten with some calamity or misfortune, or by making the children renounce the faith of their forefathers and go over to the new faith. It was in the latter way that the hearts of disbelievers were attacked in the time of the Holy Prophet, for their children embraced Islam. In the time of Moses, however, his enemies were punished with the death of all their firstborn children (Exod. 12:29).
It is worthy of note here that in the first part of the verse where mention is made of the favours of God, the word زینة (embellishment), which here stands for "children," is placed before اموال (wealth), while in the prayer where reference is made to punishment, اموال(wealth) is mentioned before قلوب (hearts) which here stands for "children," thus reversing the previous order. The reason for this change in the order of words is that while mentioning His favours God has put زینة (embellishment), which represents children, before اموال(wealth), because of its being the more important of the two, but when referring to punishment, the lesser calamity has been mentioned first, hinting thereby that if disbelievers mended their ways after suffering a financial loss, they might still be spared the punishment concerning their progeny. This change in the order of words, besides revealing the wisdom underlying the arrangement of words in the Quran, also throws interesting light on the tender-heartedness of Moses.
a
10:97-98.
1284A
Tamasa ‘alai-hi means, he destroyed him or it; he obliterated its trace (Lane).
1284B
Shaddash-Shai’a means, he made the thing hard; Shadda ‘alai-hi means, he attacked him (Lane).
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ اِنَّاۤ اَحۡلَلۡنَا لَکَ اَزۡوٰجَکَ الّٰتِیۡۤ اٰتَیۡتَ اُجُوۡرَہُنَّ وَمَا مَلَکَتۡ یَمِیۡنُکَ مِمَّاۤ اَفَآءَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡکَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّکَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمّٰتِکَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِکَ وَبَنَاتِ خٰلٰتِکَ الّٰتِیۡ ہَاجَرۡنَ مَعَکَ وَامۡرَاَۃً مُّؤۡمِنَۃً اِنۡ وَّہَبَتۡ نَفۡسَہَا لِلنَّبِیِّ اِنۡ اَرَادَ النَّبِیُّ اَنۡ یَّسۡتَنۡکِحَہَا خَالِصَۃً لَّکَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ۗ قَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا مَا فَرَضۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ فِیۡۤ اَزۡوٰجِہِمۡ وَمَا مَلَکَتۡ اَیۡمٰنُہُمۡ لِکَیۡلَا یَکُوۡنَ عَلَیۡکَ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَکَانَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرًا رَّحِیۡمًا
بیویاں تو سب کی حلال ہوتی ہیں۔ پھر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی بیویوں کا ذکر اس جگہ کیوں کیا؟ اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ اسی سورت کی آیت۲۹ میں فرمایا تھا کہ اے بیویو! اگر تمہارے دل میں دنیا کی خواہش ہے تو میں دنیا دے کر تم کو آزاد کر دیتا ہوں۔ اس طرح ان کا معاملہ معلق ہو گیا تھا۔ لیکن اس آیت کے اعلان کے بعد کسی ایک بیوی نے بھی نہیں کہا کہ مجھے دنیا دے کر چھوڑ دیں۔ جس سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سب بیویوں کے دل میں دین کی خواہش تھی۔ دنیا کی خواہش نہیں تھی۔ اس آیت میں یہی بتایا گیا ہے کہ انہوں نے اپنے دل میں دنیا چھوڑنے اور رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ساتھ رہنے کا فیصلہ کر لیا ہے۔
یہ صرف اجازت ہے عملًا رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اس اجازت سے فائدہ نہیں اٹھایا۔ اگر حضرت ماریہ قبطیہؓ کی مثال پیش کی جائے تو اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ حضرت ماریہؓ اور گروہ میں سے ہیں۔ اس آیت میں جنگ میں پکڑی جانے والی عورتوں کا ذکر ہے اور حضرت ماریہؓ کو مقوقس مصر نے اپنے ملک کے رواج کے مطابق لونڈی کے طور پر تحفۃً رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو بھیجا تھا۔ پس وہ اس آیت کے حکم سے باہر ہیں اور ان سے بھی رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا نکاح ثابت ہے۔
اس آیت سے ظاہر ہے کہ وہ مخالف جو کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے یہ حکم خاص طور پر اپنے لئے نازل کر لیا ہے درست نہیں کیونکہ اس آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ یہ حکم تمام انبیاء کے لئے ہے۔ صرف محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے نہیں۔ کیونکہ جہاں یہ فرمایا ہے کہ یہ حکم خاص تیرے لئے ہے وہاں آگے یہ بڑھا دیا ہے کہ مومنوں کے سوا۔ جس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ مومنوں کے لئے یہ حکم نہیں۔ لیکن مومنوں کے سوا جو انبیاء ہیں ان کے لئے یہ حکم ہے خواہ وہ گذشتہ تھے یا آئندہ ہوں گے۔
ایسی کسی عورت سے رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے شادی نہیں کی۔ یہ سب احکام بطور اجازت ہیں۔ دشمن اعترض کرتا ہے کہ اپنے لئے خاص حکم آپ نے اتار لئے۔ لیکن رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے جب ان اجازتوں پر عمل ہی نہیں کیا تو دشمن کا منہ کالا ہو گیا اور اس کا یہ اعتراض باطل ہو گیا کہ اپنی خواہشات کے پورا کرنے کے لئے خاص مراعات قرآن کریم نے بیان کر دی ہیں۔ آیت نمبر۳ سے بھی ظاہر ہے کہ یہ حکم صرف بعض بیویوں کے متعلق رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی نیک رائے ظاہر کرنے کے لئے ہے آپ کے لئے کوئی خاص راستہ کھولنے کے لئے نہیں۔
’’خوب جانتے ہیں‘‘ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ اس کو تجھ پر ظاہر بھی کر دیا ہے۔ چنانچہ فرمایا ’’تاکہ تجھ پر تنگی نہ ہو‘‘ یعنی مسئلہ بتاتے وقت یہ خیال نہ ہو کہ خداتعالیٰ کی مرضی معلوم نہیں۔
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above, in which the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between his companionship and the material benefits and comforts of life, and they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse, by implication, refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Qur’an. Till they gave their reply, the physical relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. While the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52), he did not exercise the choice and retained all of them.
The Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by highly noble considerations and not by those imputed to him by his ignorant and ignoble critics. With the solitary exception of his marriage with
Commentary:
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above. In those verses the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between the companionship of the Holy Prophet and the material benefits and comforts of life, but they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse by implication refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Quran. Till they gave their reply, the marital relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. The verse shows that while the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52) he did not exercise the choice and in deference to his wishes God permitted him in the present verse to retain all his wives.
The verse refers to three kinds of women whom the Holy Prophet could marry in addition to his already wedded wives: (1) Women who were taken prisoner in wars against Islam; (2) women who had migrated to Medina with the Holy Prophet, and (3) a woman who should offer herself for marriage to him. This shows that the Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by considerations other than sensuous gratification as his ignorant and mischievous critics try to depict. Those who had left their hearths and homes for the sake of Islam and those whose husbands had been killed in wars fighting in defence of Islam had special claim on the Holy Prophet’s consideration. It is in view of these considerations that he married most of his wives. He married Hafsah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Badr; Zainab bint Khuzaimah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Uhud; Ummi Salmah whose husband died in 4 A.H., and Ummi Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, who became a widow in 5 or 6 A.H. (in exile in Abyssinia). He married Juwairiyyah and Safiyyah, both widows, in 5 A.H. and 7 A.H. respectively, seeking a union with and pacification of their tribes. It is worthy of note that a hundred families of the Banu Mustaliq were liberated by Muslims when the Holy Prophet married Juwairiyyah. Maimunah, another widow, it is said, offered herself to be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet which offer he condescended to accept in the interest of the education and training of Muslim women. He married Zainab, the divorced wife of Zaid in 5 A.H. in order to put a stop to a foolish custom prevailing among the Arabs and in order also to assuage her wounded feelings as the respected lady had felt deeply humiliated at being divorced by Zaid. He married Mariah in 7 A.H., and thus by raising a freed slave girl to the highly eminent spiritual status of the "Mother of the Faithful", he gave a death blow to slavery. Such were the pious and righteous motives of our noble Master in marrying widows and divorced women, by no means noted for their youth or beauty, and yet his cruel and mean traducers vainly try to depict him as a person who was given to gratifying his carnal desires. They deliberately ignore the patent fact that up to the age of 25 he lived the spotless life of a celibate. Then in the prime of his youth he married a lady fifteen years his senior and lived with her a most happy life till he was an old man of fifty and she about sixty-five. After her death he married Saudah, another lady of a very advanced age. He married all his other wives, to which exception has been taken by evil-minded carpers, between 2 A.H. and 7 A.H., a period when he was constantly engaged in active fighting and his life was perpetually in danger and the fate of Islam itself hung in the balance. Could any sane person in such situation of danger and uncertainty conceive of contracting marriage after marriage from motives attributed to the Holy Prophet? After this he lived for about three years as virtual ruler of the whole of Arabia when all the comforts and amenities of life were at his disposal and yet he entered into no further marriage. Does not this fact alone establish the honesty and sincerity of the Holy Prophet’s motives in marrying his wives?
The words "if she entrusts herself to the Prophet" have been taken as specially referring to Maimunah who is reported to have offered herself to be taken into marriage by the Holy Prophet. The clause, "This provision is only for thee as against other believers," means that it was a special privilege of the Holy Prophet and was due to the special nature of his duties as a Divine Prophet. In fact, marriages of the Holy Prophet were dictated by much higher and nobler considerations than merely personal ones. The clause may also refer to the special permission granted to the Holy Prophet, to retain all his wives, after the commandment contained in 4:4 was revealed, limiting to four the number of wives allowed to Muslims at one time.
The words, "We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives," refer to the commandment contained in 4:4.
1
بیویاں تو سب کی حلال ہوتی ہیں۔ پھر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی بیویوں کا ذکر اس جگہ کیوں کیا؟ اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ اسی سورت کی آیت۲۹ میں فرمایا تھا کہ اے بیویو! اگر تمہارے دل میں دنیا کی خواہش ہے تو میں دنیا دے کر تم کو آزاد کر دیتا ہوں۔ اس طرح ان کا معاملہ معلق ہو گیا تھا۔ لیکن اس آیت کے اعلان کے بعد کسی ایک بیوی نے بھی نہیں کہا کہ مجھے دنیا دے کر چھوڑ دیں۔ جس سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سب بیویوں کے دل میں دین کی خواہش تھی۔ دنیا کی خواہش نہیں تھی۔ اس آیت میں یہی بتایا گیا ہے کہ انہوں نے اپنے دل میں دنیا چھوڑنے اور رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ساتھ رہنے کا فیصلہ کر لیا ہے۔
2
یہ صرف اجازت ہے عملًا رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اس اجازت سے فائدہ نہیں اٹھایا۔ اگر حضرت ماریہ قبطیہؓ کی مثال پیش کی جائے تو اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ حضرت ماریہؓ اور گروہ میں سے ہیں۔ اس آیت میں جنگ میں پکڑی جانے والی عورتوں کا ذکر ہے اور حضرت ماریہؓ کو مقوقس مصر نے اپنے ملک کے رواج کے مطابق لونڈی کے طور پر تحفۃً رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو بھیجا تھا۔ پس وہ اس آیت کے حکم سے باہر ہیں اور ان سے بھی رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا نکاح ثابت ہے۔
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اس آیت سے ظاہر ہے کہ وہ مخالف جو کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے یہ حکم خاص طور پر اپنے لئے نازل کر لیا ہے درست نہیں کیونکہ اس آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ یہ حکم تمام انبیاء کے لئے ہے۔ صرف محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے نہیں۔ کیونکہ جہاں یہ فرمایا ہے کہ یہ حکم خاص تیرے لئے ہے وہاں آگے یہ بڑھا دیا ہے کہ مومنوں کے سوا۔ جس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ مومنوں کے لئے یہ حکم نہیں۔ لیکن مومنوں کے سوا جو انبیاء ہیں ان کے لئے یہ حکم ہے خواہ وہ گذشتہ تھے یا آئندہ ہوں گے۔
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ایسی کسی عورت سے رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے شادی نہیں کی۔ یہ سب احکام بطور اجازت ہیں۔ دشمن اعترض کرتا ہے کہ اپنے لئے خاص حکم آپ نے اتار لئے۔ لیکن رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے جب ان اجازتوں پر عمل ہی نہیں کیا تو دشمن کا منہ کالا ہو گیا اور اس کا یہ اعتراض باطل ہو گیا کہ اپنی خواہشات کے پورا کرنے کے لئے خاص مراعات قرآن کریم نے بیان کر دی ہیں۔ آیت نمبر۳ سے بھی ظاہر ہے کہ یہ حکم صرف بعض بیویوں کے متعلق رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی نیک رائے ظاہر کرنے کے لئے ہے آپ کے لئے کوئی خاص راستہ کھولنے کے لئے نہیں۔
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’’خوب جانتے ہیں‘‘ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ اس کو تجھ پر ظاہر بھی کر دیا ہے۔ چنانچہ فرمایا ’’تاکہ تجھ پر تنگی نہ ہو‘‘ یعنی مسئلہ بتاتے وقت یہ خیال نہ ہو کہ خداتعالیٰ کی مرضی معلوم نہیں۔
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Commentary:
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above. In those verses the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between the companionship of the Holy Prophet and the material benefits and comforts of life, but they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse by implication refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Quran. Till they gave their reply, the marital relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. The verse shows that while the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52) he did not exercise the choice and in deference to his wishes God permitted him in the present verse to retain all his wives.
The verse refers to three kinds of women whom the Holy Prophet could marry in addition to his already wedded wives: (1) Women who were taken prisoner in wars against Islam; (2) women who had migrated to Medina with the Holy Prophet, and (3) a woman who should offer herself for marriage to him. This shows that the Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by considerations other than sensuous gratification as his ignorant and mischievous critics try to depict. Those who had left their hearths and homes for the sake of Islam and those whose husbands had been killed in wars fighting in defence of Islam had special claim on the Holy Prophet’s consideration. It is in view of these considerations that he married most of his wives. He married Hafsah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Badr; Zainab bint Khuzaimah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Uhud; Ummi Salmah whose husband died in 4 A.H., and Ummi Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, who became a widow in 5 or 6 A.H. (in exile in Abyssinia). He married Juwairiyyah and Safiyyah, both widows, in 5 A.H. and 7 A.H. respectively, seeking a union with and pacification of their tribes. It is worthy of note that a hundred families of the Banu Mustaliq were liberated by Muslims when the Holy Prophet married Juwairiyyah. Maimunah, another widow, it is said, offered herself to be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet which offer he condescended to accept in the interest of the education and training of Muslim women. He married Zainab, the divorced wife of Zaid in 5 A.H. in order to put a stop to a foolish custom prevailing among the Arabs and in order also to assuage her wounded feelings as the respected lady had felt deeply humiliated at being divorced by Zaid. He married Mariah in 7 A.H., and thus by raising a freed slave girl to the highly eminent spiritual status of the "Mother of the Faithful", he gave a death blow to slavery. Such were the pious and righteous motives of our noble Master in marrying widows and divorced women, by no means noted for their youth or beauty, and yet his cruel and mean traducers vainly try to depict him as a person who was given to gratifying his carnal desires. They deliberately ignore the patent fact that up to the age of 25 he lived the spotless life of a celibate. Then in the prime of his youth he married a lady fifteen years his senior and lived with her a most happy life till he was an old man of fifty and she about sixty-five. After her death he married Saudah, another lady of a very advanced age. He married all his other wives, to which exception has been taken by evil-minded carpers, between 2 A.H. and 7 A.H., a period when he was constantly engaged in active fighting and his life was perpetually in danger and the fate of Islam itself hung in the balance. Could any sane person in such situation of danger and uncertainty conceive of contracting marriage after marriage from motives attributed to the Holy Prophet? After this he lived for about three years as virtual ruler of the whole of Arabia when all the comforts and amenities of life were at his disposal and yet he entered into no further marriage. Does not this fact alone establish the honesty and sincerity of the Holy Prophet’s motives in marrying his wives?
The words "if she entrusts herself to the Prophet" have been taken as specially referring to Maimunah who is reported to have offered herself to be taken into marriage by the Holy Prophet. The clause, "This provision is only for thee as against other believers," means that it was a special privilege of the Holy Prophet and was due to the special nature of his duties as a Divine Prophet. In fact, marriages of the Holy Prophet were dictated by much higher and nobler considerations than merely personal ones. The clause may also refer to the special permission granted to the Holy Prophet, to retain all his wives, after the commandment contained in 4:4 was revealed, limiting to four the number of wives allowed to Muslims at one time.
The words, "We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives," refer to the commandment contained in 4:4.
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This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above, in which the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between his companionship and the material benefits and comforts of life, and they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse, by implication, refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Qur’an. Till they gave their reply, the physical relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. While the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52), he did not exercise the choice and retained all of them.
The Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by highly noble considerations and not by those imputed to him by his ignorant and ignoble critics. With the solitary exception of his marriage with