Surah Al Ahzab Notes (28-31)

Source: Ibn Kathir

Giving the Wives of the Prophet the Choice

(28) O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Say to your wives: If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, Then come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner (divorce).

Here Allah commands His Messenger to give his wives the choice of separating from him so that they may go to someone else with whom they can find what they want in the life of this world and its attractions, or of patiently bearing the straitened circumstances with the Prophet for which they will have a great reward with Allah. They chose Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter, may Allah be pleased with them. Then Allah gave them the best both of this world and of the Hereafter. 

Al-Bukhari narrated from `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet that the Messenger of Allah came to her when Allah commanded him to give his wives the choice. She said, "The Messenger of Allah started with me, and said, (I am going to tell you about something and you do not have to hasten to respond until you consult your parents.)'' He knew that my parents would never tell me to leave him. Then he said: (Allah says: ("O Prophet! Say to your wives...'')) and he recited the two Ayat. I said to him, "Concerning what do I need to consult my parents I choose Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter.'' He also narrated it without a chain of narrators, and added, "She said, then all the wives of the Prophet did the same as I.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "The Messenger of Allah gave us the choice, and we chose him, so giving us that choice was not regarded as divorce.'' It was recorded by (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) from the Hadith of Al-A`mash. 

(29)But if you desire Allah and His Messenger, and the home of the Hereafter, then verily, Allah has prepared for Al Muhsinat (good-doers) amongst you an enormous reward.

The Wives of the Prophet are not like Other Women

(30) O wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits an open illegal sexual intercourse, the torment for her will be doubled, and that is ever easy for Allah.

This Ayah is addressed to the wives of the Prophet who chose Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter and remained married to the Messenger of Allah. Thus it was befitting that there should be rulings which applied only to them, and not to other women, in the event that any of them should commit open Fahishah. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "This means Nushuz (rebellion) and a bad attitude.'' Whatever the case, this is a conditional phrase and it does not imply that what is referred to would actually happen. 

(Whoever of you commits an open Fahishah, the torment for her will be doubled,) Malik narrated from Zayd bin Aslam:

(the torment for her will be doubled,) "In this world and the next.'' Something similar was narrated from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid.

(and that is ever easy for Allah.) it is very easy indeed. Then Allah mentions His justice and His bounty, in the Ayah:

(31)And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allah and His Messenger and does righteousness - We will give her her reward twice, and We have prepared for her a noble provision.

(And whosoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Messenger,) i.e., obeys Allah and His Messenger,

(We shall give her, her reward twice over, and We have prepared for her a noble provision.) i.e., in Paradise, for they will be in the dwellings of the Messenger of Allah in the highest reaches of `Illiyin, above the dwellings of all the people, in Al-Wasilah which is the closest of the dwellings of Paradise to the Throne.