His words, mighty and majestic: "Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who disputes with you about her husband..." [to the end of the verse] [58:1].(405) Abu Sa'd (1) Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi (2) informed us, saying: Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri informed us, saying: Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Muthanna informed us, saying: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abi Ubaydah narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Tamim ibn Salamah, from Urwah, who said: Aishah said: Blessed is He whose hearing encompasses all things. I could hear the words of Khawlah bint Tha'labah, yet part of them escaped me, as she complained about her husband to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). She was saying: O Messenger of Allah, he wore out my youth, and I gave him children from my womb, until, when (3) I grew old and could bear no more children, he pronounced zihar against me. O Allah, to You I complain. She said: She had not left before Jibril (peace be upon him) came down with these verses: "Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who disputes with you about her husband and complains to Allah" [58:1]. Al-Hakim Abu Abdullah recorded it in his "Sahih" (4) , from Abu Muhammad al-Muzani, from Mutayyar, from Abu Kurayb, from Muhammad ibn Abi Ubaydah. (406) Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith (1) informed us, saying: Abu al-Shaykh al-Hafiz al-Asfahani informed us, saying: Abdan ibn Ahmad narrated to us, saying: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id narrated to us, saying: Yahya ibn Isa al-Ramli narrated to us, saying: al-A'mash narrated to us, from Tamim ibn Salamah, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: Praise be to Allah, whose hearing encompasses all voices. The disputing woman came and spoke to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while I was in a corner of the house, not knowing what she was saying. Then Allah, exalted is He, sent down: "Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who disputes with you about her husband" (2) [58:1].

His saying, Mighty and Majestic: "Those among you who declare their wives to be as their mothers' backs ... [to the end of the verse]" [58:2].(407) Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mansuri informed us, saying: Ali ibn Umar al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Naysaburi related to us, saying: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Bakkar related to us, saying: Sa'id ibn Bashir related to us that he asked Qatadah about zihar. He said: He related to me that Anas ibn Malik said: Aws ibn al-Samit declared zihar against his wife Khuwaylah(1) bint Tha'labah. She complained of that to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "He declared zihar against me when my years had grown and my bones had become thin." So Allah, exalted is He, sent down the verse of zihar. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Aws: "Free a slave." He said: "I have no means for that." He said: "Then fast two consecutive months." He said: "Indeed, if I happen not to eat(2) during the day, my sight grows dim." He said: "Then feed sixty poor people." He said: "I cannot, unless you help me with assistance and a gift from you." He said: So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) helped him with fifteen sa's, until Allah gathered it for him, and Allah is Merciful(3). They used to think he had the like of it with him; and that was for sixty(4) poor people(5). (408) Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hamid al-Adl informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Zakariyya related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli informed us, saying: Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Sayyar related to us, saying: Abd al-Aziz ibn Yahya ibn Yusuf Abu al-Asba' al-Harrani(1) related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Maslamah related to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Ma'mar ibn Abdullah ibn Hanzalah, from Yusuf ibn Abdullah ibn Salam, who said: Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah related to me — she was married to Aws ibn al-Samit, the brother of Ubadah ibn al-Samit — she said: He came in to me one day and spoke to me about something, and he was somewhat irritable about it. I answered him back and he grew angry and said: "You are to me as my mother's back." Then he went out to the gathering of his people. Then he came back to me and sought to have me, but I refused him. He struggled with me and I struggled with him, and I overcame him in the way a woman overcomes a weak man. I said: "No! By Him in whose hand is the soul of Khuwaylah, you shall not reach me until Allah, exalted is He, gives His judgment concerning me and you." Then I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) complaining of what I had met with. He said: "He is your husband and your cousin. Fear Allah and treat him well." I had not left before the Qur'an came down: "Allah has heard the words of the woman who disputes with you about her husband" up to His saying: "Indeed Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing" [58:1], until it reached the expiation. Then(1) he said: "Order him to free a slave." I said: "O Messenger(2) of Allah, by Allah, he has no slave to free." He said: "Order him to fast two consecutive months." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, he(3) is an old man; he cannot fast." He said: "Then let him feed sixty poor people." I said: "O Prophet of Allah, by Allah, he has nothing to feed them with." He said: "Yes, we will help him with an araq(4) of dates" — a basket holding(5) thirty sa's — she said: I said: "And I will help him with another cluster of dates." He said: "You have done well. Let him give it in charity."(6)

His saying, Mighty and Majestic: "Have you not seen those who were forbidden from secret talk ..." [to the end of the verse] [58:8].Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said: It was revealed about the Jews and the hypocrites. They used to talk secretly among themselves, apart from the believers, and would look at the believers and wink at one another with their eyes. When the believers saw their secret talk, they said: We can only think that news has reached them of our relatives and brothers who went out on the expeditions, of killing or death or disaster or defeat. That would settle in their hearts and grieve them, and they would remain like that until their companions and relatives returned. When this went on for a long time and happened often, they complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he ordered them not to talk secretly apart from the Muslims. But they did not stop that and went back to their secret talk. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down this verse(1).

His words (Mighty and Majestic is He): "And when they come to you, they greet you with what Allah does not greet you with" [58:8].(409) Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Khashshab informed us, saying: Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Abdullah al-Asfahani informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj informed us, saying: Qutaybah ibn Said related to us, saying: Jarir related to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu al-Duha, from Masruq, from Aishah, who said: Some people from the Jews came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "Al-sam (death) be upon you, O Abu al-Qasim." So I said: "Al-sam be upon you, and may Allah do such-and-such to you (2)." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Enough, O Aishah, for Allah, Exalted is He, does not love foul speech nor the affecting of it." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you not see (1) what they are saying?" He said: "Do you not see that I answer them back for what they say? I say: And upon you." She said (2): And this verse was sent down about that: "And when they come to you, they greet you with what Allah does not greet you with" (3) [58:8]. (410) Abu Said Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us, saying: Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri informed us, saying: Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Muthanna (4) informed us, saying: Zuhayr ibn Muhammad related to us, saying: Yunus ibn Muhammad related to us, saying: Shayban related to us, from Qatadah, from Anas: That a Jew came to (5) the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "Al-sam be upon you." The people returned the greeting. The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know what he said?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best. He gave the greeting of peace, O Prophet of Allah." He said: "No, rather he said such-and-such. Bring him back to me." So they brought him back to him, and he said: "Did you say: Al-sam be upon you?" He said: "Yes." At that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When one of the People of the Book greets you, say: And upon you (6), meaning: upon you be what you have said." Then the words of Allah, Exalted is He, were sent down: "And when they come to you, they greet you with what Allah does not greet you with" (7) [58:8].

His words, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, when it is said to you, make room in the assemblies, then make room; Allah will make room for you" ... [to the end of the verse] [58:11].Muqatil said(1): The Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the Suffah, and the place was cramped. That was on a Friday. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to honour the people of Badr from among the Emigrants and the Helpers. Some of the people of Badr came, but others had got to the gathering before them. So they stood in front of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on their feet, waiting for room to be made for them, but no one made room for them. That weighed on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), so he said to those around him who were not people of Badr: "Get up, so-and-so, and you, so-and-so." He made as many people get up from the gathering as the number of the people of Badr standing before him. That weighed on those who had been made to leave their seats, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw the displeasure on their faces. So the hypocrites said to the Muslims: Do you not claim that your companion deals justly between people? By Allah, he has not dealt justly with(2) these people: a group who took their seats and loved to be near their Prophet, and he made them get up and seated in their places those who had arrived after them. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down this verse.

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, when you consult the Messenger privately ..." [to the end of the verse] [58:12].Muqatil ibn Hayyan said(1): The verse was revealed about the rich. That is because they would come to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and consult him privately at great length, and crowd the poor out of the gatherings, until the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) disliked their long sitting and their private talk. So Allah Most High sent down this verse and commanded charity before private consultation. As for the people in hardship, they found nothing to give; and as for the people of means, they were stingy. That weighed heavily on the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and so the concession was revealed. Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: In the Book of Allah there is a verse that no one acted upon before me and no one will act upon after me: "O you who believe, when you consult the Messenger privately" [58:12]. I had a dinar, and I sold it for dirhams. Whenever I consulted the Messenger privately I gave a dirham in charity, until it ran out. Then it was abrogated(2) by the other verse: "Are you afraid to offer charity before your private consultation ..." [to the end of the verse](3) [58:13]. The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "Have you not seen those who take as allies a people with whom Allah is angry ..." [the verses] [58:14] up to His words: "And they think they are on something. Truly, it is they who are the liars" [58:18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said(1): It was revealed about Abdullah ibn Nabtal the hypocrite. He used to sit with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and then carry his talk to the Jews. While the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was in one of his chambers, he said: "A man will now come in to you whose heart is the heart of a tyrant, and who looks with the eyes of a devil." Then Abdullah ibn Nabtal the hypocrite came in(2), and he was blue-eyed. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him: "Why do you and your companions insult me?" He swore by Allah that he had not done that. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "You did." So he went off and brought his companions, and they swore by Allah that they had not insulted him(3). Then Allah Most High sent down these verses. (411) Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Matar informed us, saying: Ja'far ibn Muhammad(1) al-Firyabi informed us, saying: Abu Ja'far al-Nufayli related to us, saying: Zuhayr ibn Mu'awiyah(2) related to us, saying: Simak ibn Harb related to us, saying: Sa'id ibn Jubayr related to me that Ibn Abbas related to him: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was in the shade of one of his chambers, and with him were a group of the Muslims, and the shade had almost shrunk away from them. He said to them: "A person will come to you who looks at you with the eyes of a devil. When he comes to you, do not speak to him." Then a blue-eyed man came, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called him and spoke to him, saying: "Why do you insult me, you and so-and-so and so-and-so?" — a group whom he named by name. The man went off and called them, and they swore by Allah and made excuses to him. Then Allah Most High sent down: "On the Day when Allah raises them all together, they will swear to Him as they swear to you, and they think they are on something. Truly, it is they who are the liars" [58:18]. Al-Hakim recorded it in his "Sahih"(3), from al-Asamm, from Ibn(4) Affan, from Amr al-Anqazi(5), from Isra'il, from Simak.

His words, Mighty and Majestic: "You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger ..." [to the end of the verse] [58:22].Ibn Jurayj (1) said: I was told that Abu Quhafah insulted the Prophet (peace be upon him), and Abu Bakr struck him a hard blow from which he fell. Then he mentioned that to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: "Did you do it?" He said: Yes. He said: "Do not do it again." Abu Bakr said: By Allah, had the sword been near me, I would have killed him. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down this verse. It is related from Ibn Mas'ud (1) that he said: This verse was sent down about Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, who killed his father Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah on the day of Uhud; and about Abu Bakr, who called his son out to single combat on the day of Badr and said: O Messenger of Allah, let me be in the first troop (2). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him: "Let us enjoy your life, Abu Bakr. Do you not know that you are to me in the place of my hearing and my sight?" And about Mus'ab ibn Umayr, who killed his brother Ubayd ibn Umayr on the day of Uhud; and about Umar, who killed his maternal uncle al-As ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah on the day of Badr; and about Ali, Hamzah and Ubaydah, who killed Utbah and Shaybah, the two sons of Rabi'ah, and al-Walid ibn Utbah on the day of Badr. That is His saying: "even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kin" [58:22] (3). Surat al-Hashr [His words, Mighty and Majestic: "Glorifies Allah" [59:1] to His words: "and Allah has power over all things"] (4) [59:6]. The commentators said (1): This whole surah (2) was sent down about Banu al-Nadir. That is because when the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Medina, Banu al-Nadir made peace with him on (3) the terms that they would not fight him and would not fight alongside him, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (4) accepted that from them. When the Messenger of Allah went out to Badr and prevailed over the polytheists, Banu al-Nadir said: By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we found in the Torah; no banner of his is turned back. Then when the Messenger of Allah (5) went out to Uhud and the Muslims were defeated, they broke the pact and showed open enmity to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the believers (6). So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) besieged them, then made peace with them on the terms that they leave Medina. (412) Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir informed us, saying: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (7) al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Yahya related to us, saying: Abd al-Razzaq (8) related to us, saying: Ma'mar related to us, from al-Zuhri, from Ibn Ka'b (9) ibn Malik, from a man among the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) (10) : that after the battle of Badr the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote to the Jews: You are the people of armour (1) and fortresses. You shall fight our man, or we shall do such and such, and nothing will stand between us and the khadam of your women — that is (2), the anklets. When their letter reached the Jews, Banu al-Nadir resolved on treachery (3), and sent to the Prophet (peace be upon him): Come out to us with thirty men of your Companions, and let thirty rabbis come out with us, so that we meet at a place midway between us and you, that they may hear (4) from you. If they believe you and have faith in you, we shall all have faith (5). So the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out with thirty of his Companions, and thirty rabbis of the Jews went out to him. When they had come out onto an open stretch of ground, some of the Jews said to others: How can you get at him when he has with him thirty men of his Companions, every one of whom would love to die before him? (6) So they sent to him (7): How can we understand one another (8) when we are sixty men? Come out with three of your Companions, and we shall bring out to you three of our scholars. If (1) they believe in you, we shall all believe in you and affirm you. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out with three of his Companions, and three of the Jews went out, with daggers hidden under their clothes, intending to assassinate the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). But a well-meaning woman of Banu al-Nadir sent to her brother — a Muslim man of the Ansar — and told him what Banu al-Nadir intended by way of treachery against the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Her brother came quickly until he reached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and told him their news in secret, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) went back. The next morning he marched against them with the battalions, besieged them and fought them until they surrendered on the terms that they leave, and that they could take whatever the camels could carry, except the armour, that is, weapons. They would wreck their houses and take whatever of their timber suited them. Then Allah, Exalted is He, sent down: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth glorifies Allah" [59:1] until He reached: "and Allah has power over all things" [59:6].

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots ..." [to the end of the verse] [59:5].This was because when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) camped against Banu al-Nadir, and they fortified themselves in their strongholds, he ordered that their palm trees be cut down and burned. The enemies of Allah were distressed at that and said: You claimed, Muhammad, that you want to set things right. Is it setting things right to destroy fruit-bearing trees and cut down palms? And have you found, in what you claim has been sent down to you, corruption in the land? That weighed heavily on the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the Muslims felt troubled in themselves by what they said, and feared that it might be corruption. They differed over it. Some of them said: Do not cut them down, for they are part of what Allah has given us as spoils. Others said: Rather, enrage them (1) by cutting them down (2). So Allah, exalted is He, sent down: "Whatever palm trees you cut down ..." [to the end of the verse] [59:5], confirming those who forbade cutting them, and declaring lawful the act of those who cut them. And He declared that cutting them and leaving them were both by the permission of Allah, exalted is He (3). (413) Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muzakki (4) informed us, saying: My father informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Thaqafi informed us, saying: Qutaybah related to us, saying: al-Layth ibn Sa'd related to us, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) burned the palm trees (1) of Banu (2) al-Nadir and cut them down. This was al-Buwayrah. So Allah, exalted is He, sent down: "Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by the permission of Allah, and so that He might disgrace the defiantly disobedient." Al-Bukhari (3) and Muslim (4) recorded it from Qutaybah. (414) Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far informed us, saying: Abu Yahya al-Razi related to us, saying: Sahl ibn Uthman related to us, saying: Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak related to us, from Musa ibn Uqbah, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cut down the palm trees of Banu al-Nadir and burned them. This was al-Buwayrah (1). About it Hassan said: - - - It was a light thing for the nobles of Banu Lu'ayy, a fire at al-Buwayrah spreading wide (2) - - - And about it the verse was sent down: "Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots ..." [to the end of the verse] [59:5]. Muslim (3) recorded it from Sa'id ibn Mansur (4), from Ibn al-Mubarak. (415) And Abu Bakr informed us, saying: Abu (1) Abdullah informed us, saying: Salm (2) ibn Isam informed us, saying: Rustah related to us, saying: Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Maymun al-Tammar related to us, saying: Jurmuz related to us, from Hatim al-Najjar, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: A Jew came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: I will stand up and pray. He said: "Allah has decreed for you (3) that you pray." He said: I will sit down. He said: "Allah has decreed for you that you sit down." He said: I will go to this tree and cut it down. He said: "Allah has decreed for you that you cut it down." He said: Then Jibril (peace be upon him) came and said: Muhammad, you have been taught your argument, just as Ibrahim was taught his against his people. And Allah, exalted is He, sent down: "Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by the permission of Allah, and so that He might disgrace the defiantly disobedient" [59:5], meaning the Jews (4).

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "And those who had settled in the abode and in faith before them ... [to the end of the verse]" [59:9].Ja'far ibn Burqan reported from Yazid ibn al-Asamm(5) that the Ansar said: "O Messenger of Allah, divide the land in halves between us and our brothers from the Emigrants." He said: "No. Rather, they will spare you the labour, and you will share the fruit with them; and the land is your land." They said: "We are content." So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down: "And those who had settled in the abode and in faith before them ... [to the end of the verse]" [59:9].

His words, Mighty and Majestic: "And they prefer others over themselves, even though they are in need" [59:9].(416) Sa'id (1) ibn Ahmad ibn Ja'far al-Mu'adhdhin informed us, saying: Abu Ali al-Faqih informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Abi al-Jahm al-Sabi'i (2) informed us, saying: Nasr ibn Ali al-Jahdami (3) narrated to us, saying: Abdullah ibn Dawud narrated to us, from Fudayl ibn Ghazwan, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayrah: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) handed over to a man of the Ansar a man from the People of the Suffah. The Ansari took him to his family and said to his wife: "Is there anything?" She said: "No, only the children's food." He said: "Then put them to sleep. When they are asleep, bring it to me, and when you have set it down, put out the lamp." He said: She did so, and the Ansari began to offer his guest what was in front of him. Then in the morning he went with him to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who said: "The people of heaven marveled at what you two did (4)." And there was revealed: "And they prefer others over themselves, even though they are in need" [59:9]. Al-Bukhari recorded it (5) from Musaddad, from Abdullah ibn Dawud; and Muslim recorded it (6) from Abu Kurayb, from Waki'; both from Fudayl ibn Ghazwan. (417) Abu Abdullah ibn Ishaq al-Muzakki informed us, saying: Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Saliti narrated to us, saying: Abu al-Abbas ibn Isa ibn Muhammad al-Marwazi narrated to us, saying: al-Mustajir (1) ibn al-Salt narrated to us, saying: al-Qasim ibn al-Hakam al-Urani narrated to us, saying: Ubaydullah ibn al-Walid narrated to us, from Muharib ibn Dithar, from Abdullah ibn Umar, who said: A man among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was given a sheep's head as a gift. He said (2): "My brother so-and-so and his family are more in need of this than we are." So he sent it to him, and one kept sending it on to another until it passed through seven households, until it came back to the first (3). Then there was revealed: "And they prefer others over themselves" [59:9] ... [to the end of the verse] (4). Surat al-Mumtahanah

His words, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies ... [to the end of the verse]" [60:1].The body of commentators said (1): It was revealed about Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah. That was because Sarah, the freedwoman of Abu Amr ibn Sayfi ibn Hashim (2) ibn Abd Manaf, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was preparing for the conquest of Makkah. He said to her: "Have you come as a Muslim?" She said: "No." He said: "Then what has brought you?" She said: "You were (3) the family, the kin and the patrons. I have fallen into great need, so I have come to you so that you would give to me and clothe me." He said to her: "Then where are you with regard to the young men of the people of Makkah?" - she was a singer - She said: "Nothing has been asked of me since the battle of Badr." So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) urged Banu Abd al-Muttalib and Banu al-Muttalib to give to her (1). They clothed her, gave her a mount and gave to her. Then Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah came to her and wrote a letter with her to the people of Makkah, and gave her ten dinars on condition that she deliver the letter to the people of Makkah. He wrote in the letter: "From Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah (2) to the people of Makkah: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) intends you, so take your precautions." Sarah set out, and Jibril (peace be upon him) came down and told the Prophet (peace be upon him) what Hatib had done. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent Ali, Ammar, Umar (3), al-Zubayr, Talhah, al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad and Abu Marthad. All of them were horsemen. He said to them: "Go until you come to Rawdat Khakh. There is a woman in a litter there who has with her a letter from Hatib to the polytheists. Take it from her and let her go. If she does not hand it over to you, strike off her neck." They set out until they caught up with her in that place. They said to her: "Where is the letter?" She swore by Allah that she had no letter with her. They searched her baggage and found no letter with her. They were about to go back, but Ali said: "By Allah, he did not lie to us, nor have we been lied to." He drew his sword and said: "Bring out the letter, or else, by Allah, I will strip you (4) and strike off your neck." When she saw he was in earnest, she brought out the letter (5) from her forelock; she had hidden it in her hair. They let her go and returned with the letter to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for Hatib, and he came to him. He said to him (6) : "Do you know this letter?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Then what led you to do what you did?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I have not disbelieved since I accepted Islam, nor have I deceived you since I gave you my sincere counsel, nor have I loved them since I parted from them. But there was no one among the Emigrants who did not have in Makkah someone who would protect his kin, while I was a stranger (1) among them, and my family was in their midst. I feared for my family, so I wanted to earn a favor with them. I knew that Allah would send His punishment down upon them and that my letter would avail them nothing." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) believed him and excused him. Then this surah was revealed: "O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies ... [to the end of the verse]" [60:1]. Umar ibn al-Khattab stood up and said: "Let me, O Messenger of Allah, strike off his neck, for he is a hypocrite (2)." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "What do you know, Umar? Perhaps Allah has (3) looked upon the people of Badr and said to them (4): Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you." (5) (418) Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Hasan [ibn Amr] (1) informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ya'qub related to us, saying: al-Rabi related to us, saying: al-Shafi'i (2) related to us, saying: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah informed us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from al-Hasan ibn Muhammad (3) ibn Ali, from Ubaydullah ibn Abi Rafi, who said: I heard Ali say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent us, me, al-Zubayr and al-Miqdad [ibn al-Aswad] (4). He said: "Go until you come to Rawdat Khakh, for there is a woman in a litter there who has a letter with her." We set out, our horses racing with us, and there we came upon the woman in the litter. We said: "Bring out the letter." She said: "I have no letter with me." We said to her: "You will bring out the letter, or we will throw off your clothes." So she brought it out from her plaited hair. We brought it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and in it was: "From Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah to some people among the polytheists who were (5) in Makkah," informing them of some of the affair of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said: "What is this, Hatib?" He said: "Do not be hasty with me. I was a man attached to Quraysh, but not one of them (1). Those who are with you of the Emigrants have kinsfolk through whom they protect their relatives, but I had no kin in Makkah. Since I lacked that, I wanted to earn a favor with them. By Allah, I did not do it doubting my religion, nor out of acceptance of unbelief after Islam." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "He has told the truth." Umar said: "Let me, O Messenger of Allah, strike off the neck of this hypocrite." He said: "He (2) was present at Badr. And what do you know? Perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you." Then it was revealed: "O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies, offering them affection ... [to the end of the verse]." Al-Bukhari recorded it (3), from al-Humaydi (4), and Muslim recorded it (5) from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and a group; all of them from Sufyan.

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "There has certainly been for you in them an excellent example, for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day" ... [to the end of the verses] [60:6].Allah, Exalted is He, says to the believers: you had, in Ibrahim and those with him among the prophets and the friends of Allah, an example to follow in showing enmity to their relatives among the polytheists. When this verse was revealed, the believers treated their polytheist relatives as enemies for the sake of Allah, and openly showed them enmity and disavowal. Allah, Exalted is He, knew how deeply the believers grieved over this, so Allah revealed (1): "It may be that Allah will put affection between you and those of them whom you have treated as enemies" [60:7]. Then He did this, in that many of them accepted Islam and became their allies and brothers, so they mixed with them and intermarried with them, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan ibn Harb. So Abu Sufyan softened toward them. News of this reached him while he was still a polytheist, and he said: That is a stallion whose nose is not struck (2) (3). (419) Abu Salih Mansur ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Bazzaz (4) informed us, saying: Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri informed us, saying: Abu Ya'la related to us, saying: Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj related to us, saying: Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak related to us, from Mus'ab ibn Thabit, from Amir ibn Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, from his father, who said (5) : Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza came to her daughter Asma bint Abi Bakr with gifts: lizards (1), clarified butter and dried curd. But she did not accept her gifts and did not let her into her house. So Aishah asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about that on her behalf, and he said: "Allah does not forbid you, regarding those who did not fight you over religion and did not drive you out of your homes, from treating them kindly" ... [to the end of the verse] [60:8]. So she let her into her house and accepted her gifts from her. Al-Hakim Abu Abdullah recorded it in his "Sahih" (2), from Abu al-Abbas al-Sayyari, from Abdullah al-Ghazzal, from Ibn Shaqiq (3), from Ibn al-Mubarak.

His saying (Mighty and Majestic): "O you who believe, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, test them. Allah knows best their faith..." [to the end of the verse] [60:10].Ibn Abbas said(1): The idolaters of Mecca made a treaty with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the year of al-Hudaybiyah, on the condition that whoever came to him from the people of Mecca he would return to them, and whoever of his Companions came to the people of Mecca belonged to them. They wrote the document to that effect and sealed it. Then Subay'ah bint al-Harith al-Aslamiyyah came after the document had been completed, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was at al-Hudaybiyah. Her husband came after her, and he was an unbeliever. He said: Muhammad, return my wife to me, for you stipulated to us that you would return to us whoever of us came to you, and the clay of the document is not yet dry. So Allah Most High sent down this verse. (420) Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn al-Fadl informed us, saying: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, saying: Hasan ibn al-Rabi' ibn al-Khashshab narrated to us, saying: Ibn Idris narrated to us (1), saying: Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: al-Zuhri narrated to me, saying: I went in to Urwah ibn al-Zubayr while he was writing a letter to Ibn Hunaydah (2), the companion of al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, who had asked him about His saying (Mighty and Majestic): "O you who believe, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, test them..." [to the end of the verse]. He said: So he wrote to him: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made a treaty with Quraysh on the day of al-Hudaybiyah on the condition that he would return to them whoever came without the permission of his guardian. When the women emigrated (3) to Allah Most High (4), Allah Most High refused that they be returned (5) to the idolaters, once they had been tested and they knew that they had come only out of desire for Islam, in exchange for returning their dowers to them when they were kept back from them, provided they returned to the Muslims the dower of those of their wives who were kept back (6). Then (7) He said: "That is the judgment of Allah; He judges between you." So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kept the women and returned the men (8).

The saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, do not take as allies a people with whom Allah is angry ... [to the end of the verse]" [60:13].It was revealed (1) about some poor Muslims who used to tell the Jews the news of the Muslims and keep up ties with them (2), and by that they obtained some of their fruits. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, forbade them from that. Surat al-Saff [The saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise"] (3) [61:1]. (421) Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Adl informed us (4), saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Zakariyya informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Yahya related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Kathir al-San'ani informed us, from al-Awza'i, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu Salamah, from Abdullah ibn Salam, who said: A group of us Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sat together and talked among ourselves (5), and we said: If only we knew which deed is most beloved to Allah, Exalted is He, we would do it. So Allah, Exalted is He, revealed: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise" [61:1] up to His saying: "Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ranks" [61:4] to the end of the surah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited it to us (6).

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?" [61:2].The commentators said: The Muslims used to say: "If we knew which deeds are most beloved to Allah, Exalted is He, we would spend our wealth and our lives on them." So Allah showed them the deeds most beloved to Him, and said: "Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ranks"(1)... [to the end of the verse] [61:4]. Then they were tested with that on the day of Uhud(2), and they turned their backs in flight. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down: "Why do you say what you do not do?"(3) [61:2]. Surat al-Jumu'ah

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "And when they see some trade or amusement, they break away to it(4) ... [to the end of the verse]" [62:11].(422) The teacher Abu Tahir al-Ziyadi informed us, saying: Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ibrahim(5) informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Warah informed us, saying: al-Hasan ibn Atiyyah related to us, saying: Israil related to us, from Husayn ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Sufyan, from Jabir ibn Abdullah(6), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was giving the sermon on Friday when a caravan arrived that had come [from Syria](7). The people went out to it until only twelve men remained with him. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down: "And when they see some trade or amusement, they break away to it and leave you standing" [62:11]. Al-Bukhari recorded it (8) from Hafs ibn Umar, from Khalid ibn Abdullah, from Husayn. (423) Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muzakki (1) informed us, saying: Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Yahya al-Talhi informed us, saying: Ja'far ibn Ahmad ibn Imran al-Shashi(2) informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Yunus related to us, saying: Abthar(3) ibn al-Qasim related to us: Husayn related to us, from Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd, from Jabir ibn Abdullah: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) at the Friday prayer when a caravan carrying food passed by. The people went out except twelve men. Then the verse of al-Jumu'ah came down. Muslim recorded it(4) from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, from Jarir; and al-Bukhari recorded it (5) in the Book of Friday Prayer, from Mu'awiyah ibn Amr, from Za'idah; both from Husayn. The commentators said: The people of Medina(1) were struck by hunger and high prices. Then Dihyah ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi arrived with merchandise from Syria, and a drum was beaten for it to announce his arrival to the people, while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was giving the sermon on Friday. The people went out to it(2), and only twelve men remained in the mosque, among them Abu Bakr and Umar. Then this verse came down, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, had you followed one another out until not(3) one of you remained, the valley would have flowed with fire upon you."(4) Surat al-Munafiqun [The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "They are the ones who say: Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah ... [to the end of the verse]"](5) [63:7]. (424) Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdan informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Hafiz related to us, saying: Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mahbubi(1) related to us, saying: Sa'id ibn Mas'ud related to us, saying: Ubaydullah ibn Musa related to us: Israil related to us, from al-Suddi, from Abu Sa'id al-Azdi(2), from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said(3): We went on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and with us were some people of the Bedouin. We would race(1) to the water, and the Bedouin would get ahead of us. A Bedouin would get ahead of his companions, fill the trough, place stones around it (2), and put a leather sheet over it until his companions came. A man of the Ansar came and slackened the rein of his she-camel so she could drink, but the Bedouin refused to let him. So he pulled out a stone and the water overflowed. The Bedouin raised a piece of wood and struck the Ansari on the head with it and split it open. The Ansari went(3) to(4) Abdullah ibn Ubayy the hypocrite (5), the head of the hypocrites, and told him, for he was one of his followers. Abdullah ibn Ubayy grew angry, then said: Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they scatter from around him—meaning the Bedouin. Then he said to his companions: When you return to Medina, let the mightier drive out the lowlier from it. Zayd ibn Arqam said: I was riding behind my uncle, and I heard Abdullah. I told my uncle, and he went and told the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for him, and he swore, denied, and made excuses(6). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) believed him and called me a liar. My uncle came to me and said: You have gained nothing except(7) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is angry with you and the Muslims have called you a liar. Such grief fell upon me as had never fallen upon anyone. Then while(8) I was traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he came to me, rubbed my ear, and laughed in my face. I would not have been as glad to have the whole world in exchange for that. When morning came, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited Surat al-Munafiqun: "When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah" [63:1], until he reached "They are the ones who say: Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they scatter" [63:7], until he reached: "the mightier will surely drive out the lowlier from it" (1) [63:8]. The people of tafsir and the authors of the biographies said(1): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raided Banu al-Mustaliq and halted at one of their waters called al-Muraysi'. The people came down to the water. With Umar ibn al-Khattab was a hired man of his from Banu Ghifar called Jahjah ibn Sa'id, leading his horse. Jahjah and Sinan al-Juhani, an ally of Banu Awf of the Khazraj, crowded each other at the water and fought. Al-Juhani cried out: O company of the Ansar! And al-Ghifari cried out and said(2): O company of the Emigrants! A man of the Emigrants called Ju'al helped Jahjah al-Ghifari(3); he was a poor man. Abdullah ibn Ubayy said to him: So you are in on this too? He said: And what stops me from doing that? And Ju'al's tongue grew harsh against Abdullah. Abdullah said: By Him by whom oaths are sworn, I will surely leave you be, and something else will keep you busy from(4) this. Abdullah grew angry and said: By Allah, our likeness and theirs is only as the one who said: Fatten your dog and it will eat you. By Allah, if we return to Medina, the mightier will surely drive out the lowlier from it. By the mightier he meant himself, and by the lowlier the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Then he turned to those of his people who were present and said: This is what you have done to yourselves. You let them settle in your land and shared your wealth with them. By Allah, had you withheld the surplus of your food from Ju'al and his kind, they would not have ridden on your necks, and they would soon have moved out of(5) your land. So do not spend on them until they scatter from around Muhammad. Zayd ibn Arqam, who was present and heard that, spoke up and said: By Allah, you are the lowly one, the one with few supporters, the one hated among your people, while Muhammad is in might from the Most Merciful and in affection from the people(1). By Allah, I will not love you after these words of yours. Abdullah said: Be quiet, I was only joking. Zayd ibn Arqam walked to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him the news, while Umar ibn al-Khattab was with him. He said: Let me strike off his neck, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Then many noses would tremble for him (2) in Yathrib." Umar said: If you dislike, O Messenger of Allah, that a man of the Emigrants should kill him, then order Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (3) or Muhammad ibn Maslamah or Abbad ibn Bishr—let them kill him. He said: "Then people would say that Muhammad kills his companions." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for Abdullah ibn Ubayy, and he came to him. He said to him(4): "Are you the one who said these words that have reached me about you (5)?" Abdullah said: By Him who sent down the Book upon you, I never said any of this, and Zayd is a liar. Abdullah was a noble and great man among his people. Those of the Ansar who were present said: O Messenger of Allah, he is our elder and our chief. Do not believe against him the words of a boy from among the boys of the Ansar. Perhaps he was mistaken in his report and did not remember rightly. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) excused him. Blame spread among the Ansar against Zayd and they called him a liar. His uncle said to him: You have gained nothing except that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Muslims have called you a liar and are angry with you. After that Zayd was ashamed to come near the Prophet (peace be upon him). When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set out, Usayd ibn Hudayr met him and said to him: Has it not(1) reached you what your companion(2) Abdullah ibn Ubayy said? He said: And what did he say? He said: He claimed that if he returns to Medina, the mightier will surely drive out the lowlier from it. Usayd said: Then by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, you will drive him out if you wish. He, by Allah, is the lowly one, and you are the mighty one. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah, be gentle with him. By Allah, Allah brought you when his people were stringing beads for him to crown him, and he thinks that you have robbed him of a kingdom. Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy heard of what had happened with his father. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: It has reached me that you intend to kill Abdullah ibn Ubayy because of what has reached you about him. If you are going to do it, then order me to do it, and I will bring you his head. By Allah, the Khazraj know that there is no man among them more dutiful to his parents than I. I fear that you will order someone else to do it and he will kill him, and then my soul will not let me look at the killer of Abdullah ibn Ubayy walking among the people without killing him, so I would kill a believer for an unbeliever and enter the Fire. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Rather, we shall treat him well as a companion as long as he remains with us." When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) arrived at Medina, Zayd ibn Arqam said: I sat in the house because of the grief and shame I felt. Then Allah, Exalted is He, sent down Surat al-Munafiqun confirming me and giving the lie to Abdullah. When it came down, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of Zayd's ear and said: "O Zayd, Allah has confirmed you and been faithful to your ear" (1). Abdullah ibn Ubayy was near Medina. When he wanted to enter it, his son Abdullah ibn Abdullah came and made his camel kneel at the meeting of the roads to Medina. When(2) Abdullah ibn Ubayy came, his son said: Stay back! He said: What is the matter with you, woe to you?! He said: No, by Allah, you shall never enter it except with the permission of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and today you shall know who is the mightier and who the lowlier. Abdullah complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) of what his son had done, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent to him: "Let him be, so that he may enter." He said: Now that the command of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has come, then yes. So he entered. When this surah came down and his lie became plain, it was said to him: O Abu Hubab, severe verses have come down about you, so go to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) so that he may ask forgiveness for you. But he twisted his head. That is the saying of Allah, Exalted is He: "And when it is said to them: Come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you, [they twist their heads ...]"(1) [to the end of the verse](2) [63:5]. Surat al-Taghabun

His words, Mighty and Majestic: "O you who believe, among your spouses and your children there are enemies to you(3)… [to the end of the verse]" [64:14].Ibn Abbas said: A man would accept Islam, and when he wanted to emigrate his family and his children would hold him back. They would say: We beg you by Allah not to go and leave your family and your clan, and end up in Madinah with no family and no wealth. Some of them would feel pity for them, stay, and not emigrate. So Allah, exalted is He, sent down this verse(4). (425) Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Ahmad al-Shaybani informed us, saying: Abu al-Fadl Ahmad ibn Isma'il ibn Yahya ibn Hazim related to us, saying: Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya(1) related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Umar al-Muqaddami related to us, saying: Ash'ath ibn Abdullah related to us, saying: Shu'bah related to us, from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid, who said(2): A man would accept Islam, and his family and his sons would blame him. So this verse was sent down: "Among your spouses and your children there are enemies to you, so beware of them" [64:14]. Ikrimah(3) said, from Ibn Abbas: These people whose families had held them back from emigration, when they emigrated and saw that the people had gained understanding of the religion, they resolved to punish their families who had held them back. So Allah, exalted is He, sent down: "But if you pardon, overlook and forgive, then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" [64:14]. Surat al-Talaq

His saying, Mighty and Majestic: "O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them at their waiting period ..." [to the end of the verse] [65:1].Qatadah reported from Anas(4), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) divorced Hafsah, and Allah Most High sent down this verse. And it was said to him: Take her back, for she fasts much and prays much at night, and she is one of your wives and your women in Paradise. Al-Suddi said: It was sent down about Abdullah ibn Umar. He divorced his wife while she was menstruating, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered him to take her back and keep her until she became pure, then until she menstruated another time. Then, when she became pure, he could divorce her if he wished, before having intercourse with her. For that is the waiting period which Allah has commanded. (426) Mansur ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad al-Shalanji (1) informed us, saying: Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri (2) informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Zanjawayh (3) related to us, saying: Abd al-Aziz ibn Yahya related to us, saying: al-Layth ibn Sa'd related to us, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar(4): that he divorced his wife with a single divorce while she was menstruating. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered him to take her back, then keep her until she became pure and menstruated another time while with him, then keep her (5) until she became pure from her menstruation. Then if he wished to divorce her, he should divorce her (1) when she became pure, before having intercourse with her. For that is the waiting period at which Allah Most High commanded that women be divorced. Al-Bukhari (2) and Muslim (3) recorded it from Qutaybah, from al-Layth.

His words (mighty and majestic is He): "And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect" [65:3].The verse was revealed about Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i. The idolaters had taken a son of his captive. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and complained to him of his poverty, and said: The enemy has taken my son captive, and his mother is in distress; what do you command me? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Fear Allah, be patient, and I command you and her to say often: There is no power and no strength except with Allah." He went back to his house and said to his wife: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has commanded me and you to say often: There is no power and no strength except with Allah. She said: How good is what he has commanded us. So the two of them began saying it. The enemy grew heedless of his son, and he drove off their sheep and brought them to his father; they were four thousand sheep. Then this verse was revealed (4). (427) Abd al-Aziz (1) ibn Abdan informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Nu'aym informed us, saying: Abu al-Qasim al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Sakuni informed me, saying: Ubayd ibn Kathir al-Amiri related to us, saying: Abbad ibn Ya'qub related to us, saying: Yahya ibn Adam related to us, saying: Isra'il related to us, saying: Ammar ibn Mu'awiyah related to us, from Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: This verse, "And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect" [65:3], was revealed about a man of Ashja'. He was poor, with little in hand and many dependents. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked him, and he said to him (2): "Fear Allah and be patient." He went back to his companions, and they said: What did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) give you? He said: He gave me nothing. He said to me: Fear Allah and be patient. Only a little while passed before a son of his came with sheep; the enemy had taken him captive. So he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked him about them, and told him their story. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him (3): "Eat of them (4)." (5)

His saying, Mighty and Majestic: "And those of your women who have despaired of menstruation..." [to the end of the verse] [65:4].Muqatil said(1): When "Divorced women shall wait by themselves..." [to the end of the verse] [2:228] was revealed, Khallad ibn al-Nu'man ibn Qays al-Ansari said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the waiting period of the woman who does not menstruate, [and the waiting period of the woman who has not yet menstruated](2), and the waiting period of the pregnant woman? So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down this verse. (428) Abu Ishaq al-Muqri' informed us, saying: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Hamdun informed us, saying: Makki ibn Abdan informed us, saying: Abu al-Azhar related to us, saying: Asbat ibn Muhammad related to us, from Mutarrif, from Abu Uthman Amr ibn Salim, who said: When the waiting period of women - in Surat al-Baqarah - was revealed concerning the divorced woman and the woman whose husband has died, Ubayy ibn Ka'b said: O Messenger of Allah, some women of(3) the people of Madinah are saying: There remain women about whom nothing has been mentioned in it. He said: "And who are they?" He said: The young, the old, and those who are pregnant. So this verse was revealed: "And those who have despaired..." [65:4] to its end(4). Surat al-Tahrim

The words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you ..." [to the end of the verse] [66:1].(429) Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Tusi informed us, saying: Ali ibn Umar ibn Mahdi informed us, saying: al-Husayn ibn Ismail al-Mahamili(1) related to us, saying: Abdullah ibn Shabib related to us, saying: Ishaq ibn Muhammad related to me, saying: Abdullah ibn Umar(2) related to us, saying: Abu al-Nadr, the client of Umar ibn Abdullah,(3) related to me, from Ali ibn Abbas,(4) from Ibn Abbas, from Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went in with Mariyah, the mother of his child, into the house of Hafsah, and Hafsah found him with her. She said: Why did you bring her into my house? You have done this to me, out of all your wives, only because I am of little account to you. He said to her: "Do not mention this to Aishah. She is forbidden to me if I go near her." Hafsah said: How can she be forbidden to you when she is your slave-girl? So he swore to her that he would not go near her, and he said to her: "Do not mention it to anyone." But she mentioned it to Aishah. Then he swore an oath(5) that he would not go in to his wives for a month, and he kept away from them for twenty-nine nights! So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down: [O Prophet,](1) why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, [seeking the pleasure of your wives](2) ... [to the end of the verse](3). (430) Abu Ibrahim Ismail ibn Ibrahim al-Wa'iz informed us, saying: Bishr ibn Ahmad ibn Bishr informed us, saying: Ja'far(1) ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Firyabi informed us, saying: Minjab ibn al-Harith related to us, saying: Ali ibn Mushir related to us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) loved sweets and honey, and when he came back from the afternoon prayer he would go in to his wives. He went in to Hafsah bint Umar and stayed with her longer than he used to stay. I noticed this and asked about it, and I was told: A woman of her people gave her a skin of honey as a gift, and she gave the Prophet (peace be upon him) a drink of it. I said: By Allah, we will surely play a trick(2) on him. So I said to Sawdah bint Zam'ah: When he goes in to you he will come near you. Say to him: O Messenger of Allah, have you eaten maghafir(3)? He will say to you: Hafsah gave me a drink of honey. Then say: Its bees have fed(4) on urfut(5). I will say the same, and you, Safiyyah, say the same. She said: Sawdah said: By Allah, no sooner had he stood at the door than I almost came out to him with what you had told me. When he came near her, Sawdah said to him: O Messenger of Allah, have you eaten maghafir? He said: "No." She said: Then what is this smell I find on you? He said: Hafsah gave me a drink of honey. She said: Its bees have fed on urfut. She said: When he came in to me I said the same to him, and when he went round to Safiyyah she said the same to him. When he went round to Hafsah she said: O Messenger of Allah, shall I give you some of it to drink? He said: "I have no need of it." She said: Sawdah said: Glory be to Allah, [and](1) we have kept him from it! I said to her: Be quiet. Al-Bukhari recorded it(2) from Farwah(3) ibn Abi al-Maghra', and Muslim recorded it(4) from Suwayd ibn Sa'id; both from Ali ibn Mushir. (431) Abu Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hamid informed us, saying: Zahir ibn Ahmad informed us, saying: al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Mus'ab informed us, saying: Yahya ibn Hakim related to us, saying: Abu Dawud related to us, saying: Abu(5) Amir al-Jazzaz(1) related to us, from Ibn Abi Mulaykah: that Sawdah bint Zam'ah had maternal relatives in Yemen, and honey used to be sent to her as a gift. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would come to her on a day that was not hers and take some of that honey. Hafsah and Aishah were allied together against the rest of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and one of them said to the other: Do you not see this? He has got into the habit of going to this woman on a day that is not hers and taking some of that honey! When he comes in to you, hold your nose, and when he says: What is the matter with you? say: I find a smell on you and I do not know what it is. When he comes in to me, I will say the same. The Prophet (peace be upon him) came in and she held her nose. He said: "What is the matter with you?" She said: A smell I find(2) on you, and I think it can only be maghafir. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) liked to take on a pleasant scent whenever he found one. Then he went in(3) to the other, and she said the same to him. He said: "So-and-so said this to me. This can only be from something I had in the house of Sawdah. By Allah, I will never taste it again." Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: Ibn Abbas said: This verse was sent down about this: O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the pleasure of your wives(4) [66:1]!

His saying (Mighty and Majestic): "If you two turn to Allah in repentance, [then your hearts have indeed inclined](1) ... [to the end of the verse]" [66:4].(432) Abu Mansur al-Mansuri informed us, saying: Abu al-Hasan al-Daraqutni(2) informed us, saying: al-Husayn (3) ibn Isma'il related to us, saying: Abdullah ibn Shabib related to us, saying: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz related to me, saying: I found in my father's book, from al-Zuhri, from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: Hafsah found the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with Umm Ibrahim on Aishah's day. She said: "I will certainly tell her." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "She is forbidden to me if I go near her." She told Aishah of this. Allah made that known to His Messenger, and he told Hafsah part of what she had said. She said to him: "Who told you?" He said: "The All-Knowing, the All-Aware told me" [66:3]. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) swore to keep away from his wives for a month, and Allah sent down His saying(4): "If you two turn to Allah in repentance, then your hearts have indeed inclined(5) ... [to the end of the verse]" (6) [66:4](1). Surat al-Mulk