Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:28

"O Prophet, say to your wives: If you desire the worldly life"—that is, the abundance and luxury within it—"and its adornment"—that is, its glitter; this is a specification after a generalization—"then come"—that is, approach with your own will and choice to accept one of the two options. It is similar to saying: "He came to quarrel with me," "He went to speak to me," and "He stood to threaten me." The root of ta‘ālaina (come) is a command to ascend to a high place, then it became prevalent for the command to come in an absolute sense, and the intended meaning here is what you have heard. Al-Raghib said: Some have stated that its origin is from ‘uluww (loftiness), meaning an elevation of status; it is as if it is an invitation to something containing dignity, just as you would say, "Do such-and-such, without being humbled," to honor the one being addressed. However, this meaning is not intended here, as is clear.

"I will provide for you"—that is, I will give you the mut‘ah (consolation gift) of divorce. The mut‘ah for a divorced woman who has not been consummated with and for whom no dowry was fixed in the contract is mandatory according to Imam Abu Hanifah—may Allah have mercy on him—and his companions, and it is recommended for all other divorced women. From al-Zuhri, there are two types of mut‘ah: one that is decreed and enforced by the ruler for a woman divorced before the dowry is fixed and before consummation, and the second is a duty upon the righteous for one who is divorced after the dowry has been fixed and the marriage consummated. A woman once disputed before Shurayh regarding the mut‘ah, and he said, "Give her the mut‘ah if you are among the righteous," but he did not force him. From Sa‘id ibn Jubayr: The mut‘ah is an obligatory, fixed right. From al-Hasan: Every divorced woman is entitled to a mut‘ah except for the mukhtali‘ah (one who initiates khul‘) and the mula‘anah (one involved in li‘an). The mut‘ah consists of a shield, a donkey, and a cloak, according to one's wealth or poverty, unless half her dowry is less than that, in which case she is entitled to the lesser of the two. It should not be less than five dirhams, because the minimum dowry is ten dirhams, so it should not be less than half of that. Such is stated in al-Kashshaf, and the complete discussion belongs in the books of jurisprudence (furu‘).

The verb is in the jussive mood because it is the response to the command, and likewise is His saying, "and I will release you"—the tafsiir allows that the jussive is the response to a condition, and that "then come" is an interpolation between the condition and its response; an interpolated sentence may be connected by the fa, as in the saying: "And know—for the knowledge of a man benefits him—that everything that has been decreed shall surely come to pass." Humayd al-Kharrāz recited "I will provide for you" (umatti‘kunna) and "I will release you" (usarrihkunna) in the nominative as an initiation. Zayd ibn ‘Ali—may Allah be pleased with them both—recited "I will provide for you" (amatti‘kunna) with the light form of the verb (tafkheef). Tasreeh (release) is originally the act of letting go completely, then it was used as a euphemism for divorce—that is, "I will divorce you."

"With a beautiful release"—that is, a divorce that is very good, in that it is sunni (in accordance with the Sunnah) and contains no harm, unlike the bid‘i (innovated) divorce known to the jurists. In Majma‘ al-Bayan, "beautiful release" is interpreted as a divorce free from dispute and contention. While it would seem more logical for the tamtee‘ (providing) to be mentioned after the tasreeh (release), as the former is a result of the latter, it was placed before it to put them at ease and to cut off their excuses from the very beginning. This is similar to His saying, "May Allah forgive you; why did you grant them permission?" (9:43) in one aspect, and because it is more suitable to what preceded it regarding the worldly life. It is permissible that it is in its place based on the fact that desiring the world is equivalent to divorce, and the release is the act of removing them from the houses; it is as if it were said: "If you desire the world and you are divorced, then come—I will give you the mut‘ah and I will remove you from the houses in a beautiful manner, without contention or harm." Its remoteness is evident. The reason for the revelation of the verse, as is said, is that his wives—peace be upon him—asked him for ornamental clothing and an increase in maintenance.

Ahmad, Muslim, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Mardawayh reported via Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir, who said: Abu Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—arrived while people were sitting at the Prophet’s door, and the Prophet—peace be upon him—was sitting, and he (Abu Bakr) was not given permission. Then, permission was granted to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them—and they entered, while the Prophet—peace be upon him—was sitting with his wives around him, remaining silent. ‘Umar said: "I will say something to the Messenger of Allah—peace be upon him—so that he might laugh." He said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you had only seen the daughter of Zayd—meaning his wife—she asked me for maintenance just now, so I struck her neck." The Prophet—peace be upon him—laughed until his molars appeared and said: "They are around me, asking me for maintenance!" Abu Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—rose to ‘A’ishah to strike her, and ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—rose to Hafsah, both saying: "You ask the Messenger of Allah—peace be upon him—for what he does not have." The Messenger of Allah—peace be upon him—forbade them. His wives said: "By Allah, we will not ask the Messenger of Allah—peace be upon him—after this gathering for anything he does not have." Then Allah the Exalted revealed the verse of takhyir (choice). He began with ‘A’ishah and said: "I am going to mention a matter to you, and I would not like you to be hasty until you consult your parents." She said: "What is it?" He recited to her: "O Prophet, say to your wives..." the verse. ‘A’ishah said: "Shall I consult my parents regarding you? Rather, I choose Allah the Exalted and His Messenger—peace be upon him—and I ask you not to mention to any of your wives what I have chosen." The Prophet—peace be upon him—said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted did not send me to be difficult, but He sent me as a teacher and bringer of glad tidings. No woman among them will ask me about what you have told me but that I will inform her."

In a report narrated by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim from Qatadah and al-Hasan: When the verse of choice was revealed, there were nine wives under him—peace be upon him: five from Quraysh: ‘A’ishah, Hafsah, Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan, Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, and Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah. And under him were Safiyyah bint Huyayy al-Khaybariyyah, Maymunah bint al-Harith al-Hilaliyyah, Zaynab bint Jahsh al-Asadiyyah, and Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith from Banu al-Mustaliq. He began with ‘A’ishah, and when she chose Allah the Exalted and His Messenger—peace be upon him—and the abode of the Hereafter, joy was seen on the face of the Messenger of Allah—peace be upon him—and they all followed suit. When he gave them the choice and they chose Allah the Almighty and His Messenger—peace be upon him—and the abode of the Hereafter, Allah the Almighty thanked them for that, as He, the Glorified, said: "It is not lawful for you [to marry] women after this, nor to exchange them for other wives, even if their beauty pleases you" (33:52). Allah the Exalted restricted him to them, and they were the nine who chose Allah the Almighty and His Messenger—peace be upon him.

Ibn Sa‘d reported from ‘Amr ibn Sa‘id, from his father, from his grandfather, that he—peace be upon him—gave his wives the choice, and they all chose Allah the Exalted and His Messenger—peace be upon him, except for the ‘Amiriyyah, who chose her people. She would later say: "I am the wretched one," and she used to pick up dung and sell it. She would ask for permission to enter upon the wives of the Prophet—peace be upon him—and say: "I am the wretched one." He also reported from Ibn Janah, who said: They all chose him except the ‘Amiriyyah, who was mentally deficient until she died. In some reports from Ibn Jubayr, it is mentioned as "the Humayriyyah," meaning the ‘Amiriyyah. This choice took place, as narrated from ‘A’ishah and Abu Ja‘far, after he—peace be upon him—had forsaken them for a month, twenty-nine days. In al-Bahr, it is stated that when Allah the Exalted granted victory to His Prophet—peace be upon him—and turned back the Confederates (al-Ahzab), and opened for him (the conquest of) al-Nadir and Qurayzah, his wives—peace be upon him—thought that he had become possessed of the treasures and riches of the Jews. They sat around him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the daughters of Caesar and Chosroes have jewelry, robes, slaves, and servants, while we are in the poverty and hardship you see." They hurt his noble heart—peace be upon him—by demanding that he expand their circumstances and treat them as kings and the people of the world treat their wives. So Allah the Exalted commanded him to recite to them what had been revealed regarding them. How beautiful is the placement of these verses in this context, after the conclusion of the story of the Confederates and Banu Qurayzah, as is clear. It is understood from the Imam’s speech that it is related to the beginning of the surah; this is because noble character is confined to two things: veneration for the command of Allah the Exalted, and compassion for His creation. Thus, the Glorified began by guiding His beloved—peace be upon him—to what relates to the side of veneration for Him—the Exalted—and said: "O Prophet, fear Allah..." etc. Then He guided him—the Exalted—to what relates to the side of compassion, starting with the wives because they are the people most deserving of that.