Al-Ahzab: (35) "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women..."
"Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women" — meaning those who have entered into submission, who are compliant with the decree of Allah the Exalted, or those who have entrusted their affairs to Allah the Almighty, both male and female.
"And the believing men and the believing women" — those who affirm what must be affirmed [of faith] from both groups.
"And the obedient men and the obedient women" — those who are persistent in acts of obedience, upholding them.
"And the truthful men and the truthful women" — [truthful] in their speech, which is where truthfulness is required. It is also said: [truthful] in both speech and action. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn Jubayr that he said: meaning, in their faith.
"And the patient men and the patient women" — [patient] in enduring hardships, performing acts of worship, and refraining from sins.
"And the humble men and the humble women" — those who are modest before Allah the Exalted with their hearts and their limbs. It is said: Those who are unaware of what is to their right or left when they are in prayer.
"And the charitable men and the charitable women" — with that which is proper to give in charity, whether obligatory or otherwise.
"And the fasting men and the fasting women" — the prescribed fast, whether obligatory or voluntary. 'Ikrimah said it is limited to the fasting of Ramadan. It is said: Whoever gives a dirham in charity every week is among the charitable, and whoever fasts the white days [the 13th, 14th, and 15th] of every month is among the fasting.
"And the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard [theirs]" — from that which Allah the Exalted is not pleased with.
"And the men who remember Allah often and the women who remember [Him]" — with their tongues and their hearts. The standard for "frequency" is determined by custom among the community. Abd al-Razzaq, Sa'id ibn Mansur, 'Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Mujahid, who said: A man is not recorded among those who remember Allah often until he remembers Allah the Exalted while standing, sitting, and lying down. Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and others recorded from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "If a man wakes his wife at night and they pray two rak'ahs, they are recorded that night among the men who remember Allah often and the women who remember [Him]." It is also said: The intended meaning of the remembrance of Allah is the remembrance of His bounties and graces; this was narrated from 'Ikrimah, and the outcome of this leads to thankfulness, which is contrary to the apparent meaning.
"Allah has prepared for them" — on account of their earning of the aforementioned qualities — "forgiveness" — for the minor sins they have committed, as they are expiated by righteous deeds, as has been reported — "and a great reward" — for the acts of obedience they have performed.
The verse is a promise to the pure wives [of the Prophet] and others who possess these qualities. Ahmad, al-Nasa'i, and others recorded from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), "Why are we not mentioned in the Quran as the men are?" She said: He did not alarm me with anything regarding that until one day he called out from the pulpit, saying: "Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women..." to the end of the verse. The pronoun in "why are we not mentioned" refers to women in general. In another narration reported by al-Nasa'i and a group from her, she said: I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), "Why do I hear men mentioned in the Quran and women are not?" Then Allah the Exalted revealed: "Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women..." [the verse].
In some traditions, there is evidence that the speaker was someone else. Al-Tirmidhi (who classified it as hasan), al-Tabarani, 'Abd ibn Humayd, and others recorded from Umm 'Umarah al-Ansariyyah that she came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "I do not see that anything is for anyone but men, and I do not see women being mentioned for anything." Then this verse was revealed: "Indeed, the Muslim men..." etc. Ibn Jarir recorded from Qatadah, who said: Women entered upon the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Allah has mentioned you in the Quran, but He does not mention us for anything. Is there not in us that which is worth mentioning?" Then Allah the Exalted revealed: "Indeed, the Muslim men..." the verse. In another narration from him, he said: When the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were mentioned, the women said, "If there were any good in us, we would have been mentioned." Then Allah the Exalted revealed the verse. There is no contradiction in all of these occurring.
Attaching the females to the males, such as "Muslim women" to "Muslim men" and "believing women" to "believing men," is necessary because the distinctness of entities that share in a ruling necessitates conjunction unless the intent is a mere listing. The conjunction of the pairs—meaning the sum of every male and female—is not [grammatically] necessary; rather, it was employed here to indicate that the basis for the preparation of what has been prepared for them is their combining of these beautiful attributes.
The private parts were mentioned as the object of guarding because they are the vessel of the dominant desire. The Majestic Name [Allah] was mentioned as the object of remembrance because it is the Greatest Name, indicative of all majestic attributes. The object for "those who guard" and "those who remember" was omitted because what preceded them indicates it. Remembrance was placed as the last of the attributes because of its generality and nobility: "And the remembrance of Allah is greater." The masculine pronoun in "Allah has prepared for them" is used to give precedence to the male over the female; otherwise, the apparent meaning would be "for them [the men] and for them [the women]." How excellent is the Revelation; it indicated at the beginning of the verse and at its end the superiority of men over women.
