Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:6

"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves..."

Meaning: he is more entitled to them and closer to them than their own selves, or more intense in his guardianship and support for them than their own selves are. Indeed, he—upon him be blessings and peace—does not command them, nor is he content for them, except with that which contains their welfare and success. This is contrary to the [human] self, for it is either prone to evil—and its state is manifest—or, even if it is not, it may remain ignorant of certain interests and hidden from it are some benefits. The priority (al-awlawiyyah) was left absolute so that the speech may convey his priority—upon him be blessings and peace—in all matters. It is understood from his—upon him be blessings and peace—being closer to them than their own selves that he is also closer to them than all other people.

Al-Bukhari and others have recorded from Abu Hurayrah, from him—upon him be blessings and peace—that he said: "There is no believer except that I am the closest of people to him in this world and the Hereafter. Read, if you wish, [the verse]: 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves.' So, whichever believer leaves behind wealth, let his asabah (male agnates) inherit it, whoever they may be. But if he leaves behind debt or helpless dependents, let them come to me, for I am their mawla (guardian)."

It is not necessary for the term "selves" (anfus) here to be like its usage in the words of the Almighty: "And do not kill your own selves," because the implication of the verse, which is claimed to be evident, is indeed evident. Since he—upon him be blessings and peace—is of this standing in relation to the believers, it is obligatory upon them that he be more beloved to them than their own selves, and his judgment—upon him be blessings and peace—regarding them is more binding than the judgment of their selves, and his right is more preferred among them than the rights of their selves, and their compassion for him is prior to their compassion for themselves.

The cause of the revelation of the verse, as it is said, is that he—upon him be blessings and peace—intended the expedition of Tabuk and commanded the people to go forth. Some of them said: "Let us ask permission from our fathers and mothers." Thereupon this was revealed. The manner of its indication regarding the cause is that if he—upon him be blessings and peace—is closer than their own selves, then he is closer than the parents a fortiori (by priority of logic). There is no need to carry the phrase "their own selves" to a meaning contrary to what is immediately understood, as we have pointed out earlier.

"...and his wives are their mothers."

Meaning: they are placed in the position of their mothers regarding the prohibition of marriage and the entitlement to veneration. As for anything else—such as looking at them, seclusion with them, inheriting from them, and the like—they are like foreign (non-related) women. Al-Qastalani inferred from this in Al-Mawahib that it is not said of their daughters that they are "sisters of the believers," according to the most correct opinion. Al-Tabarsi—who is Shi'a—stated that it is not said of their brothers that they are "maternal uncles of the believers." It is not hidden that this is a case of "secretly drinking but openly pretending to abstain" (yassiru hiswan bi-irtigha'—a proverb for hypocrisy). In Al-Mawahib, it is mentioned that there are two views regarding the permissibility of looking at them, the most famous of which is the prohibition. Because the point of resemblance is the totality of what was mentioned, 'A'ishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said to a woman who called her "O mother": "I am the mother of your men, not the mother of your women." This was recorded by Ibn Sa'd, Ibn al-Mundhir, and al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan. This does not negate the entitlement to veneration from the women as well.

Ibn Sa'd recorded from Umm Salamah—may Allah be pleased with her—that she said: "I am the mother of the men among you and the women." On this basis, what was mentioned is the point of resemblance with respect to men. As for women, the point is the entitlement to veneration. The apparent meaning is that the intention of "his wives" is everyone for whom it is said that she is a wife of his—upon him be blessings and peace—including the one he divorced and the one he did not divorce. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated this from Muqatil, thus the ruling is established for all of them. This is what Imam Al-Shafi'i stipulated and confirmed in Al-Rawdah.

It has been said: The ruling is not established for one from whom he—upon him be blessings and peace—separated during his lifetime, such as the Musta'idha (the one who sought refuge) and the one in whose flank he saw whiteness. The Imam of the Haramayn and Al-Rafi'i in Al-Saghir affirmed the prohibition only for one with whom marriage was consummated, based on the report that Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays married the Musta'idha in the time of 'Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—and 'Umar intended to stone him, but he was informed that the marriage had not been consummated, so he refrained. In one narration, he intended to stone her, and she said to him: "Why this, when no veil was dropped and no name was mentioned to the Muslims?" So he refrained from her.

It is mentioned in Al-Mawahib that there are two paths regarding the lawfulness of marriage for those among them who chose the worldly life [over the Prophet]: one is the application of the difference of opinion, and the second is the absolute certainty of lawfulness. The Imam and Al-Ghazali chose the latter. The opinion that the divorced [wife] does not retain this ruling is attributed to the Shi'a. I have seen in some of their books the denial of motherhood from 'A'ishah—may Allah be pleased with her. They said: Because the Prophet—upon him be blessings and peace—delegated to 'Ali—may Allah honor his face—to retain whomever he wished from his wives and divorce whomever he wished after his death, as an agent on his behalf—upon him be blessings and peace. And he—may Allah be pleased with him—divorced 'A'ishah on the Day of the Camel, so she departed from the status of [the Prophet's] wives and no longer held their ruling.

After I wrote this, it happened that I looked into a book authored by Sulayman ibn 'Abdullah al-Bahrani—may he receive from Allah what he deserves—[filled with] the defects of a group of the Companions—far be it from them—and I saw the following: Abu Mansur Ahmad ibn Abi Talib al-Tabarsi narrated in his book Al-Ihtijaj from Sa'd ibn 'Abdullah that he asked the Qa'im al-Muntadhar (the Expected One) while he was a child during the life of his father, saying: "O our master and son of our master, it is narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah—upon him be blessings and peace—placed the divorce of his wives in the hands of the Commander of the Faithful 'Ali—may Allah honor his face—to the extent that on the Day of the Camel, he sent a messenger to 'A'ishah saying: 'You have brought ruin to Islam and its people through the deceit you have committed, and you have led your children to the place of ruin through ignorance. If you desist, [well and good], otherwise I shall divorce you.' Inform us, O our master, about the meaning of the divorce whose judgment the Messenger of Allah—upon him be blessings and peace—delegated to the Commander of the Faithful." He said: "Allah—sanctified be His name—exalted the status of the wives of the Prophet—upon him be blessings and peace—and distinguished them with the honor of being mothers. He—upon him be blessings and peace—said: 'O Abu al-Hasan, this honor remains as long as we are in obedience to Allah. So whichever of them disobeys Allah after me by rebelling against you, divorce her from the wives and remove her from the honor of the Mothers of the Believers.'"

Then he said: Al-Tabarsi also narrated in Al-Ihtijaj from Al-Baqir that he said: "When it was the Day of the Camel and 'A'ishah's litter was struck with arrows, 'Ali—may Allah honor his face—said: 'By Allah, I see nothing for myself but to divorce her. So I beseech Allah, a man who heard the Messenger of Allah—upon him be blessings and peace—say: "O 'Ali, the command of my wives is in your hand after me," let him stand and testify.' So thirteen men stood and testified to that hadith."

I have seen in some reports, which I do not recall now, what is explicit regarding the occurrence of the divorce as stated by Al-Bahrani—may Allah deal with him according to His justice. This, by my life, is of the utmost foolishness, impudence, and audacity toward Allah and His Messenger—upon him be blessings and peace—and its falsehood is more apparent than to be hidden. The weakness of its phrasing shouts of its falsehood at the top of its voice, and I do not think it is an opinion acceptable to anyone among them who possesses even the slightest intellect. May Allah curse the one who fabricated it and likewise the one who believes in it.

Al-Firyabi, Al-Hakim, Ibn Marduyah, and Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan recorded from Ibn 'Abbas that he used to recite: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and he is a father to them, and his wives are their mothers." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from 'Ikrimah that he said: "In the first draft it was: 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and he is their father.'" And in the codex of Ubayy—may Allah be pleased with him—as narrated by 'Abd al-Razzaq, Ibn al-Mundhir, and others: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers, and he is a father to them." The attribution of "father" to him—upon him be blessings and peace—is because he is the cause of eternal life, just as a father is the cause of life as well. Indeed, he—upon him be blessings and peace—is more entitled to fatherhood than he. According to Mujahid, every prophet is a father to his nation; from here it is said regarding the word of Lut: "These are my daughters," that he intended the believing women, and the justification is what was mentioned. From this fatherhood, as it is said, arises the brotherhood of the believers.

It is learned from what is narrated from Mujahid that fatherhood is not among his—upon him be blessings and peace—specific attributes. This is not like the motherhood of his wives, for it—as in Al-Mawahib—is among his specificities. Therefore, the marriage of the wives of other prophets—upon them be peace—to others after them is not prohibited for anyone from their nations.

"And those of [blood] kinship are closer to each other..."

Meaning: those possessing family ties, including the asabah (agnates)—not those who correspond to them—are closer to one another in terms of benefit through inheritance or other financial benefits, or in terms of reciprocal inheritance. This is supported by the cause of revelation mentioned hereafter.

"...in the Book of Allah..."

Meaning: in what He wrote in the Preserved Tablet, or what He revealed. This is the Verse of Inheritance or this [current] verse, or what the Almighty wrote, ordained, and decreed.

"...than the believers and the emigrants."

This is a connector to "closer," and the object of the preposition "than" (min) is the object of comparison, and it is ibtida'iyyah (denoting starting point), like in your saying, "Zayd is better than 'Amr." Meaning: those of kinship, by right of kinship, are closer in every benefit—or in inheritance—than the believers by right of faith, and than the emigrants by right of emigration. Al-Zamakhshari said: It is permissible for it to be an explanation for "those of kinship," meaning: the relatives from among these are closer to inherit from one another than strangers. The first [interpretation] is the apparent one. In Medina, there was inheritance based on emigration and on affiliation in faith, then that was abrogated by the final verse of Al-Anfal or by this verse. It is said: by consensus. They intended to disclose the abrogation, otherwise it would not be a cancellation, as is not hidden. The nominative case of "some of them" (ba'duhum) allows for it to be an appositive (badal) or a subject (mubtada'). "In the Book" is related to "closer," and it is permissible for it to be a circumstantial qualifier (hal), and its operator is the meaning of "closer." It is not permissible, as Abu al-Baqa' said, for it to be a qualifier of the "waw" (in ba'duhum) due to the separation by the predicate and because there is no operator if so.

His words, "except that you do [to your allies] a kindness," is either a connected exception from the most general category in which priority is estimated—such as benefit—as if it were said: The relative is closer than the stranger among the believers and emigrants in every benefit, such as inheritance, charity, gifts, and the like, except in the case of a bequest, for it is what is intended by "kindness." Thus, the stranger is more entitled to it than the heir relative, for a bequest to an heir is not valid. Or it is a disconnected exception, based on the idea that what is meant by "priority" is inheritance. Thus, the exception is from a different category implied by the import of the speech. As if it were said: Do not bequeath to other than those of kinship, but do a kindness to your allies from the believers and emigrants—the strangers—which is that you bequeath to those of them you love something permissible. Thus, it becomes theirs by bequest, not by inheritance. It is permissible for "kindness" to be general for everything other than inheritance. What immediately comes to mind is that the exception is disconnected; Abu al-Baqa', Makki, and also Al-Tabarsi limited themselves to this, and they made the noun an ibtida' whose predicate is omitted, as we indicated.

The interpretation of "allies" (awliya') as those among the believers and emigrants is what the context requires. It is putting the noun in the place of the pronoun based on the fact that "from" (min) in the preceding refers to the starting point, not to clarification. Ibn Jarir and others recorded from Mujahid his interpretation [of awliya'] as those whom the Prophet—upon him be blessings and peace—established as allies from among the Emigrants and the Helpers. Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah that he said: This verse was revealed regarding the permissibility of a Muslim's bequest to a Jew or a Christian. They also recorded from Qatadah that he said: The allies are the relatives from among the polytheists, and the kindness is the bequest. In Al-Bahr, he narrated from a group, among them Al-Hasan and 'Ata', that the allies include the relative and the stranger, the believer and the disbeliever, and that kindness is more general than bequest. A group of jurists have permitted it for the disbelieving relative, as well as the stranger. The Imamiyyah (Shi'a) permit it for some of the disbelieving relatives—namely, the parents and the child, no others. The prohibition against taking disbelievers as allies does not necessitate the prohibition of showing them kindness and maintaining ties with them.

He used the preposition "to" (ila) with "do" (taf'alu) because it contains the meaning of delivering or conferring; as if it were said: "except that you perform a kindness conferred upon your allies."

"That was in the Book inscribed."

Meaning: in the Preserved Tablet or the Qur'an. It is said: in the Torah. "Inscribed" means established by writing. Qatadah stated that in some readings it was: "That was with Allah written, that the polytheist does not inherit from the believer." Do not be heedless.