Tafsir of At-Tahreem 66:3

(And when the Prophet confided) meaning: remember when the Prophet confided (a matter to one of his wives) who was Hafsa, according to the majority of exegeters. Some Shi'a claimed it was 'Aisha, but there is no authority for that among them. Indeed, Ibn Marduyah narrated it from Ibn 'Abbas, but it is anomalous.

** (A matter) ** is his saying, upon him be peace and prayer, as it appears in some narrations: "I have been drinking honey at the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I shall not return to it, and I have sworn an oath; do not inform anyone of this."

(But when she disclosed it) i.e., informed [another of it]. Talha recited it as anba'at (she made known). (Thereof) meaning of the matter, to 'Aisha, because they were close friends, and the matter contained the disparagement of the portion of their co-wife, Zaynab, from her beloved, the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. For he, upon him be peace and prayer—as reported in al-Bukhari and others—used to remain with her to drink that [honey], and he had made it a habit, as is implied by the word kana (he used to). Thus, joy made her act light-heartedly, and she disclosed it.

(And Allah made it known to him) meaning: Allah, the Exalted, caused the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, to appear over the matter and become aware of it, from His saying: "To make it prevail over all religions." The speech here—as has been said—is metaphorical or based on the omission of a genitive, meaning: He made it known to him by [the Prophet] disclosing it. It is also permissible that the pronoun refers to the source (the disclosure), which involves a separation of pronouns. Or [it means] Allah, the Exalted, made the matter appear to the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him; it is similar to "this matter appeared to me" (zahara li) and "I overcame" (zahartu 'ala) when there is additional effort and concern regarding the appearance. So do not be heedless.

(He made known) i.e., the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, made known to Hafsa a part of it, meaning the matter—i.e., he informed her and told her of part of the matter she had disclosed. The intent is that he, upon him be peace and prayer, said to her: "You said such-and-such," regarding some of what she had kept secret from him. It is said: this is his saying to her: "I drank honey at the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh and I will not return to it."

(And turned away from part [of it]) This is, as has been said, his saying: "And I have sworn an oath," so he did not inform her of it, out of nobility, because it contained [the cause for] her increased embarrassment, as it indicates his—upon him be peace and prayer—increased concern for the contentment of his wives, and he does not like for that to be publicized. This is from his nobility, upon him be peace and prayer.

Ibn Marduyah narrated from 'Ali—may the face of Allah honor him—that no noble person ever exhausted [one in] censure. Sufyan said: "Overlooking [faults] has always been the action of the noble." The poet said: "The fool is not the master of his people, but the master of his people is the one who feigns foolishness."

It is permissible that ‘arrafa (he made known) bears the meaning of jaza (he recompensed), meaning: he recompensed her for part of it with reproach and blame, or by divorcing her—upon him be peace and prayer—and overlooked part of it. This is supported by the recitation of al-Sulami, al-Hasan, Qatada, Talha, and al-Kisa’i, and in one narration from Abu ‘Amr by Harun, as ‘arafa (with a light ra). For under this reading, it cannot bear the meaning of "knowledge," because knowledge pertains to the whole, evidenced by the saying of the Exalted: "Allah made it known to him" [in its entirety]. Furthermore, turning away from the rest indicates [prior] knowledge, so it is determined that it bears the meaning of recompense.

Al-Azhari said in al-Tahdhib: Whoever read ‘arafa (light) intended the meaning of anger and recompensing for it, as you would say to a man who does wrong to you: "By Allah, I will surely make you acknowledge/recompense that for me." Al-Farra’ approved of this. As for the statement of al-Qamus that it is the meaning of "acknowledgment" (iqrar), it has no basis here. To make the intensive form follow the principle of naming the cause by the effect, and the light form the reverse, is possible. It is also possible that the relationship between recompense and making-known is that of necessity. The first meaning is supported by His saying the Exalted: (Then when he informed her of it, she said) to know if 'Aisha had exposed her or not: ("Who told you this?" He said, "The All-Knowing, the Acquainted—the One from Whom no hidden thing is concealed. For this is more fitting for informing. This [interpretation] is according to what is in al-Bahr, upon the meaning of "by this." Ibn al-Musayyib and 'Ikrama recited ‘arrafa ba'dahu with an alif after the ra, which is an elongation, and Ibn Khalawayh said it is a Yemeni dialect.

Ibn Marduyah narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, and Ibn Abi Hatim from Mujahid, that the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, confided to Hafsa the prohibition of Mariyah, and that Abu Bakr and 'Umar would succeed him in authority over the people after him. She then confided that to 'Aisha. So he made known a part of it, which was the affair of Mariyah, and turned away from a part, which was that Abu Bakr and 'Umar would succeed him, for fear that it would spread. It is said [the reverse].

The secrecy of the matter of the Caliphate has come in several reports. Ibn 'Adi, Abu Nu'aym in Fada'il al-Siddiq, and Ibn Marduyah narrated through several paths from 'Ali—may the face of Allah honor him—and Ibn 'Abbas, that they both said: "The authority of Abu Bakr and 'Umar is in the Book of Allah: 'And when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a matter,' he said to Hafsa: 'Your father and the father of 'Aisha will govern the people after me, so beware of telling anyone.'"

Abu Nu'aym narrated in Fada'il al-Sahaba from al-Dahhak that he said: In the verse, he, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, confided to Hafsa that the Caliph after him is Abu Bakr, and after Abu Bakr, 'Umar. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated a similar [account] from Maymun ibn Mahran. In Majma' al-Bayan by al-Tabarsi, on behalf of the Shi'a, from al-Zajjaj: "When he, upon him be peace and prayer, prohibited Mariyah the Copt, he informed her that Abu Bakr and 'Umar would rule after him. So he made known to her a part of what she had disclosed of the news, and turned away from a part: that Abu Bakr and 'Umar would rule after me." Similar to this is what al-'Ayyashi narrated with his chain of transmission from 'Abdullah ibn 'Ata' al-Makki from Abu Ja'far al-Baqir, may the Exalted be pleased with him, except that he added that each of them told her father about it, so he reproached her regarding the affair of Mariyah and what they had disclosed of it, and turned away from reproaching them regarding the other matter.

If the Shi'a accept the authenticity of this, they must acknowledge the legitimacy of the Caliphate of the two Sheikhs due to its appearance therein, as is not hidden. Furthermore, interpreting the verse according to these reports is more manifest than interpreting it according to the hadith of the honey, although the hadith of the [honey] is more authentic. Reconciling between the reports is something that can hardly be achieved.

The utmost that can be said: It is possible that the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, drank honey at the house of Zaynab as was his custom, and came to Hafsa and she said to him what she said, so he prohibited the honey. It happened to him, upon him be peace and prayer, shortly before or after that, that he had intercourse with his concubine, Mariyah, in her house on her day on her bedding, and it was discovered, so he, upon him be peace and prayer, prohibited Mariyah and said to Hafsa what he said to soothe her heart, and asked her to keep it secret, but what happened, happened. The verse was revealed after the two incidents, so some narrators limited [the report] to one of them, and others to reporting the other, and each said: "Allah revealed: 'O Prophet,' etc." This is truthful speech, for there is no claim of exclusive restriction of the cause of revelation to what they reported. If this is correct, the matter of contradiction is eased, otherwise, seek another [explanation] for yourself. Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

The verse is used as evidence that there is no harm in confiding some matters to those one relies upon, whether a wife or a friend, and that it is incumbent upon them to keep it secret. In it, as has been said, is evidence that it is better to maintain good relations with wives, to be gentle in reproach, and to overlook the exhaustion of [finding every] fault. It has been narrated that 'Abdullah ibn Rawaha, who was one of the Nuqaba (leaders), had a slave girl, and his wife suspected him one night. He spoke using allusion, and she said: "If you did not approach her, then recite the Quran." He recited poetry... [then] she said: "Read more," and he continued... she said: "Since you have recited the Quran, I believe you." In one narration, she had seen him doing what she disliked, and she said: "Now Allah has spoken the truth, and my eyes have lied." The Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, was informed, and he smiled and said: "The best of you is the best of you to his wives."