Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:2-4

Al-Ahzab (The Confederates): Verses 2–4

[...Follow] what is revealed to you.

This affirms what we previously established: that He [Allah] is Wise, and therefore following Him is obligatory. Then the Almighty said:

{Indeed, Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.}

After stating that He is All-Knowing of what is in the hearts of His servants, He clarifies that He is also All-Aware and Acquainted with your deeds. Therefore, rectify your hearts and set your actions straight.

Then the Almighty said:

{And rely upon Allah; and sufficient is Allah as a Disposer of affairs (Wakīl).}

This means: Fear Allah, and even if you fear someone else, rely upon Allah, for He is sufficient as a Defender. Nothing can harm you if He is with you, and nothing can benefit you if He is against you.

Then the Almighty said:

{Allah has not made for any man two hearts within his chest.}

Some commentators mentioned that this verse was revealed concerning Abu Ma'mar, who used to say, "I have two hearts; I know and understand more with one of them than Muhammad understands." Allah refuted him by saying: {Allah has not made for any man two hearts within his chest.}

Al-Zamakhshari suggested that His saying, {And Allah has not made your wives whom you pronounce ẓihār upon as your mothers,} means that just as Allah has not made two hearts for a man, He has not made two mothers for a man, nor two fathers for a son. Both interpretations are weak.

Rather, the correct view is that when Allah commanded the Prophet (peace be upon him) to fear Allah by saying, {O Prophet, fear Allah,} this was a command for a level of piety that no other piety can surpass. Whoever fears something intensely does not allow anything else to enter his heart. Do you not see that one who is severely fearful forgets his other concerns in that moment of fear?

It is as if Allah Almighty said: O Prophet, fear Allah with the true fear He deserves. Part of that true fear is that no fear other than the fear of Allah should enter your heart. A person does not have two hearts—one to fear Allah with, and another to fear something else. If he fears another, this can only happen by diverting his heart away from Allah toward something else, which is not fitting for the pious person who claims to fear Allah with true piety.

Then, He mentioned to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he should not fear anyone, nor should he fear anything like the situation concerning Zaynab, the wife of Zayd, where Allah Almighty said: {And you feared the people, while Allah had more right that you should fear Him} (Al-Ahzab: 37). Meaning, such fear should not enter your heart.

After mentioning the Prophet (peace be upon him) in that state, He mentioned what repels evil from him. He said:

{Nor has He made your adopted sons your sons.}

Meaning, Allah has not made the adopted son the true son of the adopter. Then He followed this with a strong proof that refutes the falsehood:

{That is but a saying of your mouths.}

This refers to the saying regarding the adopted son being a son. Then He followed this with what proves the invalidity of the claim:

{And Allah has not made those wives whom you pronounce ẓihār upon as your mothers.}

Meaning, when you say to your wives, "You are to me like the back of my mother," she does not become his mother by universal consensus. In Islam, it is ẓihār, which does not prohibit intercourse. In the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era), it was a form of divorce, allowing the husband to remarry her later.

If saying to one's wife, "You are my mother" or "like the back of my mother," does not establish her as a mother, then saying to an adopted child, "You are my son," does not establish him as a son. Consequently, the wife of the adopted son does not become the wife of the true son. Therefore, no one should have anything to say about this matter.

So, what reason did you have for fearing the people? Even if it were something to be feared, would it be permissible to fear anyone other than Allah when your heart is preoccupied with the fear of Allah? You do not have two hearts, and your heart is occupied with the fear of Allah, so you should not have feared anyone.

Then the Almighty said:

{That is but a saying of your mouths.}

There is a subtle point here: Valid speech is of two types.

1. Speech that refers to something that already exists (i.e., stating a fact).
2. Speech that is uttered and then becomes reality as spoken.

The first type is the speech of the truthful, who say what already is. The second type is the speech of the sincere (the Ṣiddīqūn), whom Allah makes their words true when they speak. Both types originate from the heart.

Speech that comes only from the mouth is like the braying of a donkey or the barking of a dog, because valid speech is that upon which reliance can be placed, and that which lacks origin in the heart and deliberation cannot be relied upon. Allah honored the son of Adam and favored him over all other animals, so he should guard against adopting their characteristics.

Saying, "This is the son of so-and-so," when he is not his son, is not true speech, because true speech resides in the heart, while this is only in the mouth.

The subtle point is that Allah Almighty here said: {That is but a saying of your mouths.} He also said concerning the Christians: {That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before.} (At-Tawbah: 30). Meaning, attributing a person to a father other than his real one is speech without reality; it does not emerge from the heart, nor does it enter the heart. It is merely speech from the mouth, like the sounds of beasts.

Then the Almighty said:

{And Allah speaks the truth.}

This points to a subtle meaning: A rational person's speech should either be based on intellect or on Divine Law (Sharīʿah). If someone says, "So-and-so is the son of so-and-so," it should be based on reality, or based on Sharīʿah—meaning he is his son legally, even if the reality is unknown, such as when a wife gives birth six months after marrying a new husband, and she was previously married to another man; we attribute the child to the second husband due to the established marital relationship, saying he is his son.

However, in the case of the adopted son, the reality does not exist, nor has the Sharīʿah established it, because Allah only speaks the truth, and this [adoption claim] contradicts the truth, as his real father is well-known and apparent.

Another aspect is that they claimed, "This is the wife of the son, so she is forbidden [to you]." Allah Almighty said, "She is lawful for you." Their saying has no weight because it is merely {but a saying of your mouths}—like the sounds of beasts. The saying of Allah is the truth, and it must be followed.

And His saying: {And He guides to the [straight] way} reinforces His saying: {And Allah speaks the truth}—meaning, it must be followed because it is true and because it is a guide.

The Almighty’s saying: {That is but a saying of your mouths, and Allah speaks the truth} contains a subtle point: Speech that is only from the mouth resembles the sound of beasts, which exists without the heart. Furthermore, speech that comes from the heart may be true or false. If someone says something based on a belief, it might conform to reality and thus be true, or it might not conform and thus be false.

So, the speech that comes from the heart—which is the considered speech among you—can be true or false because it follows existence/perception. But the saying of Allah is truth because existence/reality follows it; He either speaks of what has already occurred or speaks, and it comes into being. Therefore, the saying of Allah is better than your sayings that originate from your hearts. How then can it be compared to your sayings that are merely from your mouths? Thus, it is not permissible for you to take your false, empty sayings and abandon the true saying of Allah. Whoever says that the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab was not good has abandoned the true saying of Allah and followed a saying that merely came out of the mouth.

Then the Almighty said:

{And He guides to the [straight] way}

This indicates that following what Allah revealed is better than accepting the sayings of others.

{Call them by [the names of] their fathers; that is more just with Allah. But if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in religion and your mawālī [allies/clients]. And there is no blame upon you for what you have erred therein, but [blame is for] what you intended of your hearts. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.}