O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allāh has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
And [remember] when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a statement; and when she informed [another] of it and Allāh showed it to him, he made known part of it and ignored a part. And when he informed her about it, she said, "Who told you this?" He said, "I was informed by the Knowing, the Aware."
If you two [wives] repent to Allāh, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him - then indeed Allāh is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.
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ʿasā rabbuhu in ṭallaqakunna an yub'dilahu azwājan khayran minkunna mus'limātin mu'minātin qānitātin tāibātin ʿābidātin sāiḥātin thayyibātin wa-abkāran
Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you - submitting [to Allāh], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping, and traveling - [ones] previously married and virgins.
O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allāh in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."
Allāh presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so they [i.e., those prophets] did not avail them from Allāh at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter."
And Allāh presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people."
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wamaryama ib'nata ʿim'rāna allatī aḥṣanat farjahā fanafakhnā fīhi min rūḥinā waṣaddaqat bikalimāti rabbihā wakutubihi wakānat mina l-qānitīna
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allāh has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
This surah opens with something remarkably personal — God gently correcting the Prophet Muhammad himself. The Prophet had made something lawful forbidden upon himself to please his wives. Most scholars say this involved either honey or an intimate relationship with Maria the Copt, his concubine. What's striking is that the Quran preserves this moment of human vulnerability — even the best man who ever lived sometimes made choices out of a desire to keep peace at home rather than following what was actually right. And God's response isn't harsh — He's described as Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. It's a reminder that trying to please people at the expense of what God has permitted isn't the right approach, no matter how good your intentions are.
Allāh has already ordained for you [Muslims] the dissolution of your oaths.1 And Allāh is your protector, and He is the Knowing, the Wise.
God provides a practical solution — He's ordained a way to dissolve oaths that were made hastily or under pressure. This is the concept of kaffarat al-yameen, the expiation for breaking an oath, which involves feeding the poor, clothing them, or fasting. It's incredibly practical — Islam recognizes that people sometimes make promises in the heat of the moment that they shouldn't keep, and rather than trapping you in a bad oath, it gives you a dignified exit with a charitable act attached. God is described as the Protector, the All-Knower, the All-Wise — He knows you made that oath under emotional pressure, and He's wise enough to provide a solution rather than a punishment.
And [remember] when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a statement; and when she informed [another] of it and Allāh showed it to him, he made known part of it and ignored a part. And when he informed her about it, she said, "Who told you this?" He said, "I was informed by the Knowing, the Aware."
Now the backstory unfolds — the Prophet confided something private to one of his wives, and she went and told another wife about it. When God revealed to the Prophet what had happened, he confronted her about part of it but graciously let the rest go. That's remarkable restraint — he didn't lay out every detail or try to humiliate her. When she asked who told him, he simply said the All-Knower, the All-Aware informed him. This whole episode is deeply human — secrets shared between spouses, trust broken, the awkward confrontation that follows. The Quran doesn't shy away from these domestic realities, even in the Prophet's household. It normalizes the fact that marriages, even blessed ones, have their tensions.
If you two [wives] repent to Allāh, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him - then indeed Allāh is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.
This is God addressing the two wives directly — traditionally identified as Aisha and Hafsa — and the tone is serious. If they turn to God in repentance, acknowledging that their hearts had deviated, that's the path forward. But if they continue to team up against the Prophet, they should know he's not without support — God Himself is his protector, along with Jibreel, the righteous believers, and all the angels. That's an extraordinary lineup of allies. The message to any spouse who might conspire against their partner is clear — you might think you have the upper hand in a domestic dispute, but if your partner is on the side of truth, the entire universe is backing them up. It's both a warning and a reassurance about divine justice in relationships.
Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you - submitting [to Allāh], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping, and traveling1 - [ones] previously married and virgins.
God raises the stakes even further — if the Prophet were to divorce these wives, God could replace them with women who are better in every spiritual quality: submissive to God, faithful, obedient, repentant, devout in worship, committed to fasting — both previously married women and virgins. This isn't meant to be cruel — it's a reality check. No one is irreplaceable in a marriage simply because they hold the title of spouse. Your value in a relationship comes from your character, your devotion, and how you treat your partner. This verse has been a wake-up call for fourteen centuries — complacency in marriage, especially spiritual complacency, is a real danger. The Prophet's wives were the best women of their time, and even they received this admonition.
O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allāh in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
One of the most powerful verses about family responsibility in the entire Quran — protect yourselves and your families from a Fire fueled by people and stones, guarded by fierce angels who never disobey God. This shifts from the personal drama of the Prophet's household to a universal command for every believer. Your job isn't just to save yourself — you're responsible for your family's spiritual wellbeing too. That means teaching, guiding, being a good example, and sometimes having hard conversations about faith and values. The description of the hellfire angels as "stern and severe" who execute God's commands without hesitation is meant to shake you out of spiritual laziness. This is parenting advice, marriage advice, and community advice all wrapped into one devastating verse.
O you who have disbelieved, make no excuses that Day. You will only be recompensed for what you used to do.
On the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will be told not to bother making excuses. No explaining away, no rationalizing, no "but I didn't know" — you're simply being repaid for what you used to do. The finality of this statement is chilling. In this life, we're masters of excuse-making — we justify, deflect, blame circumstances, blame others. But there comes a moment when all of that is stripped away and you stand naked before the truth of your own choices. This verse serves as motivation to get your act together now, while excuses can still be replaced by genuine change and repentance.
O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps1 your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."
After the warning comes the invitation — turn to God with sincere, genuine repentance. Not the half-hearted kind where you feel bad for five minutes, but tawbatan nasooha — repentance so thorough and sincere that you fundamentally change direction. The reward? God will remove your evil deeds and admit you into Gardens with flowing rivers on a Day when He won't disgrace the Prophet or the believers. The imagery of light running before them and on their right side is beautiful — in the darkness of the Day of Judgment, the believers will have their own light guiding them forward. And even then, they'll pray for more light and more forgiveness, because the truly faithful never feel they've done enough. That humility in the face of divine mercy is what real faith looks like.
O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.
The Prophet is commanded to strive against both the disbelievers and the hypocrites and to be firm with them. The hypocrites are mentioned alongside outright disbelievers because in many ways they're more dangerous — they look like they're on your team but they're working against you from the inside. The striving against disbelievers may involve physical defense when necessary, while the struggle against hypocrites is primarily through preaching, argumentation, and social pressure. Being "stern" doesn't mean being unjust — it means not being naive or soft when dealing with people who actively undermine the community of faith. Their destination is Hell, described simply as a "wretched destination," because sometimes the plainest language hits hardest.
Allāh presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them,1 so they [i.e., those prophets] did not avail them from Allāh at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter."
Now God presents two powerful examples of women, and the first set is a warning. The wives of Nuh and Lut were married to two of God's most righteous servants — literal prophets — and it didn't save them. They betrayed their husbands, not necessarily through infidelity but through disloyalty to their mission, undermining their message, and siding with the disbelievers. Being married to a prophet couldn't help them one bit before God, and they were told to enter the Fire alongside everyone else. The lesson is unmistakable — your salvation is your own responsibility. You can't ride into paradise on someone else's righteousness. No family connection, no matter how exalted, substitutes for personal faith and integrity.
And Allāh presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people."
The counterexample is stunning — Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh, one of the most tyrannical figures in human history. She was surrounded by oppression, luxury built on cruelty, and absolute godlessness, yet she believed. Her prayer is one of the most moving in the Quran: "My Lord, build for me a house near You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the wrongdoing people." She asked for nearness to God before she asked for escape from Pharaoh — her priorities were heavenly even in the depths of earthly suffering. If the wives of prophets can end up in Hell and the wife of a tyrant can earn Paradise, then the message is crystal clear — it's about your own heart, your own choices, your own relationship with God. No environment determines your destiny.
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
The surah closes with Maryam, the daughter of Imran — the Virgin Mary — who guarded her chastity and was chosen for one of the greatest miracles in history. God breathed His spirit into her, and she bore Prophet Isa without a father, accepting a role that would bring her immense social scrutiny and hardship. She believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and she was among the devoutly obedient. What's beautiful about ending with Maryam is that she represents the ultimate trust in God — accepting something that defied all human logic because she knew it came from Him. Between Asiya and Maryam, God is showing that women of extraordinary faith can emerge from any circumstance — from the palace of a tyrant or from a life of quiet devotion. These are the role models the Quran holds up, and their standard applies to every believer, male or female.