Surah 66. At-Tahrim

O PROPHET! Why dost thou, out of a desire to please [one or another of] thy wives, impose [on thyself] a prohibition of something that God has made lawful to thee?¹ But God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace:

  - Mohammad Asad

There are several essentially conflicting - and, therefore, in their aggregate, not very trustworthy - reports as to the exact reason or reasons why, at some time during the second half of the Medina period, the Prophet declared on oath that for one month he would have no intercourse with any of his wives. Still, while the exact reason cannot be established with certainty, it is sufficiently clear from the above-mentioned ahadith that this emotional, temporary renunciation of marital life was caused by a display of mutual jealousy among some of the Prophet's wives. In any case, the purport of the above Qur'anic allusion to this incident is not biographical but, rather, intended to bring out a moral lesson applicable to all human situations: namely, the inadmissibility of regarding as forbidden (haram) anything that God has made lawful (halal), even if such an attitude happens to be motivated by the desire to please another person or other persons. Apart from this, it serves to illustrate the fact - repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an - that the Prophet was but a human being, and therefore subject to human emotions and even liable to commit an occasional mistake (which in his case, however, was invariably pointed out to him, and thus rectified, through divine revelation).

O Prophet! Why do you make something unlawful, which Allah has made lawful to you in seeking to please your wives? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Prophet! Why do you prohibit 'yourself' from what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O Prophet! why holdest thou to be forbidden that which Allah has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. ^{5529 5530}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Prophet's household was not like other households. The Consorts of Purity were expected to hold a higher standard in behaviour and reticence than ordinary women, as they had higher work to perform. See n. 3706 to xxxiii. 28. But they were human beings after all, and were subject to the weaknesses of their sex, and they sometimes failed. The commentators usually cite the following incident in connection with the revelation of these verses. It is narrated from 'Aisha, the wife of the holy Prophet (peace be on him) by Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai. Abu Dawud and others that the holy Prophet usually visited all his wives daily after 'Asr Prayer. Once it so happened that he stayed longer than usual at the quarters of Zainab bint Jahsh, for she had received from somewhere some honey which the holy Prophet liked very much. "At this", says 'Aisha, "I felt jealous, and Hafsa, Sawda, Safiya, and I agreed among ourselves that when he visits us each of us would tell him that a peculiar odour came from his mouth as a result of what he had eaten, for we knew that he was particularly sensitive to offensive smells". So when his wives hinted at it, he vowed that he would never again use honey. Thereupon these verses were revealed reminding him that he should not declare to himself unlawful that which Allah had made lawful to him. The important point to bear in mind is that he was at once rectified by revelation, which reinforces the fact that the prophets are always under divine protection, and even the slightest lapse on their part is never left uncorrected.

The tender words of admonition addressed to the Consorts in xxxiii. 28-34 explain the situation far better than any comments can express. If the holy Prophet had been a mere husband in the ordinary sense of the term, he could not have held the balance even between his private feelings and his public duties. But he was not an ordinary husband, and he abandoned his renunciation on his realisation of the higher duties with which he was charged, and which required conciliation with firmness.

God has already enjoined upon you [O believers] the breaking and expiation of [such of] your oaths [as may run counter to what is right and just]:² for, God is your Lord Supreme, and He alone is all-knowing, truly wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

See 2:224 and the corresponding note [212], which shows that in certain circumstances an oath should be broken and then atoned for: hence the above phrase, "God has enjoined upon you the breaking and expiation" (with the term tahillah comprising both these concepts).

Allah has already given you absolution from such oaths. Allah is your Master and He is the Knowledgeable, the Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah has already ordained for you 'believers' the way to absolve yourselves from your oaths.¹ For Allah is your Guardian. And He is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 See 5:89.

Allah hath made lawful for you (Muslims) absolution from your oaths (of such a kind), and Allah is your Protector. He is the Knower, the Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Allah has already ordained for you (O men) the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases): and Allah is your Protector and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom. ⁵⁵³¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ii. 224. If your vows prevent you from doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons, you should expiate the vow, but not refrain from your good deed.

And lo!³ [It so happened that] the Prophet told something in confidence to one of his wives; and when she thereupon divulged it, and God made this known to him, he acquainted [others] with some of it and passed over some of it.⁴ And as soon as he let her know it, she asked, "Who has told thee this?"⁵ - [to which] he replied, "The All-Knowing, the All-Aware has told me."

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {2}, note [21].

Lit., "he turned aside from [or "avoided"] some of it". There is no reliable Tradition as to the subject of that confidential information. Some of the early commentators, however, connect it with the Prophet's veiled prediction that Abu Bakr and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab would succeed him as leaders of the Muslim community; the recipient of the information is said to have been Hafsah, the daughter of 'Umar, and the one to whom she disclosed it, 'A'ishah, the daughter of Abu Bakr (Baghawi, on the authority of Ibn'Abbas and Al-Kalbi; also Zamakhshari). If this interpretation is correct, it would explain why the Prophet "acquainted [others] with some of it and passed over some of it": for, once his confidential prediction had been divulged, he saw no point in withholding it any longer from the community; nevertheless, he alluded to it in deliberately vague terms - possibly in order not to give to the succession of Abu Bakr and 'Umar the appearance of an "apostolic sanction" but to leave it, rather, to a free decision of the community in pursuance of the Qur'anic principle amruhum shura baynahum (see 42:38 ).

I.e., that she had broken the Prophet's confidence.

When the Prophet confined a secret to one of his wives, she disclosed this secret to another and Allah informed him about it, the Prophet made known to the said wife a part of it and avoided mentioning the rest. So when he told her about this disclosure, she asked: "Who told you this?" He replied: "I was informed by Him Who is All-Knowing, All-Aware."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when the Prophet had 'once' confided something to one of his wives, then when she disclosed it 'to another wife' and Allah made it known to him, he presented 'to her' part of what was disclosed and overlooked a part. So when he informed her of it, she exclaimed, 'Who told you this?' He replied, 'I was informed by the All-Knowing, All-Aware.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

When the Prophet confided a fact unto one of his wives and when she afterward divulged it and Allah apprised him thereof, he made known (to her) part thereof and passed over part. And when he told it her she said: Who hath told thee? He said: The Knower, the Aware hath told me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts and she then divulged it (to another) and Allah made it known to him he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part. Then when he told her thereof she said "Who told thee this?" He said "He told me who knows and is well-acquainted (with all things)." ^{5532 5533}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Who these two consorts were, and what was the matter in confidence which was disclosed, we are not expressly told, but the facts mentioned in n. 5529 above will help us to understand this passage. The sacred words imply that the matter was of great importance as to the principle involved, but that the details were not of sufficient importance for permanent record. For the lessons to be drawn, see the notes following.

The moral we have to draw is manifold. (1) If anything is told us in confidence, especially by one at the head of affairs, we must not divulge it to our closest friend. (2) If such divulgence is made in the most secret whispers, Allah's Plan is such that it will come to light and expose those guilty of breach of confidence. (3) The breach of confidence must inevitably redound to the shame of the guilty party.

[Say, O Prophet:⁶] "Would that you two turn unto God in repentance, for the hearts of both of you have swerved [from what is right]!⁷ And if you uphold each other against him [who is God's message-bearer, know that] God Himself is his Protector, and [that,] therefore,⁸ Gabriel, and all the righteous among the believers, and all the [other] angels will come to his aid."

  - Mohammad Asad

Although in the sequence the Prophet is referred to in the third person, it is obvious that it is he who is commanded through revelation to speak thus to his wives Hafsah and 'A'ishah (see note [4]); hence my above interpolation.

Referring to Hafsah, who betrayed the Prophet's confidence, and to 'A'ishah, who by listening contributed to this betrayal (see note [4] above).

Lit., "after that", i.e., in consequence of the fact that God Himself protects him.

If you both (Hafsah and Aeysha) turn in repentance to Allah - for your hearts have sinned - you shall be pardoned; and if you back up each other against him (the Prophet), then you should know that his protectors are Allah, Gabriel and all righteous believers, furthermore the angels too are his supporters.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'It will be better' if you 'wives' both turn to Allah in repentance, for your hearts have certainly faltered. But if you 'continue to' collaborate against him, then 'know that' Allah Himself is his Guardian. And Gabriel, the righteous believers, and the angels are 'all' his supporters as well.

  - Mustafa Khattab

If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban); and if ye aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even He, is his protecting Friend, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore the angels are his helpers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

If ye two turn in repentance to Him your hearts are indeed so inclined; but if ye back up each other against him truly Allah is his Protector and Gabriel and (every) righteous one among those who believe and furthermore the angels will back (him) up. ^{5534 5535}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

There are further lessons. (4) Both the party betraying confidence and that encouraging the betrayal must purge their conduct by repentance. (5) Frank repentance would be what their hearts and conscience themselves would dictate and they must not resist such amends on account of selfish obstinacy. (6) If they were to resist frank repentance and amends, they are only abetting each other's wrong, and they cannot prevail against all the moral forces which will be ranged on the side of the right.

Do not forget the dual meaning: immediate, in application to the holy Prophet, and general, being the lesson which we ought all to learn. The holy Prophet could not be injured by any persons doing anything against him even though they might unconsciously put him in great jeopardy: for Allah, the Angel Gabriel (who was the Messenger to him), and the whole Community, would protect him,-to say nothing of the army of angels or hidden spiritual forces that always guarded him. Cf. xxxiii. 56. The general lemon for us is that the good man's protection is that of the moral forces around him; it is divine protection, against which human weakness or folly will have no power.

[O wives of the Prophet!] Were he to divorce [any of] you, God might well give him in your stead spouses better than you - women who surrender themselves unto God, who truly believe, devoutly obey His will, turn [unto Him] in repentance [whenever they have sinned], worship [Him alone], and go on and on [seeking His goodly acceptance]⁹ - be they women previously married or virgins.¹⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

For this rendering of the expression sa'ihat, see note [147] on 9:112 , where the same expression occurs in the masculine gender relating to both men and women.

I.e., like the actual wives of the Prophet, one of whom ('A'ishah) was a virgin when she married him, one (Zaynab bint Jahsh) had been divorced, while the others were widows. This allusion, together with the fact that the Prophet did not divorce any of his wives, as well as the purely hypothetical formulation of this passage, shows that it is meant to be an indirect admonition to the Prophet's wives, who, despite their occasional shortcomings - unavoidable in human beings - did possess the virtues referred to above. On a wider plane, it seems to be an admonition to all believers, men and women alike: and this explains the subsequent change in the discourse.

It may well be that, if he divorce you all, his Rabb will give him in your place better wives than yourselves, submissive, faithful, obedient, penitent, worshippers and keepers of fasting; be they previously married or virgins.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Perhaps, if he were to divorce you 'all', his Lord would replace you with better wives who are submissive 'to Allah', faithful 'to Him', devout, repentant, dedicated to worship and fasting- previously married or virgins.

  - Mustafa Khattab

It may happen that his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your stead wives better than you, submissive (to Allah), believing, pious, penitent, inclined to fasting, widows and maids.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It may be if he divorced you (all) that Allah will give him in exchange Consorts better than you who submit (their wills) who believe who are devout who turn to Allah in repentance who worship (in humility) who travel (for faith) and fast previously married or virgins. ^{5536 5537}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

From the case of two in verse 4, we now come to the case of all the Consorts generally, in verse 5. Cf. xxxiii. 28-30. Their duties and responsibilities were higher than those of other women, and therefore their failure would also be more serious. This is only hypothetical, in order to show us the virtues expected of them: faith and devotion, worship and service, readiness for travel or hijrat, whether they were young or old, new to married life or otherwise. From them again the more general application follows-to all women in Islam.

Saihat: literally, those who travel. Here it means those who fast. Note that the spiritual virtues are named in the descending order: submitting their wills (Islam), faith and devotion, turning ever to worship and faith, and performing other rites, or perhaps being content with asceticism. And this applies to all women, maiden girls or women of mature experience who were widows or separated from previous husbands by divorce.

O YOU who have attained to faith! Ward off from yourselves and those who are close to you¹¹ that fire [of the hereafter] whose fuel is human beings and stones:¹² [fording] over it are angelic powers awesome [and] severe,¹³ who do not disobey God in whatever He has commanded them, but [always] do what they are bidden to do.¹⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "your families" or "your people"; however, the term ahl denotes also people who share one's race, religion, occupation, etc., as well as "dependents" in the most comprehensive sense of this word (Jawhari, Raghib; also Mughni).

See surah {2}, note [16].

See 74:27 ff. and the corresponding notes, particularly notes [15] and [16], in which I have tried to explain the allegorical meaning of that passage.

I.e., these angelic powers are subject to the God-willed law of cause and effect which dominates the realm of the spirit no less than the world of matter.

O believers! Save yourselves and your families from hellfire, whose fuel is men and stones; in the charge of fierce and mighty angels who never disobey Allah's command and who promptly do what they are commanded to do.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders- always doing as commanded.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O ye who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire whereof the fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels strong, severe, who resist not Allah in that which He commandeth them, but do that which they are commanded.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah but do (precisely) what they are commanded. ^{5538 5539 5540}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Note how we have been gradually led up in admonition from two Consorts to all consorts, to all women, to all Believers, and to all men and women. We must carefully guard not only our own conduct, but the conduct of our families, and of all who are near and dear to us. For the issues are most Serious, and the consequences of a fall are most terrible.

"A Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones." Cf. ii. 24. This is a terrible Fire: not merely like the physical fire which burns wood or charcoal or substances like that, and consumes them. This Fire will have for its fuel men who do wrong and are as hard hearted as stones, or stone Idols as symbolical of all the unbending Falsehoods in life.

Cf. lxxiv. 31. We think of the angel nature as gentle and beautiful, but in another aspect perfection includes justice, fidelity, discipline, and the firm execution of duty according to lawful commands. So, in the attributes of Allah Himself, Justice and Mercy, Kindness and Correction are not contradictory but complementary. An earthly ruler will be unkind to his loyal subjects if he does not punish evil-doers.

[Hence,] O you who are bent on denying the truth, make no [empty] excuses today:¹⁵ [in the life to come] you shall be but recompensed for what you were doing [in this world].

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "do not try to rationalise your deliberate denial of the truth" - the element of conscious intent being implied in the past-tense phrase alladhina kafaru (see note [6] on 2:6 ).

They will say to the unbelievers: "O unbelievers! Make no excuses for yourselves this Day. You are being rewarded according to your deeds."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'The deniers will then be told,' 'O disbelievers! Make no excuses this Day! You are only rewarded for what you used to do.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(Then it will be said): O ye who disbelieve! Make no excuses for yourselves this day. Ye are only being paid for what ye used to do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(They will say) "O ye Unbelievers! make no excuses this day! Ye are being but requited for all that ye did!" ⁵⁵⁴¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

'This is no hardship or injustice imposed on you. It is all but the fruit of your own deeds; the result of your own deliberate choice.'

O you who have attained to faith! Turn unto God in sincere repentance:¹⁶ it may well be that your Sustainer will efface from you your bad deeds, and will admit you into gardens through which running waters flow, on a Day on which God will not shame the Prophet and those who share his faith:¹⁷ their light will spread rapidly before them, and on their right;¹⁸ [and] they will pray: "O our Sustainer! Cause this our light to shine for us forever,¹⁹ and forgive us our sins: for, verily, Thou hast the power to will anything!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "since no human being, however imbued with faith, can ever remain entirely free from faults and temptations".

The implication is that He will not only "not shame" the Prophet and his followers but will, on the contrary, exalt them: an idiomatic turn of phrase similar to sayings like "I shall let you know something that will not be to your detriment" - i.e., "something that will benefit you".

Cf. 57:12 and the corresponding note [12].

Lit., "Complete for us our light", i.e.' by making it permanent.

O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance. It may well be that your Rabb will remove from you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. On that Day Allah will not humiliate the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will shine in front of them and on their right, and they will say: "Our Rabb! Perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness, for You have power over all things."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow, on the Day Allah will not disgrace the Prophet or the believers with him. Their light will shine ahead of them and on their right. They will say, 'Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us. 'For' You are truly Most Capable of everything.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

O ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands: they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O ye who believe! turn to Allah with sincere repentance: in the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow the Day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands while they say "Our Lord! perfect our Light for us and grant us Forgiveness; for Thou has power over all things." ^{5542 5543 5544}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The opposition of sex against sex, individual or concerted, having been condemned , we are now exhorted to turn to the Light, and to realise that the good and righteous can retain their integrity even though their mates, in spite of all their example and precept, remain in evil and sin.

Whatever may have been the faults of the past, unite in good deeds, and abandon petty sectional jealousies, and Allah will remove your difficulties and distresses, and all the evils from which you suffer. Indeed He will grant you the Bliss of Heaven and save you from any humiliation which you may have brought on yourselves by your conduct and on the revered Prophet and Teacher whose name you professed to take.

See lvii. 12, and n. 5288. The darkness of evil will be dispelled, and the Light of Allah will be realised by them more and more. But even so they will not be content: for they will pray for the least taint of evil to be removed from them, and perfection to be granted to them. In that exalted state they will be within reach of perfection,-not by their own merits, but by the infinite Mercy and Power of Allah.

O PROPHET! Strive hard against the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with them.²⁰ And [if they do not repent,] their goal shall be hell - and how vile a journey's end!

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [101] on 9:73 , which is identical with the above verse.

O Prophet! Make Jihad (struggle including war) against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, and that is an evil abode!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Prophet! Struggle against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be firm with them. Hell will be their home. What an evil destination!

  - Mustafa Khattab

O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O Prophet! strive hard against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell an evil refuge (indeed). ⁵⁵⁴⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See ix. 73, where the same words introduce the argument against the Hypocrites. Here they introduce the argument against wickedness, which, though given the privilege of association with goodness and piety, persisted in wicked deeds, and in favour of those noble souls, which, though tied to wickedness; retained their purity and integrity. Two examples of each kind are given,-of women, as this Sura is mainly concerned with women.

For those who are bent on denying the truth God has propounded a parable in [the stories of] Noah's wife and Lot's wife: they were wedded to two of Our righteous servants, and each one betrayed her husband;²¹ and neither of the two [husbands] will be of any avail to these two women when they are told [on Judgment Day], "Enter the fire with all those [other sinners] who enter it!"²²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "and both betrayed them", i.e., their respective husbands. The story of Lot's wife and her spiritual betrayal of her husband is mentioned in the Qur'an in several places; see, in particular, note [66] on 7:83 and note [113] on 11:81 . As regards Noah's wife, the above is the only explicit reference to her having betrayed her husband; it would seem, however, that the qualification of "those on whom [God's] sentence has already been passed" in 11:40 applies to her no less than to her son (whose story appears in {11:42-47}).

The "parable" (mathal) of these two women implies, firstly, that even the most intimate relationship with a truly righteous person - even though he be a prophet - cannot save an unrepentant sinner from the consequences of his sin; and, secondly, that a true believer must cut himself off from any association with "those who are bent on denying the truth" even if they happen to be those nearest and dearest to him (cf.{ll:46}).

Allah has set an example to the unbelievers in the wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lut (Lot). They were married to two of Our righteous servants, but they betrayed them. In no way could their husbands protect them from Allah. Both of them were told: "Enter the fire, along with those who enter."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah sets forth an example for the disbelievers: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. Each was married to one of Our righteous servants, yet betrayed them.¹ So their husbands were of no benefit to them against Allah whatsoever. Both were told, 'Enter the Fire, along with the others!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Both wives were disbelievers. Noah’s wife used to give away the identity of the new believers so the disbelievers could persecute them. And Lot’s wife used to tell the men about her husband’s handsome male visitors so they could approach them.

Allah citeth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot, who were under two of our righteous slaves yet betrayed them so that they (the husbands) availed them naught against Allah and it was said (unto them): Enter the Fire along with those who enter.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Allah sets forth for an example to the Unbelievers the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of Our righteous servants but they were false to their (husbands) and they profited nothing before Allah on their account but were told: "Enter ye the fire along with (others) that enter!" ^{5546 5547 5548}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Read Noah's story in xi. 36-48. Evidently his contemporary world had got so corrupt that it needed a great Flood to purge it. "None of the people will believe except those who have believed already. So grieve no longer over their evil deeds." But there were evil ones in his own family. A foolish and undutiful son is mentioned in xi. 42-46. Poor Noah tried to save him and pray for him as one "of his family"; but the answer came: "he is not of thy family; for his conduct is unrighteous". We might expect such a son to have a mother like him, and here we are told that it was so. Noah's wife was also false to the standards of her husband, and perished in this world and in the Hereafter.

The wife of Lot has already been mentioned more than once. See xi. 81, and n. 1577; vii. 83, and n. 1051; etc. The world around her was wicked, and she sympathised with and followed that wicked world, rather than her righteous husband. She suffered the fate of her wicked world.

"Betrayed their husbands": not in sex, but in the vital spiritual matters of truth and conduct. They had the high privilege of the most intimate relationship with the noblest spirits of their age: but if they failed to rise to the height of their dignity, their relationship did not save them. They could not plead that they were the wives of pious husbands. They had to enter Hell like any other wicked women. There is personal responsibility before Allah. One soul cannot claim the merits of another, any more than one pure soul can be injured by association with a corrupt soul. The pure one should keep its purity intact. See the next two examples.