Verse 10 of Sura al-Tahrim and Ghadir
Verse 10 of Sūrat al-Taḥrīm is presented in this account as condemning two wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) who disclosed his secret concerning Ghadir to their fathers.
The circumstances surrounding the revelation of verse 10 of Sūrat al-Taḥrīm have been described as follows:[1] During the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada') while in Mecca, ʿĀʾisha and Ḥafṣa disclosed to their fathers the Prophet’s secrets concerning the plans for wilāyah (divinely ordained authority and spiritual guardianship). Following their actions, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), upon returning to Medina, no longer visited their homes or received them, making his displeasure with them known to everyone.
The two women raised the matter with their fathers, who said: “We know why he has behaved this way. Go to him and win him over with affection, for you will find him modest and generous. Perhaps you can thus draw out what is in his heart and lessen his anger.” Following this decision, ʿĀʾishah went alone to see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). She found him in Umm Salamah's home, , with Amīr al-Muʾminīn (Commander of the Faithful; peace be upon him) also present.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) asked: “Why have you come?”
She replied: “O Messenger of God, I found it unusual that you did not come to your home after returning from this journey. I seek refuge in God from your displeasure.”
He said: “If what you say is true, you should not have disclosed the secret I instructed you to conceal. By doing so, you have brought destruction upon yourself and upon a group of people.”
According to this account, it was then that God explicitly declared their betrayal in the verses of Sūrat al-Taḥrīm, following the earlier verses concerning their disclosure of the Prophet’s secret in Mecca. The verse likened them to the unfaithful wives of the Prophets Noah and Lot (peace be upon them):
ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً لِلَّذینَ کَفَرُوا امْرَأَةَ نُوحٍ وَ امْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ، کانَتا تَحْتَ عَبْدَیْنِ مِنْ عِبادِنا صالِحَیْنِ فَخانَتاهُما فَلَمْ یُغْنِیا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَیْئاً وَ قیلَ ادْخُلا النّارَ مَعَ الدّاخِلینَ
- “God sets forth an example for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were married to two of Our righteous servants, yet betrayed them. Their husbands could therefore do nothing to help them before God, and they were told: ‘Enter the Fire along with those who enter.’” (Qur'an, Sūrat al-Taḥrīm, verse 10)[2]
Footnotes
References
- Biḥār al-Anwār al-Jāmiʿah li-Durar Akhbār al-Aʾimmah al-Aṭhār; Muḥammad Bāqir b. Muḥammad Taqī Majlisī, Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
- Wāqiʿat al-Qurʾānī Ghadīr: Guzārish-i Safar-i Yak-Māhah-i Payāmbar barā-yi Iʿlān-i Wilāyat dar Sāyah-i Āyāt-i Qurʾānī; Muḥammad Bāqir Anṣārī, Qom: Intishārāt Dalīl Mā, 1386 SH.