The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 285
CH. 66 إن تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوْبُكُمَا وَاِنْ تَظْهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَهُ PT. 28 AT-TAHRIM 5. Now if you two turn unto Allah repentant, it will be better for you, and your hearts are already so inclined. But if you surely Allah is his Helper and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore, 4281 angels too are his helpers. 4 وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمَلَيكَةُ ,back up each other against him بَعْدَ ذلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ عَلَى رَبُّةٌ إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُبْدِلَةٌ It may be that, if he divorce. 6 you, his Lord will give him اَزْوَاجًا خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ مُسْلِمَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَتٍ instead wives better than you resigned, believing, obedient, قنِتِ تبت عبدتِ سخت ثَبت always turning to God, devout in worship, given to fasting, both widows and virgins. 4282 وابْكَارًا that course because it was ‘Ã'ishah | demand, though the leading part was who had led the demand along with Hafsah, and it is not unlikely that 'A'ishah passed on the Holy Prophet's secret communication to Hafsah. Whatever the actual facts may be, the verse emphasizes the obligation of a person to whom a secret is confided not to divulge it, particularly when the parties concerned are husband and wife and the secret relates to a private domestic affair; or for that matter when they are a Prophet of God and one of his followers. 4281. Commentary: The words "you two," seem to refer to 'A'ishah and Hafsah who led the demand for worldly comforts in their homes. All the wives of the Holy Prophet had, however, joined in the 3181 taken by these two, and this, perhaps because they were daughters respectively of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, the two most respected among the Holy Prophet's Companions. See also v. 2 above. The phraseology of the verse indicates that the matter referred to in these verses was of a very serious nature, but taking honey from the house of one's wife evidently is not so serious an affair as to have led to separation of the Holy Prophet from all his wives for nearly a month. Nor was the reprimand to the Prophet's wives implied in the words "Allah is his Helper and Gabriel and believers. . . " " called for. 4282. Important Words: (given to fasting) is feminine