Prohibition (Al-Tahreem)
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
۞ O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. 1 Surely God has sanctioned the dissolution of your vows. God is your Lord: He is all-knowing, and all-wise. 2 The Prophet told a secret to one of his wives telling her not to mention it to anyone else. When she divulged it, God informed His Prophet about this. The Prophet told his wife part of the information which he had received from God and ignored the rest. Then she asked, "Who informed you about this?" He replied, "The All-aware and All-knowing one has told me". 3 [Say, O Prophet:] "Would that you two turn unto God in repentance, for the hearts of both of you have swerved [from what is right]! And if you uphold each other against him [who is God's message-bearer, know that] God Himself is his Protector, and [that,] therefore, Gabriel, and all the righteous among the believers and all the [other] angels will come to his aid." 4 [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] - be they women previously married or virgins. 5 O YOU who have attained to faith! Ward off from yourselves and those who are close to you that fire [of the hereafter] whose fuel is human beings and stones: [lording] over it are angelic powers awesome [and] severe, who do not disobey God in whatever He has commanded them, but [always] do what they are bidden to do. 6 [Hence,] O you who are bent on denying the truth, make no [empty] excuses today: [in the life to come] you shall be but recompensed for what you were doing [in this world]. 7