And when Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has preceded His saying: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves" [Al-Ahzab: 6] - it is known for certain that what results from it is that it is not permissible for any believer, male or female, to have a guardian other than the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. This is established for the knowledge of it. He inferred the meaning of the verse and what precedes it from the story of the confederates. He followed it with the result of that, which he mentioned regarding the discipline of his wives, blessings and peace be upon him, and their refinement for his sake, and the purification of his household, and their honoring until Allah, glorified and exalted is He, concluded with the ten attributes, beginning with Islam, which has no trace of arrogance with it, and ending with the fact that the remembrance of Allah should fill the heart and the mouth, and it is a call to something like that because it is the cause of Islam. He added to the result of the verse of guardianship what is necessitated by the abundance of remembrance from His saying: "And it was not for any believer."

And when faith may be called false due to its concealment, He said: "for a believer" meaning from Abdullah ibn Jahsh and Zayd and others, "nor a believing woman" meaning from Zainab and others. He linked the matter to faith, informing that whoever opposes is not a believer, even if he shows faith with his tongue. "When Allah has decreed" meaning the Greatest King, for whom it is not appropriate for a sane person to hesitate in His matter, "and His Messenger" whose decree is not known except by him, "a matter" meaning any matter it may be.

And when the intended meaning is every believer, and the expression is valid for him, and the negation of the whole group is a negation of what is less than it by all means, he said: "That you be" meaning a firm existence upon the reading of the group with the upper reading, and in the utmost firmness upon the reading of the Kufans with the lower reading. "For them" meaning specifically, "the choice" is a source from [the verb] takhayyara like [the noun] tayyara from [the verb] tataayyara without analogy. "Of their affair" meaning what is specific to them by seeking guidance from Allah and not by anything else so that they may act contrary to that decree. For the intended meaning of seeking guidance is the belief in what Allah has chosen for him, and the informing of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, is definitive evidence of what Allah, the Exalted, has chosen. And in this is a reprimand for Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, for delaying the response to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, when he proposed to her for himself, in seeking guidance, and for her dislike when he proposed to her for Zayd, his freedman. But when she presented herself after the revelation of the verse, she chose him, blessings and peace be upon him, in marrying her to Zayd, may Allah be pleased with both of them, over her own choice. Allah compensated her by making her the wife of His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and with him in Paradise in the highest ranks. So the choice is for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, because he does not speak from desire. Whoever does otherwise has disobeyed the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and whoever disobeys him has disobeyed Allah because he does not speak except by His command. "And whoever disobeys Allah" meaning the one who has no authority over anyone with him. "And His Messenger" meaning the one whose disobedience is disobedience to him due to his being between him and the creation in clarifying what was sent to them. "Indeed, he has gone astray" and the source confirmed it by saying: "a clear misguidance" and he emphasized it by saying: "clear" meaning there is no ambiguity in it. Therefore, it is obligatory upon everyone to be with him, blessings and peace be upon him, in all that he chooses even if it involves the greatest hardships upon him, as the poet said:

The desire has stopped me where you are, so I have no

Delay from it nor advance.

And you have humiliated me, so I have humiliated myself intentionally,

What does it matter to you who is honored in your sight?