And when he commanded him regarding what is difficult from the change of customs in the matter of the waiting period, then regarding what may be difficult for him, blessings and peace be upon him, from his specification with what was mentioned out of fear of the criticism of some whose faith had not been firmly established, and he concluded with what pleases his wives, and connected it with what increases their joy from the prohibition of others upon him, as gratitude to them for their turning away from the world and choosing Allah and His Messenger. He said: "It is not lawful for you to have women." And when Allah, glorified and exalted is He, was greatly concerned for him, blessings and peace be upon him, He hinted to him in the verse of prohibition that it would be abrogated from him. So He affirmed the connection and said: "After that," meaning after those with you from these nine - as Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said in a narration from him, as gratitude from Allah to them for their choice of Allah and His Messenger when the verse of choice was revealed. Thus, the verse would be abrogated by what precedes it in the arrangement and delayed from it in revelation from the verse: "Indeed, We have made lawful for you your wives" [Al-Ahzab: 50]. And in another narration, after "those whom We have made lawful for you" with the previously mentioned description of the daughters of the uncle and what is with them, and it is supported by what was previously narrated from Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her.

And when it was understood that the intended meaning is the restriction to the number of nine, not by the condition of the specified ones, he said: "And not to exchange them," meaning these nine. And he emphasized the negation with his saying: "From" meaning anything from "wives," meaning by divorcing some of these specified ones and taking a substitute from others by contract of marriage, such that the number does not exceed nine. It was known by this that what is prohibited is the marriage to others with the divorce of one of them first, and this supports the first narration from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, because the one exchanged for it can only be one whose identity is known. The response to the saying of Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, is that he understood from her, not a narration from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. As for at the death of one of them, there is no harm in marrying one in her place.

And when it was known from this prohibition of every wife in any description she had, the meaning was confirmed and established, and it was stated clearly in his saying, in the form of the doer of "to exchange": "And even if their beauty pleases you," meaning the women who are different from those with you. And in this is the permissibility of looking at whom one intends to marry, for the first glance does not firmly establish what is upon the seen from the true description. And when the term "women" encompasses both wives and concubines, it was clarified that the intended meaning is wives only by his saying: "Except what your right hand possesses," meaning it is lawful for you from them what you wish. And the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, possessed Raihanah, may Allah be pleased with her, from the captivity of Banu Qurayzah, and she remained in his possession for a period during which he did not approach her until she embraced Islam. Then he possessed after the year of Hudaybiyyah Mariyah, may Allah be pleased with her, the mother of his son Ibrahim, peace be upon him.

And when glorified and exalted is He advanced in these verses, He commanded and prohibited and set limits. He warned against being negligent regarding anything of it, even in the form of interpretation. He said: ﴿And Allah﴾ meaning the One who nothing is greater than Him, and He is encompassing all the attributes of perfection ﴿is a Guardian over all things﴾ meaning He acts like the one who is vigilant over what is expected from Him in terms of shortcomings, being as close as possible to it, such that nothing escapes His care regarding the matters of the pasture. And the Guardian can only be close, and there is no closer than the closeness of the truth, glorified and exalted is He. So, I do not guard more than His vigilance, and He is among the most severe of names in terms of warning.