And when it was that closeness and encompassing are for Allah, it was truly the case that there is no observer except Him. And the verse is in any case abrogated if we say by the first or the second possibility. Indeed, Al-Tirmidhi narrated in the tafsir from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and what a great authority she is, especially in this matter, that she said: The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, did not die until he made lawful for him women. And he said: This is a good and authentic hadith. End of quote. Ibn Al-Jawzi reported from her, may Allah be pleased with her, that the abrogating verse is: "Indeed, We have made lawful for you your wives" [Al-Ahzab: 50]. And likewise from a group among them, including Ali, Ibn Abbas, and Umm Salama, may Allah be pleased with them. However, the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, left that out of etiquette with Allah, the Exalted, as he expressed in the prohibition in the form of news and the present tense verb, and in consideration of what Allah indicated to him regarding the rights of them in their choice from the Hereafter.

And when he limited it to them, and he had previously instructed them to remain in their homes and to abandon what was upon them from the ignorance of displaying themselves, he imposed upon them the hijab in the homes and prohibited others, blessings and peace be upon him, from what the Arabs were upon regarding entering upon women due to their trustworthiness in that matter. He said, addressing the youngest of the people of this religion regarding what was mentioned in the reason for its revelation, and because the believers had already ceased from that without a prohibitor, as indicated by what is to come from the words of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding the hijab: "O you who have believed," meaning those who claim faith, affirm your claims in it by saying: "Do not enter" along with the gathering. Thus, it is more appropriate for the individual.

And when the disturbance of thought may distract from something that Allah informs about, as indicated by his saying, blessings and peace be upon him, "The Night of Decree was made clear to me, but so-and-so and so-and-so quarreled, and I forgot it" - or as he said, blessings and peace be upon him, he expressed in the description of prophethood in his saying: "The houses of the Prophet" meaning that which comes to him from the Knower of the unseen with what contains the utmost elevation, in a state of affairs fundamentally except in the case of "being permitted to you" meaning from whom permission is granted in his houses, blessings and peace be upon him, or from whom he permits in that, ceasing "to food" meaning to eat it, while you are "not looking for its time" meaning the time of that food and its ripeness for eating. Thus, he prohibited by this those who were waiting for the food of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, for in that is a burden upon him that is very difficult, for there may be someone who is more in need of that food than the one who is waiting or other than that from the excuses. Therefore, the address does not direct to those who are not of the lower age, and whoever has a slip from those above their rank has entered into their address with what has been revealed from their rank. And the expression with the simple active participle in "not looking" is more eloquent in the prohibition.

And when this entry is with permission absolutely, and it is intended to restrict it, and the origin in that is: So if you are called, to the end of it. But when the situation is for concluding with certainty in what he mentions, and there is a great matter for correction from the awe of the soul and its shaking for knowledge that what comes after it is opposed to what came before it, he said: "But if you are called" meaning by whom has the invitation, "then enter" meaning for what you have been invited to; then he caused to follow his saying: "So if you have eaten" meaning you have eaten food or drunk drink, "then disperse" meaning go wherever you wish immediately, and do not linger after eating, not resting for the settling of the food in your bellies, "and not seeking to converse" meaning seeking companionship for its sake. Hamzah ibn Nadr al-Kirmanī said in his book Jawami' al-Tafsir: Al-Hasan said: It is enough for you concerning the heavy ones that Allah did not overlook them - ended. And from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: It is enough for you concerning the heavy ones that Allah did not tolerate them. Then he justified that by saying, directing the address to all of them, magnifying it with the tool of distance: "Indeed that" meaning the severe matter (p-393) and it is lingering after finishing eating and drinking, "was causing distress to the Prophet" meaning the one we prepared to hear what we inform him of that which will be the cause of your honor and elevation in both abodes. So beware of distracting him from anything of it, for we inform him of something in which you will perish. Then he caused to follow that the barrier for him from confronting them with what removes his harm, and he said: "Then he would feel shy" meaning shyness would exist, and its origin is the bringing forth of life. As if the one who has no shyness is like a lifeless object. "From you" meaning that he would command you to depart. "And Allah" meaning the one to whom belongs all matters, "does not feel shy of the truth" meaning He does not act in the manner of the shy one, so that this would lead Him to abandon the command of it.

And when the house is generally referred to the woman due to her usual association with it, he returned the pronoun to it intending by it the women, using it, and he said: "And if you ask them" meaning the wives, "for something" meaning something from the household items, "then ask them" meaning for that item, whether they are present or absent, "from behind a screen" meaning a covering that conceals you from them and conceals them from you. "That" meaning the high matter of which I inform you all concerning asking from behind a screen and otherwise, "is purer for your hearts and their hearts" meaning [from] the whispers of the devil which he used to whisper in the days of ignorance, being content with what they were in the snare of it from polytheism. "And what is for you" meaning and what is correct and what is upright in any state, "that you should harm" and he reminded them with the description that is a cause (p-394) for their happiness and he deserves from them the right which they cannot fulfill in gratitude, so he said: "The Messenger of Allah" blessings and peace be upon him, meaning the one who has all perfection, so he has towards you from the kindness that requires from you the utmost honor and reverence, let alone refraining from harm. So do not harm him by entering any of his houses without his permission or lingering after fulfilling the need or otherwise.

And when he had confined them [blessings and peace be upon him] to himself, and this remained after he was permitted to change them, he confined them to himself after death as an increase to his honor and a manifestation of his virtue. So he said: ﴿And do not marry﴾ meaning in what is to come of time.

﴿His wives after him﴾ meaning after his separation from whoever among them entered into marriage with him by death or divorce, as it has been established that he is alive and has not died ﴿ever﴾. For the waiting period [from him] should not expire due to his majesty, greatness, and perfection. He is alive in his grave and continues to be so. [And there is a more general reason for this, which is to cut off hopes from extending to anything of this world after him, so that no one wishes for his death ﷺ to take that and disbelieve, for there is no faith for one who does not prioritize him over himself]. As for Alia bint Thabyan, whom the Prophet ﷺ divorced, and she married another, her matter was before the revelation of this verse - Al-Baghawi mentioned it from Ma'mar from Al-Zuhri. Then he explained that by saying: ﴿Indeed, that﴾ meaning the harm by marriage and otherwise, which should be at the utmost distance ﴿was with Allah﴾ meaning the One who is capable of all things ﴿great﴾. It has been narrated regarding the reason for the revelation of this verse that Abu Ya'la Al-Mawsili narrated in his Musnad from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "Um Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with her, sent me with fresh dates to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a tray when the fruit of the palm trees first ripened. I entered upon him and placed it before him, and he took some of it. Then he took my hand and we went out, and it was shortly after the marriage of Zainab bint Jahsh, may Allah be pleased with her. He passed by some of his wives, and there were men with them talking, and they congratulated him, and the people congratulated him, saying: 'Praise be to Allah who has made your eyes content, O Messenger of Allah.' He continued until he came to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and there were men with her. He disliked that, and when he disliked something, it was known on his face. I went to Um Sulaym and informed her, and Abu Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 'If what your son has said is true, something will happen.' He said: So when the evening came, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out, ascended the pulpit, and recited this verse: ﴿O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet except when you are permitted﴾ the verse. He commanded the veil to be drawn." And its origin in interpretation is from the Jamia of Al-Tirmidhi. Al-Bukhari and others narrated from him, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Prophet ﷺ was a bridegroom with Zainab, may Allah be pleased with her. Um Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with her, said to me: 'If we were to send a gift to the Prophet ﷺ!' I said to her: 'Do it.' So she took some dates, curds, and ghee, and made a dish in a pot, and sent it with me to him. He said to me: 'Place it down.' Then he ordered me and said: 'Call for me men - naming them - and call for me whoever you meet.' So I did what he commanded. I returned and found the house filled with people." - And in the narration of Al-Tirmidhi, the narrator said: "I asked Anas: How many were they? He said: About three hundred. I saw the Prophet ﷺ place his hand on that dish and speak as Allah willed, then he began to call ten at a time to eat from it, saying to them: 'Mention the name of Allah, and let each man eat from what is closest to him,' until they all dispersed from it. Al-Tirmidhi said: He said to me: 'O Anas, raise it up,' so I raised it, and I do not know when I placed it if there were more or when I lifted it. Some of them left, and a group remained talking. He said: And I began to feel distressed - Al-Tirmidhi said: And the Messenger of Allah was sitting and his wife was facing the wall, and they were being heavy upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ;" And Abdul Razzaq said in his interpretation: "So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ felt shy from them to say anything to them - then the Prophet ﷺ went towards the chambers and I followed him. I said: 'They have gone.' He returned and entered the house and drew the curtain, and I was in the chamber while he was saying: ﴿O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet except when you are permitted﴾ the verse." And in the narration of Al-Tirmidhi: "Then he returned, and when they saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ return, they thought that they had been heavy upon him, so they rushed to the door and all of them left. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came until he drew the curtain and entered while I was sitting in the chamber. He did not remain except a short while until these verses were revealed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out and recited them to the people: ﴿O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet﴾ the verse." [And] both Shaykhain and others narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him - and this is the wording of Al-Bukhari - in various narrations he said: "The Prophet ﷺ was married to Zainab bint Jahsh with bread and meat. She sent a caller for the food, and a group would come to eat and leave, then another group would come to eat and leave. I called until I found no one to call. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! I find no one to call.' He said: 'Lift your food.' So they sat talking in the house, and he seemed to be preparing to stand, but they did not stand. When he saw that, he stood up, and when he stood, those who stood up did so, and three men remained seated." In another narration, "three men remained seated. The Prophet ﷺ went to the chamber of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and said: 'Peace be upon you, O people of the house, and the mercy of Allah.'

So she said: And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. How did you find your family? May Allah bless you! Then he visited the chambers of all his wives, saying to them as he said to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. And they would say to him as Aisha said - may Allah be pleased with them. Then the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, returned and found the people sitting. And the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was very shy, so he went out, heading towards the chamber of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. In another narration: When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, married Zainab bint Jahsh, may Allah be pleased with her, he fed the people bread and meat, then he went out to the chambers of the Mothers of the Believers as he used to do in the morning after his marriage. He would greet them and pray for them, and they would greet him and pray for him. When he returned to his house, he saw two men who were engaged in conversation. When he saw them, he turned back from his house. When the two men saw the Prophet of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, turning back from his house, they hurriedly stood up. I do not know whether I informed him of their coming out or if it was informed that the people had left. He returned until when he placed his foot on the threshold of the door, one foot inside and the other outside, he lowered the curtain. In another narration: I went to enter and the veil was placed between me and him, and the verse of hijab was revealed: "O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet..." the verse. And in Sahih al-Bukhari from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, she said: "Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him: Enjoin your women to wear hijab. She said: But he did not do so. And the wives of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, would go out at night before the menstruation. Sawda bint Zam'a, who was a tall woman, may Allah be pleased with her, went out. Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, saw her while he was in the gathering and said: I recognized you, O Sawda, eager for the hijab to be revealed. She said: So Allah, the Exalted, revealed the hijab. And in Sahih al-Bukhari from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Muslim from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, both narrated from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Your women are visited by the righteous and the wicked, so if you would command them to wear hijab. Then the verse of hijab was revealed. And there have been narrated other reasons besides these. It has been established that it is not unusual for a single verse to have multiple reasons of equal significance, or some being closer than others. It has been narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari in the explanation in the context of this verse that the story of Sawda after the hijab is from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. She said: "Sawda went out after the hijab was established for her need, and she was a large woman who could not be hidden from those who knew her. Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, saw her and said: O Sawda! By Allah, you cannot hide from us, so look how you go out. She said: So she turned back while the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was in my house and he was having dinner, holding a piece of meat in his hand. She entered and said: O Messenger of Allah! I went out for some of my needs, and Umar said to me such and such. She said: Then Allah revealed to him, and then it was lifted from him, and the piece of meat in his hand he did not put down, and he said: It has been permitted for you to go out for your needs. And these who sat - and the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was as he was in his dislike of their sitting due to what was mentioned of his state in his shyness and his preparation to stand up and so forth - did not derive understanding from his conditions, but rather they were standing when they heard what he said. And the way of the complete ones is to gain insight from his appearance and state as they gain insight from his words and actions. Al-Hirali said: The state is every appearance that manifests from an inner reaction, and it is specifically understood by the observer who is discerning. This is like his laughter, blessings and peace be upon him, at the one he saw on the day of Khaybar, who had taken a bag of fat from the spoils of the Jews while saying: I will not give anyone anything from this today. And like the change in his face towards Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when he began to read to him a page of the wisdom of the ancients until he alerted Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who discerned from his face the dislike for Umar's action. And the indication of each state is what it conveys of the inner reaction of openness, contraction, avoidance, and so forth, which the discerning person can perceive, and the understanding person can conclude from it. As for the appearance, it is everything whose matter is to remain after its absence and death. The observer understands from it the ruling of its condition and the purpose of its appearance, like what is seen from the state of his building of his mosque in a manner that suffices with the simplest possible, and like his building of his houses in a manner that has no pretentiousness in it, nor any additional reason beyond necessity. And like the example of the blanket he left, and his bedding and such from the belongings of his houses. And as he understands from his care in the tools of his weapon, such as the fact that his sword was adorned with silver and its handle was silver. And like his care in using perfume until it was seen in his garment and his collar. Thus, he understands from his appearances his rulings, just as he understands from his states, actions, and words. And all of these clarifications are the true essence of what is the speech.

The proof of that is that the origin of everything is the inner speech, which is the source. The words, actions, states, and representations are translations of it. None of them is more deserving of translation than the others. Yes, some are more indicative than others and clearer and more explicit. The Prophet's ﷺ preparation to rise from his house is like if he said: 'I want you to leave.' For it is necessary that when a man rises from his house, which is the place that conceals him from others, he intends to leave, so that others do not witness what he does not want anyone to see. And his coming to enter, and when he sees them, he returns, is like if he said: 'What prevents me from entering my place of rest is your sitting there due to the heaviness of your sitting upon me.' Likewise, the states and the messenger. And Allah is the Guide.