'Allah, the Exalted, said: "She said, 'Oh woe to me! Shall I give birth while I am an old woman, and this is my husband, an old man? Indeed, this is a wondrous thing.'" They said, 'Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Majestic.'"

People have differed regarding the 'alif' in her saying: 'Oh woe to me!' The most apparent meaning is that it is a substitute for the 'ya' of the genitive case. Its original form is: 'Oh woe to me,' as you say: 'Oh boy!' and 'Oh help!' This 'alif' may be accompanied by a 'ha' in speech, but it was not recited with it. Al-Asim, Al-A'mash, and Abu Amr have pronounced this 'alif' with a slight elongation.

The meaning of 'Oh woe to me' in this context is an expression of the astonishment that overwhelmed her soul at the birth of an old woman. The origin of this invocation with 'woe' and similar expressions is in lamentation for something severe or undesirable that troubles the soul. Then it was later used in astonishment that overwhelms the soul. Some have said that she said: 'Oh woe to me' when the thought of the pain of childbirth and its severity crossed her mind. Then she returned her thoughts to astonishment and uttered her words: 'Shall I give birth while I am an old woman?' This is the verse.

One group read: 'Shall I give birth?' with the two hamzah's being pronounced distinctly. Another group read it with the first being softened and the second pronounced distinctly. There is difficulty in pronouncing it this way. A third group read it with the first pronounced distinctly and the second softened, and the softening here means elongating it. A fourth group read: 'Shall I give birth?' with the two hamzah's pronounced distinctly and a slight elongation between them.

And 'the old woman' refers to the elderly. Some people have reported that the Arabs say: 'the old woman.' And 'the husband' refers to the spouse, and 'an old man' is in the accusative case as a state, which is a state of a referent that cannot be dispensed with because it is the intended information. It is only valid if the speaker does not intend to define the one in the state, as if the addressee knows him. However, if the speaker intends to define him, it is necessary that the definition in the news comes before the state, and the state comes in its proper place without needing it. An example of this is your saying: 'This is Zayd standing,' if you intended to define Zayd. Or if he was known and you intended to define him by his standing. However, if the speaker intends that his being Zayd is only as long as he is standing, then the statement is not valid.

Al-A'mash read: 'This is my husband, an old man.' Abu Hatim said the same in the manuscript of Ibn Mas'ud, and he raised it for several reasons:

One of them is that it is a report after a report, as you say: 'This is sweet and sour.' Another is that it may be an implicit beginning report, the meaning of which is: 'He is an old man.' It has been narrated that some people read it: 'And this is my husband, this is an old man.' This reading is similar to this interpretation. Another is that it is a substitute for 'my husband,' and another is that her saying 'my husband' is a substitute for this or an explanatory conjunction to it, and 'an old man' is the news of this.

It is said 'an old man' and 'an old woman' - and some Arabs say in the masculine and feminine 'an old man.' It has been narrated that Sarah was at the time of this statement ninety-nine years old, and it was said: ninety - this was said by Ibn Ishaq - and it was said: eighty. Likewise, it was said regarding the age of Ibrahim that he was one hundred and twenty years old, and it was said: one hundred years, and other than that which requires a chain of narration.

The pronoun in His saying: 'They said to the angels,' and His saying: 'By the command of Allah' can mean one of the matters, that is, from the birth at this age. It can also mean the source of the command, that is, from what Allah commanded in this incident.

And His saying: 'The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house,' the wording can imply a supplication and it can imply a statement. The fact that it is a statement is more honorable, because that necessitates the attainment of mercy and blessings for them. The fact that it is a supplication only implies that it is something hoped for and has not yet been attained. The mention of the people of the house in a specific manner—this is the view of Sibawayh—and for this reason, this and the mention is in praise in two aspects. It is as if he distinguished the mention in praise by the fact that the one being mentioned is a word that inherently contains praise, as you say: 'This is Zayd, the wise one of his people.' The specification is made when the wording does not contain that, as in His saying: 'Indeed, we are a group of prophets, and we are the children of Nahshal.'

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And specification can only be through praise or blame, but it is not in the wording itself that is mentioned.

And this verse indicates that the wife of the man is from his household because she was addressed by this. Thus, the statement regarding the wives of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, is strengthened by the fact that they are from his household, whom Allah has removed impurity from, contrary to what the Shia claim. Some scholars have also said: 'His household' refers to those who were prohibited from receiving charity, and the first is stronger and is clearly evident from Surah Al-Ahzab, because He addressed them with His saying: 'O wives of the Prophet' [Al-Ahzab: 30], then with His saying: 'the people of the house.'

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And it has been reported in Al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: 'The people of his house are those who were prohibited from receiving charity after him.' Ibn Abbas meant: the people of the lineage, concerning whom the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'Indeed, charity is not lawful for the people of my house; it is merely the filth of the people.'

And the house in this verse and in Surah Al-Ahzab refers to the house of residence, so there is a shared meaning in the wording that should be recognized. Thus, Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, is from the household of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, in both aspects, and Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, in one aspect, and his wives in the other. As for the Shia, they reject the wives out of animosity towards Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. And Hamid means: his actions necessitate that he be praised, and Majid means: characterized by lofty attributes. And something is said to be glorious when its attributes are good.