His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿O Prophet, say to your wives, 'If you desire the worldly life and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and release you in a goodly manner.'﴾ ﴿But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the Hereafter, then indeed Allah has prepared for the good-doers among you a great reward.'﴾

People have differed regarding the reason for this verse. Qatadah said: Its reason is jealousy that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, felt. Ibn Zayd said: There was a disagreement among his wives, and something similar that troubled him - blessings and peace be upon him - so the verse was revealed because of that. And Allah gave him the good news that He would direct his will to shelter whomever He wishes. Ibn al-Zubair said: This was revealed because the wives of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, asked him for provisions, and they exceeded his capacity in demanding from it. A group said: Rather, the reason for that is that they requested from him clothes and garments. One of them said: If we were with someone other than the Prophet, we would have jewelry and possessions. Some people said: 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, commanded that this verse be recited to them, and that they be given a choice between this world and the Hereafter.' And the matter of divorce was left open, so if they chose themselves, he would see how he would release them, and there is no choice for them in divorce; because the choice involves three divorces, and he has said: ﴿And I will release you in a goodly manner.﴾ And there is no goodly release with a definitive divorce. A group said: Rather, it is a verse of choice, and they chose him, blessings and peace be upon him, and that did not count as a divorce, and this is also the saying of Aisha.

People have differed regarding the choice if a woman chooses herself. Malik said: She is divorced three times, and there is no objection from the husband, unlike ownership. Others said: She is a single irrevocable divorce. Some of the companions of Allah be pleased with them said: If a man gives his wife a choice and she chooses him, then she is a divorce. And this is very contradictory.

And His saying: ﴿If you desire the worldly life﴾ means: If it is your great ambition and your desire, meaning to delve into it and attain its blessings. And 'the adornment of this world' refers to wealth and children, and 'come' is an invitation, and 'I will provide for you' means I will give you the provisions that Allah, exalted and majestic is He, has encouraged in His saying: 'And provide for them.' Most people are of the opinion that it is among the recommended acts, while a group said: It is obligatory. And the goodly release: it is possible that it is what is less than a definitive divorce, and it is possible that it is in the continuation of a good belief and good companionship and good praise even if the divorce is definitive. And 'prepared' means made easy and facilitated, and 'the good-doers' are those who are obedient to Allah and His Messenger.

And the wives of the Prophet, concerning whom nine were revealed, five are Qurashi women: Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him; Hafsa, the daughter of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him; Umm Habiba, the daughter of Abu Sufyan; Sawda, the daughter of Zam'a; and Umm Salama, the daughter of Abu Umayya. And four are non-Qurashi women: Maymuna, the daughter of Al-Harith Al-Hilaliya; Safiyya, the daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab Al-Khaybari; Zaynab, the daughter of Jahsh Al-Asadi; and Juwayriya, the daughter of Al-Harith Al-Mustalqiya. May Allah be pleased with the wives of the Messenger of Allah all together.

And in the hadith, 'When the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, came out of his oath for the month, and this verse was revealed to him, he began with Aisha and said: "I am going to mention something to you, and there is no harm if you do not rush until you consult your parents." Then he recited the verse to her. She said to him: "Is this something I should consult my parents about? For I want Allah and His Messenger and the Hereafter." She said: "And he knows that my parents would not command me to separate from him." Then the wives of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, followed the same words as Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and chose Allah and His Messenger."