Draft:Verse 52 of Sura al-Ahzab

Verse 52 of Sura al-Ahzab

Verse's Information
About	Marriages of Prophet Muhammad (s)

Verse 52 of Sura al-Aḥzāb (Arabic: آیه ۵۲ سوره احزاب) raises a restriction regarding Marriage for Prophet Muhammad (s). In the interpretation of this verse, different views have been presented by exegetes, including: prohibition of new marriage, restriction only to the specific groups mentioned in Verse 50 of this Sura, prohibition of marriage with women of the People of the Book, and the verse referring to Mahram women for all Muslims. A group of scholars also believe in the abrogation of this ruling.

Regarding the Occasion of Revelation of the verse, possibilities have been raised, such as appreciation of the Wives of the Prophet (s), countering tribal pressure, and prohibiting the wrong Jahili custom of exchanging wives. Also, some exegetes have inferred from this verse the permissibility of looking at the face and body of a woman in proposal.

Description and Status

[cite_start]Verse 52 of Sura al-Ahzab, from the viewpoint of Muslim exegetes, creates a special restriction for the Prophet (s) regarding marriage and prohibits him from new marriage[cite: 1, 2]. [cite_start]Regarding the meaning of this verse, various views have been raised[cite: 3], including:

[cite_start]According to one view, the verse has forbidden marriage with a new wife for the Prophet (s)[cite: 4, 5]. [cite_start]Another view considers the verse as a continuation of the previous verses and interprets it as limited to the six groups mentioned in Verse 50 of this Sura[cite: 4, 2, 6]. [cite_start]Some exegetes have also considered the content of the verse to refer to the prohibition of marriage with women of the People of the Book[cite: 3, 7, 2]. [cite_start]In another interpretation, the meaning of the verse is introduced as the prohibition of women who are among the Mahram for all Muslims[cite: 2, 6]. [cite_start]Although this view has been raised in some narrations [cite: 8][cite_start], it has been criticized in Tafsir-i nimuna due to conflict with the appearance of the verse[cite: 9].

[cite_start]Among exegetes, the abrogation of the verse has also been raised; accordingly, the verse initially created a restriction, but with the revelation of Verse 50 of this Sura, this ruling was abrogated[cite: 10, 3]. [cite_start]Al-Fadil al-Miqdad, a Shi'a exegete, considers the abrogation of the verse as the famous opinion of the Shi'a [cite: 11][cite_start], while some other Shi'a exegetes [cite: 9] [cite_start]and Sunni exegetes[cite: 12], citing the lack of definitive evidence, have rejected the possibility of abrogation.

[cite_start]It is said that the sentence "even though their beauty pleases you" is a proof that looking by a man in proposal at the body and face of a woman he wants to marry is Halal[cite: 13, 14].

Occasion of Revelation

[cite_start]Regarding the Occasion of Revelation of Verse 52 of Sura al-Ahzab, which was revealed in Medina[cite: 15], several views have been raised:

• [cite_start]Based on a narration from Ibn Abbas, when the Prophet (s), based on Verse 28 of Sura al-Ahzab, gave his wives the choice between obedience to God and the Messenger or following personal desires, and they chose the path of obedience, this verse was revealed to appreciate them[cite: 10, 16].
• Some tribes put pressure on the Prophet (s) to choose a wife from among them to gain the honor of kinship with the Messenger of God. [cite_start]Since all marriages of the Prophet (s) were based on interests, this verse stopped the continuation of such a procedure[cite: 16].
• In a narration, it is also stated that in the Era of Ignorance, the exchange of wives was a common practice, and this verse was revealed to prohibit this custom. One day, [[Uyayna b. [cite_start]Hisn]] requested the exchange of Aisha with his own wife, and the Prophet (s), citing this verse, declared this act forbidden[cite: 17, 18].