Surah 33

Surah 33:28

"Prophet! Say to your wives: ‘If you desire this present life and its (passing) splendor, come! I shall make provision for you, and release you gracefully."
Tafsir Ibn Kathir Verses 33:28-29
Show Full Scripture Context (33:28-29) — 2 Verses
Verse 28

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزۡوَٰجِكَ إِن كُنتُنَّ تُرِدۡنَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَزِينَتَهَا فَتَعَالَيۡنَ أُمَتِّعۡكُنَّ وَأُسَرِّحۡكُنَّ سَرَاحٗا جَمِيلٗا

Prophet! Say to your wives: ‘If you desire this present life and its (passing) splendor, come! I shall make provision for you, and release you gracefully.

Verse 29

وَإِن كُنتُنَّ تُرِدۡنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلۡمُحۡسِنَٰتِ مِنكُنَّ أَجۡرًا عَظِيمٗا

But if you desire God and His messenger, and the Home of the Hereafter – surely God has prepared a great reward for the doers of good among you.’

the Hereafter. Al-Bukhari narrated from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet that the Messenger of Allah came to her when Allah commanded him to give his wives the choice. She said, "The Messenger of Allah started with me, and said,
«I am going to tell you about something and you do not have to hasten to respond until you consult your parents.»"
He knew that my parents would never tell me to leave him. Then he said:
«Allah says: "O Prophet! Say to your wives..."»
and he recited the two Ayat. I said to him, "Concerning what do I need to consult my parents? I choose Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter." [1] He also narrated it without a chain of narrators, and added, "She said, then all the wives of the Prophet did the same as I." [2]
Imam Ahmad recorded that 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "The Messenger of Allah gave us the choice, and we chose him, so giving us that choice was not regarded as divorce." [3] It was recorded by (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) from the Hadith of Al-A'mash. [4] Imam Ahmad recorded that Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came to ask permission to see the Messenger of Allah and the people were sitting at his door, and the Prophet was sitting, but he did not give him permission. Then 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, came and asked permission to see him, but he did not give him permission. Then he gave Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, permission, and they entered. The Prophet was sitting with his wives around him, and he was silent. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, 'I will tell the Prophet something to make him smile.' 'Umar, may
[1] Fath Al-Bari 8:379.
[2] Fath Al-Bari 8:380.
[3] Ahmad 6:45.
[4] Fath Al-Bari 9:280, Muslim 2:1104.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.