Surah At-Tahrim (66) - Read with Christian Apologetics, Manuscripts & Variants

وَإِذۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضِ أَزۡوَٰجِهِۦ حَدِيثٗا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتۡ بِهِۦ وَأَظۡهَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ عَرَّفَ بَعۡضَهُۥ وَأَعۡرَضَ عَنۢ بَعۡضٖۖ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِۦ قَالَتۡ مَنۡ أَنۢبَأَكَ هَٰذَاۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِيَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ

When the prophet confided a (certain) story to one of his wives, and when she informed (another) about it and God disclosed it to him, he made known part of it, and avoided a part. And when he informed her about it, she said, ‘Who informed you of this?’ He said, ‘The Knowing (and) the Aware informed me.’

Vowel Difference (harakat) - Change Meaning (general semantic shift)

Vowel Difference (harakat) Change Meaning (general semantic shift)

Original (Hafs)

عَرَّفَ

made known

Variant Reading

عَرَفَ

harbored

The variant removes the shadda on the letter 'ra', changing the verb from Form II (to make known) to Form I (to know/recognize/harbor), shifting the meaning of the Prophet's action regarding the secret.

Read by:

Abu Al-Harith, Duri Al-Kisa'i

إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ فَقَدۡ صَغَتۡ قُلُوبُكُمَاۖ وَإِن تَظَٰهَرَا عَلَيۡهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ مَوۡلَىٰهُ وَجِبۡرِيلُ وَصَٰلِحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَۖ وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ

If both of you turn to God (in repentance), both your hearts are (well) inclined, but if both of you support each other against him, surely God – He is his Protector, and Gabriel (too), and the righteous among the believers, and beyond that the angels are (his) supporters.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّهُۥٓ إِن طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُۥٓ أَزۡوَٰجًا خَيۡرٗا مِّنكُنَّ مُسۡلِمَٰتٖ مُّؤۡمِنَٰتٖ قَٰنِتَٰتٖ تَـٰٓئِبَٰتٍ عَٰبِدَٰتٖ سَـٰٓئِحَٰتٖ ثَيِّبَٰتٖ وَأَبۡكَارٗا

It may be that, if he divorces you, his Lord will give him in exchange better wives than you – women who have submitted, believing, obedient, repentant, worshipping, fasting – (both) previously married and virgins.

Devalues Women

This verse threatens the Prophet's wives with replacement by 'better wives' who are 'obedient' and 'submissive.' It devalues women by reducing them to replaceable commodities whose primary worth is measured by unconditional subservience and obedience to their husband.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَأَهۡلِيكُمۡ نَارٗا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡحِجَارَةُ عَلَيۡهَا مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٌ غِلَاظٞ شِدَادٞ لَّا يَعۡصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمۡ وَيَفۡعَلُونَ مَا يُؤۡمَرُونَ

You who believe! Guard yourselves and your families against a Fire – its fuel is people and stones – over which are angels, stern (and) harsh. They do not disobey God in what He commands them, but they do what they are commanded.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَا تَعۡتَذِرُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ إِنَّمَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

‘You who disbelieve! Do not make excuses today, you are only being repaid for what you have done.’

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوۡبَةٗ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمۡ وَيُدۡخِلَكُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ يَوۡمَ لَا يُخۡزِي ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِيَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥۖ نُورُهُمۡ يَسۡعَىٰ بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَبِأَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتۡمِمۡ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ

You who believe! Turn to God in sincere repentance. It may be that your Lord will absolve you of your evil deeds, and cause you to enter Gardens through which rivers flow. On the Day when God will not disgrace the prophet or those who believe with him: their light will run before them, and at their right (hands) [. . .], and they will say, ‘Our Lord, perfect our light for us, and forgive us. Surely You are powerful over everything.’

Vowel Difference (harakat) - Change Meaning (general semantic shift)

Vowel Difference (harakat) Change Meaning (general semantic shift)

Original (Hafs)

نَّصُوحًا

sincere

Variant Reading

نُّصُوحًا

of sincerity

Hafs reads with a fat-hah on the noon (naṣūḥan), making it an intensive adjective ('sincere'). The variant (read by Shu'bah) reads with a dammah (nuṣūḥan), making it a verbal noun ('sincerity').

Read by:

Shu'bah

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ جَٰهِدِ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ وَٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱغۡلُظۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ وَمَأۡوَىٰهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ

Prophet! Struggle against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Their refuge is Gehenna – and it is an evil destination!

Incites Violence & Intolerance

This verse commands the Prophet to 'struggle against' (Jihad) and 'be stern' with disbelievers and hypocrites. The Tafsir confirms this entails armed conflict ('Jihad against the disbelievers... with weapons and armaments'), thereby directly inciting physical violence, warfare, and intolerance against non-Muslims in this life.

ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱمۡرَأَتَ نُوحٖ وَٱمۡرَأَتَ لُوطٖۖ كَانَتَا تَحۡتَ عَبۡدَيۡنِ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا صَٰلِحَيۡنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمۡ يُغۡنِيَا عَنۡهُمَا مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيۡـٔٗا وَقِيلَ ٱدۡخُلَا ٱلنَّارَ مَعَ ٱلدَّـٰخِلِينَ

God has struck a parable for those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants, but they both betrayed them. Neither of them was of any use at all to either of them against God, when it was said, ‘Enter the Fire, both of you, with the ones who enter!’

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱمۡرَأَتَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ إِذۡ قَالَتۡ رَبِّ ٱبۡنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيۡتٗا فِي ٱلۡجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

And God has struck a parable for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, ‘My Lord, build a house in the Garden for me in Your presence, and rescue me from Pharaoh and his deed(s), and rescue me from the people who are evildoers.’

وَمَرۡيَمَ ٱبۡنَتَ عِمۡرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتۡ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتۡ مِنَ ٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ

And Mary, daughter of ‘Imrān, who guarded her private part: We breathed into it some of Our spirit, and she affirmed the words of her Lord and His Books, and became one of the obedient.

Graphical/Basic Letter Difference - Singular to Plural / Plural to Singular

Graphical/Basic Letter Difference Singular to Plural / Plural to Singular

Original (Hafs)

وَكُتُبِهِۦ

His Books

Variant Reading

وَكِتَٰبِهِۦ

His Scripture

The Hafs reading uses the plural form 'kutubihi' (His Books), whereas the variant reading uses the singular form 'kitābihi' (His Book/Scripture).

Read by:

Abu Al-Harith, Bazzi, Duri Al-Kisa'i, Hisham, Ibn Dhakwan, Ibn Jummaz, Ibn Wardan, Idris, Ishaq, Khalaf, Khallad, Qalun, Qunbul, Shu'bah, Warsh

Historical Error

The verse identifies Mary (the mother of Jesus) as the 'daughter of Imran' (Amram in the Bible). This demonstrates a verifiable chronological blunder, as it conflates Mary with Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron and daughter of Amram, placing her centuries out of her correct historical timeline.

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