Sūrah At-Taḥrīm The Prohibition: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالتحريمMadanī 12 versesProphetic self-prohibition, wives' conspiracy, righteous/unrighteous women examples

Key DisagreementWhat did the Prophet prohibit upon himself honey or Māriyah the Coptic?Occasion of revelationAl-Ṭabarī: presents chains for both honey (from ʿĀʾishah/Ḥafṣah chains) and Māriyah (from ʿUmar chains); leans toward honey as the stronger chain

Competing OpinionsWhich two wives conspired (66:4)?Historical identificationAl-Ṭabarī: ʿĀʾishah and Ḥafṣah through chains from ʿUmar and ʿĀʾishah herself

MethodologyPresenting competing chains for the occasion then weighing chain qualityTarjīḥ between competing chainsAl-Ṭabarī collects all chains for both the honey and Māriyah accounts before stating his preferred position

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The prohibition incident (66:1) "O Prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful to you?" is one of al-Ṭabarī's most carefully analyzed occasion-of-revelation debates. Two main chains: (1) from ʿĀʾishah: the Prophet prohibited honey upon himself at Ḥafṣah's house to please his wives who disliked the smell; (2) from ʿUmar: the Prophet prohibited Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah (his Coptic concubine) upon himself, revealing this secret to Ḥafṣah who told ʿĀʾishah. Al-Ṭabarī presents both chains fully, notes the ʿĀʾishah chain on honey is more direct, but acknowledges the ʿUmar chain is also documented.

The examples of righteous and unrighteous women (66:10–12) are analyzed as concluding moral lessons: Nūḥ's wife and Lūṭ's wife as examples of those whose marital connection to a prophet does not save them; Pharaoh's wife (Āsiyah) as an example of righteousness despite a tyrannical husband; Maryam as the example of absolute spiritual and physical purity. Al-Ṭabarī traces chains from Ibn ʿAbbās on each woman's story and the specific lesson drawn.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ تَبْتَغِي مَرْضَاتَ أَزْوَاجِكَ Yā ayyuhā l-nabiyyu lima tuḥarrimu mā aḥalla Allāhu laka tabtaghī marḍāta azwājik "O Prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking the approval of your wives?" (66:1) Al-Ṭabarī presents both chains (honey/Māriyah) for the occasion, noting the divine rebuke teaches a principle: even the Prophet cannot make forbidden what Allah has permitted.

وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا Wa-Maryama bnat ʿImrāna llatī aḥṣanat farjahā fa-nafakhnā fīhi min rūḥinā "And Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, and We blew into it of Our Spirit." (66:12) Al-Ṭabarī presents chains from Ibn ʿAbbās on Maryam's unique status the pinnacle of female spiritual example and explains "nafakhnā fīhi" as the divine creation of ʿĪsā without a father.

Occasion debate: Al-Ṭabarī's presentation of both the honey and Māriyah chains without definitively choosing is one of his most balanced tarjīḥ treatments.
Prohibition principle: The verse teaches that even personal voluntary abstinence from what Allah permits requires care the Prophet was gently rebuked.
Female examples: The four women of 66:10–12 are analyzed as forming a complete moral typology two negative (prophethood by marriage doesn't save), two positive (righteousness despite circumstances).
Maryam's uniqueness: Al-Ṭabarī's chain analysis of the virginal conception of ʿĪsā emphasizes both the miracle's physicality and Maryam's active role in guarding chastity.
Wife conspiracy chains: 66:4's "if you two [wives] support each other against him" is traced through chains to the ʿĀʾishah-Ḥafṣah alliance a specific historical event with chain documentation.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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