Sūrah At-Taḥrīm The Prohibition
التحريم
12 verses, Madanī. The Prophet ﷺ prohibited what Allah made lawful for him honey, to please his wives. O Prophet why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful? The incident of the secret disclosed. The believers commanded to repent sincerely. The example of Pharaoh's wife and Maryam the two greatest women models.
Surah Overview
Key Themes from Ibn Kathīr
The honey incident (66:1): "O Prophet why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives?" The background: the Prophet ﷺ drank honey at either Zaynab's or Ḥafṣah's house. Some of his wives bothered by this told him he had a bad smell. He took an oath not to drink honey again. Allah corrected him: he was making ḥarām what Allah made ḥalāl for the sake of wives' approval. Ibn Kathīr: even prophets are corrected the Qurʾān preserves this correction as guidance for all time.
Āsiyah bint Muzāḥim wife of Pharaoh (66:11): "Allah presents an example for those who believed the wife of Pharaoh. She said: My Lord build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people." Ibn Kathīr: one of the four greatest women in Islamic tradition she lived with the greatest tyrant in history yet her heart remained attached to Allah. She prayed for a house near Allah before her own comfort.
- The sincere repentance (66:8): Ibn Kathīr defines tawbah naṣūḥ: repentance from the heart (not just the tongue), regret for the sin, immediate cessation, determination not to return, and restitution of others' rights if involved. Some scholars add: performed at the correct time (before death approaches or the sun rises from the West).
- The secret and the disclosure (66:3): The Prophet ﷺ told Ḥafṣah something in secret and she disclosed it to ʿĀʾishah. Allah revealed this and the Prophet gently confronted her. She asked: Who told you? He said: The Knower, the Aware told me. Ibn Kathīr: divine knowledge of every private conversation nothing shared in secret escapes Allah's knowledge.
- Guard yourselves and your families from Fire (66:6): "O you who believe protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones." Ibn Kathīr: the parent's obligation extends beyond the self teaching children, setting example, creating a household of taqwā. The family is a trust; its spiritual welfare is the parent's responsibility.
- The wife and daughter of Nūḥ and Lūṭ (66:10): "Allah presents an example for those who disbelieved the wife of Nūḥ and the wife of Lūṭ. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them so their husbands availed them nothing against Allah, and it was said: Enter the Fire with those who enter." Ibn Kathīr: righteous family members cannot save someone who chooses disbelief.
- The four greatest women (Ibn Kathīr's list): Based on ḥadīth Maryam bint ʿImrān, Āsiyah bint Muzāḥim, Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, and Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad ﷺ. The Qurʾān highlights the first two explicitly in this surah as models for all believing women.