| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah The Clans, The Coalition, The Combined Forces, The Allies(al-Ahzab)
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| 33:1 | | O’ Prophet, be at awe only with God and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites; trust in God alone who is the Most Knowledgeable and Wise |
| 33:2 | | And follow whatever God has revealed to you; indeed God isaware of what you do |
| 33:3 | | And have trust in your Lord as God is the best protector |
| 33:4 | | [as] God has not given two hearts to people [either you should follow Islam or your tradition]. Your divorced wives [unlike the old tradition of the ignorance] are not considered as your mothers neither are your adopted sons as your real sons [in right]. These [ignorance days’ traditions] are only words flowing from people’s mouth [without any rational behind them]. God’s words are based upon reality and your Lord is the only one who guides you toward the right path |
| 33:5 | | Call your adopted sons by their genetic father’s (family) name. If you do not know their last name, cal them as “My brothers in Islam”. If you are careless in this domain you will not be considered as a sinner; God is indeed forgiving [of these little sins] and the Most Merciful |
| 33:6 | | The relationship bond between the Prophet (Mohammad) and the believers is superior to the relationship bond between them and any of their relatives. The Wives of the Prophet must be respected by the believers the same way that they respect their own mother. In accordance with the Lord’s scripture, the blood relationship has superiority over other relationships [the blood relations should take care of each other first.] However, there is nothing wrong in showing kindness to your friends [provided that you have taken care of your blood relatives first.] This is written in the Book of God |
| 33:7 | | Remember the solemn promise that you (Mohammad), Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (son of Mary) and all other prophets made to Me; a very solid promise [to be the first to follow the revealed orders of God, to relay their revelations to the others, to show no laxity in the struggle to enforce them, etc.] |
| 33:8 | | So that the Lord may test the truthfulness of the believers and sentence the disbelievers to a painful punishment for their disobedience |
| 33:9 | | O’ you who believe, remember the Lords favor upon you [on the battle of the trench] which He has [just now] demonstrated: When the [12,men army] of the disbelievers came down on you, I sent against them a strong wind and an army that you could not see. God was [and always is] watching over you |
| 33:10 | | When the enemies came upon you from every side, your eyes were petrified of fear and your hearts started to beat up faster. Then you started to entertain [all kind of] doubt about your Lord |
| 33:11 | | This was an occasion to seriously test the extent of your belief |
| 33:12 | | Then the hypocrites, and those who suffer from the sickness of lack of will power, openly said: “What God and His Prophet promised us wan nothing but a delusion.&rdquo |
| 33:13 | | A group of them went far enough to say: “You [foolish] people of Medina, you have no chance in the [upcoming] battle; fly the front.” A group of them went to the Prophet and asked to leave the battle front saying: “Our homes are in danger.” They were just looking for an excuse to flee |
| 33:14 | | If the enemies had conquered the city and had asked them for any kind of treachery [such as providing vital information about whereupon of the believers], they would have easily committed it without any hesitation |
| 33:15 | | These are the same people who [after their disobedience in the battle of Uhud] pledged to God [that they would make up for their failure in the future trials.] Making a pledge with God involves a great responsibility [God cannot be deceived by empty words and, just two years after the battle of Uhud, put them to this test.] |
| 33:16 | | Say to them: “You can never fly from death. Your attempt to flee will buy you only a short period of time to enjoy.&rdquo |
| 33:17 | | Say to them: “Who can protect you from God, if He wants to test you by a hardship? Who can prevent Him, if He wants to bestow a favor upon you?” In fact, there is none to turn to as a protector or a helper against God |
| 33:18 | | Indeed God knows those of them who do not want to join the war effort and those of them who say to their friends: “Stay with us.” These are those who would like to participate the least in the battle campaign |
| 33:19 | | When it comes to helping you [Mohammad], they are the least enthusiastic; but when a danger threatens them, they will look at you for help with eyes so frightened as though they are going to die any minute. When the danger is gone, they come to greet you with flattering words in hope of materialistic gains. These hypocrites are not believers and God will nullify their good deeds, which is the easiest thing for God to do |
| 33:20 | | They cannot believe their eyes that the enemy’s army has gone away. If it happened such that the enemy returns, they will prefer to be in a small village in the middle of the desert and hear about you from there! They would definitely take the least part in the battle, if the enemy had to return |
| 33:21 | | O’ Mohammad, your handling the war effort made you the role model for those who look forward to their Lord, the Day of Judgment and remember God very frequently |
| 33:22 | | As to the true believers, when they saw the [12,men army of the] enemy ready to attack, [instead of loosing faith] they said: “ This is what God and His Prophet had promised [that we are going to be tested in difficult situations]”. This [desperate] situation instead increased their belief |
| 33:23 | | Some of the believers have already passed their test and have fulfilled their pledge to [be loyal to] God and some will face their test pretty soon. The believers have never changed their position |
| 33:24 | | [All these difficult situations are meant so that] God may reward the sincere believers and to punish the hypocrites; although He [has left the door of repentance open so that He] may accept their repentance. Indeed God is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful |
| 33:25 | | [See how] God made the disbelievers army to retreat while in rage without any gain. God Himself was enough [to fight against them for] for the believers. Indeed God is the Most Powerful, the Almighty [only one sand storm of Him and a mighty army looses the ground!] |
| 33:26 | | As to the Jews [of Bani Quraizah], who joined the enemy’s army, God brought them down from their strong fortress and put such a fear of you in their hearts that today you easily slaughter them in the battle or take them as prisoners |
| 33:27 | | God made you inherit their land, their homes, their money and the lands that you had never even stepped on. God has the power and can make anything to happen |
| 33:28 | | O’ Prophet, say to your wives [who were apparently not satisfied with their economic situations and, like most ordinary people, were looking for more]: “If your primary interest is the vanities of this world, no problem. Let us get separated in an amicable manner and God will give you anything you wish for in this world… |
| 33:29 | | However, if your ultimate goal is to please God, be obedient to the Prophet and have a good life in Hereafter [rather than this world], know that God has a reward for those of you who engage in good deeds in reserve [the Prophet’s wives chose the second choice.]&rdquo |
| 33:30 | | The wives of the Prophet should know that if they commit an indecency, God will punish them twice as much as He would have punished an ordinary person for it; and you know that this is very easy for God to do it. &hellip |
| 33:31 | | If they do a good deed, on the other hand, they will be rewarded twice as much as God would reward an ordinary person for that good deed. For such a good wife of the Prophet, God has an honorable provision in reserve |
| 33:32 | | Wives of the Prophet, you are not like ordinary women [you are the role model and have a social responsibility]. If you are God fearing, do not speak too softly; this may cause some men, with a disease in their hearts, to entertain the wrong ideas. Instead, speak business like. Stay at home [settle down, stick firmly, live peacefully, sit with dignity and take control of the internal affair of your household]; …. |
| 33:33 | | do not go out and display your jewelries like the women of the ignorance days [In today’s “democracies” when a man is elected as at the president, his wife immediately engaged in political activities in spite of the fact that the people did not cast any vote for her. In this connection the wives of the Prophet are prohibited from taking part in the political affairs of the newly established Islamic State.] … |
| 33:34 | | Worship the Lord on regular basis, engage in charity and obey God and His Prophet. God’s main intention [of all these teachings] is to purify the Prophet’s household by showing you how to get rid of bad habits. Think about what is being recited in your house of the Lord’s revelations and the rationale behind it. Know that God is watching and knows everything |
| 33:35 | | Know that the men and women who are submissive [to the will of God], believer, obedient, truthful, patient, bow down and prostrate to God, engage in charitable actions, fast when they are supposed to, avoid nudity and teasing through body language and remember God by reciting His Words frequently are protected by God’s mercy and forgiveness and there is a big reward in reserve for them |
| 33:36 | | A believing man/ woman will never challenge a decision of the Lord and His Prophet. Whoever disobeys God and His Prophet, is among the losers |
| 33:37 | | O’ Mohammad, remember when [your adopted son] Zaid (who is blessed by God and His Prophet) came to you consulting about his wife? You tried to reunite them (in spite of the fact that you had some feelings about her.) You were afraid of what people might say and think; however, you should be afraid only of God. I ordered you to marry his Ex-wife [whom he divorced in spite of the Prophet’s reuniting efforts] in order to set a precedent that a man may marry the divorced wife of his adopted son. God’s command shall be done |
| 33:38 | | There is nothing wrong with the Prophet’s following the order of God [this indicates that the Prophet’s marriage with his adopted son’s Ex-wife was an order]. The previous Prophets also had to obey the Lord’s orders; God’s command is a settled decree |
| 33:39 | | The Prophets who relay the Lord’s messages fear non but Him [and do not disobey His orders because they are afraid that people may not appreciate them.] It should be enough for a person to know that God appreciates his deeds [no matter what the others think or say.] |
| 33:40 | | Mohammad is not the father of any man among you [including his own adopted son.] Mohammad is the last Prophet of God [and had to obey the order of God and to marry his adopted son’s Ex-wife to nullify once and forever the existing tradition.] Indeed God knows everything [and knows that this tradition is baseless.] |
| 33:41 | | O’ you who believe, turn to God and mention Him frequently |
| 33:42 | | O’ you who believe, Glorify God every morning and evening |
| 33:43 | | God is the One who showers you with His blessings. The Lord’s angels pray for you so that God may perfect His blessing upon you by bringing you out of darkness into light. God is very kind to the believers |
| 33:44 | | The believers will be greeted (on the Day that they have the appointment to meet with the Lord) with “Peace” and God has already prepared for them an honorable reward |
| 33:45 | | O’ Prophet (Mohammad), I have sent you as a witness [to verbally explain the truth as you have witnessed it, to conduct a way of life which is a witness to a God pleasing way of life and to be a witness in the Hereafter as to how the people responded to the truth], the bearer of the good news [about the Paradise] and a Warner [explaining the true nature of the Hell for those still have time to save themselves from it.] |
| 33:46 | | O’ Prophet, I have sent you to invite the people toward the Lord, with His permission [the wicked people are already deprived of such an opportunity] and serve as a guiding beacon |
| 33:47 | | O’ Prophet, I have sent you to let the believer know that there are great rewards in reserve for them out of the generosity of God |
| 33:48 | | Do not yield to the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Take their persecution lightly and put your trust in God. If you put your trust in God, you are in need of nobody |
| 33:49 | | The believers are hereby informed that: If they marry a woman and divorce her before having sex with, the woman may remarry immediately and does not owe her Ex-husband a waiting period [of three periods.] It is the duty of the man to provide such a woman with some kind of material well being and send her of gracefully |
| 33:50 | | O’ Prophet, I have relaxed the laws concerning the marriage for you and only you [so that, as the Head of the State of those days, he may have the flexibility of using the marriage ties for social/ political or other considerations.] You may therefore keep your already married wives and marry the following women: Those whom God has given you as a slave [captured in different wars or being offered by other Head of the States], the daughters of your paternal and maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with you, and the believing woman who asks the Prophet to marry her without the dowry, (if the Prophet has a mutual interest in her.) The restriction on the marriage for the Muslim men are already explained in detail and these exceptions [made for the Prophet] is to save you any embarrassment [due to the political nature of the Head of the State position in the future.] God is thus the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful |
| 33:51 | | [In order to relieve you (Mohammad) of the domestic worries so that you could carry out your duties,] Your are granted the option to shun away any of your wives, bring closer to you any one of them and there will be no blame on you, if you reconcile with the ones that you have put aside. It is expected from them to understand [that as the wife of Prophet they cannot expect an ordinary life and] that they will be content with whatever you give them. God knows what is going on in your heart. God knows everything [and due to his knowledge of the situation, He is understanding] and the Most Merciful |
| 33:52 | | It is no more lawful for you to take no other woman, beyond the categories explained above, except the slave girls. [As your wives have become pleased with any way that you treat them and have rejected the world in preference to the Hereafter,] It is no more lawful for you that you should divorce any of your wives to replace them with the others (even though the latter’ beauty may be extremely appealing. |
| 33:53 | | The believers hereby are forbidden to enter the houses of the Prophet without permission and are not supposed to delay their stay hoping to be fed. Enter, if you are invited. Eat, if you are offered and leave immediately. Do not bother the Prophet with lengthy discussions; he is shy asking you to leave but God is not shy in bringing to your attention [theses etiquettes.] If you have to talk to the wives of the Prophet, do not talk face to face; talk from behind a curtain. This is better for the purity of your hearts as well as theirs. You should not do/say anything to hurt the Prophet of God. You should also not [as a sign of respect] marry any of the wives of the Prophet after him [as you are not supposed to marry your fathers’ wives after his death out of respect]; this is a great sin in the sight of God |
| 33:54 | | Know that whatever you say or keep as a secret, God knows it as God has full knowledge over everything |
| 33:55 | | They [the wives of the Prophet as well as other women in general] may [relax their dress code around and] be visited by their fathers, sons, brothers, brothers & sisters’ sons, female friends and their slaves. Respect God’s order and remember that He is watching whatever you do |
| 33:56 | | God and His angels shower the Prophet (Mohammad) with their blessings. If you are a believer, you, too, should respect him and follow his orders to the point |
| 33:57 | | Those who do or say the least against God and His Prophet, carry the Lord’s curse in this world and will be punished in a disgraceful manner in the Hereafter |
| 33:58 | | Those who do or say something wrong against the believing men and women, are engaged in slandering, which is a great sin |
| 33:59 | | O’ Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, as well as other believing women, that they should cover their face with their outer garment [say a scarf] until their front [a Muslim woman’s “uniform” completely covers her body, without showing the curvatures of the body. Only the palm of her hands and feet and the face from the front to chin may be visible.] It is expected that they will thus be recognized and respected. God is Forgiving [when it comes to the past practices] and merciful [to those who follow the Islamic laws from now on.] |
| 33:60 | | If the hypocrites, those who have a psychological problem [illwishers of Islam (though Muslim themselves), cherishing evil intentions and having criminal mentalities] and those who spread baseless rumors in Medina do not stop it, I (God) will help you to reveal their true natures so that they may hardly be able to live in this city and leave it out of shame |
| 33:61 | | They will be cursed from every side, persecuted and killed |
| 33:62 | | This has been the way that God has dealt with people like that before and you will notice that God’s system [of justice] is unchangeable |
| 33:63 | | People will ask you about the end of the world. Let them know that only God knows about it. As far as people are concerned, they should be prepared as though it will take place within a few moment |
| 33:64 | | [whether it is near at hand or long time from now,] God has laid curse on the disbelievers and has prepared the blazing Hellfire for them |
| 33:65 | | The disbelievers will live in Hellfire forever and will find no one to protect or help them from the torture they are sentence to |
| 33:66 | | When they face the fire, they will say: “We wish that we had followed God and His Prophet.&rdquo |
| 33:67 | | They will say: “O Lord, our leaders, whom we followed wrongly, misleads us…. |
| 33:68 | | May you double their punishment and put your most sever curse on them.&rdquo |
| 33:69 | | God hereby orders the believing Muslims not to treat their Prophet the way that the Jews treated Moses. God cleared Moses of their slanders; he was the honorable in the sight of God |
| 33:70 | | God hereby orders the believers to say the right thing |
| 33:71 | | God hereby promises to raise the good deeds of the believers to the heaven and to overlook their mistakes. The one who obeys God and His Prophet, has indeed achieved the real success |
| 33:72 | | I (God) offered the responsibility [freedom of choice and being God’s vice-gerent] to the heavens, the earth and the mountains [this indicates that the matter is also a living species having a spirit of its own. After all, how can its electrons circle around their nucleolus without energy and spirit?], they refused to bear it[as they were afraid of failing in such a big mission.] Only man accepted this mission; how ignorant this unjust creature is |
| 33:73 | | [What is at stake with the success/ failure in this mission is that] God will punish the hypocritical men and women and those men and women who worship others beside God. God will accept the repentance of the believing men and women as God is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful |
