Surah At-Tahrim, Ayah 12

The Disbelievers can cause no Harm to the Believers

This is a parable that Allah made of the believers, in that, if they needed to, their association with the disbelievers will not harm them. Allah the Exalted said,

لاَّ يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَىْءٍ إِلاَ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَـةً

(Let not the believers take the disbelievers as protecting friends instead of the believers, and whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way, except you indeed fear a danger from them.) (3:28) Qatadah said, "Fir`awn was the most tyrannical among the people of the earth and the most disbelieving. By Allah! His wife was not affected by her husband's disbelief, because she obeyed her Lord. Therefore, let it be known that Allah is the Just Judge Who will not punish anyone except for their own sins." Ibn Jarir recorded that Sulayman said, "The wife of Fir`awn was tortured under the sun and when Fir`awn would finish the torture session, the angels would shade her with their wings. She was shown her house in Paradise." Ibn Jarir said that Al-Qasim bin Abi Bazzah said, "Fir`awn's wife used to ask, `Who prevailed' When she was told, `Musa and Harun prevailed', she said, `I believe in the Lord of Musa and Harun.' Fir`awn sent his aides to her and said to them, `Find the biggest stone. If she insists on keeping her faith, throw the stone on her, otherwise she is my wife. When they came to her, she looked up to the sky and was able to see her house in Paradise. She persisted on the faith and her soul was then captured. The stone was thrown on her lifeless body." This is the meaning of her statement,

وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَ‌بِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ (and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and His books, and she was one of the devout....66:12) The phrase 'Words of her Lord' refers to scriptures that were revealed to the Holy Prophets ﷺ . The word kutub [ Books ] refers to the well-known celestial books - Injil, Zabur and Torah. The concluding statement وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ (and she was one of the devout....66:12) describes the quality of Sayyidah Maryam (علیہا السلام) . The word qanitin is the plural of qanit and signifies 'devout and obedient'. Sayyidna Abu Musa (علیہ السلام) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whilst many men have attained spiritual perfection, among women only Sayyidah ` Asiyah ؓ ، wife of Fir'aun, and Sayyidah Maryam, daughter of ` Imran (علیہما السلام) ، achieved this perfection." [ Bukhari and Muslim as quoted by Mazhari ]. Apparently, 'perfection' in this context refers to 'characteristics of Prophethood'. Despite being a woman, she achieved them. [ Mazhari ]. And Allah knows best!

Al-hamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah At-Tahrim

Ends here

Pharaoh was an unbeliever and a tyrant. But his wife Asiyah, daughter of Muzahim was a woman of Faith and a doer of pious deeds. So when she kept herself on the right path, her husband’s wrong behaviour did not harm her. The husband was sent to hell and the wife found her place in the gardens of paradise. From childhood till her youth, Mary kept herself pure and she preserved her chastity. Therefore, God chose her to give birth as a virgin to a miraculous prophet. According to some traditions, the angel Gabriel blew on the front of her shirt, which made her pregnant and the Messiah was born.