An-Nahl (The Bee)

92. “And do not be like the woman who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces after having spun it tightly, by taking your oaths to be means of deceit between you, (imagining that) one group is more numerous than (another) group. Verily Allah only puts you on trial thereby and He will most certainly make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein you differed.”

As the issue of keeping to ones words and pledges is one of the main backbones of the perseverance of any society, the Qur’an, in this verse, pursues the discussion concerning the subject in question with a tone of voice coupled with some kind of blame and scorn, saying:

“And do not be like the woman who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces after having spun it tightly…”

The allusion here refers to a woman from the Quraysh tribe called ‘Ra’itih’ during the age of Ignorance, who used to weave the wool and the yarn which she had at her disposal along with her woman slaves. She would then order all to be disintegrated into pieces after having been spun. It was for this reason that she was known as the ‘stupid woman’, among the Arabs.

Then, the Qur’an adds implying that you use your oath and pledges as a means of deceit and corruption, imagining one group exceeds another one in number, thus using the increase in number of the enemies as a pretext for breaking pledges of support which you had with the Prophet (S).

The verse says:

“…by taking your oaths to be means of deceit between you, (imagining that) one group is more numerous than (another) group…”

Beware you! That Allah is thus putting you in a trial situation in this way, and, anyway, Allah will reveal to you the consequences of such a trial in the Day of Resurrection, unveiling the secrets in the bottom of all people’s hearts, and hence, everyone will reap what he has sown.

The verse says:

“…Verily Allah only puts you on trial thereby and He will most certainly make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein you differed.”

There has been cited in Tafsir-i-Furqan that: Hadrat-i-Fatimah Zahra (as) in her sermon gave in Medina Mosque against her contemporary rulers, recited this verse, indicating that they resembled that woman who disintegrated what she had spun for their breaking of pledges which they had kept with Ali-Ibn-i-’Abi Talib (as) at Ghadir Khumm.

The allegories, parables, and the proverbs of the Qur’an are such that they hold their natural entity, their freshness, and transparency everywhere and at all times, and from the primary school kid upward as far as the philosophers of the world will quench their thirst by it.

One of the means for experiments is keeping to one’s commitments, and the recall of the resurrection and the dooms day are the factors which lead one to be virtuous and pay attention to whatever he has pledged.