At-Taghaabun (Mutual Disillusion)

14. O you who believe! Indeed, amongst your wives and your children are your enemies [since they make you turn away from treading the Divine Path]. Therefore, beware of them! But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive their faults, then know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Gracious.

The Arabic words

‘afw (“pardon “), safh (“forgiveness”),

and

maghfira (“remission”)

constitute the three steps to be taken against the faults of others including spouses and children. Regarding the Occasion of the Revelation of the blessed Verse in question, Imam Baqir (as) is reported as saying that when some men intended to migrate from Mecca to Medina, their wives and children beseeched them to swear that they did not leave them since they would be abandoned without them.

Some men yielded to their persistence and intended to stay. Then, the blessed Verse was revealed warning them against yielding to their wives’ and children’s requests. There were some men who said unto their families that if they refrained from accompanying them in their migration and joined them later in Medina, they would not be welcome by no means. They were ordered to consign to oblivion the past and welcome the reunion and the Qur’anic Verse addresses such issue.¹

The preceding blessed Verses treated of the unconditional obedience to God Almighty and His Messenger (S), though since excessive affection for possessions and families constitute one of the impediments in treading the Path of Truth, the blessed Verse in question warns Muslims in this respect saying:

“O you who believe! Some of your wives and children are your enemies. Beware of them.”

Whenever you intend to act upon Divine Ordinance, e.g. migration in Allah’s Cause, they beseech you to refrain from obedience to God Almighty and His Messenger (S) and thereby impede you from being granted such great Bounty.

At times, they wish that you were dead so as to possess your possessions. It is needless to say that all wives and children are not like that and the partitive proposition min (“from”) designates the same connotation. The point is that some of them are like that and the believers are supposed to beware of them.

It is worthy of note, however, that such enmity is at times disguised as affection and good intention, though enmity and mal intention rest behind such affection aiming at procurement of personal benefits.

The significant point is that man may at times be perplexed at dilemmas when one way leads to God Almighty and the other toward one’s family. Believers are not supposed to entertain any doubts since Divine Satisfaction precedes all things and salvation in this world and the Hereafter lies in the same.

Since family members may use the injunction as a pretext for violence, vengeance, and going to the extreme, the blessed Verse proceeds to say that if you overlook and forgive their faults, God Almighty will forgive you, since He is Oft-Forgiving and Most Gracious.

Thus, if they repent and apologize for their faults and join you following your migration, do not turn away from them, but forgive them as you invoke God Almighty for forgiveness.

The blessed Verse is saying that the believers, besides being decisive in maintaining their beliefs and refraining from yielding to the entreaties of their families as to deviate from the straight path, are supposed to endeavor to forgive the faults of others in the same manner that they invoke God Almighty for forgiveness since it is through such affection and forgiveness that they may invite them to obey God Almighty.