يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُمْ وَأَوْلَٰدِكُمْ عَدُوًّۭا لَّكُمْ فَٱحْذَرُوهُمْ ۚ وَإِن تَعْفُوا۟ وَتَصْفَحُوا۟ وَتَغْفِرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ
O you who have believed, indeed, among your wives and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon and overlook and forgive - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Introduction
This is āyah 14 of Sūrat At-Taghaabun (The Mutual Disillusion), the 108th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 28. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 108 of 114
- Surah
- At-Taghaabun (64)
(O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) [64:14]. Said Ibn �Abbas: �Some men used to embrace Islam but, upon trying to migrate, were prevented from doing so by their families and children. The latter would plead with them, saying: �We plead with you, by Allah, not to leave your family and clan and depart to Medina where you have no family or wealth�. Some of these men took pity on their family and children and stayed back, thus failing to migrate, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Ahmad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Shaybani informed us> Abu�l-Fadl Ahmad ibn Isma�il ibn Yahya ibn Hazim> �Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Bujayr> Muhammad ibn �Umar al-Maqdimi> Ash�ath ibn �Abd Allah> Shu�bah> Isma�il ibn Abi Khalid who said: �Some men used to embrace Islam but then faced the rebuke of their families and children, and so this verse was revealed (O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them�)�. Reporting from Ibn �Abbas, �Ikrimah said: �This refers to those who were prevented by their families from emigrating to Medina. When they finally migrated and saw that people had gained a clear understanding of the religion, they were about to punish those members of their family who prevented them from migrating, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful)�.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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