Cheatsheet
Sūrah At-TaḥrīmThe Prohibition · Madinah · 12 āyāt · 3 movements
A short Madinan surah revealed over a domestic dispute in the Prophet's ﷺ household, opening with a gentle correction — why do you prohibit yourself what Allāh has made lawful — before widening into two of the surah's most memorable teachings: sincere repentance as the door back to Allāh, and four women given as parables, two whose nearness to a righteous man availed them nothing, and two whose faith under a hostile ruler exalted them. The surah closes on the same note of total accountability with which it opened: no relationship, however close, substitutes for one's own standing with Allāh.
At a glance
| Āyāt | Movement | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | A household matter answered from above | Seeking to please people is never a reason to forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful. |
| 6–9 | Sincere repentance and the believers' light | Sincere repentance has conditions: regret, abandonment, and resolve, not merely words. |
| 10–12 | Four women as parables | Closeness to a righteous person does not itself save anyone before Allah. |
Occasion & setting
A private matter arose between the Prophet ﷺ and some of his wives — reports mention his temporarily prohibiting something lawful to himself (either honey or a maidservant, according to differing narrations) to please them, and a secret he confided to one wife that was then disclosed to another. The surah opens by addressing this directly, then moves to instruct the wives collectively toward repentance, and finally sets the household episode within the larger pattern of righteous and unrighteous women married to righteous men.
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5267 and 4912; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1474; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat at-TaḥrīmKey messages
- · Pleasing people is never a reason to forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful.
- · Even the Prophet's ﷺ household received direct correction from revelation.
- · Correction of a fault can be firm while still preserving discretion and dignity.
- · Sincere repentance requires regret, abandonment of the sin, and resolve — not words alone.
- · Guarding one's family from wrongdoing is an active, named religious duty.
- · Nearness to a righteous person does not itself save anyone before Allah.
- · Distance from every worldly support does not itself prevent salvation, as with the wife of Firʿawn.
- · Every soul's standing before Allah is its own — independent of marriage or family.
Root vocabulary
ح ر م
to forbid, prohibit
1
تُحَرِّمُ (you prohibit) · حَرَام (forbidden) · حُرْمَة (sanctity)
ت و ب
to repent, turn back
4, 5, 8
تَتُوبَآ (you two repent) · تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا (sincere repentance) · تَـٰٓئِبَـٰتٍ (repentant women)
خ و ن
to betray
10
فَخَانَتَاهُمَا (they betrayed them both) · خَآئِن (traitor) · خِيَانَة (betrayal)
ن ج و
to save, rescue
11
نَجِّنِى (save me) · نَجَاة (salvation) · مُنجٍ (saviour)
ح ص ن
to guard, fortify
12
أَحْصَنَتْ (she guarded) · حِصْن (fortress) · إِحْصَان (chastity)
ق ن ت
to be devoutly obedient
5, 12
قَـٰنِتَـٰتٍ (devoutly obedient women) · قُنُوت (devout standing) · ٱلْقَـٰنِتِينَ (the devoutly obedient)
ن و ر
light
8
نُورُهُمْ (their light) · أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا (perfect for us our light) · نُّور (light)
Flip cards
16 cards over the roots, movements, takeaways and seerah events of this surah. Anything you mark “still learning” comes back before the deck ends.
Sūrah At-Taḥrīm deck
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Concept map
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