And He caused you to inherit their land, their homes, and their wealth, as well as a land upon which you had not yet set foot. And Allah is fully capable of all things. (27)
O Prophet, say to your wives: “If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come: I will make provision for you and release you graciously. (28) But if you desire Allah, His Messenger, and the abode of the Hereafter, then Allah has prepared a great reward for those among you who do good.” (29)
“And He caused you to inherit their land, their homes, and their wealth, as well as a land upon which you had not yet set foot.” Ibn Zayd and Muqatil said: This refers to Khaybar. Qatadah said: We were told that it refers to Mecca. Al-Hasan said: Persia and Byzantium. Ikrimah said: Every land that will be conquered until the Day of Resurrection. (1)
“And Allah is fully capable of all things.” Allah Most High says: “O Prophet, say to your wives: ‘If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come: I will make provision for you’”—that is, the compensatory gift due upon divorce—“‘and release you graciously. But if you desire Allah, His Messenger, and the abode of the Hereafter, then Allah has prepared a great reward for those among you who do good.’”
The reason for the revelation of this verse was that the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him for something ⦗81/a⦘ of the worldly goods and requested an increase in their maintenance. They also distressed him through the jealousy of some of them toward others. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, therefore kept away from them and swore not to approach them for a month. He did not come out to his Companions, who asked, “What is the matter with him?” They began to say, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has divorced his wives.”
Umar said, “I shall certainly find out the matter for you.” He said: “So I entered upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, have you divorced them?’ He replied, ‘No.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I entered the mosque and the Muslims were saying, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has divorced his wives.” Shall I go down and inform them that you have not divorced them?’ He said, ‘Yes, if you wish.’ So I stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of my voice: ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has not divorced his wives.’
Then this verse was revealed: “When news of security or fear comes to them, they spread it about; but had they referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those able to draw conclusions from it would have known it.” (al-Nisa—83) Thus, I was the one who drew the conclusion concerning that matter.
Allah then revealed the verse giving them the choice. At that time, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had nine wives: five of them were from Quraysh—Aishah, daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq; Hafsah, daughter of Umar; Umm Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan; Umm Salamah, daughter of Abu Umayyah; and Sawdah, daughter of Zamah—and the other four were not from Quraysh: Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh al-Asadiyyah; Maymunah, daughter of al-Harith al-Hilaliyyah; Safiyyah, daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab al-Khaybariyyah; and Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith al-Mustaliqiyyah. May Allah be pleased with them.
When the verse giving them the choice was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, began with Aishah, for she was the most beloved of them to him. He gave her the choice and recited the Quran to her.