Surah al-Tahrim is Medinan. (1)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the pleasure of your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (1)

“O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the pleasure of your wives? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful?” The reason for its revelation is that which was related to us by Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi, who said: Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Nu'aymi related to us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf related to us; Muhammad ibn Ismail related to us; Ubayd Allah ibn Ismail related to us; Abu Usamah related to us, from Hisham, from his father, from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, loved sweets and [loved] (2) honey. After performing the Asr prayer, he would visit his wives and draw near to them. He entered upon Hafsah and stayed with her longer than he usually did. I asked about this and was told, “A woman from her people had given her a small vessel of honey, and she gave the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, a drink from it.”

So I said, “By Allah, we shall devise a plan concerning him.” I mentioned this to Sawdah and said, “When he enters upon you, he will draw close to you, so say to him: ‘Messenger of Allah, have you eaten maghafir, a foul-smelling gum?’ He will say, ‘No.’ Then say to him, ‘What is this smell?’” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was greatly distressed if any odor was detected from him. “He will then say, ‘Hafsah gave me a drink of honey.’ So say to him, ‘Its bees have fed on urfut, a gum-producing shrub.’ I too shall say this, and you should say it as well, Safiyyah.”

When he entered upon Sawdah, Sawdah said: “By Allah, besides whom there is no god, I nearly told him outright what you had said to me, even though he was at the door, out of fear of you.” When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, drew near, I said, “Messenger of Allah, have you eaten maghafir?” He said, “No.” I said, “Then what is this smell?” He said, “Hafsah gave me a drink of honey.” She said, “Its bees have fed on urfut.”

When he entered upon me, I said the same to him, and he entered upon Safiyyah.