(14–15) “O you who believe, indeed, some of your spouses and children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. * Your wealth and children are only a trial, while with Allah is a tremendous reward.”

This is a warning from Allah to the believers against being beguiled by spouses and children, for some of them are enemies to you. An enemy is one who wishes you harm, and your duty is to beware of anyone so described (1). The soul is naturally disposed to love spouses and children. Allah Most High therefore counseled His servants not to allow this love to lead them to comply with the demands of their spouses and children, even when those demands involve matters prohibited by the Sacred Law (2). He encouraged them to obey His commands and give precedence to His good pleasure because of the tremendous reward with Him, encompassing the loftiest aspirations and most precious desires, and to prefer the Hereafter over this fleeting, transitory world.

Since the prohibition against obeying spouses and children in matters harmful to the servant, and the warning against doing so, might be taken to imply treating them harshly and punishing them, Allah Most High commanded His servants to remain wary of them while overlooking and pardoning them. This yields benefits too numerous to enumerate. He therefore says: “But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” for recompense is of the same nature as the deed.

Thus, whoever pardons will be pardoned by Allah; whoever overlooks will be overlooked by Allah; and whoever forgives will be forgiven by Allah. Whoever conducts himself toward Allah in the manner He loves, and treats His servants in a way they love and that benefits them, will attain Allah’s love and the love of His servants, and his affairs will be firmly established.