Sürah Al-Ahzāb "الأحزاب" is the 33rd chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with 73 verses (āyāt) with 9 Rukus, spread over Juzʼ 21 to 22. Al-Ahzāb means the confederates, or "the clans", "the coalition", or "the combined forces"). The Surah takes its name, al-Ahzab [confederates/groups] from the Ayat, وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ۚ وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا "And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth." And it increased them only in faith and acceptance." (33:22)
The mention of the confederates, or the coalition is made of an an alliance among the Quraysh and other tribes, who fought the Muslims at the Battle of the Trench in the 5th Hijrah or 627 AD, also known as the Battle of the Parties and as the siege of Madinah.
Context of Revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl)
This surah was revealed after the Muslim victory of defending Madinah from a combined forcce of the Quraysh of Mecca, the Jews and the hypocrites of Medinah, who despite forging alliance with the Muslims joined the forces of Idolaters of Makkah to destabilize the newly formed Muslim state in Medinah and defeat them to be of any future threat to the traders of Makkah. Thus “Ahzāb” (confederates) refers to the coalition of Quraysh, Jews, and hypocrites who besieged Madinah to destroy the Muslims.
The Surah mentions what happened at the Battle of the Trench to remind believers of the mercy and power of Allah since Allah made the various tribes who attacked Medina leave. Beside mention of the battle, the surah also addresses internal issues: social reforms, the Prophet’s household, the role of women, and hypocrites’ behavior.
We have already shared the Tafseer / Exegesis of the Surah which can be read from links given below:
Herein under we only present a condensed overview of the entire Sūrah, for the scope of this post is to to introduce the Sūrah and provide links to some of the selected verses from this Sūrah for selective reading / references. The following bird eye view includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to some of the selected verses already published.
Overall Theme
The surah shows how external threats (enemy armies) and internal challenges (hypocrisy, weak faith, social injustice) are faced with faith, unity, and obedience. It also dwells on protection of the Muslim community through trust in Allah, obedience to His Messenger ﷺ, and moral/social discipline.
Since the formation of Muslim state in Medinah was in its formatting stage, laws needed to be enacted to administer the new Muslim state as per the tenets of Islam, the surah also contains rules and regulations for the believers to follow.
Major Pointers
Going through the surah, one finds Muslims of today are in the same precarious situation as they were at the time of revelation of this surah. The weak faith, internal strife and shaking hands with the non Muslims at the cost of security of other Muslims is rampant today and the Muslims need to draw pertinent lessons from this surah to fight back the combined forces opposing them.
Also Muslims are deviating from the laws enacted for them, which is weakening their trust in Allah and creating doubts that are being exploited.
Herein under are some of the important pointers of the surah that must be understood and acted upon:
- Battle of the Trench (33:9–27)
- Allah saved the believers when they were outnumbered.
- Highlights patience, reliance on Allah (tawakkul), and exposes hypocrites.
- Status of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ﷺ (33:6, 40–43)
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is closer to the believers than themselves.
- Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is the Seal of the Prophets — no prophet after him.
- Rules of Adoption (33:4–5, 37–40) and pre-Islamic adoption practices abolished.
- Zayd (the Prophet’s adopted son) example clarified lineage laws.
- The Prophet’s Family and Wives (33:28–34, 53–59)
- The wives of Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم given special status as Mothers of the Believers.
- Commanded modesty, dignity, and not to display themselves like pre-Islamic times.
- Hijab and Modesty (33:59)
- Muslim women instructed to wear an outer garment (jilbāb) for dignity and protection.
- Hypocrites and Enemies (33:18–20, 60–61)
- Condemns their cowardice, false excuses, and attempts to spread fear.
- Universal Responsibility (33:72–73)
- Humanity entrusted with the responsibility (amānah) of faith, which heaven and earth declined.
- The faithful must uphold this trust.
Lessons for Today
Surah al-Ahzāb is both a battlefield surah (teaching courage, unity, and trust in Allah during external threats) and a social reform surah (teaching obedience, modesty, family justice, and responsibility). Its relevance today lies in reminding Muslims that challenges — external hostility or internal weakness — can only be overcome through tawḥīd, trust in Allah, unity, and living by Qur’an and Sunnah.
- Reliance on Allah in crises: Even when outnumbered, victory comes through faith, unity, and planning.
- Leadership and obedience: The Prophet ﷺ’s example is central; true success lies in following his Sunnah.
- Social reforms: Fairness in family laws, clarity in lineage, and protection of women’s dignity remain timeless principles.
- Role of women: Emphasis on modesty, respect, and moral contribution in society.
- Warning against hypocrisy: Empty claims of faith, cowardice, and betrayal harm the community more than external enemies.
- The trust (amānah): Faith is a responsibility — believers must live by it with honesty, not just claim it.
Now let us share herein some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah already shared:
- Verse 35: 10 Virtues (of Muslim Men and Women) for which Allah promises a mighty reward
- Verse 35: Allah will forgive those who guard their chastity and remember Him much
- Verse 39: Those who spread message of Allah are accountable to none but He
- Verse 58: DO NOT Slander or Backbite your brother
- Verse 66: Man's Regrets: Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger
- Verse 70: Believers! Speak words of appropriate justice
- Verse 70: Believers, fear Allah and speak the truth
- Verse 70-71: Believers, fear Allah and speak the truth
In time we will add more selected ayat / verses from this surah.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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