Two of the Prophets' Wives Will Be Admitted to Hell-Fire: Who Are They?
اثنتان من زوجات الأنبياء تدخلان النار، فمن هما؟
The wife of Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him, and the wife of Lut (Lot), peace be upon him. "Allah sets forth an example for those who disbelieve, the wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lout (Lot). They were under two of Our righteous slaves, but they both betrayed their husbands by rejecting their doctrine, so it benefited them not against Allah, and it was said, 'Enter the Fire along with those who enter!'" (Surah At-Tahrim 66:10).
هما امرأة نوح وامرأة لوط، لأنهما لم تؤمنا بنبيي الله نوح ولوط عليهما السلام. ضَرَبَ اللَّـهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّـهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ (سورة التحريم: 10).
1. Righteousness Is Not Inherited Through Marriage | الصلاح لا يُورث بالزواج
Surah At-Tahrim 66:10 makes clear that being married to a righteous Prophet did not benefit these two women in the least, since Allah states plainly that their husbands' standing "availed them not against Allah." Salvation is tied to a person's own faith and deeds, not to the status of their spouse, even when that spouse is one of Allah's own Messengers.
2. The Same Passage Also Names a Righteous Example | نفس المقطع يذكر مثالا صالحا أيضا
The very next verse of the same surah, At-Tahrim 66:11, gives the opposite example: a believing woman married to a disbeliever. This is the wife of Fir'awn (Pharaoh), covered in Who Was the Pious Woman Married to a Disbeliever? Together, these two verses show that a person's standing with Allah runs in either direction independent of their spouse's faith.
3. Maryam Completes the Passage | مريم تُكمل السياق
The passage closes in the following verse with a third example, Maryam, the daughter of Imran: "who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her womb through Our angel Gabriel. She testified to the words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was one of the sincerely devout" (Surah At-Tahrim 66:12). Together, the three verses of this passage present a complete picture: faith, not lineage or marriage, determines a person's standing with Allah.
وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ (سورة التحريم: 12)
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which two prophets' wives are named as disbelievers in the Quran?
The wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lut (Lot), named together in Surah At-Tahrim 66:10.
Why weren't they saved by their husbands' status as prophets?
Because salvation is tied to a person's own faith and deeds, not to their spouse's standing with Allah, as the ayah states directly.
Does the same passage give an opposite example?
Yes. The following verses name Fir'awn's believing wife and Maryam as examples of sincere faith.