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, because they did not believe in Allah's Prophets Nuh and Lut. "Allah sets forth an example for the disbelievers: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. Each was married to one of Our righteous servants, yet betrayed them. So their husbands were of no benefit to them against Allah whatsoever. Both were told, 'Enter the Fire, along with the others!'" (Surah At-Tahrim 66:10).
هما امرأة نوح وامرأة لوط، لأنهما لم تؤمنا بنبيي الله نوح ولوط عليهما السلام، قال الله تعالى: 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 "were of no benefit to them against Allah whatsoever." 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.
بيّن الله تعالى في سورة التحريم أن زواج هاتين المرأتين من نبيين صالحين لم يُغنِ عنهما شيئًا، فقال: (فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا) (التحريم 66: 10). فالنجاة معلّقة بإيمان المرء وعمله، لا بمنزلة زوجه، ولو كان الزوج رسولًا من رسل الله.
2. The Same Passage Also Names a Righteous Example | وفي السياق نفسه مثلٌ صالح
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.
ثم ضرب الله تعالى في الآية التي تليها مباشرة (التحريم 66: 11) المثل المقابل: امرأة مؤمنة تحت زوج كافر، هي امرأة فرعون، كما بيّنا في جواب: من هي المرأة الصالحة التي كانت متزوجة من كافر؟ فتدل الآيتان معًا على أن منزلة المرء عند الله مستقلة عن إيمان زوجه وكفره.
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)
ثم خُتم السياق في الآية التالية بمثل ثالث، مريم ابنة عمران: (وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ) (التحريم 66: 12). فترسم الآيات الثلاث معًا صورة تامة: الإيمان، لا النسب ولا الزواج، هو ما يحدد منزلة المرء عند الله.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which two prophets' wives are mentioned as disbelievers in the Quran?
The wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lut (Lot), mentioned 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 Surah At-Tahrim 66:10 states directly.
Does the same passage give an opposite example?
Yes. The verses that follow, Surah At-Tahrim 66:11-12, name Fir'awn's believing wife and Maryam as examples of sincere faith.