Al-Aḥzāb
33rd chapter of the Qur'an
Al-Ahzab (Arabic: الأحزاب, al-aḥzāb; meaning: the confederates, or "the clans", "the coalition", or "the combined forces") is the 33rd chapter (sūrah) of the Quran (Q33) with 73 verses (āyāt). The sūrah takes its name from the mention of the parties (al-aḥzāb), or confederates (an alliance among the Quraysh and other tribes), who fought the Muslims at the Battle of the Trench (5/627), also known as the Battle of the Parties and as the siege of Madinah.
Summary
1-3 Muhammad to obey God rather than the unbelievers
4-5 Adopted sons not to be regarded as real sons by Muslims
6 Muhammad's wives the mothers of the faithful
7-8 The covenant of the prophets with God
9-11 God’s favour to the Muslims at the Ditch
12-15 The disaffected people of Madína rebuked
16-17 None can flee from God’s anger
18-20 The treachery of the hypocrites of Madína exposed
21 Muhammad an example to the faithful
22-24 Patient endurance of the believers at the Ditch
25 The triumph at the Ditch attributed to God’s favor
26-27 Reference to the slaughter of the Bani Qainuqáa
28-29 Muhammad’s wives rebuked
30-31 Muhammad’s wives, if incontinent, to be doubly punished, but if faithful, to be doubly rewarded
32 33 34 They are exhorted to modest behaviour and piety
35 Blessings promised to faithful men and women
36-40 Revelations touching the Zainab divorce story
41-43 The blessedness of true believers
44-47 Muhammad a witness and preacher of good tidings
48 The law of divorce modified
49-51 Special privileges of Muhammad with respect to women
52 Muhammad limited in respect to wives
53-55 Conduct to be observed by believers at the Prophet’s house
56 God and the angels bless Muhammad, who should be treated with respect by believers
57-58 The curse of those who offend Muhammad or the Muslims
59 Command respecting the veiling of Muslim women
60-62 Threatened punishment of Madína hypocrites
63 Men know not the hour of judgment
64-68 Awful fate of infidels
69-71 Believers exhorted to respectful treatment of their Prophet
72-73 The responsibilities of the faithful
Exegesis
This 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.
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), Q33 is a later period "Medinan surah". It contains instructions regarding the treatment of the Prophet and his wives and warns the hypocrites of their bad behavior. According to some scholars, Medinan verses are concerned with the legal matters in Islamic society. These suras generally contain rules and regulations for the believers to follow.
5-6 Adopted and blood-related persons
Verses 33:5-6 are concerned with the differences between adopted and blood-related persons. Verse 33:5 refers to adoption in Islam and verse 33:6 contains a reference to the term "Mother of Believers", who was the Prophet's wife. This perhaps suggests their elevated standing with the community and in the later verses, these women are described as "unlike any other."
7-8 Sincerity of the prophets
Verses 33:7-8 show that God will test even the sincerity of the prophets.
The public source identifies “Al-Aḥzāb” as 33rd chapter of the Qur'an. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Al-Aḥzāb, 33rd and chapter.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q229923. VIAF identifies the subject as 176283935. The Library of Congress control number is n93060667. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Al-Aḥzāb” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.