What kind of threat did wives and children pose during Hijrah?

[Sidrah Hussaini]

O you who believe!  Indeed, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if you efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.  64:14 At Taghabun


Your interpretation would be helpful.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

First let me clarify, the expression “among your wives” said to a man also includes the possibility of the situation being the other way round where a woman may face a similar problem.  In other words, reference can be to both spouses.

Verse 64:14 alludes to specific circumstances during the period of Hijrah which several families were facing.  There were families where one spouse would embrace Islam but the other wouldn’t.  Often the adult children would also take up for the disbelieving spouse, and thus the plans of the believing spouse to migrate to Medinah and to follow the path of Allah would become difficult.  In the case of married people, it might be so that mostly men were experiencing this problem.  Similar situations were encountered by women who were the only ones in their families to embrace Islam at the time these verses were sent.  Presently too similar hurdles are faced by many new reverts who embrace Islam in a non-Muslim society.  At that time in Makkah and in other parts of Arabia a situation that was commonly being experienced was that a man would embrace Islam, but his wife and children would not only be disinclined to accept it but would try their best to pressure him give up Islam in order to quit the plan to move to Medinah. Much the same were the situations encountered by the women who alone embraced Islam in their families.

[Sidrah Hussaini]

Ok, therefor in this kind of situation if anyone decides to give up their plan, will that be a wrong step?

[Heba E. Husseyn]

As a standard rule it probably would be considered wrong to cave in to pressure and quit the idea of a plan that is a positive one.  However, for a cause as this one, it simply cannot be generalized as every such story is so different from the other.  In some cases giving in to pressure may not be justifiable.  In certain other cases it might be a very compelling and coercive situation with no other choices.  Only Allah can Judge because only He knows the relevant details of every person and every family.

[Sidrah Hussaini]

JazekAllah, shukria for explaining.