This is the very first verse I read that made me seriously doubt.
I went to the Tafsir hoping to find some explanation, but it only got worse:
(O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet?) [33:53]. Most of the commentators of the Qur?an said: ?When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, married Zaynab bint Jahsh, he organised a wedding feast in which was offered dates and a mush of wheat and he slaughtered a sheep. Anas said: ?My mother Umm Sulaym sent him a container made of stone. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, then commanded me to invite his Companions to eat and so I did. Groups of people came, ate and then left. I said: ?O Prophet of Allah, I have invited everybody and there is no one else to invite?. He said: ?Take away your food?. They took away the food and people left, except for three people who stayed in the room talking among themselves.
They stayed so long that they annoyed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, who was extremely bashful [such that he could not ask them to leave]. And so this verse was revealed, and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, drew a veil between him and me? ?.
Muhammad ibn ?Abd al-Rahman al-Faqih informed us> Abu Umar Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> ?Imran ibn Musa ibn Mujashi?> ?Abd al-A?la ibn Hammad al-Nursi> al-Mu?tamir ibn Sulayman> his father> Abu Majlaz> Anas ibn Malik who said: ?When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, married Zaynab ibn Jahsh, he invited people to a wedding ceremony. People ate and then remained in their seats talking to each other. The Prophet made as if he was preparing himself to leave but people did not get the hint. He then left the room and people left with him, except for three people who remained sitting. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, returned and found them still sitting, he went out again. When they saw this, the three men left. I went and informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, that they had left. He returned and entered his room. I wanted to enter with him but he drew the curtain between him and me. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet for a meal without waiting for the proper time?) up to His words (Lo! that in Allah?s sight would be an enormity)?.
This was narrated by Bukhari from Muhammad ibn ?Abd Allah al-Riqashi and also by Muslim from Yahya ibn Habib al-Harithi; both al-Riqashi and al-Harithi related it from al-Mu?tamir. Isma?il ibn Ibrahim al-Wa?iz informed us> Abu ?Amr ibn Nujayd> Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Khalil> Hisham ibn ?Ammar> al-Khalil ibn Musa> ?Abd Allah ibn ?Awn> ?Amr ibn Shu?ayb> Anas ibn Malik who said: ?I was with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, when he passed by one of his rooms and saw people there sitting and talking. He then returned and entered the room and drew the curtain in my face. I went to Abu Talhah and related to him what had happened. He said: ?If what you say is true, Allah, exalted is He, will reveal some Qur?an about it?. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet for a meal without waiting for the proper time)?.
Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri informed us> Hajib ibn Ahmad> ?Abd al-Rahim ibn Munib> Yazid ibn Harun> Humayd> Anas who said: ??Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be well pleased with him, said:
?I said: ?O Messenger of Allah, the righteous and the corrupt enter in on you, why do you not command the mothers of the believers to be out of the sight of men?, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed the verse of segregation (Ayat al-Hijab)? ?.
This was narrated by Bukhari> Musaddid> Yahya ibn Abi Za?idah> Humayd. Abu Hakim al-Jurjani informed us through verbal authorisation> Abu?l-Faraj al-Qadi> Muhammad ibn Jarir> Ya?qub ibn Ibrahim> Hushaym> Layth> M
ujahid who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was once eating with his Companions when the hand of one of them touched the hand of ?A?ishah who was with them. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was upset because of this, and the verse of segregation was revealed. (? nor that ye should marry his wives after him?) [33:53]. ?Ata? related that Ibn ?Abbas said:
?One of the nobles of Quraysh said: ?I would marry ?A?ishah if the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, were to die?, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse?.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
? 2008 Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan (
http://www.aalalbayt.org) ? All Rights Reserved
I think the most astounding line from the verse is
Lo! that would cause annoyance to the Prophet, and he would be shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allah is not shy of the truth.
It just screams "multiple personalities" to me.
Topic: Mohamed did not like guests to linger for long periods of time?