Ibn Abbas was asked by a man about this Ayah: O you who believe! Verity, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you; therefore beware of them! He said: “These are men who submitted (to Islam) in Makkah, and they wanted to come to the Prophet but their wives and children refused to allow them to come to the Messenger of Allah. So when they came to the Messenger of Allah, they saw that the people had gained such understanding in the religion that they wanted to punish them (their families). So Allah revealed the Ayah: O you who believe! Verily, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you; therefore beware of them!”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، حَدَّثَنَا سِمَاكُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَسَأَلَهُ، رَجُلٌ عَنْ هَذِهِ الآيَةِ، ( يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ ) قَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ رِجَالٌ أَسْلَمُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ وَأَرَادُوا أَنْ يَأْتُوا النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَبَى أَزْوَاجُهُمْ وَأَوْلاَدُهُمْ أَنْ يَدَعُوهُمْ أَنْ يَأْتُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا أَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَأَوُا النَّاسَ قَدْ فَقِهُوا فِي الدِّينِ هَمُّوا أَنْ يُعَاقِبُوهُمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَل َّ: ( يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ ) الآيَةَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Tirmizi
Chapters on Tafsir • Hadith 3522