(O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) [64:14]. Said Ibn ‘Abbas: “Some men used to embrace Islam but, upon trying to migrate, were prevented from doing so by their families and children. The latter would plead with them, saying: ‘We plead with you, by Allah, not to leave your family and clan and depart to Medina where you have no family or wealth’. Some of these men took pity on their family and children and stayed back, thus failing to migrate, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Shaybani informed us> Abu’l-Fadl Ahmad ibn Isma‘il ibn Yahya ibn Hazim> ‘Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Bujayr> Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Maqdimi> Ash‘ath ibn ‘Abd Allah> Shu‘bah> Isma‘il ibn Abi Khalid who said: “Some men used to embrace Islam but then faced the rebuke of their families and children, and so this verse was revealed (O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them…)”. Reporting from Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Ikrimah said: “This refers to those who were prevented by their families from emigrating to Medina. When they finally migrated and saw that people had gained a clear understanding of the religion, they were about to punish those members of their family who prevented them from migrating, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful)”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
