14 Preface يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا إِنَّ مِن أَزواجِكُم وَأَولادِكُم عَدُوًّا لَكُم فَاحذَروهُم ۚ وَإِن تَعفوا وَتَصفَحوا وَتَغفِروا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفورٌ رَحيمٌYusuf AliO ye who believe! Truly, among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to1 yourselves: so beware of them! But if ye forgive and overlook,2 and cover up (their faults), verily God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.In some cases the demand of families, i.e., wife and children may conflict with a man’s moral and spiritual convictions and duties. In such cases he must guard against the abandonment of his convictions, duties, and ideals to their requests or desires. But he must not treat them harshly. He must make reasonable provision for them, and if they persist in opposing his clear duties and convictions, he must forgive them and not expose them to shame or ridicule, while at the same time holding on to his clear duty. Such cases occurred when godly men undertook exile from their native city of Mecca to follow the Faith in Medīna. In some cases their families murmured, but all came right in the end.For the different words for “forgiveness” see n. 110 to 2:109.