Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 225–229

2. Al-Baqara · The Cow

Madinan286 verses

لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِٱللَّغْوِ فِىٓ أَيْمَٰنِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا كَسَبَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌۭ

2:225Allah will not take you to task for what is unconsidered in your oaths, but He will take you to task for what your hearts have incurred, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-forbearing.1

لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍۢ ۖ فَإِن فَآءُو فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

2:226For those who forswear their wives shall be a waiting [period]of four months. And if they recant, Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.2

وَإِنْ عَزَمُوا۟ ٱلطَّلَٰقَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

2:227But if they resolve on divorce, Allah is indeed all-hearing, all-knowing.

وَٱلْمُطَلَّقَٰتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَٰثَةَ قُرُوٓءٍۢ ۚ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُنَّ أَن يَكْتُمْنَ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِىٓ أَرْحَامِهِنَّ إِن كُنَّ يُؤْمِنَّ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ ۚ وَبُعُولَتُهُنَّ أَحَقُّ بِرَدِّهِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ إِنْ أَرَادُوٓا۟ إِصْلَٰحًۭا ۚ وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌۭ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

2:228Divorced women shall wait by themselves for three periods of purity [after menses], and it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allah has created in their wombs if they believe in Allah and the Last Day; and their husbands have a greater right to restore them during this [duration], if they desire reconcilement. The wives have rights similar to the obligations upon them, in accordance with honourable norms; and men have a degree above them, and Allah is all-mighty and all-wise.3

ٱلطَّلَٰقُ مَرَّتَانِ ۖ فَإِمْسَاكٌۢ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌۢ بِإِحْسَٰنٍۢ ۗ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِمَّآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ شَيْـًٔا إِلَّآ أَن يَخَافَآ أَلَّا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا ٱفْتَدَتْ بِهِۦ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَعْتَدُوهَا ۚ وَمَن يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

2:229[Revocable] divorce may be only twice; then [let there be] either an honourable retention, or a kindly release. It is not lawful for you to take back anything from what you have given them, unless the couple fear that they may not maintain Allah’s bounds; so if you fear they would not maintain Allah’s bounds, there is no sin upon them in what she may give to secure her own release. These are Allah’s bounds, so do not transgress them, and whoever transgresses the bounds of Allah—it is they who are the wrongdoers.4

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 225

1.Swearing habitually and unintentionally is not penalized but it is forbidden only by way of manners. But for swearing intentionally, you have to feed to beggars or to provide them clothes or money and if you can’t, you have to keep three fasts as expiation.

Verse 226

2.Islam does not like this behaviour and after four months the woman earns the right for intercourse after that the Hakime- Shara will compel that either he pays expiation and have intercourse or gives a divorce and frees her and in every circumstance he should know that Allah is seeing and present.

Verse 228

3.Generally this law seems to be for all divorced women. For some there is no iddah like the immature, aged and those who are still virgin. And for some the iddah period is more than three months like pregnant women and in the same there are other rules also. In the verse ‘Mutalaqa’ denoted those women who are divorced temporarily. There is condition of cleanliness in divorce and in the period of iddah is calculated from the time she is free from menses. As woman knows her period of menses she has no right to conceal the blood inside her otherwise the divorce will be invalid and the second marriage will be fornication.

4.To create a balance between the sexes Islam has made one partner responsible for dower and maintenance and made obedience compulsory on the other. And also announced that the man has one extra merit (right) and that is the right of divorce. Which is in fact due to the extra responsibilities that rest upon him and it is nothing special. It is interesting to note that Anduloosi has said that this extra merit was the beard.

Verse 229

5.The dower can be recovered from the woman only when she stops obeying her husband and expresses her dislike and from the side of the husband also there is possibility of similar response and the laws of Allah will not be followed in letter and spirit.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    To intentionally swear falsely is known as Yameen-e-Ghamoos.

  2. 2

    Ilaa is the oath of not performing sex with the wife and its period is four months as sex is not obligatory before this.

  3. 3

    Qur it is having opposite meanings. That is Haiz and purity both. Its plural is quroo and that of the other is iqraa.

  4. 4

    It denotes Talaq-e-Rajai (revocable divorce) otherwise there is no question of two divorces in the irrevocable divorce.

  5. Benefit

    The method Ilaa was the same in the ancient times as there is the method separation in the modern times. In case of dispute husband and wife remain separate for three years after this they decide about their future. Islam has rejected this the first day and decided that husband has to decide the future in four months. And if he has sworn for more than this the Islamic government can take its own decision and will not put the life of the woman in jeopardy.

    Benefit: We should know after three divorces Islam has kept the system of Mahlool so that the relation ends forever and the woman should not become the toy for man forever. And that is why Mahlool marriage is consider bad due to the divorcee woman and actual marriage demanded. It is another thing that if this relation also ends for some reason then Islam does not prohibit the return of the first relationship.