065- AL-TALAQ
DIVORCE
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
# O Prophet! When you divorce your wives, divorce them for the waiting period and count well the waiting period, and reverence your Lord. Expel them not from their houses; nor shall they depart, unless they commit a flagrant indecency. These are the limits set by God, and whosoever transgresses the limits set by God has surely wronged himself. Thou knowest not: perhaps God will bring something new to pass thereafter. # So when they have fulfilled their term, take them back in an honorable way or separate from them in an honorable way. And call two just persons among yourselves to witness and uphold the testimony for God. By this is exhorted whosoever believes in God and the Last Day. And whosoever reverences God, He will appoint a way out for him, # and will provide for him whence he reckons not. And whosoever trusts in God, He suffices him. Truly God fulfills His Command. God has indeed set a measure for all things. # As for those of your women who no longer await menstruation, if you are unsure, then their waiting period is three months, as it is for those who are yet to menstruate. But as for those who are pregnant, their term is until they deliver. And whosoever reverences God, He will appoint ease for his affair. # That is the Command of God that He has sent down unto you. Whosoever reverences God, He will absolve him of his evil deeds and honor him with reward. # Let them dwell where you dwell according to your means, and do not harm them so as to put them in straits. And if they are pregnant, then spend on them until they deliver. Then if they are suckling for you, give them their compensation, and consult together in an honorable way. And if you have difficulty with one another, then another will suckle for him. # Let one who has abundant wealth spend from his abundance. And let one whose provision is measured spend from that which God has given him. God tasks no soul beyond that which He has given it. God will bring ease after hardship. # And how many a town insolently defied the Command of its Lord and His messengers, such that We called it to a severe reckoning and punished it with a terrible punishment! # Then did it taste the evil consequences of its affair, and the end of its affair was loss. # God prepared a severe punishment for them. So reverence God, O possessors of intellect, who have believed. God has certainly sent down unto you a reminder: # a Messenger reciting unto you the clear signs of God to bring those who believe and perform righteous deeds out of darkness into light. And whosoever believes in God and works righteousness, He causes him to enter Gardens with rivers running below, to abide therein forever. God has indeed prepared for him a beautiful provision. # God it is Who created the seven heavens, and from the earth the like thereof. The Command descends among them that you may know that God is Powerful over all things and that God has encompassed all things in knowledge.
Commentary
# O Prophet! When you divorce your wives, divorce them for the waiting period and count well the waiting period, and reverence your Lord. Expel them not from their houses; nor shall they depart, unless they commit a flagrant indecency. These are the limits set by God, and whosoever transgresses the limits set by God has surely wronged himself. Thou knowest not: perhaps God will bring something new to pass thereafter.
1 Although this verse is addressed to the Prophet in the second-person singular, it is meant for the entire community (JJ). Such double signification of the second-person singular is found in several verses, such as 4:79. It is reported that the Prophet divorced his wife Ḥafṣah, and so God revealed this verse. It was said to him, “Take her back, for she is one who fasts often and stands often in night vigil, and she is one of your wives in the Garden” (Q, Ṭ, W). The waiting period refers to the three courses of menstruation discussed in 2:228. If, however, the marriage were not consummated, no waiting period would be enforced, as stipulated in 33:49: O you who believe! If you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them, there shall be no waiting period for you to reckon against them. But provide for them and release them in a fair manner. In the present verse, for the waiting period can also be read to mean “during the waiting period,” in which case it is understood to indicate that a man cannot divorce his wife while she is menstruating, but must wait until her menstruation is finished, as when the Prophet told ʿUmar regarding his son ʿAbd Allāh, who had declared divorce from his wife while she was menstruating, “Tell him to take her back and keep her until she is clean and then to wait till she gets her next period and becomes clean again, whereupon, if he wishes to keep her, he can do so. And if he wishes to divorce her, he can divorce her before having sexual intercourse with her; that is the prescribed waiting period that God has fixed for the women one intends to divorce” (Q). Expel them not indicates the rights that the wife continues to have over the husband, and nor shall they depart indicates the rights that the husband continues to have over the wife (Q; see 33:33), though they are no longer to engage in conjugal relations. Unless they commit a flagrant indecency indicates that a woman cannot be expelled from her house based upon a suspicion or an accusation of adultery; rather, any charges of infidelity must be properly substantiated (R) through the testimony of four trustworthy witnesses; see 4:15c. Perhaps God will bring something new to pass thereafter means that God may reconcile their hearts during the waiting period that was being observed after the first or second declaration of divorce and before the third (JJ, Q), since after the third declaration divorce is final and marital relations cannot be resumed; see 2:230c.
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# So when they have fulfilled their term, take them back in an honorable way or separate from them in an honorable way. And call two just persons among yourselves to witness and uphold the testimony for God. By this is exhorted whosoever believes in God and the Last Day. And whosoever reverences God, He will appoint a way out for him,
2 The first sentence of this verse is similar to that of 2:231. When the full period of three menstrual cycles required for a divorce to be final has passed, men may choose to reconcile with their wives and thus take them back in an honorable way, that is, out of a genuine desire to continue the marriage rather than harming them by taking them back just before the waiting period is over and then beginning the divorce process again (see 2:231c). Alternately, the divorce can be finalized in an honorable way, meaning that each party must fulfill its obligations to the other; see 2:228. If the hearts of the husband and wife are reconciled and they wish to retain the marriage bond after initiating the divorce process, they must call two witnesses; some say this is required, others that it is only recommended (Q). In this context, that God will appoint a way out for the reverent means that those who observe the requirements of divorce, despite the difficulties such requirements may entail, will be rewarded. More generally, the phrase indicates that anyone who endures an affliction patiently will be granted a way from the Fire to the Garden in the Hereafter (R).
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# and will provide for him whence he reckons not. And whosoever trusts in God, He suffices him. Truly God fulfills His Command. God has indeed set a measure for all things.
3 This verse and the last sentence of the preceding verse were reportedly revealed in connection with a poor man who had numerous children. When he asked the Prophet for help, the Prophet told him, “Fear God, and be patient!” Not long after this, a son of this man, who had been captured by the enemy, escaped and led away many of the enemy’s sheep, four thousand according to some (Q, W), one hundred according to others (R). The man went to the Prophet to ask him what he should do with the sheep. The Prophet said, “Keep them. They are yours” (Q, R, Sy, Ṭ, W), because they would technically have been spoils of war. The virtue of trusting in God is extolled throughout the Quran (see 14:11–12c). Here it is directly linked to God’s set measure for all things. In this specific context, it indicates that observing the waiting period (v. 1) for divorce is part of trusting in God and of observing the measure God has established (R). More generally, it indicates complete trust in the Divine qadar, or “measuring out,” as this is considered one of the tenets of faith: “Faith is to believe in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment, and al-qadar, the good of it and the evil of it”; regarding God’s “measuring out,” see 54:49c.
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# As for those of your women who no longer await menstruation, if you are unsure, then their waiting period is three months, as it is for those who are yet to menstruate. But as for those who are pregnant, their term is until they deliver. And whosoever reverences God, He will appoint ease for his affair.
4 It is reported that the Companion Ubayy ibn Kaʿb said to the Prophet, “People say that there remain women regarding whom nothing was mentioned in the Quran, the young and those who are pregnant”; then this verse was revealed (IK, Q, W). As the three courses (see 2:228) for women who no longer menstruate or who have not yet begun to menstruate cannot be determined, they are to wait three months until the divorce is complete. If, however, their spouses have died, they are to wait four months and ten days before they may remarry (see 2:234). But those who are pregnant are to wait until they have delivered before the divorce is considered complete. If you are unsure can be seen as a clarification related to v. 1, meaning, “Expel them not from their houses if you are unsure that the [waiting] period has concluded” (Q). That God appoints ease for those who reverence Him is here understood to mean that, if a couple are mindful of these conditions, God will make it easy for them to reconcile before the divorce is complete (Q). It could also be a general recognition of the difficulties divorce entails, especially during the waiting period when the estranged spouses might continue to have regular contact with one another.
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# That is the Command of God that He has sent down unto you. Whosoever reverences God, He will absolve him of his evil deeds and honor him with reward.
5 This verse is a reaffirmation that the above restrictions regarding the prescribed waiting period are part of the revealed Law. God covers over evil deeds through good deeds, which wipe away evil deeds (Aj); see 66:8c.
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# Let them dwell where you dwell according to your means, and do not harm them so as to put them in straits. And if they are pregnant, then spend on them until they deliver. Then if they are suckling for you, give them their compensation, and consult together in an honorable way. And if you have difficulty with one another, then another will suckle for him.
6 During the prescribed waiting period, men are to continue to provide for their wives as they provided for them while married. Some argue that this verse means only that shelter must be provided, while others maintain that the man must also continue to spend for the woman’s provision (Q). If the woman is pregnant and the divorce is irrevocable, the man must continue to provide for her until she gives birth and as long as she suckles the child, usually a period of two full years (for the conditions pertaining to suckling, see 2:233). Consult together in an honorable way regarding the care of the child, so that no mother be harmed on account of her child, nor father on account of his child (2:233). Some say that the present verse means that the man must pay for the provisions of the mother and the child, others that he must pay only for the provisions of the child (Q). If they are not able to reach an agreement because either the father withholds payment or the mother refrains from suckling, the mother should not be compelled to do so, and another woman can be chosen to suckle the child (JJ). Providing for the suckling child is said to be the responsibility of husbands, because they are legally obligated to provide for all of their children’s needs. Regarding the legal status of “milk relations,” see 4:23c.
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# Let one who has abundant wealth spend from his abundance. And let one whose provision is measured spend from that which God has given him. God tasks no soul beyond that which He has given it. God will bring ease after hardship.
7 Some interpret this verse to mean that the amount paid by the husband to his former wife depends upon both her needs and his circumstances, while others maintain that the amount the wife must be paid is to be limited to her immediate needs (Q). This verse is also viewed as evidence for the position that the husband is solely responsible for providing provisions for the child whether the couple is married or divorced (Q). The last sentence indicates that if one finds it difficult to meet these obligations, God will ease one’s circumstances, either in this life by providing additional means or in the Hereafter by easing one’s way into the Garden for striving to observe the Command of God even when it was difficult. Regarding the relationship between hardship and ease, see 94:5–6c.
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# And how many a town insolently defied the Command of its Lord and His messengers, such that We called it to a severe reckoning and punished it with a terrible punishment!
# Then did it taste the evil consequences of its affair, and the end of its affair was loss.
8–9 Given the extent to which the rulings regarding the treatment of divorced wives outlined in vv. 1–7 and in 2:222–37 differed from those of pre-Islamic times, these verses remind the Muslims of the dire consequences of failing to follow God’s Law. The severe reckoning can be seen as a reference to the punishment they receive in this world and the terrible punishment as that of the Hereafter (Q). They tasted the consequences of disbelief (Q), and regretted their actions when regret was no longer of any benefit to them (IK). Similar warnings regarding following God’s Command and observing the limits He sets are issued after the revelation of the inheritance verses, which were also controversial for some because of the unprecedented rights they gave to women; see commentary on 4:11–14.
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# God prepared a severe punishment for them. So reverence God, O possessors of intellect, who have believed. God has certainly sent down unto you a reminder:
10 Possessors of intellect (2:179, 197, 269; 3:7, 190; 5:100; 12:111; 13:19; 14:52; 38:29, 43; 39:9, 18, 21; 40:54) indicates those who possess true knowledge of the inner essence of things; see 5:100c; 39:9c. A reminder is read by most as a reference to the Quran, but in relation to v. 11 it could also be seen as a reference to the Prophet (IK, Q).
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# a Messenger reciting unto you the clear signs of God to bring those who believe and perform righteous deeds out of darkness into light. And whosoever believes in God and works righteousness, He causes him to enter Gardens with rivers running below, to abide therein forever. God has indeed prepared for him a beautiful provision.
11 Bringing the believers out of darkness into light (cf. 2:257; 5:16; 14:1, 5; 33:43; 57:9) indicates bringing them from disbelief and ignorance to belief and knowledge (IK), a function ascribed to scripture in general in 42:52: Thou knewest not what scripture was, nor faith. But We made it a light whereby We guide whomsoever We will among Our servants (see also 5:16c ; 14:1c). Here the phrase can also be understood as a reference to the Prophet bringing people from darkness into light, as in 14:1: [This is] a Book that We have sent down unto thee, that thou mightest bring mankind out of darkness into light, by the leave of their Lord. Regarding God’s admitting people into Gardens with rivers running below, see 2:25c; 3:195; 5:12; 48:5; 64:9.
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# God it is Who created the seven heavens, and from the earth the like thereof. The Command descends among them that you may know that God is Powerful over all things and that God has encompassed all things in knowledge.
12 The creation of seven heavens is referred to elsewhere (e.g., 2:29; 17:44; 23:86; 41:12; 67:3; 71:15; 78:12), but this is the only verse to allude to seven earths or lands, which is supported by a ḥadith: “Whosoever usurps a span of land unjustly, it will encircle his neck on the Day of Resurrection from the seven earths” (Q). When viewed in light of this ḥadith, this verse is understood to mean seven lands “one upon another” (Mw, Q), just as the seven heavens are described in 67:3 and 71:15. But the seven earths or lands can also be understood as a reference not to seven levels, but to seven lands spread across the earth (Q), hence to the seven continents or climes. In this vein, Ibn ʿAbbas reportedly said regarding this verse, “Were I to tell you of the interpretation of it, you would disbelieve, and your disbelief would be your denial of it” (Ṭ). He is also reported to have said, “Seven lands: in each land there is a prophet like your prophet, and an Adam like Adam, and a Noah like Noah, and an Abraham like Abraham, and a Jesus like Jesus” (IK, Ṭ). In this sense, the Command descends among them can be seen as an allusion to the universality of revelation, as in 16:36: We indeed sent a messenger unto every community.
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