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Fighting a Custom of Ignorance: Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 2:226-227) By Mohammad Sobhanie

Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 2:226-227)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Fighting a Custom of Ignorance

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَائِهِمْ تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ ۖ فَإِن فَاءُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٦ [1]﴾ وَإِنْ عَزَمُوا الطَّلَاقَ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٧ [2]

2:226 For those who swear not to have sexual relations with their wives is a waiting time of four months, but if they return [to normal relations] – then indeed, Allah (SWT) is Forgiving and Merciful.

2:227 And if they decide on divorce – then indeed, Allah (SWT) is All Hearing and All Knowing.

Commentary: In Pre-Islamic Arabia, a man could leave his wife by vowing to stop marital relations with her. In this scenario, the woman’s fate was in limbo. She could neither get married to another man because her spouse had not divorced her yet, nor was her spouse ready to reconcile and live with her again. This custom was known as Al-Ila (اﻻﻳﻶء).

The above verse condemns the custom and states that the husband has four months to act upon one of these two options: either he has to reconcile with his wife and pay atonement for breaking his deliberate oath (5:89) or divorce her. Let us now return to the verse: There is a condition of four months (تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ) for those who have sworn to refrain from intimate relations with their wives. During these four months, they could return to their wives and pay atonement for breaking their deliberate marital vows (فَإِن فَاءُوا). Allah (SWT) will forgive them for breaking their oath since He is most forgiving and ever merciful (فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ). Alternatively, if they settle on a divorce, that is also understandable (وَإِنْ عَزَمُوا الطَّلَاقَ), and indeed Allah (SWT) is All Hearing and All Knowing (فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ)

وَإِنْ عَزَمُوا الطَّلَاقَ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٧ [2]

2:227 And if they decide on divorce – then indeed, Allah (SWT) is All Hearing and All Knowing.

Word-for-Word Translation:

2:227 [لِّلَّذِينَ] For those who [يُؤْلُونَ] swear of [مِن] from [نِّسَائِهِمْ] their wives [تَرَبُّصُ] is a waiting of [أَرْبَعَةِ] four [أَشْهُرٍ] months [فَإِن] then if [فَاءُوا] they return [فَإِنَّ] then indeed [اللَّـهَ] Allah (SWT) [غَفُورٌ] is oft-forgiving [رَّحِيمٌ] Most Merciful.

2:227 [وَإِنْ] And if [عَزَمُوا] they resolve [الطَّلَاقَ] on the divorce  [فَإِنَّ] then indeed [اللَّـهَ] Allah (SWT) [سَمِيعٌ] is All-Hearing [عَلِيمٌ] All-knowing