English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 65: At-Talaq — Divorce (Revealed at Madinah: 2 sections, 12 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 65:1–65:7): Supplementary Divorce Rules
Translation:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ اِذَا طَلَّقۡتُمُ النِّسَآءَ فَطَلِّقُوۡہُنَّ لِعِدَّتِہِنَّ وَ اَحۡصُوا الۡعِدَّۃَ ۚ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ رَبَّکُمۡ ۚ لَا تُخۡرِجُوۡہُنَّ مِنۡۢ بُیُوۡتِہِنَّ وَ لَا یَخۡرُجۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیۡنَ بِفَاحِشَۃٍ مُّبَیِّنَۃٍ ؕ وَ تِلۡکَ حُدُوۡدُ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَعَدَّ حُدُوۡدَ اللّٰہِ فَقَدۡ ظَلَمَ نَفۡسَہٗ ؕ لَا تَدۡرِیۡ لَعَلَّ اللّٰہَ یُحۡدِثُ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِکَ اَمۡرًا ﴿۱﴾
65:1 O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for their prescribed period,1 and calculate the period; and keep your duty to Allah, your Lord. Do not turn them out of their houses — nor should they themselves go forth — unless they commit an open indecency. And these are the limits of Allah. And whoever goes beyond the limits of Allah, he indeed wrongs his own soul. You do not know that Allah may, after that, bring about an event (of reunion).2
فَاِذَا بَلَغۡنَ اَجَلَہُنَّ فَاَمۡسِکُوۡہُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوۡفٍ اَوۡ فَارِقُوۡہُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوۡفٍ وَّ اَشۡہِدُوۡا ذَوَیۡ عَدۡلٍ مِّنۡکُمۡ وَ اَقِیۡمُوا الشَّہَادَۃَ لِلّٰہِ ؕ ذٰلِکُمۡ یُوۡعَظُ بِہٖ مَنۡ کَانَ یُؤۡمِنُ بِاللّٰہِ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ ۬ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَّقِ اللّٰہَ یَجۡعَلۡ لَّہٗ مَخۡرَجًا ۙ﴿۲﴾
65:2 So when they have reached their prescribed time, retain them with kindness or part from them with kindness, and call to witness two just ones from among you, and give upright testimony for Allah. With that is instructed he who believes in Allah and the Last Day. And whoever keeps his duty to Allah, He ordains a way out for him,
وَّ یَرۡزُقۡہُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَحۡتَسِبُ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَہُوَ حَسۡبُہٗ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بَالِغُ اَمۡرِہٖ ؕ قَدۡ جَعَلَ اللّٰہُ لِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدۡرًا ﴿۳﴾
65:3 and gives him sustenance from where he does not imagine. And whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely Allah attains His purpose. Allah indeed has appointed a measure for everything.
وَ الِّٰٓیۡٔ یَئِسۡنَ مِنَ الۡمَحِیۡضِ مِنۡ نِّسَآئِکُمۡ اِنِ ارۡتَبۡتُمۡ فَعِدَّتُہُنَّ ثَلٰثَۃُ اَشۡہُرٍ ۙ وَّ الِّٰٓیۡٔ لَمۡ یَحِضۡنَ ؕ وَ اُولَاتُ الۡاَحۡمَالِ اَجَلُہُنَّ اَنۡ یَّضَعۡنَ حَمۡلَہُنَّ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَّقِ اللّٰہَ یَجۡعَلۡ لَّہٗ مِنۡ اَمۡرِہٖ یُسۡرًا ﴿۴﴾
65:4 And those of your women who despair of menstruation, if you have a doubt, their prescribed time is three months, and of those, too, who have not had their courses. And the pregnant women, their prescribed time is that they lay down their burden. And whoever keeps his duty to Allah, He makes his affair easy for him.
ذٰلِکَ اَمۡرُ اللّٰہِ اَنۡزَلَہٗۤ اِلَیۡکُمۡ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَّقِ اللّٰہَ یُکَفِّرۡ عَنۡہُ سَیِّاٰتِہٖ وَ یُعۡظِمۡ لَہٗۤ اَجۡرًا ﴿۵﴾
65:5 That is the command of Allah, which He has revealed to you. And whoever keeps his duty to Allah, He will remove from him his evils and increase (his) reward for him.
اَسۡکِنُوۡہُنَّ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ سَکَنۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ وُّجۡدِکُمۡ وَ لَا تُضَآرُّوۡہُنَّ لِتُضَیِّقُوۡا عَلَیۡہِنَّ ؕ وَ اِنۡ کُنَّ اُولَاتِ حَمۡلٍ فَاَنۡفِقُوۡا عَلَیۡہِنَّ حَتّٰی یَضَعۡنَ حَمۡلَہُنَّ ۚ فَاِنۡ اَرۡضَعۡنَ لَکُمۡ فَاٰتُوۡہُنَّ اُجُوۡرَہُنَّ ۚ وَ اۡتَمِرُوۡا بَیۡنَکُمۡ بِمَعۡرُوۡفٍ ۚ وَ اِنۡ تَعَاسَرۡتُمۡ فَسَتُرۡضِعُ لَہٗۤ اُخۡرٰی ؕ﴿۶﴾
65:6 Lodge them where you live according to your means, and do not injure them in order to impose hardship upon them. And if they are pregnant, spend on them until they lay down their burden. Then if they suckle for you, give them their recompense, and enjoin one another to do good; and if you disagree, another will suckle for him.
لِیُنۡفِقۡ ذُوۡ سَعَۃٍ مِّنۡ سَعَتِہٖ ؕ وَ مَنۡ قُدِرَ عَلَیۡہِ رِزۡقُہٗ فَلۡیُنۡفِقۡ مِمَّاۤ اٰتٰىہُ اللّٰہُ ؕ لَا یُکَلِّفُ اللّٰہُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا مَاۤ اٰتٰىہَا ؕ سَیَجۡعَلُ اللّٰہُ بَعۡدَ عُسۡرٍ یُّسۡرًا ٪﴿۷﴾
65:7 Let him who has abundant means spend out of his abundance, and whoever has his means of subsistence restricted for him, let him spend out of what Allah has given him. Allah does not lay on any soul a burden beyond what He has given it. Allah brings about ease after difficulty.3
Commentary:
- The prescribed time is ordinarily, according to 2:228, three courses. But in the case of pregnant women, and in certain other cases, the prescribed time is laid down in v. 4 of this chapter. It should be noted how every direction in connection with the subject of divorce is followed by the injunction, keep your duty to Allah, throughout this chapter. The utmost carefulness must therefore be exercised in the matter of divorce. Divorce is allowed but the right must be used sparingly and under exceptional circumstances. It is reported that the directions contained in this chapter were needed to correct a mistake made in connection with the law of divorce by Ibn Umar, who divorced his wife when she had her courses. He was told to take her back, as divorce was ineffective unless pronounced when the wife was not in a menstrual period (Bukhari, 68:1). ↩
- The amr or event here means reunion. We are here expressly told that a divorced woman is not to be turned out of the husband’s house, because either party may regret the divorce and a reunion may be brought about. ↩
- The wife should be lodged where a man himself lives, so that, after divorce, the woman has the full status of a wife so long as the prescribed time has not expired. If a man possesses abundant wealth, he must spend on his wife abundantly. ↩