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Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:231

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:231

ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ ﱛ ﱜ ﱝ ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ

And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself. And do not take the verses of Allah in jest. And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is Knowing of all things.

Tafsir

Ruh al-Ma'ani

Verse range: 2:231

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{And when you have divorced women and they have reached their term} Meaning: the end of their waiting period. This is a metaphor of the type where the whole is used for a part, if we say that the term (*ajal*) is strictly the entire duration, as understood by the language of the *Sahah* and as is current in the speech of jurists. Al-Azhari reports from al-Layth that it is strictly the final part; and both usages are established in the Noble Book. If it is a matter of lexical ambiguity, then so be it; otherwise, the figurative use of the whole to refer to the final part is stronger than the reverse.

"Reaching" (bulugh) in its origin means "to arrive." It is sometimes used to mean "drawing near" to it, which is the intended meaning in the verse. This is either through the metaphor of proximity or borrowing, by likening that which is near to occurring with that which has actually occurred, so that it may be valid to build upon it:

{then retain them in kindness or release them in kindness} Since there is no "retaining" after the expiration of the term, for at that point she is no longer his wife nor in her waiting period, and he has no authority over her. "Retaining" is a metaphor for taking her back, as the retaining is the cause of that. "Releasing" is in the sense of setting free, and it is a metaphor for leaving her alone. The meaning is: either take them back without causing harm (*dirar*), or leave them until their waiting period expires without prolonging it. This is a repetition of the ruling in the context of their reaching the term, to emphasize its importance and to exaggerate the obligation of opposing their previous habits.

Some people have interpreted "retaining in kindness" as the marriage contract and its renewal with good companionship, and "releasing in kindness" as refraining from preventing them from marrying another. In that case, there is no need to claim a metaphor in "reached." However, its remoteness from the cause of revelation is not hidden; Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir reported from al-Suddi that a man from the Ansar named Thabit ibn Yasar divorced his wife, and when her waiting period was about to end, with only two or three days remaining, he would take her back, then divorce her again. He continued this until nine months had passed, harming her. So Allah, the Exalted, revealed this verse:

{and do not retain them to cause harm} This is a confirmation of the command to retain in kindness and a clarification of its meaning. It is more indicative than the former of constancy and stability, and more explicit in forbidding what they used to engage in. "To cause harm" (*diraran*) is in the accusative case as a causative or a state; meaning: do not take them back for the purpose of harm, or while being harmful.

The scope of the prohibition is the restriction, and the 'lam' in His saying:

{so that you may transgress} relates to "to cause harm," meaning: so that you may wrong them by forcing them toward [paying for] redemption. It has been objected that "harming" is itself injustice and transgression, so it would lead to: "do not retain them unjustly in order to act unjustly." You see how that is. It was answered that "harming" means prolonging the period, and "transgression" means the compulsion; as if it were said: Do not retain them by prolongation so as to force them to *khul'* (divorce at the wife’s request). Sometimes injustice is intended to lead to another injustice. It is well known that this interpretation is necessary according to the first reading of "to cause harm," and it is not permissible for it to be a cause for that which was a cause for it, as a final cause (*maf'ul lahu*) does not multiply except by conjunction or substitution, which is not possible here due to the difference in declension. It is permissible for it to be so according to the second interpretation, and it is permitted for it to relate to the verb generally if the 'lam' is taken as denoting the consequence (*al-'aqibah*). There is no harm in the verb having both a cause and a consequence, despite their difference, even if the 'lam' is strictly for both according to one opinion.

{And whoever does that} —mentioned, with the sense of remoteness it contains, to signal the remoteness of his status in evil and corruption—

{has wronged himself} by exposing it to punishment, or by causing himself to lose the benefits of religion—from the reward obtained through good companionship—and the benefits of the world—from the lack of women's desire for him afterward due to his fame for this ugly deed.

{And do not take the signs of Allah} —which are contained in the rulings mentioned regarding the matter of women, or all His signs, and these are included in them—

{in mockery} —as something to be mocked—by turning away from them and being lax in observing them due to your lack of concern for women and your lack of regard for them. This is a prohibition intended as a command for its opposite; meaning: strive in adopting them and acting upon what they contain, and give them their due observance.

Ibn Abi ‘Umrah and Ibn Marduyah reported from Abu al-Darda’ who said: "A man used to divorce and say, 'I was joking,' or free a slave and say, 'I was joking.' Then this was revealed." Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi (who classified it as hasan), Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim (who authenticated it) reported from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Three things are serious both in jest and in earnest: marriage, divorce, and the return [after divorce]." From Abu al-Darda’: "Three things for which the joker is like the one who is earnest: marriage, divorce, and manumission." And from ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: "Four things are binding: vows, divorce, manumission, and marriage."

{And remember the favor of Allah upon you} Meaning: respond to it with gratitude and by fulfilling its rights. The favor is either general, in which case the conjunction of:

{and what He has revealed to you} is of the specific after the general; or it is specific to Islam and the Prophethood of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They are mentioned specifically to suit what preceded, and to indicate that what they were upon—retaining to cause harm—was from the customs of the *Jahiliyyah* (Ignorance) that oppose it. It is as if, when it was said: "Strive in acting upon the signs," it was confirmed by saying that this is gratitude for the favor, so fulfill its right. The conjunction would be a confirmation upon a confirmation, because Islam and the Prophethood of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, include the revelation of the Book and the Sunnah. This is close to an explanatory conjunction, and there is no harm in calling it a corroborative conjunction. It is said: If the favor had been generalized, it would not have held this position of excellence. It is not hidden that this is open to debate.

The first prepositional phrase relates to a deleted term that acts as a state of "favor" or a description of it, according to the opinion of those who permit the deletion of the relative pronoun along with part of its connective clause. It is also permissible for it to relate to the word itself if it is intended to mean "bestowal," as it is a verbal noun like nabat (growth) from anbat (to grow). It is not harmed by the feminine ta marker because it is built upon it. The second prepositional phrase relates to what is implied by it. It was brought forth to alert those commanded and to honor them. "What" (ma) is a relative pronoun whose referent in the connective clause is deleted, and "of" (min) in His saying:

{of the Book and Wisdom} is explanatory. The intention by them is the Qur'an, which combines both titles, or the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Specifying them after their inclusion in what was mentioned is to manifest their excellence and to gesture that the honor has reached a limit beyond which inclusion is impossible. That is of the type: "If you excel over all people and you are among them, then musk is some of the gazelle's blood."

{He instructs you with it} —meaning: with what He has revealed—a state from the active participle of "revealed" or from its object, or from both together. It is permissible for "what" to be the subject and this sentence its predicate, and "of the Book" to be a state from the deleted referent. It is said: The sentence is parenthetical for the purpose of encouragement and providing the reason.

{And fear Allah} in His commands and the fulfillment of His rights.

{and know that Allah is Knowing of all things} Nothing is hidden from Him of what you do or what you leave behind, so let one beware of His retribution and punishment. Or, that He is "Knowing" of all things, so He does not command except what contains wisdom and benefit, so do not disobey Him. In this conjunction is that which confirms the previous commands and rulings, and this is not of the type of confirmation that necessitates a pause, for it is not a repetition of the meaning of the confirmed, nor is it identical to it.