Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:234

(And those) is a nominative subject. (are taken in death), meaning their souls are seized; for tawaffi (taking in death) is the act of seizing. It is said: "I had a debt due from so-and-so, and I istawfaytu (exacted/collected) it from him," meaning I seized it and took it. Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—read it, according to what Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami narrated from him and al-Mufaddal from Asim, as (yatawaffawna) with a fatha on the ya, meaning "they complete their appointed terms." Based on this, a deceased person is called mutawaffin, meaning one who has completed his life. This was considered problematic, as it is narrated that Abu al-Aswad was following a funeral when a man said to him, "From the mutawaffin (the one who seizes/the deceased, using the active participle with a kasra)," to which he replied, "Allah, the Exalted." It is said that this was one of the reasons that led Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—to order the establishment of the rules of Arabic grammar. Al-Sakkaki responded by saying that the reason for the correction was that the speaker was someone who did not know the correct way to express it, and therefore was not fit to be addressed in such a manner. (among you) is in the position of a state (hal) from the nominative of (yatawaffawna), and the "among" (min) implies either partition or an explanation of the genus. The address is to all people, by shifting the mode of address.

(and leave behind), meaning they forsake. The imperative is used from this root, but the active participle and passive participle are not. The past tense occurs here, though it is anomalous. (wives), meaning women for them.

(they shall wait) is a predicate for "those," and the connecting link is omitted, meaning "for them" or "after them." The first is preferred due to the infrequency of omission, and because the lam (in lahum) alludes to the fact that the waiting period is the right of the deceased. It is also said that it is a predicate for an omitted subject, meaning "their wives wait," and the sentence is the predicate for "those." Some Basrans posited a genitive construction at the beginning of the statement, meaning "The wives of those who leave behind are their women," but in this, the phrase "and leave behind wives" loses a new, useful benefit. It is narrated from Sibawayh that "those" is a subject and the predicate is omitted, meaning "Among what is recited to you is the ruling of those who..." In this case, the sentence "they shall wait" is an explanation of that ruling; however, this entails excessive omission. Some researchers hold that (those) is the subject and (they shall wait) is its predicate, and the connecting link is achieved simply by the pronoun referring to the wives, because the meaning is: "the wives whom they left behind shall wait." Al-Akhfash and al-Kisa'i permitted such a construction, and were it not that the majority prohibit it, it would have been quite excellent.

(four months and ten [nights]). Perhaps this number is due to a secret known only to Allah, the Exalted, or to those of His servants whom He chooses. The assertion that the requirement for this is that the fetus, in most cases, moves after three months if it is male and four if it is female—and therefore the longer of the two terms was considered, and ten were added for caution, as its movement might be weak in the beginning and not felt—conflicts with the authentic Hadith: "Verily, the creation of any one of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days as a nutfa (drop), then as an alaqa (clot) for a like period, then as a mudgha (lump) for a like period; then Allah sends an angel with four words to write his deeds, his term, his provision, and whether he is wretched or blessed; then the soul is blown into him." The apparent meaning is that the blowing of the soul occurs after this period, and this [speculation] does not quench the thirst or heal the sick.

As for the feminine form of "ten" (ashran), it is said that it is because the omitted noun being counted is "nights" (layali), a view held by Rabi'ah and Yahya bin Sa'id. It is also said that it is because of the nights, as they are the beginning of the months; for this reason, they do not use the masculine form in such cases, intending the days. Indeed, they say—as al-Farra narrated—"We fasted ten of the month of Ramadan," even though fasting only occurs in the days. This is supported by His saying: "You have not stayed except for ten," followed by "You have not stayed except for a day." Abu Hayyan mentioned that the rule of masculine/feminine numbers only applies when the counted object is mentioned; when it is omitted, both are permissible. This is perhaps preferable to what was previously said.

The verse is used as evidence for the obligation of the waiting period for the woman whose husband has died, whether the marriage was consummated or not. Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—held that there is no waiting period for the latter, but he is overruled by the generality of the wording, as you see. The verse includes the Muslim woman, the woman of the Scripture, the woman who experiences menses, the woman with persistent vaginal bleeding, the woman who has reached menopause, the young girl, the free woman, the slave woman—as al-Asamm said—as well as the pregnant woman and others. However, analogy dictates halving the period for the slave woman, and consensus has excluded the pregnant woman due to the verse: "And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they deliver their burden." It is narrated from Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—and Ibn Abbas that she must wait for whichever of the two terms is longer, as a precaution. This does not contradict consensus; rather, it is an application of the requirements of both verses.

Some used this verse as evidence that the waiting period begins from the time of death, as it is attached to it. If the news of the husband's death does not reach her until after the waiting period has passed, it is judged to have ended. This is the view of the majority and one of the two opinions of al-Shafi'i. It is supported by the fact that for the young girl who has no knowledge, this period is sufficient for the expiration of her waiting period. It is also said that as long as she does not know of the death of her husband, her waiting period does not expire with these days, based on what was narrated regarding the wife of the missing person: she remains a wife until the proof of his death or divorce reaches her.

(And when they have fulfilled their term), meaning they have completed their waiting period, (there is no blame upon you), you who are capable of [marrying] them. It is also said the address is to the guardians, or to all Muslims, (for what they do with themselves) regarding that which was forbidden to them during the waiting period. In this restriction, there is an allusion to the reason for the prohibition. (in a recognized manner), meaning in a way that the Sharia recognizes and does not reject. It is restricted thus to signal that if they act otherwise, they [the guardians/society] must restrain them, and if they fall short in this, they are sinful. (And Allah is Acquainted with what you do).

(So do not do contrary to what you have been commanded). The apparent meaning is that the one addressed is the same as in the preceding clause. It is permitted that it is an address to those who are capable, among the guardians and the husbands, in which case there is a blending of the address (second person) and the absence (third person), and the masculine and feminine. It contains a threat to both groups, and it is possible that it is both a promise and a warning to them.