Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:231
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.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَلا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِتَعْتَدُوا
(And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His mention be praised — means by this: "And when you divorce" — O men — your women; "and they reach their term (fa-balaghna ajalahunna)," that is to say: the time which He has fixed for them, namely the completion of the three menstrual periods (aqrāʾ), if she is among those who menstruate, or the completion of the months, if she is among those who reckon by the months; "then retain them (fa-amsikūhunna)," that is to say: take them back if you desire to take them back in the divorce in which taking back is possible. That is to say, either at the first divorce or at the second, as the Exalted — may His mention be praised — has said: الطَّلاقُ مَرَّتَانِ فَإِمْسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ (Divorce (ṭalāq) is twice; thereafter either honorable retention or release in a good manner).
As for His saying "in an honorable manner (bi-maʿrūf)," by this He means: in the manner that is permitted regarding the taking back, namely the summoning of witnesses for the taking back before the expiry of the waiting period (ʿiddah), not the taking back through sexual intercourse and cohabitation. For that is permitted for the man only after the taking back, and likewise therewith the companionship and the association according to what Allah has commanded and clarified to you, O people; "or release them in an honorable manner (aw sarriḥūhunna bi-maʿrūf)," that is to say: or let them complete their waiting period entirely and let the remaining part of the term which He has fixed for their waiting period elapse, in an honorable manner. That is to say: by fulfilling in full to them their rights that are incumbent upon you, in accordance with what He has imposed upon you toward them in respect of bridal gift (mahr), provision (mutʿah), maintenance, and other rights which they have over you; "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress (wa-lā tumsikūhunna ḍirāran li-taʿtadū)," that is to say: do not take them back — if you take them back during their waiting period — with the intention of harming them, in order to prolong for them the period until the expiry of their waiting period, or to take back from them something of what you have given them by their requesting from you the release through ransom (khulʿ) on account of your inflicting harm upon them, by retaining them and taking them back to harm and to transgression.
And His saying "so that you transgress (li-taʿtadū)," that is to say: in order that you wrong them by overstepping, in their affair, My bounds which I have clarified to you.
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And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
4909 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū al-Ḍuḥā, on the authority of Masrūq: "and do not retain them to harm them," he said: he divorces her, and when her waiting period is nearly completed, he takes her back, then he divorces her again and makes her wait, until, when her waiting period is nearly completed, he takes her back again, while he does not wish to retain her: that is the one who inflicts harm and makes the signs of Allah an object of mockery.
4910 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, he said: Al-Ḥasan was asked about the saying of the Exalted: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress," he said: the man would divorce the woman and then take her back, then he would divorce her and then take her back again, in order to harm her, whereupon Allah forbade them that.
4911 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning His saying: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner," he said: Allah forbade the inflicting of harm; "to harm them (ḍirāran)" means that the man divorces his wife and then takes her back on the last day remaining of the term, until he completes for her nine months, in order thereby to harm her.
4912 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, in a similar manner — except that he said: He forbade the inflicting of harm, and the inflicting of harm in divorce consists in the man's divorcing his wife and then taking her back — and the remainder of the report is identical to the report of Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr.
4913 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress," the man would divorce his wife and then take her back before the expiry of her waiting period, and then he would divorce her. He did that in order to harm her and to press her hard, whereupon Allah sent down this verse.
4914 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ concerning His saying: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress," he said: the man would divorce his wife with one divorce, then he would make her wait until her waiting period had nearly elapsed, whereupon he would take her back; then he would divorce her, until when her waiting period had nearly elapsed, he would take her back again, while he had no need of her, but only wished thereby to harm her. Then Allah forbade him that and rebuked him in it, and He said: وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ (And whoever does that has indeed wronged himself).
4915 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: al-Layth related to me, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, he said: Allah — the Exalted, may His mention be praised — has said: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress"; so when the man divorces the woman and she reaches her term, let him take her back in an honorable manner or let her go in a good manner, and it is not permitted for him to take her back in order to harm her, while he has no affection for her, but only to harm her.
4916 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His saying: "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress," he said: this concerns the man who swears by the divorce of his wife, and when something of her waiting period remains, he takes her back, in order thereby to harm her and to prolong the term for her; whereupon Allah forbade them that.
4917 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Uways related to us, on the authority of Mālik ibn Anas, on the authority of Thawr ibn Zayd al-Dīlī: that a man divorced his wife and then took her back, while he had no need of her and did not wish to retain her, so that he might thereby prolong the waiting period for her in order to harm her; whereupon Allah — the Exalted, may His mention be praised — sent down: "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress, and whoever does that has indeed wronged himself," taking that gravely.
4918 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh al-Faḍl ibn Khālid say, he said: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān al-Bāhilī related to us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His saying: "and do not retain them to harm them," that is the man who divorces his wife once and then takes her back, then he divorces her again and then takes her back again, then he divorces her once more, in order thereby to harm her, so that she might ransom herself from him.
4920 — Mūsā related to us, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "And when you divorce women and they reach their term, then retain them in an honorable manner or release them in an honorable manner, and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress, and whoever does that has indeed wronged himself, and do not take the signs of Allah in mockery," he said: this was sent down concerning a man of the Anṣār, named Thābit ibn Yasār, who would divorce his wife, and when her waiting period was within two or three days of elapsing, he would take her back, then he would divorce her again; and he did that with her until nine months had elapsed for her, while he deliberately inflicted harm upon her. Then Allah — the Exalted, may His mention be praised — sent down: "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress."
4921 — Al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Walīd related to me, he said: my father informed me, he said: I heard ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, while he was being asked about the harming divorce (ṭalāq al-ḍirār), and he said: he divorces, then he takes back, then he divorces, then he takes back; that is the inflicting of harm concerning which Allah has said: "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress."
4922 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, he said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, he said: Fuḍayl ibn Marzūq related to us, on the authority of ʿAṭiyya: "and do not retain them to harm them, so that you transgress," he said: the man divorces his wife with one divorce, then he makes her wait until she has had three menstruations, then he takes her back, then he divorces her with one divorce, then he abstains from her until she has had three menstruations, then he takes her back; "so that you transgress," he said: let not the term be prolonged against them.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The origin of the word "tasrīḥ (release)" comes from "sarḥ al-qawm (the driving forth of the herd)," and that is what one lets loose of their livestock to graze. One says of the loose livestock that is sent to the pasture: "This is the sarḥ of the people," meaning their livestock that has been let loose to graze. Of this is the saying of Allah — the Exalted, may His mention be praised —: وَالأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ * وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ [Surah Al-Naḥl: 5, 6] (And the cattle He has created for you; in them is warmth and benefits, and of them you eat. And you have beauty in them, when you bring them home in the evening and when you drive them out in the morning). By His saying "when you drive them out (ḥīna tasraḥūn)" He means: when you let them loose to the pasture. Thus it was said of the woman, when her husband lets her loose and separates her from himself: "sarraḥahā (he has released her)," by way of comparison with the "releasing (tasrīḥ)" of one who lets his livestock loose to the pasture, and by way of likening it thereto.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ
(And whoever does that has indeed wronged himself.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His mention be praised — means by this: and whoever takes back his wife — after having divorced her in the divorce in which he has the right of taking back over her — in order to harm her, so that he transgresses the bound of Allah in her affair, he has indeed wronged himself; that is to say: he has thereby earned for himself sin and has thereby brought upon himself a punishment from Allah.
* * *
And we have already clarified earlier the meaning of "wrong (ẓulm)," namely that it is: to put a thing not in its proper place, and to do what it is not for the doer to do.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلا تَتَّخِذُوا آيَاتِ اللَّهِ هُزُوًا
(And do not take the signs of Allah in mockery.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His mention be praised — means: and do not take the indications of Allah and His distinctions between His permitted and His forbidden, and His command and His prohibition, in His revelation and His sending down, as derision and play. For He has clarified to you in His sending down and the verses of His Book what is due to you of the right of taking back over your wives, in the divorce in which He has granted you the right of taking back over them, and what is not due to you of that, and which manner of it is permitted to you and which is not permitted, and which divorce it is in which you have the right of taking back over them and which divorce does not give you that, and how the various forms of it are — out of mercy from Him toward you and out of compassion from Him over you, in order that He might thereby provide for some of you — out of an aversion, if there is in the husband something that troubles him — the way out and the deliverance through divorce and separation, and in order that He might make what He has granted you of the right of taking back over them a path for you to attain what attracts him and to which his desire calls him, after he has been separated from them, so that you might thereby attain the fulfillment of your needs of them — as a favor from Him thereby over you. Not in order that you should take what I have clarified to you of that in the verses of My Book and My sending down — as a grace from Me through its clarification to you, and as a favor and mercy from Me toward you — as play and mockery.
* * *
And in the meaning of what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
4923 — ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabbawayh related to me, he said: my father related to us, he said: Ayyūb ibn Sulaymān related to us, he said: Abū Bakr ibn Abī Uways related to us, on the authority of Sulaymān ibn Bilāl, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAtīq and Mūsā ibn ʿUqba, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, on the authority of Sulaymān ibn Arqam: that al-Ḥasan related to them: that the people in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were such that a man would divorce or manumit (a slave), and then it would be said: "What have you done?", whereupon he would answer: "I was only playing!" Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever divorces in jest or manumits in jest, for him it has become legally valid." Al-Ḥasan said: and concerning this was sent down: "And do not take the signs of Allah in mockery."
4924 — Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ concerning His saying: "and do not take the signs of Allah in mockery," he said: the man would divorce his wife and then say: "I divorced only in jest!" Then they were forbidden that, and the Exalted — may His mention be praised — said: "and do not take the signs of Allah in mockery."
4925 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Isḥāq ibn Manṣūr related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Salām ibn Ḥarb, on the authority of Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ, on the authority of Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of Abū Mūsā: that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was angry with the Ashʿarites — then Abū Mūsā came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, you are angry with the Ashʿarites!" He said: "One of you says: 'I have divorced, I have taken back'!! This is not the divorce of the Muslims; divorce the woman at the beginning of her waiting period."
4926 — Abū Zayd related to us, on the authority of Ibn Shabba, he said: Abū Ghassān al-Nahdī related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Salām ibn Ḥarb related to us, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Abī Khālid — that is, al-Dālānī — on the authority of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Awdī, on the authority of Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, that he said: "Why does one of you say to his wife: 'I have divorced you, I have taken you back'? This is not the divorce of the Muslims; divorce the woman at the beginning of her purity (after menstruation)."
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The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أَنْـزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ
(And remember the grace of Allah upon you and what He has sent down upon you of the Book and the wisdom.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His mention be praised — means by this: and remember the grace of Allah upon you with Islam, with which He has graced you and to which He has guided you, and all His other graces with which He has chosen you above the rest of His creatures; thank Him for that by obeying Him in what He has commanded you and forbidden you. And remember likewise therewith what He has sent down upon you of His Book, and that is: the Qurʾān which He sent down upon His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ; remember that and act according to it, and observe its bounds therein. And "the wisdom (al-ḥikma)" means: and what He has sent down upon you of wisdom, and that is the transmitted practices (sunan) which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has taught you and instituted for you.
And I have already mentioned earlier the disagreement of those who differ about the meaning of "the wisdom (al-ḥikma)" in connection with His saying: وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ [Surah Al-Baqarah: 129] (and He teaches them the Book and the wisdom), so that this renders a repetition of it in this place unnecessary.
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The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (231)
(He admonishes you thereby. And fear Allah and know that Allah is Knowing of all things. (231))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His mention be praised — means by His saying "He admonishes you thereby (yaʿiẓukum bihi)": He admonishes you with the Book which He has sent down upon you. And the "hāʾ" in His saying "thereby (bihi)" refers back to the Book.
"And fear Allah (wa-ttaqū Allāh)," that is to say: and fear Allah — in what He has commanded you and in what He has forbidden you in His Book which He has sent down upon you, and in what He has sent down and clarified to you through the tongue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — lest you neglect it and overstep His bounds, so that you deserve that against which you have no power, namely His painful punishment and the vengeance of His torment.
And His saying "and know that Allah is Knowing of all things (wa-ʿlamū anna Allāha bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm)," that is to say: and know, O people, that your Lord — who has set these bounds for you, and prescribed these laws for you, and imposed these obligations upon you, in His Book and in His sending down upon His Messenger Muḥammad ﷺ — is Knowing of all that you do — of good and evil, of fair and foul, of obedience and disobedience — from whom nothing of the visible and the hidden thereof, and the secret and the open, remains concealed; and He recompenses you for the good with good and for the evil with evil, unless He forgives and pardons. So do not expose yourselves to His punishment and do not wrong yourselves.
