يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا ۖ فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا 49
Translations
O you who have believed, when you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them [i.e., consummated the marriage], then there is not for you any waiting period to count concerning them. So provide for them and give them a gracious release.
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu idha nakhahtum al-mu'minat thumma tallaqtumuhunna min qabli an tamassuuhunna fama lakum alayihinna min iddatin ta'tadduunaha famatti'uhunna wa sarrihhuhunna sarahan jamilan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the ruling regarding divorce before consummation (before intimate relations): when a believer divorces a believing woman before having sexual relations with her, she incurs no waiting period ('iddah). However, the husband should still provide her with a gift (mut'ah) and release her with kind treatment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this is a merciful ruling that acknowledges the woman's dignity while recognizing that without consummation, the marriage has not fully taken effect, hence no extended 'iddah is required.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Ahzab, revealed in Medina during the consolidation of Islamic family law. The broader context addresses marriage, divorce, and women's rights, reflecting the Qur'an's comprehensive framework for protecting women's dignity and ensuring just treatment in marital dissolution. This specific ruling provides clarity on a practical scenario that arose in the early Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
The ruling is supported by reports in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim regarding the obligation of mut'ah (gift upon divorce). 'Aishah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) established the principle of kindness in divorce proceedings, with various narrations discussing the mut'ah for women divorced before consummation.
Themes
Key Lesson
Islam balances legal justice with mercy: while acknowledging differences in marital status based on consummation, it never permits harsh or unjust treatment of women. This teaches believers to approach family matters with both wisdom and compassion, ensuring kindness even in difficult circumstances.
Related Ayahs
مَّلْعُونِينَ ۖ أَيْنَمَا ثُقِفُوٓا۟ أُخِذُوا۟ وَقُتِّلُوا۟ تَقْتِيلًا
Accursed wherever they are found, [being] seized and massacred completely.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ ٱتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا
O Prophet, fear Allāh and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا ٱكْتَسَبُوا۟ فَقَدِ ٱحْتَمَلُوا۟ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned [i.e., deserved] have certainly borne upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.
ٱدْعُوهُمْ لِـَٔابَآئِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَمَوَٰلِيكُمْ ۚ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَآ أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allāh. But if you do not know their fathers - then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you. And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.