فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدُ حَتَّىٰ تَنكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُۥ ۗ فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَآ أَن يَتَرَاجَعَآ إِن ظَنَّآ أَن يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ يُبَيِّنُهَا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ 230
Translations
And if he has divorced her [for the third time], then she is not lawful to him afterward until [after] she marries a husband other than him. And if he [i.e., the latter husband] divorces her [or dies], there is no blame upon them [i.e., the woman and her former husband] for returning to each other if they think that they can keep [within] the limits of Allāh. These are the limits of Allāh, which He makes clear to a people who know [i.e.,understand].
Transliteration
Fa-in tallaqaha fa-la tahallu lahu min ba'du hatta tankiha zawjan ghayrah, fa-in tallaqaha fa-la junaha 'alayhima an yatarajaa'a in zannu an yuqima hudud Allah, wa-tilka hudud Allah yubayyinuha liqawm ya'lamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the ruling on triple divorce and the conditions for reconciliation between spouses. When a woman is divorced a third time, she becomes unlawful (haram) for her former husband unless she marries another man with genuine intent and he divorces her. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this legislation aims to prevent hasty, frivolous divorces and to honor the sanctity of marriage by making reconciliation after triple divorce difficult. The ayah concludes by emphasizing that these are Allah's divine boundaries (hudud) meant for those who understand and obey them.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the detailed legislation on divorce (talaq) revealed in Madinah, addressing the pre-Islamic Arabian practice of allowing unlimited divorce and reconciliation. The broader context (2:226-242) discusses divorce procedures, waiting periods ('iddah), and maintenance (nafaqah), establishing comprehensive marital law that protects both spouses' rights. This particular ruling responded to the custom of men divorcing and remarrying their wives repeatedly without consequence.
Related Hadiths
Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah report that the Prophet (ﷺ) said regarding the man who divorced his wife three times: 'He is not permitted to return to her until she marries another husband and he divorces her.' Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab reported the Prophet's prohibition of revocable marriage after the third divorce without an intervening marriage.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches Muslims that marriage is a sacred covenant with divine limits, and that hasty decisions have serious consequences; it encourages believers to approach marital decisions with deliberation, fear of Allah, and sincere intention to preserve family bonds rather than treating divorce carelessly.