فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَتَمَآسَّا ۖ فَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِتُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۚ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَلِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ 4
Translations
And he who does not find [a slave] - then a fast for two months consecutively before they touch one another; and he who is unable - then the feeding of sixty poor persons. That is for you to believe [completely] in Allāh and His Messenger; and those are the limits [set by] Allāh. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.
Transliteration
Faman lam yajid fasiyamu shahrayni mutataabi'ayni min qabli an yatamassa, faman lam yastati' fa-it'amu sitteena miskeenan. Dhalika lituminoo billahi wa rasoolih. Wa tilka hudoodu-Allah. Wa lil-kafirina 'adhab aleem.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah prescribes the expiation (kaffarah) for zihar (a pre-Islamic form of divorce where a man compares his wife to his mother), establishing a graduated scale of penalties: freeing a slave, fasting two consecutive months, or feeding sixty poor people. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this progressively scaled punishment reflects Islamic mercy while maintaining accountability, and the verse emphasizes that these are divine boundaries established for believers to strengthen their faith and obedience.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Mujadila (Chapter 58), revealed in Medina, which was specifically revealed regarding the complaint of Khawlah bint Tha'labah, whose husband had pronounced zihar against her. This surah addresses this pre-Islamic practice that was prevalent among Arabs and establishes Islamic legal procedures and compassionate remedies for affected women.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim record the hadith of Abu Hurayrah concerning the man who practiced zihar and was directed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to free a slave for expiation. Additionally, Sunan Abu Dawud contains detailed narrations about the various forms of zihar and their prescribed expiations.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islamic law provides structured remedies and multiple pathways for those seeking repentance, accommodating different circumstances while maintaining accountability. For believers today, it emphasizes that divine boundaries exist to strengthen faith and protect the dignity and rights of others, particularly vulnerable members of society.