وَإِنِ ٱمْرَأَةٌ خَافَتْ مِنۢ بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزًا أَوْ إِعْرَاضًا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَآ أَن يُصْلِحَا بَيْنَهُمَا صُلْحًا ۚ وَٱلصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ ۗ وَأُحْضِرَتِ ٱلْأَنفُسُ ٱلشُّحَّ ۚ وَإِن تُحْسِنُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا 128
Translations
And if a woman fears from her husband contempt or evasion, there is no sin upon them if they make terms of settlement between them - and settlement is best. And present in [human] souls is stinginess. But if you do good and fear Allāh - then indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.
Transliteration
Wa-in imra'atun khafat min ba'liha nushoozan aw i'raaḍan falaa junāḥa alayhimā an yuṣliḥā baynahumā ṣulḥan. Wa-aṣ-ṣulḥu khayrun. Wa-uḥḍirat al-anfusu ash-shuhh. Wa-in tuḥsinū wa-tattaqū fa-inna Allāha kāna bimā ta'malūna khabīran.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the situation when a wife fears her husband's nushūz (aversion, abandonment, or ill-treatment) or i'rāḍ (turning away), permitting both spouses to seek reconciliation through mutual agreement without blame. The verse emphasizes that reconciliation (ṣulḥ) is superior to conflict, while acknowledging that human souls are naturally inclined toward self-interest (shuhh); however, those who demonstrate kindness and piety will be rewarded as Allah is fully aware of their deeds. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir interpret this as establishing mutual rights and responsibilities within marriage, contrasting with the preceding verse (4:128) which addresses the husband's nushūz.
Revelation Context
This verse is part of Surah An-Nisa's comprehensive treatment of marital relations and women's rights, revealed in Medina. It appears in a passage dealing with marital discord and the remedies available to both spouses, reflecting the Islamic principle of preserving the marital bond through reconciliation while acknowledging the reality of human nature and its challenges.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their wives' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith 'Whoever among you can afford to marry should marry, for it helps lower the gaze and guards the private parts' (Sahih Bukhari) relates to the broader context of maintaining healthy marital relationships.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that marriage requires active effort from both partners to maintain harmony, and that seeking peaceful resolution over confrontation—even when requiring personal sacrifice—is spiritually superior and pleasing to Allah. It affirms that women have the agency and right to seek reconciliation on their own terms when their marriage faces difficulties.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
But they who believe in Allāh and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them - to those He is going to give their rewards. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
۞ لَّا يُحِبُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْجَهْرَ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ إِلَّا مَن ظُلِمَ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا
Allāh does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allāh Hearing and Knowing.
فَكَيْفَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ جَآءُوكَ يَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَآ إِلَّآ إِحْسَـٰنًا وَتَوْفِيقًا
So how [will it be] when disaster strikes them because of what their hands have put forth and then they come to you swearing by Allāh, "We intended nothing but good conduct and accommodation."
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَآءً ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allāh, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allāh is ever, over you, an Observer.