وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَءَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا 20
Translations
But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin?
Transliteration
Wa-in aradtum istibdāla zawjin makāna zawjin wa-ātaytum iḥdāhunna qinṭāran falā ta-akhdhū minhu shay-an. A-ta-akhdhūnahū buhtānan wa-ithmam mubīnā.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the permissibility of divorce and remarriage in Islam while establishing a crucial ethical principle: if a man divorces his wife to marry another and has given the first wife a dower (mahr), he is forbidden from taking back any part of it as compensation or settlement. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this protects women's financial rights and dignity, treating the mahr as an irrevocable gift. The verse condemns such reclamation as both 'buhtān' (manifest falsehood/slander) and 'ithm' (grave sin), highlighting the moral turpitude of wrongfully depriving women of their due.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the comprehensive Medinan legislation on marriage, divorce, and women's rights revealed in Surah An-Nisa. It addresses a pre-Islamic Arabian practice where men would sometimes demand return of the dower upon divorcing a wife or coerce women into 'ransoming' themselves. The Quranic context (verses 19-25) establishes women's financial autonomy and protection of their rights as central principles of Islamic law.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their wives' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, Aisha (RA) reported cases where the Prophet ﷺ ruled in favor of women's mahr rights, demonstrating the practical application of this principle (Sunan Abu Dawud).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that respecting financial commitments to spouses—especially those made upon marriage—is a matter of both legal obligation and moral conscience. In modern contexts, it underscores the importance of honoring contractual agreements and protecting the vulnerable from exploitation, reflecting Islam's concern for social justice and dignified treatment of all individuals.
Related Ayahs
وَإِن يَتَفَرَّقَا يُغْنِ ٱللَّهُ كُلًّا مِّن سَعَتِهِۦ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعًا حَكِيمًا
But if they separate [by divorce], Allāh will enrich each [of them] from His abundance. And ever is Allāh Encompassing and Wise.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allāh is to you ever Merciful.
وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ فَإِذَا بَرَزُوا۟ مِنْ عِندِكَ بَيَّتَ طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى تَقُولُ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَكْتُبُ مَا يُبَيِّتُونَ ۖ فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
And they say, "[We pledge] obedience." But when they leave you, a group of them spend the night determining to do other than what you say. But Allāh records what they plan by night. So leave them alone and rely upon Allāh. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.
إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَيَأْتِ بِـَٔاخَرِينَ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ قَدِيرًا
If He wills, He can do away with you, O people, and bring others [in your place]. And ever is Allāh competent to do that.