542 Page Notes

58 Surah Al-Mujadila

Page 542 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 542 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 542 of the Quran marks the beginning of Surah Al-Mujadila (Chapter 58, "The Pleading Woman"), specifically verses 1 through 6.

This page holds an incredibly profound place in Islamic history. It deals primarily with a archaic, abusive pre-Islamic custom of divorce called Zihar (where a husband would tell his wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother," leaving her legally suspended—neither divorced and free to remarry, nor treated as a wife).

The Sunnah and authentic Hadiths provide the exact background context (Asbab al-Nuzul) for these verses, highlighting how a single woman's plea overturned an entire legal tradition.

1. Verses 1–2: The Incident of Khawlah bint Tha'labah

"Allah has certainly heard the statement of her that argues with you concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah. And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing." (Quran 58:1)

The Hadith of Aisha (ra) on Allah's Perfect Hearing

The primary Hadith context for this verse captures the awe of the Prophet's wife, Aisha, who was present in the house when the complaint occurred but could barely hear it—yet God responded from above the heavens.

Aisha (ra) said: "All praise be to Allah, Whose hearing encompasses all voices! The pleading woman (Khawlah) came to the Prophet ﷺ and argued with him while I was in another part of the room, unable to hear what she said. Then Allah revealed: 'Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you...'"

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (recorded briefly without chain in Book of Tawhid); fully authenticated in Sunan an-Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah.

The Explicit Complaint of Khawlah

In a more detailed narration recorded by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Abi Hatim, Khawlah bint Tha'labah explained her exact grievance regarding her elderly, ill-tempered husband, Aws bin As-Samit:

She came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and wept, saying: "O Messenger of Allah! He spent my wealth, exhausted my youth, and my womb bore abundantly for him. Now that I have become old and unable to bear children, he has pronounced Zihar upon me! O Allah, I complain to You!"

The Prophet ﷺ originally replied to her based on old customary understandings, saying, "I see that you have become unlawful to him." She continuously debated and pleaded with him, saying, "He did not explicitly divorce me, and if we separate, my children will ruin!" Before she left, the revelation descended to correct the law entirely.

Source: Musnad Ahmad; Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

2. Verses 3–4: The Expiation (Kaffarah) for Zihar

"And those who pronounce Zihar from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said—then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one another... And he who does not find [a slave]—then a fast for two consecutive months... and he who is unable—then the feeding of sixty poor persons..." (Quran 58:3-4)

The Prophetic Solution for Aws bin As-Samit

Once the verses legalizing the return to the marriage were revealed, the Sunnah shows how practically and mercifully the Prophet ﷺ executed the divine expiation commands with this struggling family:

The Prophet ﷺ said to Khawlah: "Command him to free a slave."

She replied: "O Messenger of Allah! He does not have any slave to free."

He said: "Then let him fast for two consecutive months."

She said: "By Allah, he is an old, weak man and cannot fast."

He said: "Then let him feed sixty poor people a basket of dates."

She said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he does not have any of that."

The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said: "We will help him with a basket of dates."

She replied: "And I will help him with another basket, O Messenger of Allah!" He said: "You have done well and spoken correctly. Go and feed sixty poor people on his behalf, and return to your husband."

Source: Musnad Ahmad; Abu Dawud (Sunan Abi Dawud).

3. The Companion's Legacy: Umar Ibn Al-Khattab's Deep Respect

Because of this event on page 542, Khawlah was viewed with immense reverence by the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. A famous recorded Sunnah tradition shows the second Caliph, Umar, halting an entire state procession out of respect for her.

Once, Umar ibn al-Khattab was riding with a large group of companions when an elderly woman stopped him. Umar immediately dismounted, bowed his head, and stood listening to her patiently for a very long time until she finished speaking.

A man said, "O Commander of the Faithful, you held back the leaders of the Quraysh for so long for this old woman?"

Umar replied sharply: "Woe to you! Do you know who this is? This is Khawlah, the woman whose complaint was heard by Allah from above the seven heavens! By Allah, if she had kept me standing until the night, I would not have left her except to perform the mandatory prayers."

Source: Recorded by Sunnani Al-Bayhaqi; Ibn Abi Hatim; cited extensively in Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

4. Verses 5–6: Standing Against the Limits of Allah

"Indeed, those who oppose Allah and His Messenger are abased as those before them were abased... On the Day when Allah will resurrect them all and inform them of what they did. Allah has kept account of it, while they forgot it..." (Quran 58:5-6)

Sunnah Context on Strict Accountability

The warning in verse 6 that "Allah has kept account of it, while they forgot it" aligns closely with a core Prophetic warning regarding minor sins that humans dismiss but God records meticulously.

The Prophet ﷺ taught the Sunnah application of this verse when he warned:

"Beware of the sins that are treated as minor (insignificant), for they gather upon a person until they destroy him."

Source: Musnad Ahmad; authenticated in Sahih الجامع.