558 Page Notes

65 Surah At-Talaq

Page 558 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 558 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 558 of the Quran marks the beginning of Surah At-Talaq (Chapter 65), verses 1 through 5.

Because this chapter deals extensively with the legal mechanics, emotional boundaries, and ethical frameworks of divorce, classical scholars affectionately refer to it as Surah An-Nisa al-Sughra (The Minor Chapter on Women). Far from being a dry piece of legislation, page 558 intertwines rigid social laws with deeply reassuring promises of divine relief (Taqwa and Tawakkul) for those caught in painful domestic endings.

The Sunnah and canonical Hadiths provide the exact historical triggers (Asbab al-Nuzul) for these verses and anchor their legal and spiritual applications.

1. Verse 1: Divorcing Within the Prescribed Period

"O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for [the commencement of] their waiting period and keep count of the waiting period..." (Quran 65:1)

The Legal Trigger: Abdullah ibn Umar’s Mistake

The Sunnah preserves the exact incident that caused the revelation of this verse. It establishes the concept of Talaq al-Sunnah (divorce carried out in accordance with prophetic guidelines) versus Talaq al-Bid’ah (an innovative, sinful divorce).

Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) divorced his wife while she was going through her menstrual cycle. His father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, went to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned what his son had done.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became highly upset and angry. He said: "Command him to take her back and keep her until she is clean from her menses, and then to wait until she gets her next period and becomes clean again. Then, if he still wishes to divorce her, he can divorce her when she is clean, before he has intimate relations with her. This is the waiting period (`Iddah) which Allah has fixed for the women being divorced."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 5251) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1471).

The Compassionate Stay: The Prophet ﷺ and Hafsah

Another dimension of the Sunnah reveals that the Prophet himself was taught a profound lesson through this verse regarding marital patience.

Anas ibn Malik (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had once pronounced a divorce to his wife Hafsah (ra) [the daughter of Umar]. Allah then revealed the opening of Surah At-Talaq, and the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) came down and told the Prophet: "Take Hafsah back, for she is a woman who fasts constantly, prays deeply at night, and she is your wife in Paradise."

Source: Sunan al-Nasa'i (Hadith 3249) and Mustadrak al-Hakim; authenticated by Al-Albani.

2. Verses 2–3: The Divine Way Out and Unimaginable Provision

"...And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him..." (Quran 65:2-3)

These verses contain what the Prophet ﷺ described as some of the most powerful, encompassing lines of the entire Quran. They serve as comfort to a divorcing couple who fear financial ruin or social isolation.

The Sufficiency of a Single Verse

The Prophet ﷺ highlighted that these lines contain an absolute formula for surviving life's tightest structural bottlenecks.

Abu Dharr (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "I know a verse which, if all mankind were to hold fast to it, it would suffice them all: 'And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect...'"

Source: Sunan Ibn Majah (Hadith 4220) and Musnad Ahmad.

Historical Context: The Story of Awf ibn Malik

The Sunnah records a beautiful narrative behind the phrase "He will provide for him from where he does not expect."

The companion Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i came to the Prophet ﷺ in deep despair, stating that the enemy had captured his only son, and his wife was weeping herself to sleep out of poverty and grief. The Prophet ﷺ told him: "Have Taqwa (mindfulness of God), be patient, and tell your wife to constantly say: 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no power or might except with Allah)."

The couple spent their nights reciting this phrase. Unexpectedly, the son managed to break free from his chains, found the enemy's undefended herd of camels, and drove all 40 camels straight back home to his parents in Medina. The verse was revealed right after, validating their unexpected windfall.

Source: Recorded by Al-Wahidi in Asbab al-Nuzul and Tafsir al-Baghawi.

3. Verses 4–5: Clarifying the Waiting Periods

"And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the 'Iddah... is three months, and for those who have no courses [yet]... And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they deliver their burden..." (Quran 65:4)

Answering the Companions' Legal Questions

When Surah Al-Baqarah was initially revealed, it stated generally that divorced women must wait three menstrual cycles ($2:228$). The companions realized this law didn't account for every type of woman, so they approached the Prophet ﷺ for clarity, resulting in the revelation of verse 4.

Muqatil ibn Sulayman reported: When the general waiting periods were revealed, Ubayy ibn Ka'b (ra) asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Some women of Medina are complaining that other categories of women haven't been mentioned—specifically the young who haven't started menstruating, the elderly who have stopped, and those who are pregnant." Allah then sent down verse 4 on page 558 to establish precise legislative timelines for these distinct human situations.

Source: Tafsir al-Tabari and Asbab al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi.

The Rule for Pregnant Women: The Subay'ah al-Aslamiyyah Verdict

A critical Sunnah precedent defines the phrase "their term is until they deliver their burden." Does it apply to a woman whose husband dies, or just a divorced woman? The Sunnah clarifies it applies universally.

Subay'ah al-Aslamiyyah gave birth to a child a few nights after her husband passed away. As soon as her post-natal bleeding stopped, she prepared herself to accept marriage proposals. A man named Abu al-Sanabil saw her and criticized her, saying: "Why are you dressed up? By Allah, you cannot remarry until four months and ten days have passed!"

Distressed, Subay'ah wrapped herself in her cloak, went straight to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and asked him about it. The Prophet ﷺ gave a legal verdict that she became completely free to remarry the exact moment she gave birth to her child, explicitly referencing the ruling found in Surah At-Talaq.

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 5318) and Sahih Muslim.