Page 36 Notes

02 Surah Al-Baqarah (continued)

Page 36 Grammar 

Page 36 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

2:225

2:226

2:227

2:228

2:229

2:230

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 36 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 36 of the Quran covers Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 225 through 230. These verses establish foundational legal and ethical frameworks for Islamic family law, specifically covering unintended oaths, the vow of continence (Ila'), the waiting period after divorce (Iddah), the revocability of divorce, and the strict conditions surrounding final, irrevocable divorce (Talaq al-Ba'in).

Verse 225: “Allah will not impose blame upon you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for what your hearts have earned...”

This verse distinguishes between a slip of the tongue (Laghw al-Aiman) and a deliberate, solemn oath.

• The Sunnah Context: The Companions were deeply anxious that everyday figures of speech might count as binding oaths requiring expiation.

• Related Hadith: In Sahih al-Bukhari, Aisha (the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) clarified the exact practical application of this verse:
  "This verse was revealed regarding a person's statement (during conversation): 'No, by Allah!' and 'Yes, by Allah!'" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4613).

• Legal Meaning: Casual phrases uttered without a sincere internal resolution do not incur sin or require financial expiation (Kaffarah).

Verses 226 & 227: “For those who swear untoward abstinence from their wives is a waiting time of four months... And if they decide on divorce - then indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”

These verses regulate a pre-Islamic custom known as Ila’, where a husband would swear an oath never to have marital relations with his wife again. In the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic) era, this left women in indefinite legal and emotional limbo—neither fully married nor free to remarry. Islam capped this grievance at a maximum of four months.

• The Sunnah Context: The Prophet ﷺ himself once took a similar oath of separation from his wives for a month, an event recorded extensively in the Sunnah to demonstrate the legal boundaries of marital withdrawal.

• Related Hadith: In Sahih al-Bukhari, Nafi' reported that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say regarding Ila':
  "If the period of four months expires, then the husband must either retain his wife in a handsome manner or divorce her as Allah has ordered." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5290).

Verse 228: “Divorced women remain in waiting for three periods of menstruation... And their husbands have more right to take them back in this [period] if they intend reconciliation...”

This verse institutes the three-cycle waiting period (Iddah) for divorced women to ensure clarity regarding paternity and to provide a cooling-off period for potential reconciliation.

• Related Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ strictly enforced the boundaries of the Iddah and penalized those who tried to circumvent it. When Abdullah ibn Umar divorced his wife while she was actively menstruating, the Prophet ﷺ became deeply displeased. In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated:
  "...The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became angry and said: 'He must take her back and keep her until she becomes clean, then menstruates again and becomes clean. Then, if he wishes, he may divorce her before having intercourse with her. That is the Iddah (waiting period) which Allah has commanded for divorcing women.'" (Sahih Muslim 1471).

Verse 229: “Divorce is twice. Then, either keep [her] in an acceptable manner or release [her] with good treatment...”

Before this revelation, a man could divorce his wife and take her back an infinite number of times, weaponizing the process to torment her indefinitely. This verse restricted revocable divorce (Talaq) to two occurrences.

• The Sabab al-Nuzul: A woman came to Aisha complaining that her husband had told her: "I will neither divorce you permanently nor ever harbor you properly; I will divorce you, and whenever your waiting period is about to expire, I will take you back." Aisha reported this systemic abuse to the Prophet ﷺ, and this verse was subsequently revealed to permanently limit the practice.

• The Sunnah Context (Khul'): This verse also introduces Khul'—a separation initiated by the wife by returning her dowry.

• Related Hadith: The most famous application of this occurred with the wife of Thabit ibn Qays. She approached the Prophet ﷺ and said she had no complaints about his character or religion, but she simply could not love him.
  The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked her: "Will you return his garden to him (which he gave as a dowry)?" She said, "Yes." The Prophet ﷺ then said to Thabit: "Accept the garden and divorce her once." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5273).

Verse 230: “And if he has divorced her [for the third time], then she is not lawful to him afterward until she marries a husband other than him...”

This verse establishes that a third divorce is completely irrevocable. The couple cannot remarry unless the woman naturally marries another man, the marriage is genuinely consummated, and that marriage subsequently ends through death or normal divorce.

• The Sunnah Context: This strict law was put in place to prevent people from treating divorce like a trivial game. The Sunnah explicitly clarifies that a superficial "paper marriage" (Nikah al-Tahleel) designed solely to trick the system is an absolute sin.

• Related Hadith: In Sahih al-Bukhari, Aisha narrated that the wife of Rifa'ah al-Qurazi came to the Prophet ﷺ and stated that her husband had divorced her definitively (the third time). She had subsequently married another man named Abdur-Rahman, but claimed the marriage was unconsummated. She wanted to know if she could now return to Rifa'ah.
  The Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled and said: "Do you want to return to Rifa'ah? No, you cannot, until you taste his sweetness and he tastes your sweetness (meaning the marriage must be fully consummated)." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5260; Sahih Muslim 1433).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Muslim, I. Sahih Muslim.

• Ibn Kathir, I. Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim. Commentary on Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 225–230.

• Al-Wahidi, A. Asbab al-Nuzul (Reasons for Revelation). Contextual history behind the limits placed on continuous divorce and the introduction of Khul'.