80 Page Notes

04 Surah An-Nisa (continued)

Page 80 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

4:15

4:16

4:17

4:18

4:19

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 80 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 80 of the Holy Quran transitions into highly significant legal territory within Surah An-Nisa (4:15–19).

This page addresses two monumental socio-legal shifts: the initial, gradual method of punishing public indecency/unlawful sexual relations (Zina), and the direct legal abolishment of the pre-Islamic practice of treating widows as inheritable property.

1. Verses 15 & 16: The Transitional Laws of Unlawful Intercourse (Zina)

"As for those of your women who commit illegal intercourse—call four witnesses from among yourselves. If they testify, confine them to their houses until death takes them or Allah ordains for them another way. And the two among you who commit this sin—discipline them..."

The Hadith on "The Other Way" (As-Sabil)

Historically, these verses provided the very first, temporary penal code for Zina in Islam, relying on severe social isolation (house arrest) for women and verbal/physical upbraiding for men. Crucially, verse 15 left a linguistic window open: "...until death takes them or Allah ordains for them another way." The Sunnah explicitly identifies when and how Allah fulfilled that promise.

• The Tradition: Ubadah bin As-Samit narrated that when the divine laws of Surah An-Nur (24:2) were later revealed, the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up and announced directly to the community:
  "Take it from me! Take it from me! Allah has now ordained 'another way' for them. For the unmarried person guilty of unlawful intercourse, the punishment is one hundred lashes and banishment for a year. For the married person, it is one hundred lashes and stoning to death."

• The Legal Context: This Hadith is a primary text used in Islamic jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) to demonstrate abrogation (Naskh). The initial "house arrest" rule on page 80 was a merciful, stabilizing stepping stone before the definitive criminal limits (Hudud) were fully formalized.

• Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1690), Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 1434).

2. Verses 17 & 18: The Definition of Valid Repentance (Tawbah)

"Allah only accepts the repentance of those who commit evil ignorantly or recklessly then repent soon after... But repentance is not accepted from those who knowingly persist in sin until they start dying, and then cry, 'Now I repent!'"

The Sunnah provides strict boundaries regarding the theological timeline of Tawbah, expanding directly on the phrase "until they start dying" (the point of Ghargharah / the death rattle).

• The Tradition: Abdullah bin Umar narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
  "Allah accepts the repentance of His servant as long as he has not reached the death rattle (the soul reaching the throat)."

• The Legal Application: Once a person enters the physical state of active dying, the unseen world becomes seen, free will effectively ends, and the window for spiritual repentance closes entirely—rendering a deathbed conversion invalid, exactly as happened historically with Pharaoh.

• Source: Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 3537), Sunan Ibn Majah (Hadith 4253).

3. Verse 19: Abolishing the Compulsory Inheritance of Widows

"O believers! It is not permissible for you to inherit women against their will or mistreat them to make them return some of the dowry..."

The Historical Context: The Pre-Islamic Exploitation of Widows

In pre-Islamic Arabia, when a man died, his male relatives (sons from other marriages, brothers, or cousins) automatically inherited his widow alongside his camels and land. The inheriting relative could either force her to marry him without a new dowry, marry her off to someone else and pocket her marital gift, or lock her away in isolation until she died so he could seize her remaining estate.

• The Tradition: Ibn Abbas explained the exact reason for this revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul):
  "Before, the practice was that when a man died, his male relatives held the ultimate right over his widow. If one of them wanted, he would marry her; or they would give her in marriage to someone else; or they would completely bar her from remarrying anyone at all—for they felt they had more right to her than her own biological family. Thereafter, this Ayah was revealed to break that practice."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4579), Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 2084).

4. Verse 19: Emotional Forbearance in Marriage

"...And live with them honorably. For if you dislike them—perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good."

The Sunnah explicitly translates this divine reminder into psychological and marital counsel, instructing men never to act impulsively out of temporary marital friction or lack of physical attraction.

• The Tradition: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
  "A believing man must not harbor hatred for a believing woman (his wife). If he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will certainly be pleased with another."

• The Application: This tradition reinforces the Quranic directive on page 80, grounding marriage in a holistic assessment of a spouse's character, patience, and religious devotion rather than superficial compatibility or brief periods of anger.

• Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1469).