in a house other than the first one. This reconciles the noble verse with the hadith, and there is no doubt, in my view, that it is the closest of the opinions, because it is what the context of the Quran apparently indicates. Even so, the matter has not yet become clear to me, and I have not reached a definite conclusion on it. Although Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, strongly maintains that all the verses concern revocably divorced women, this is very far-fetched. A revocably divorced woman is provided for whether she is pregnant or not, and one would not say of her, “House her where you live”; rather, one would say, “Do not turn her out of her home.”

If this reconciliation between the Quran and the Sunnah is sound, then all praise is due to Allah. It is the most readily suggested understanding—and Allah knows best. But if it is not sound, then the view that she is entitled to neither maintenance nor housing unless she is pregnant is closer than the view that she is entitled to maintenance and housing in all circumstances. For the latter view is very weak, even though some of the leading early scholars held it.

What is remarkable is that the Quranic exegetes, may Allah have mercy on them, pass over this issue and mention only the positions of the legal schools; that is, they do not bring forth the verse and discuss its implications. The best discussion of it that I have seen is Ibn al-Qayyim’s, may Allah have mercy on him, in Zad al-Ma'ad, but he gives preference to the view adopted by Imam Ahmad.

Issues:

First: Is the man who commits adultery required to provide maintenance for the woman with whom he committed adultery if she becomes pregnant through that act?

Answer: He is not required to provide for her. This is not an exception to the rule, because the child is not legally ascribed to that adulterer.

Second: Does clothing fall under the obligation of maintenance?