6 – The hadith links the neighbor’s right with the wife’s right, just as the noble verse does in Allah’s words: “and the neighbor who is a stranger, and the companion at your side” (Q 4:36). The exegetes explain that “the neighbor who is a stranger” is the one who lives in the adjoining house, while “the companion at your side” refers to the wife.

7 – The comparison of divorce to the breaking of a bone is a striking metaphor: both are painful, hard to set and treat, and may never return to their original state.

8 – The tradition makes clear that people do not all possess the same claims upon you; some rights are weightier than others, as in the saying, “A neighbor has one right; if he is a Muslim he has two rights; and if he is both a Muslim and a relative he has three rights.”

9 – It also indicates the relative deficiency of women’s intellects and the fuller reason of men, for the exhortation concerns women only because of their weakness and limited endurance. They therefore need kindness and delicate handling, without which living together would be impossible.

10 – The hadith further proves that men are the protectors and maintainers of women; the Prophet ﷺ addressed his counsel to the husband precisely because of the authority he holds over his wife.

11 – It likewise shows that worldly conditions are inherently deficient and rarely conform to one’s exact wishes. Hence a person must bear, be patient, and remain content with whatever good he attains from this life.

12 – So long as husband and wife enjoy harmony and concord, theirs is the wholesome companionship commended by the sacred law. If, however, discord and estrangement arise, the course is reconciliation by appointing two arbiters—one from the husband’s family and one from the wife’s—who will do whatever they judge best, whether to keep the couple together or to separate them; and in such a case it is permissible