Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/145)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Talaq (Divorce) is Medinan. (1)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them at the beginning of their waiting period, and keep count of the waiting period. Fear Allah, your Lord. Do not turn them out of their homes, nor should they leave, unless they commit a clear act of indecency. These are the limits set by Allah; and whoever transgresses the limits set by Allah has wronged himself. You do not know: perhaps Allah will bring about, after this, a new matter.” (1)

“O Prophet, when you divorce women”: He addressed the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and then addressed his community, because he is their foremost leader; thus, the address to all includes him.

It has also been said that its figurative meaning is: “O Prophet, tell your community: ‘When you divorce women’”—that is, when you intend to divorce them—just as He, glorified and exalted is He, says: “When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah” (al-Nahl 16:98), meaning: when you intend to recite it.

“Divorce them at the beginning of their waiting period”: that is, in a state of purity which they may count as part of their waiting period. Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar used to recite: “Divorce them at the outset of their waiting period.” This verse was revealed concerning Abdullah [ibn Umar] (2), who had divorced his wife while she was menstruating. (3)

Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Sarakhsi informed us; Zahir ibn Ahmad al-Faqih informed us; Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Samad al-Hashimi informed us; Abu Musab informed us, from Malik [from Nafi] (4), from Abdullah ibn Umar: he divorced his wife while she was menstruating during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Umar ibn al-Khattab therefore asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this, and he said: “Command him to take her back, then keep her until she becomes pure, then menstruates [then becomes pure] (5). Thereafter, if he wishes, he may keep her; and if he wishes, he may divorce her before having intercourse with her. That is the prescribed waiting period at which Allah has commanded women to be divorced.” (6)

(1) Ibn al-Durays, al-Nahhas, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqi reported from Ibn Abbas that he said: Surat al-Talaq was revealed in Medina. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:188. (2) Omitted from manuscript A. (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari in al-Tafsir, under “The Commentary on Surat al-Talaq,” 8:653. (4) Omitted from manuscript B. (5) Omitted from manuscript B. (6) Recorded by Imam Malik in al-Muwatta', al-Talaq, chapter: “What has been transmitted concerning quru' (menstrual periods), the waiting period following divorce, and the divorce of a menstruating woman,” 2:576; al-Bukhari, al-Talaq, chapter: “The saying of Allah Most High: ‘O Prophet, when you divorce women,’” 9:345-346; Muslim, al-Talaq, chapter: “The prohibition of divorcing a menstruating woman without her consent,” no. 1471, 2:1093; and the compiler in Sharh al-Sunnah, 9:202.

سُورَةُ الطَّلَاقِ مَدَنِيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ وَأَحْصُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِنْ بُيُوتِهِنَّ وَلَا يَخْرُجْنَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُبَيِّنَةٍ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ لَا تَدْرِي لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ يُحْدِثُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَمْرًا (١) ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ﴾ نَادَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ، ثُمَّ خَاطَبَ أُمَّتَهُ لِأَنَّهُ السَّيِّدُ الْمُقَدَّمُ، فَخِطَابُ الْجَمِيعِ مَعَهُ. وَقِيلَ: مَجَازُهُ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأُمَّتِكَ "إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ" إِذَا أَرَدْتُمْ تَطْلِيقَهُنَّ، كَقَوْلِهِ ﷿: "فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ" (النَّحْلِ-٩٨) أَيْ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ الْقِرَاءَةَ. ﴿فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ﴾ أَيْ لِطُهْرِهِنَّ بِالَّذِي يُحْصِينَهُ مِنْ عِدَّتِهِنَّ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقْرَآنِ: "فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ فِي قُبُلِ عَدَّتِهِنَّ" نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ [بْنِ عُمَرَ] (٢) كَانَ قَدْ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فِي حَالِ الْحَيْضِ (٣) . أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السَّرَخْسِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا زَاهِرُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْفَقِيهُ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ الْهَاشِمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ [عَنْ نَافِعٍ] (٤) عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَهِيَ حَائِضٌ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: مُرْهُ فَلْيُرَاجِعْهَا ثُمَّ لِيُمْسِكْهَا حَتَّى تَطْهُرَ ثُمَّ تَحِيضَ [ثُمَّ تَطْهُرَ] (٥) ثُمَّ إِنْ شَاءَ أَمْسَكَ بَعْدُ، وَإِنْ شَاءَ طَلَّقَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمَسَّ، فَتِلْكَ الْعِدَّةُ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُطَلَّقَ لَهَا النِّسَاءُ (٦) .

(١) أخرج ابن الضريس والنحاس ابن مردويه والبيهقي عن ابن عباس قال: نزلت سورة الطلاق بالمدينة. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ١٨٨. (٢) ساقط من "أ". (٣) أخرجه البخاري في التفسير - تفسير سورة الطلاق -: ٨ / ٦٥٣. (٤) ساقط من "ب". (٥) ساقط من "ب". (٦) أخرجه الإمام مالك في الموطأ في الطلاق، باب ما جاء في الأقراء وعدة الطلاق وطلاق الحائض: ٢ / ٥٧٦، والبخاري في الطلاق، باب قول الله تعالى: (يا أيها النبي إذا طلقتم النساء) ٩ / ٣٤٥-٣٤٦، ومسلم في الطلاق، باب تحريم طلاق الحائض بغير رضاها برقم: (١٤٧١) ٢ / ١٠٩٣، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٩ / ٢٠٢.