Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (102)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

229 “Divorce may be pronounced twice; then the wife must either be retained honorably or released graciously. It is not lawful for you to take back anything of what you have given them, unless both fear that they will be unable to uphold the limits prescribed by Allah. If you fear that they will be unable to uphold the limits prescribed by Allah, there is no blame upon either of them concerning that by which she ransoms herself. These are the limits prescribed by Allah, so do not transgress them. Whoever transgresses the limits prescribed by Allah—it is they who are the wrongdoers.”

During the pre-Islamic period—and this continued into the early days of Islam—a man could divorce his wife without limit. If he wished to harm her, he would divorce her, then take her back just as her waiting period was about to expire. He would then divorce her again and continue treating her in this manner indefinitely, thereby causing her harm whose extent Allah alone knows.

Allah Most High therefore states that “divorce”—that is, divorce after which the wife may be taken back—“may be pronounced twice.” This allows the husband, provided he does not intend harm, to take her back and reconsider his decision during that period. Any divorce beyond those two does not serve this purpose, for one who goes beyond two divorces is either brazenly committing what is forbidden or has no desire to retain her and merely intends to harm her.

Allah Most High therefore commands the husband either to retain his wife “honorably,” meaning that he should treat her well and conduct himself as men of comparable standing customarily do with their wives—and this is the preferable course—or else release and separate from her “graciously.” Part of releasing her graciously is not taking any of her wealth in return for separating from her, for that would be an injustice and the taking of wealth without giving anything in return. Hence He says, “It is not lawful for you to take back anything of what you have given them, unless both fear that they will be unable to uphold the limits prescribed by Allah.”

This refers to khul (release in return for compensation), undertaken properly: the wife dislikes her husband because of his character, appearance, or deficient religious commitment, and fears that she will be unable to obey Allah in fulfilling her duties toward him. “If you fear that they will be unable to uphold the limits prescribed by Allah, there is no blame upon either of them concerning that by which she ransoms herself,” for it is compensation paid to obtain her desired separation. This establishes the legitimacy of khul when this reason is present.

“These”—that is, the preceding rulings of Islamic law—“are the limits prescribed by Allah,” meaning His rulings which He has ordained for you and commanded you to observe. “Whoever transgresses the limits prescribed by Allah—it is they who are the wrongdoers.” What wrongdoing could be greater than that of one who violates the bounds of the lawful and crosses from it into the forbidden, not content with what Allah has permitted?

Wrongdoing is of three kinds:

﴿٢٢٩﴾ ﴿الطَّلاقُ مَرَّتَانِ فَإِمْسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ وَلا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَأْخُذُوا مِمَّا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ شَيْئًا إِلا أَنْ يَخَافَا أَلا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَلا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا افْتَدَتْ بِهِ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَعْتَدُوهَا وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ . كان الطلاق في الجاهلية، واستمر أول الإسلام، يطلق الرجل زوجته بلا نهاية، فكان إذا أراد مضارتها، طلقها، فإذا شارفت انقضاء عدتها، راجعها، ثم طلقها وصنع بها مثل ذلك أبدا، فيحصل عليها من الضرر ما الله به عليم، فأخبر تعالى أن ﴿الطَّلاقَ﴾ أي: الذي تحصل به الرجعة ﴿مَرَّتَانِ﴾ ليتمكن الزوج إن لم يرد المضارة من ارتجاعها، ويراجع رأيه في هذه المدة، وأما ما فوقها، فليس محلا لذلك، لأن من زاد على الثنتين، فإما متجرئ على المحرم، أو ليس له رغبة في إمساكها، بل قصده المضارة، فلهذا أمر تعالى الزوج، أن يمسك زوجته ﴿بِمَعْرُوفٍ﴾ أي: عشرة حسنة، ويجري مجرى أمثاله مع زوجاتهم، وهذا هو الأرجح، وإلا يسرحها ويفارقها ﴿بِإِحْسَانٍ﴾ ومن الإحسان، أن لا يأخذ على فراقه لها شيئا من مالها، لأنه ظلم، وأخذ للمال في غير مقابلة بشيء، فلهذا قال: ﴿وَلا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَأْخُذُوا مِمَّا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ شَيْئًا إِلا أَنْ يَخَافَا أَلا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ﴾ وهي المخالعة بالمعروف، بأن كرهت الزوجة زوجها، لخلقه أو خلقه أو نقص دينه، وخافت أن لا تطيع الله فيه، ﴿فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَلا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا افْتَدَتْ بِهِ﴾ لأنه عوض لتحصيل مقصودها من الفرقة، وفي هذا مشروعية الخلع، إذا وجدت هذه الحكمة. ﴿تِلْكَ﴾ أي ما تقدم من الأحكام الشرعية ﴿حُدُودُ اللَّهِ﴾ أي: أحكامه التي شرعها لكم، وأمر بالوقوف معها، ﴿وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ وأي ظلم أعظم ممن اقتحم الحلال، وتعدى منه إلى الحرام، فلم يسعه ما أحل الله؟ والظلم ثلاثة أقسام: