Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (103)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“When you divorce women and they near the end of their appointed term, either retain them honorably or release them honorably. Do not retain them in order to harm them and thereby transgress. Whoever does so has wronged himself. Do not take Allah’s signs in mockery. Remember Allah’s favor upon you and what He has sent down to you of the Book and wisdom, by which He admonishes you. Fear Allah, and know that Allah has full knowledge of all things.”

Then Allah Most High said, “When you divorce women,” meaning with a revocable divorce consisting of one or two pronouncements.

“And they near the end of their appointed term,” meaning that they approach the end of their waiting period.

“Either retain them honorably or release them honorably.” That is, either take them back with the intention of fulfilling their rights, or leave them without taking them back and without causing them harm. For this reason, He said, “Do not retain them in order to harm them,” meaning by causing them harm, “and thereby transgress,” crossing through this action from what is lawful into what is unlawful. What is lawful is to retain them honorably (1), while what is unlawful is to cause them harm. “Whoever does so has wronged himself.” Even if the right involved belongs to another person, the harm rebounds upon the one who intended to cause harm.

“Do not take Allah’s signs in mockery.” After Allah Most High had made His limits entirely clear—and since the purpose was that they should be known, acted upon, observed, and not transgressed, for He did not send them down aimlessly but in truth, veracity, and earnestness—He prohibited taking them in mockery. This means treating them as playthings by daring to violate them and failing to fulfill their requirements, such as causing harm when retaining or separating from a wife, repeatedly divorcing her, or pronouncing all three divorces at once. In His mercy, Allah prescribed one pronouncement after another for the husband, out of kindness to him and in pursuit of his welfare.

“Remember Allah’s favor upon you” in every respect: with your tongues by extolling and praising Him, with your hearts by recognizing and acknowledging it, and with your limbs by using His favors in obedience to Him. “And what He has sent down to you of the Book and wisdom”—that is, the Sunnah—through both of which He made clear to you the paths of good and encouraged you to follow them, and the paths of evil and warned you against them. He taught you about Himself and His dealings with His allies and enemies, and taught you what you did not know.

It has also been said that by “wisdom” is meant the underlying wisdoms of the Sacred Law. The Book contains the rulings, while wisdom explains Allah’s wisdom in His commands and prohibitions. Both interpretations are sound. For this reason, He said, “By which He admonishes you,” meaning by what He sent down to you. This supports the interpretation that wisdom means the underlying wisdoms of the Sacred Law, because admonition comes through explaining the rulings and their wisdom, and through encouragement or warning. Knowledge of a ruling dispels ignorance; understanding its wisdom, together with encouragement, produces desire; and understanding its wisdom, together with warning, produces fear.

“Fear Allah” in all your affairs, “and know that Allah has full knowledge of all things.” That is why He has explained these rulings to you with consummate precision and perfection, in a manner that accords with human welfare at every time and place. [To Him belong all praise and all favor.]

(1) B reads: “honorably.”

﴿وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَلا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِتَعْتَدُوا وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ وَلا تَتَّخِذُوا آيَاتِ اللَّهِ هُزُوًا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾ . ثم قال تعالى: ﴿وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ﴾ أي: طلاقا رجعيا بواحدة أو ثنتين. ﴿فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ﴾ أي: قاربن انقضاء عدتهن. ﴿فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ﴾ أي: إما أن تراجعوهن، ونيتكم القيام بحقوقهن، أو تتركوهن بلا رجعة ولا إضرار، ولهذا قال: ﴿وَلا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا﴾ أي: مضارة بهن ﴿لِتَعْتَدُوا﴾ في فعلكم هذا الحلال، إلى الحرام، فالحلال: الإمساك بمعروف (١) والحرام: المضارة، ﴿وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ﴾ ولو كان الحق يعود للمخلوق فالضرر عائد إلى من أراد الضرار. ﴿وَلا تَتَّخِذُوا آيَاتِ اللَّهِ هُزُوًا﴾ لما بين تعالى حدوده غاية التبيين، وكان المقصود، العلم بها والعمل، والوقوف معها، وعدم مجاوزتها، لأنه تعالى لم ينزلها عبثا، بل أنزلها بالحق والصدق والجد، نهى عن اتخاذها هزوا، أي: لعبا بها، وهو التجرؤ عليها، وعدم الامتثال لواجبها، مثل استعمال المضارة في الإمساك، أو الفراق، أو كثرة الطلاق، أو جمع الثلاث، والله من رحمته جعل له واحدة بعد واحدة، رفقا به وسعيا في مصلحته. ﴿وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ عموما باللسان ثناء وحمدا، وبالقلب اعترافا وإقرارا، وبالأركان بصرفها في طاعة الله، ﴿وَمَا أَنزلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ﴾ أي: السنة اللذين بيّن لكم بهما طرق الخير ورغبكم فيها، وطرق الشر وحذركم إياها، وعرفكم نفسه ووقائعه في أوليائه وأعدائه، وعلمكم ما لم تكونوا تعلمون. وقيل: المراد بالحكمة أسرار الشريعة، فالكتاب فيه، الحكم، والحكمة فيها، بيان حكمة الله في أوامره ونواهيه، وكلا المعنيين صحيح، ولهذا قال ﴿يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ﴾ أي: بما أنزل عليكم، وهذا مما يقوي أن المراد بالحكمة، أسرار الشريعة، لأن الموعظة ببيان الحكم والحكمة، والترغيب، أو الترهيب، فالحكم به، يزول الجهل، والحكمة مع الترغيب، يوجب الرغبة، والحكمة مع الترهيب يوجب الرهبة. ﴿وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ في جميع أموركم ﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾ فلهذا بيّن لكم هذه الأحكام بغاية الإحكام والإتقان التي هي جارية مع المصالح في كل زمان ومكان، [فله الحمد والمنة] .

(١) في ب: بالمعروف.