(1-4) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Allah has certainly heard the words of the woman who disputes with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah. Allah hears the dialogue between you both. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Those of you who pronounce zihār against their wives—they are not their mothers. Their mothers are only those who gave birth to them. They are indeed uttering reprehensible words and falsehood. Yet Allah is truly Ever-Pardoning, Ever-Forgiving. Those who pronounce zihār against their wives and then return to what they said must free a slave before the two touch one another. This is what you are admonished to do, and Allah is fully aware of all that you do. Whoever cannot find one must fast for two consecutive months before the two touch one another. Whoever is unable to do so must feed sixty needy people. This is so that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger. These are the limits set by Allah, and the disbelievers will have a painful punishment.”

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These noble verses were revealed concerning a man from the Ansār whose wife complained about him [to Allah and pleaded her case] (1) before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, after he had forbidden her to himself despite their long companionship and the children they had together. He was an elderly man. She therefore complained of her own condition and his to Allah and to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. She repeated her complaint and explained the matter again and again.

Allah Most High said: “Allah has certainly heard the words of the woman who disputes with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah. Allah hears the dialogue between you both”—that is, the conversation taking place between you—“Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing” of every voice, at all times, however varied the needs.

“All-Seeing”: He sees the creeping of a black ant upon a solid rock on a dark night. This informs us of the perfection of His hearing and sight and of how they encompass matters both minute and momentous. It also implicitly indicates that Allah [Most High] would resolve her complaint and relieve her affliction. He therefore stated the ruling concerning her and concerning others (2) in general terms, saying: “Those of you who pronounce zihār against their wives—they are not their mothers. Their mothers are only those who gave birth to them.”

Zihār concerning one’s wife consists of a man saying to her, “You are to me like my mother’s back,” or likening her to another female relative whom he may never marry, or saying, “You are forbidden to me.” Their customary formula used the word “back,” and this is why Allah called it zihār. He said: “Those of you who pronounce zihār against their wives—they are not their mothers.” That is: How can they utter words which one knows (3) have no basis in reality, likening their wives to the mothers who gave birth to them? Allah therefore emphasized the gravity and repugnance of this, saying: “They are indeed uttering reprehensible words and falsehood.” That is, abhorrent words; “falsehood” means a lie.

“Yet Allah is truly Ever-Pardoning, Ever-Forgiving” toward anyone who commits certain transgressions but then rectifies them through sincere repentance.

“Those who pronounce zihār against their wives and then return to what they said”: The scholars differed over the meaning of “return.” One view is that it means resolving to have intercourse with the wife against whom he pronounced zihār, and that the prescribed expiation becomes obligatory as soon as he forms this resolve. Supporting this is the fact that Allah Most High stated that the expiation (4) must be offered before sexual contact, which can only occur once the resolve has been formed. Another view is that it means actual intercourse. This is supported by Allah’s words, “and then return to what they said,” since what their statement concerned was intercourse.

Under either interpretation, “then,” once the return occurs, the expiation for this prohibition is “the freeing of a slave”—a believing slave, as qualified in another verse (5), whether male or female—provided that the slave is free of defects that impair (6) the ability to work.

“Before the two touch one another”: The husband must refrain from intercourse with the wife against whom he pronounced zihār until he has expiated by freeing a slave.

“This”—the ruling We have stated to you—“is what you are admonished to do.” That is, its ruling is explained to you together with the warning attached to it, for admonition means stating a ruling together with encouragement and warning. When a man who intends to pronounce zihār is reminded that he must free a slave, he will restrain himself from doing so. “Allah is fully aware of all that you do,” and He will recompense everyone according to his deeds.

“Whoever cannot find” a slave to free, because he cannot find one or [cannot] find the price of one, “must fast for two consecutive months before the two touch one another. Whoever is unable” to fast “must feed sixty needy people.” This may be done by feeding them enough of the staple food of his country, as held by many commentators, or by giving each needy person one mudd of wheat or half a sāʿ of another foodstuff acceptable for the fitr charity, as held by another group.

That ruling which We have explained and clarified for you is “so that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger.” This is achieved by adhering to this and other rulings and acting upon them, for adherence to Allah’s rulings and acting upon them are part of faith—[indeed, they are what is intended]—and are among the things by which faith increases (7), becomes complete, and flourishes.

“These are the limits set by Allah,” which prevent people from ⦗845⦘ falling into forbidden conduct. They must therefore neither be transgressed nor neglected.

“The disbelievers will have a painful punishment.” These verses contain several rulings:

One is Allah’s kindness toward His servants and His care for them. He mentioned the complaint of this afflicted woman, resolved it, and relieved her affliction. Indeed, through His general ruling, He relieved the affliction of everyone tested by a similar situation.

Another is that zihār applies specifically to declaring one’s wife forbidden, for Allah said, “against their wives.” If a man declared his bondwoman forbidden to himself, [that] would not constitute zihār. Rather, it would be like declaring food or drink forbidden, for which only the expiation of an oath is required.

Another is that zihār cannot validly be pronounced against a woman before a man marries her, because she is not among his wives at the time of the pronouncement. Likewise, he cannot validly divorce her, whether he makes the pronouncement immediately effective or makes it conditional.

Another is that zihār is forbidden, for Allah called it “reprehensible [speech] and falsehood.”

Another is that Allah drew attention to the basis and wisdom of the ruling when He Most High said: “They are not their mothers.”

Another is that it is disliked for a man to address his wife and call (8) her by a designation used for one of his female relatives whom he may never marry, such as saying, “O my mother,” “O my sister,” or the like, because this resembles the prohibited formula.

Another is that the expiation becomes obligatory only when the one who pronounced zihār returns to what he said—according to the two interpretations mentioned above—not merely upon pronouncing zihār.

Another is that, in the expiation involving the freeing of a slave, a young or an old slave, male or female, is acceptable because the verse is unrestricted in that regard.

Another is that the expiation must be discharged before sexual contact if (9) it consists of manumission or fasting, as Allah expressly stipulated. This differs from the expiation of feeding, during which sexual contact and intercourse are permissible.

Another is that perhaps the wisdom behind requiring the expiation before sexual contact is that this makes a person more likely to discharge it. If he desires intercourse and knows that he cannot engage in it until after offering the expiation, he will hasten to do so.

Another is that sixty needy people must be fed. If someone gathered enough food for sixty needy people but gave it to one person, or to several people numbering fewer than sixty, it would not suffice, because Allah said: “must feed sixty needy people.”