The Noble Quran Tafsir of Surah At-Talaq Ayah 1–3 Rules of Divorce and the Waiting Period for the Divorcee

65:1 O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them during the purity period and calculate the period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not drive them out of their homes, nor should they leave unless they commit clear immoral conduct. These are the limits set by Allah, and whoever transgresses the limits set by Allah has wronged himself. You do not know that Allah may bring about something.

65:2 And when their appointed term is about to end, retain them honorably, or part from them honorably. And make two just men among yourselves witnesses and establish the testimony for the sake of Allah. That is an admonition for whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him.

65:3 And He will provide for him from whence he never imagines. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He shall suffice him. Surely, Allah shall fulfill His decree; Allah has appointed a measure for everything.

Tafsir

O noble Messenger of Allah and the believers, when you want to divorce your wives, you should divorce them during the purity period of their menstruation.

In other words, when a believer wishes to divorce his wife, he should divorce her during her period of purity, and no sexual intercourse should take place between them during that period.

Although these words are specifically addressed to Messenger Muhammad, the ruling is general and applies to both Messenger Muhammad and his nation. This manner of address honors Messenger Muhammad and demonstrates his high rank with Allah, Exalted be He.

The Ayah clearly states that it is unlawful to divorce one's wife during her period of menstruation.

Nafa narrated that Abdul Allah ibn Umar divorced his wife during her period of menstruation at the time of Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him]. Then Umar Ibn Al-Khattab asked Messenger Muhammad about the matter. Messenger Muhammad said to him:

"Tell him to revoke the divorce and wait until she is purified of her menstruation. Then she menstruates and is purified of her menstruation. Then he may keep her as his wife if he wishes, or divorce her before having sexual intercourse with her. That is the waiting period that Allah has commanded the believers to observe."

Nafa also narrated that Abdul Allah ibn Umar told him that he had divorced his wife during her period of menstruation. His father, Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, informed Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] of the matter. Thereupon, Messenger Muhammad said:

"Tell Abdul Allah to revoke the divorce and keep his wife with him until she is purified of her menstruation. Then he should wait until she menstruates for the second time and is purified of her menstruation. After that, he may divorce her before having sexual intercourse with her, or, if he wishes, he may keep her as his wife. That is the waiting period that Allah has commanded the believers to observe."

Types of Divorce

There are two types of divorce:

1. Divorce that complies with the teachings of the Sunnah of Messenger Muhammad. In this type of divorce, the husband divorces his wife during her period of purity, provided that no sexual intercourse has taken place during that period. After that, if he wishes, he may divorce her, and her waiting period begins from the time the divorce takes place.

2. Divorce that does not comply with the teachings of the Sunnah of Messenger Muhammad. In this type of divorce, the husband divorces his wife during her period of menstruation, or during her period of purity after sexual intercourse has taken place during that period. This divorce takes effect, but the husband is sinful in this case.

And calculate the period.

O believers, you should calculate the waiting period of the divorce so that it is completed correctly. It consists of three complete menstruation periods, or three complete periods of purification.

It is obligatory to calculate the waiting period accurately in order to observe all the rulings related to divorce.

And fear Allah, your Lord.

O believers, fear Allah and obey His commands. Do not cause your divorcées to suffer by prolonging their waiting period, thereby preventing them from remarrying.

The intended meaning is to warn against negligence regarding the rulings of divorce and the waiting period of the divorcées.

Do not drive them out of their homes, nor should they leave unless they commit clear immoral conduct.

O believers, fear Allah and do not drive your divorcées out of their homes before their waiting period ends, nor should the divorcées leave their homes unless they commit clear immoral conduct.

The intended meaning is to forbid husbands from driving their divorcées out of their homes and to forbid the divorcées from leaving their homes before the completion of their waiting period unless they commit clear immoral conduct.

It should be noted that the Ayah says, "their homes," indicating that the divorcées have the right to remain in the homes of their husbands during the waiting period. Therefore, the scholars deduce from this Ayah that a divorcée should neither be driven out of her home nor leave it during the waiting period of divorce unless there is a necessary reason to do so.

These are the limits set by Allah, and whoever transgresses the limits set by Allah has wronged himself.

These rulings mentioned in the Ayah are the limits set by Allah, which you are prohibited from transgressing. You must always comply with them and apply them. Whoever transgresses the limits set by Allah has wronged himself and made himself liable to severe punishment.

You do not know that Allah may bring about something.

This Ayah encourages the believers to comply with the aforementioned rulings and invites reconciliation between the husband and his wife rather than hastily pursuing divorce.

O believer, follow the method mentioned in this Ayah in your marital life and comply with the rulings of divorce. Do not divorce your wife during her period of menstruation, and do not drive her out of her home before her waiting period has ended.

Moreover, do not close the door to reconciliation between you; rather, keep it open. You do not know that Allah may bring about something between you and your wife. Perhaps hatred may change into love, and disagreement may change into harmony.

In summary, this Ayah embodies the most sublime guidance for healing hearts that are on the verge of separation. It calls people to prudence and carefulness and keeps the door of reconciliation open even after disagreement has reached the point of separation. This is because hearts are in the Hand of Allah. It is easy for Him to change hatred into love. By His perfect will, Allah can make a husband love his wife after having hated her, and He can make him desire to remain with her after having intended to divorce her. Indeed, Allah is Able to do all things.

This Ayah explains the rights of the husband and the wife when divorce takes place.

O believers, Allah has prescribed the rulings of divorce. When the waiting period of the divorcée is about to end, you may either retain your wives honorably or separate from them permanently in an honorable manner by giving them all their rights.

It is worth noting that the Ayah mentions retaining the wife before mentioning separation from her. This indicates that preserving the marital relationship is preferable whenever it serves the best interests of married life.

And make two just men among yourselves witnesses and establish the testimony for the sake of Allah.

O believers, you should appoint two just men from among yourselves as witnesses when deciding to divorce your wives or when taking back your divorcées into the marriage after resolving, as much as possible, the causes of dispute and disagreement between you.

Moreover, you should establish the testimony for the sake of Allah and give it honestly, without favoritism or partiality toward either party, whether the testimony is in favor of one party or the other.

This Ayah indicates that testimony must always be given truthfully and honestly, regardless of the time or place in which it is given.

That is an admonition for whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day.

The aforementioned rulings concerning divorce—such as calculating the waiting period accurately and not driving the divorcée out of the marital home until her waiting period has ended—are an admonition and a warning for whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day. Such believers comply with these rulings and act according to their requirements.

It should be noted that the Ayah specifically refers to those who believe in Allah and the Last Day because they are the ones who benefit from these rulings and apply them properly.

And whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him.

Then Allah, Exalted be He, gives glad tidings to His servants who fear Him and comply with His commandments.

Whoever fears Allah in all his statements and deeds by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, Allah, out of His mercy and generosity, will make a way out for him from the afflictions and difficulties of this world and the Hereafter. Allah will also protect him from the agonies of death and the horrors of the Day of Judgment.

Furthermore, Allah will provide those who fear Him with the best provision in this world and the Hereafter and will provide for them from sources they could never imagine. Indeed, the means of Allah's provision are known only to Allah, Exalted be He.

Verily, these glad tidings strengthen the believer's heart and encourage him to obey Allah to the best of his ability. They also demonstrate that fearing Allah is the true means of deliverance from the afflictions of this world and the Hereafter, as well as from the agonies of death.

And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He shall suffice him. Surely, Allah shall fulfill His decree; Allah has appointed a measure for everything.

Whoever puts his trust in Allah, Allah will suffice him in all his affairs. Allah will fulfill His decree and enable him to attain all his objectives, for nothing can stand before the will and power of Allah, Exalted be He.

Verily, Allah has appointed a measure for everything before its existence, and He perfectly knows how, where, and when it will take place.

Allah has appointed a measure for everything.

Verily, Allah has appointed a measure for everything. Some people may feel that it is impossible or unlikely for their needs to be fulfilled or for their afflictions to be removed, and so they fall into despair. However, they forget that Allah is All-Able and All-Powerful. By His will, Allah can change a person's condition from affliction to prosperity and happiness in the blink of an eye. Therefore, O people, do not despair of the mercy of Allah.

Learned Lessons from Surah At-Talaq Ayah 1–3

· Divorce is permissible in Islam, provided that the parties involved comply with the teachings and rulings of Islamic Shariah related to divorce. However, a husband should divorce his wife only when there is no remaining possibility of preserving the marriage. When he decides to divorce her, he should pronounce only one divorce at a time, thereby giving both himself and his wife an opportunity to reconsider the causes that led to the breakdown of their relationship and to rectify them, if possible.

· A husband should divorce his wife during her period of purity, provided that no sexual intercourse has taken place during that period. After the divorce is pronounced, the calculation of the waiting period begins.

· The waiting period of divorce for a menstruating woman consists of three menstrual cycles.

· The waiting period of divorce should be calculated accurately.

· A husband must not drive his divorced wife out of the marital home during her waiting period.

· It is permissible to drive the divorced wife out of the marital home during the waiting period if she commits clear immoral conduct.

· The rulings of divorce mentioned in Surah At-Talaq are among the limits set by Allah. It is impermissible to transgress them. Whoever transgresses the limits set by Allah wrongs himself. For example, a husband may later regret divorcing his wife and wish to restore the marriage. If he has complied with the rulings of Islamic Shariah regarding divorce, he can do so with ease. However, if he has ignored those rulings and transgressed the limits set by Allah, he may regret his actions and find no lawful way to restore the marriage.

· When the waiting period is about to end, the husband may either take his divorcée back into the marriage or terminate the marriage permanently. In either case, he must act honorably and refrain from doing anything that would harm the divorcée.

· It is recommended to appoint two just men as witnesses to the divorce and to the husband's restoration of his wife to the marriage in order to prevent future disputes.

· A true believer is one who is pleased with the rulings prescribed by Allah and benefits from the admonitions of the Quran.

· Whoever fears Allah by complying with His commandments and avoiding His prohibitions, Allah will make a way out for him from the afflictions and difficulties of this world and the Hereafter.

· Whoever puts his trust in Allah, Allah will suffice him in all his affairs. Allah has appointed a measure for everything, and whatever Allah decrees for the believer is good, whether the believer realizes it or not. Therefore, the believer should be content with all the decrees of Allah.