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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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 Surah Al-Baqarah 2:222-223 [28/40]
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَيَسْــَٔلُونَكَAnd they ask you
عَنِabout
ٱلْمَحِيضِ‌ۖ[the] menstruation.
قُلْSay,
هُوَ`It
أَذًى(is) a hurt,
فَٱعْتَزِلُواْso keep away (from)
ٱلنِّسَآءَ[the] women
فِىduring
ٱلْمَحِيضِ‌ۖ(their) [the] menstruation.
وَلَاAnd (do) not
تَقْرَبُوهُنَّapproach them
حَتَّىٰuntil
يَطْهُرْنَ‌ۖthey are cleansed.
فَإِذَاThen when
تَطَهَّرْنَthey are purified,
فَأْتُوهُنَّthen come to them
مِنْfrom
حَيْثُwhere
أَمَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚAllah has ordered you.`
إِنَّIndeed,
ٱللَّهَAllah
يُحِبُّloves
ٱلتَّوَّٲبِينَthose who turn in repentance
وَيُحِبُّand loves
ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَthose who purify themselves.
﴿٢٢٢﴾
نِسَآؤُكُمْYour wives
حَرْثٌ(are) a tilth
لَّكُمْfor you,
فَأْتُواْso come
حَرْثَكُمْ(to) your tilth
أَنَّىٰwhen
شِئْتُمْ‌ۖyou wish,
وَقَدِّمُواْand send forth (good deeds)
لِأَنفُسِكُمْ‌ۚfor yourselves.
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَAnd be conscious (of) Allah
وَٱعْلَمُوٓاْand know
أَنَّكُمthat you
مُّلَـٰقُوهُ‌ۗ(will) meet Him.
وَبَشِّرِAnd give glad tidings
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ(to) the believers.
﴿٢٢٣﴾


وَ يَسۡـئَلُوۡنَكَ عَنِ الۡمَحِيۡضِ​ۙ قُلۡ هُوَ اَذًى فَاعۡتَزِلُوۡا النِّسَآءَ فِى الۡمَحِيۡضِ​ۙ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُوۡهُنَّ حَتّٰى يَطۡهُرۡنَ​​ۚ فَاِذَا تَطَهَّرۡنَ فَاۡتُوۡهُنَّ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ اَمَرَكُمُ اللّٰهُ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِيۡنَ وَيُحِبُّ الۡمُتَطَهِّرِيۡنَ‏  نِسَآؤُكُمۡ حَرۡثٌ لَّـكُمۡ فَاۡتُوۡا حَرۡثَكُمۡ اَنّٰى شِئۡتُمۡ​  وَقَدِّمُوۡا لِاَنۡفُسِكُمۡ​ؕ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَاعۡلَمُوۡٓا اَنَّکُمۡ مُّلٰقُوۡهُ ​ؕ وَ بَشِّرِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ 

Translation
(2:222) They ask you about menstruation. Say: “It is a state of impurity; so keep away from women in the state of menstruation,238 and do not approach them until they are cleansed. And when they are cleansed,239 then come to them as Allah has commanded you.”240 Truly, Allah loves those who abstain from evil and keep themselves pure. (2:223) Your wives are your tilth; go, then, into your tilth as you wish241 but take heed of your ultimate future242 and avoid incurring the wrath of Allah. Know well that one Day you shall face Him. Announce good tidings to the believers.

Commentary

238. The Arabic word adha denotes both a state of ritual impurity and sickness. Menstruation is not merely an impurity, but also a state in which the woman is closer to sickness than to health.

239. With regard to matters such as these the Qur'an resorts to metaphors and figurative language. Hence it instructs men not to approach women. This does not mean that people should either abstain from sitting together on the same floor or eating together when a woman has her monthly period making her virtually an untouchable, as has been the custom among the Jews, Hindus and certain other nations. The explanation of this injunction by the Prophet makes it clear that during this period men are only required to abstain from sexual intercourse; no change is postulated in other relationships, and the woman is to be treated in the normal way. (See, for instance, Bukhari, 'Hayd', 10, 'Itikaf', 2-4, 10, 19; Muslim, 'Hayd', 6-13; Abu Da'ud, 'Taharah', 102, 106 - Ed.)

240. The 'command' of God mentioned here is not a formal legal injunction from God, but that inherent urge with which the nature of both men and animals has been imbued and which is apprehended instinctively.

(The verse means, therefore, that after the end of the menstrual course people may again engage in sexual intercourse - Ed.)

241. That is, God's purpose in the creation of women is not merely to provide men with recreation. Their mutual relationship is like that between a farmer and his tilth. A farmer approaches his field not just for the sake of pleasure, but to acquire produce. Similarly, man ought to approach the tilth of the human race with the purpose of acquiring produce, that is, offspring. What is of concern to the Law of God is not the particular mode of cultivating one's tilth, but rather that one should go only to one's tilth and not elsewhere, and that one should go there for the purpose of cultivation.

242. These words are susceptible to two meanings. First, that a person should try to maintain the continuity of the human race so that when he departs from this world there should be others to replace him in his tasks. Second, that one should be concerned with the quality of the coming generation, i.e., how far it is endowed with religious devotion, moral excellence and humanity, and that one should do all that is possible to promote these qualities. The latter part ot the verse contains the warning that those who deliberately neglect these two duties will he severely taken to task by God.