لِلَّذِیْنَ For those who یُؤْلُوْنَ swear (off) مِنْ from نِّسَآىِٕهِمْ their wives تَرَبُّصُ (is a) waiting (of) اَرْبَعَةِ four اَشْهُرٍ ۚ months فَاِنْ then if فَآءُوْ they return فَاِنَّ then indeed اللّٰهَ Allah غَفُوْرٌ (is) Oft- Forgiving رَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful وَ اِنْ And if عَزَمُوا they resolve الطَّلَاقَ (on) [the] divorce فَاِنَّ then indeed اللّٰهَ Allah سَمِیْعٌ (is) All-Hearing عَلِیْمٌ All-Knowing وَ الْمُطَلَّقٰتُ And the women who are divorced یَتَرَبَّصْنَ shall wait بِاَنْفُسِهِنَّ concerning themselves ثَلٰثَةَ (for) three قُرُوْٓءٍ ؕ monthly periods وَ لَا And (it is) not یَحِلُّ lawful لَهُنَّ for them اَنْ that یَّكْتُمْنَ they conceal مَا what خَلَقَ (has been) created اللّٰهُ (by) Allah فِیْۤ in اَرْحَامِهِنَّ their wombs اِنْ if كُنَّ they یُؤْمِنَّ believe بِاللّٰهِ in Allah وَ الْیَوْمِ and the Day الْاٰخِرِ ؕ [the] Last وَ بُعُوْلَتُهُنَّ And their husbands اَحَقُّ (have) better right بِرَدِّهِنَّ to take them back فِیْ in ذٰلِكَ that (period) اِنْ if اَرَادُوْۤا they wish اِصْلَاحًا ؕ (for) reconciliation وَ لَهُنَّ And for them (wives) مِثْلُ (is the) like الَّذِیْ (of) that which عَلَیْهِنَّ (is) on them بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ ۪ in a reasonable manner وَ لِلرِّجَالِ and for the men عَلَیْهِنَّ over them (wives) دَرَجَةٌ ؕ (is) a degree وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah عَزِیْزٌ (is) All-Mighty حَكِیْمٌ۠ All-Wise
(2:226) For those who vow abstinence from their wives there is a respite of four months.245 Then, if they go back on their vow they will find that Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.246
(2:227) And if they resolve on divorce,247 surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.248
(2:228) Divorced women shall keep themselves in waiting for three menstrual courses and it is unlawful for them, if they believe in Allah and the Last Day, to hide whatever Allah might have created in their wombs. Should their husbands desire reconciliation during this time they are entitled to take them back into wedlock.249
Women have the same rights against their men as men have against them; but men have a degree above them. Allah is All- Powerful, All-Wise.
245. In the legal terminology of Islam this is known as ila'. It is obvious that harmony and cordiality do not always prevail in matrimonial life. There are occasions when strains and tensions develop, leading to discord and estrangement. But the Law of God does not approve of that discord which causes a husband and wife, who are legally tied to one another in matrimony, to remain for all practical purposes alienated from one another as if they had ceased to be spouses. For this kind of abnormal discord and estrangement God has fixed a limit of four months during which the spouses are required either to settle their difference, or to break the tie of wedlock so that each becomes free to contract marriage with someone with whom a harmonious matrimonial relationship appears more likely.
Since the verse mentions 'taking a vow', the Hanafi and Shafi'i jurists consider the injunction to be applicable only when a husband has taken a vow not to have sexual relations with his wife. According to them, the injunction does not apply if the husband merely forsakes sexual relations with his wife without taking any vow to that effect. The Maliki jurists are, however, of the opinion that irrespective of whether a person has taken a vow, the maximum permissible limit for abstaining from sexual relations in wedlock is four months. A statement to that effect is also attributed to Ahmad b. Hanbal. (See Ibn Rushd, Bidayat al-Mujtahid, vol. 2, pp. 98 ff. - Ed.)
According to 'Ali, Ibn Abbas and Hasan al-Basri, this injunction is related to the cessation of sexual relations as a result of unpleasantness in the relationship of the spouses. It would not apply, however, if a husband were to decide to abandon sexual relations with his wife out of some beneficial consideration - say because the wife is breastfeeding - at a time when their relationship was pleasant. According to other jurists, however, any vow which prevents sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is ila', and ought not to last longer than four months irrespective of the state of the matrimonial relationship when it was taken. (See Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur'an, vol. 1, pp. 355 ff - Ed.)
246. Some jurists have interpreted this verse to signify that if the spouses break their vow and re-establish sexual relations they will not be liable to any expiation and will be pardoned by God gratuitously. However, the majority of jurists are of the opinion that they, are required to expiate. The statement that God is Oft-Forgiving and Merciful does not mean that God has forgiven them. It means rather that God will accept their expiation and will forgive them for whatever excesses they may have committed against each other.
247. According to 'Uthman, Ibn Mas'ud, Zayd ibn Thabit and others the limit for the restoration of matrimonial relations is four months. The mere termination of that period proves that the husband has decided to repudiate the marriage and so divorce automatically ensues. It will be reckoned as an irrevocable (ba'in) repudiation. This means that separation between the spouses will come into force and the husband will not have the right to revoke it during the period of waiting ('iddah). The two parties will, however, have the right to recontract marriage by mutual consent. Statements from 'Umar, 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, and also a statement from Ibn 'Umar, have been reported in support of this doctrine and have been accepted by the Hanafi jurists as the basis of their doctrine.
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, Makhul, Zuhri,. and some other early jurists agree with this doctrine to the extent that divorce comes into force after four months. But they consider that the husband may revoke it during the period of waiting; and even after the lapse of that period the spouses may recontract marriage by mutual consent.
However, 'A'ishah, Abu al-Darda' and the majority of the jurists of Madina are opposed to this opinion and hold that after four months the matter should be placed before the court when the judge will order the husband either to resume matrimonial relations with his wife or divorce her. Statements from 'Umar and 'Ali as well as a statement from Ibn 'Umar have come down in support of this doctrine. This opinion has been accepted by Malik and Shafi'i. (See Jassas, vol. 1, pp. 359 f. - Ed.)
248. That is, if a man has abandoned his wife on unreasonable grounds, he should not feel secure from the wrath of God for He is not unaware of the excesses that he may have committed.
249. Jurists disagree about the legal import of this verse. According to some, as long as a woman has not completed her third menstrual period repudiation will not have the effect of irrevocable divorce. This is the view of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Musa al-Ash'arl, Ibn Mas'ud and several distinguished Companions of the Prophet. This is also the accepted doctrine of the Hanafi jurists. On the other hand, another group of jurists is of the view that, as soon as the third monthly period of a woman begins, the husband ceases to have the right to revoke the divorce. This is the view of , 'A'ishah, Ibn 'Umar and Zayd ibn Thabit, and has been accepted by, the Shafi'i and Maliki jurists. It should be clear, however, that this injunction is applicable only when the husband has pronounced single or double divorce. In case of triple divorce, the husband ceases to have the right of revocation. (See Jassas, vol. 1. pp. 364 ff. - Ed.)