|
226. " for those who swear to abstain from their wives, there shall be
a waiting of four months; so if then they revert, surely allah
is forgiving, merciful."
227. " and if they have resolved on divorce, then surely allah is
all-hearing, all-knowing.
commentary:
one of the methods that was customary in the age of ignorance
for the separation of a husband from his wife was /'ila'/ ` forswear '. this
method was also followed by those muslims who had newly embraced
islam. the word means: ` oath of sexual abstention '.
at the age of ignorance, when a man displeased his wife, he
sometimes took oath to abstain from associating with her, and by this
unmanly way, he created a straitened circumstance for her. he neither
divorced her legally to make her free to marry with her desired husband
and obtain her own wishes, nor he himself was ready to make peace
with her and continue to live with her as a spouse.
" for those who swear to abstain from their wives, ..."
so, the verse under discussion speaks about the design that islam
has planned for that problem to put an end to it. it says that husband
has a respite of four months to make the woman free from this captivity
and entanglement. he may either renounce his oath, and continue to
live with his wife, or legally divorces her and lets her be free.
"...there shall be a waiting of four months; ..."
choosing the first way, and not to disturb the assembly of the
family, is undoubtedly reasonable and also pleases allah.
therefore, at the end of the verse, it says:
"...so if then they revert, surely allah is fogiving, merciful."
the concluding sentence:"...surely allah is forgiving, merciful"
denotes that renouncing this oath will not be counted a sin, (though it is
understood from the statement that the essence of taking oath is not an
agreeable action).
* * * *
if the man decides to become separate from her and divorces her,
forgiveness and mercy is not assured for his action, and allah, who is
aware of all secrets, knows whether his sensuality has forced the
husband to misuse the law of divorce, or his situation and conditions
have really required that. the lord is all-hearing unto the apparent
execution of divorce and is all-knowing about the motive of it, as well.
so, the qur'an syas:
" and if they have resolved on divorce, then surely allah is
all-hearing, all-knowing.
but it should be noted that, although islam has not absolutely
nullified the proposition of forswear, but it has, indeed, wiped out its
effects, because, it does not allow any man to separate from his wife and
abandon sexual intercourse by forswearing and taking oath. if we see
that the verse has given this kind of man a respite of four months' time
to decide, it is not for showing that it is really possible to reject any right
of the matrimonial rights by forswearing, but it is for the sake that
sexual intercourse, as a religious obligation, is necessary at least once
every four months. (it is, of course, so that the woman might not
commit sin because of this length of time, otherwise, especially for the
young ladies that may commit sin as a result of that long time, the length
of time between the sexual intercourses should be shortened as much as
that her sexual need be provided for.)
messages:
1 - to wipe out the social customs and old traditions treated
superstitiously and ignorantly has been a principle among the duties of
prophets.
2- being attentive to the rights and spiritual and instinctive needs
of one's wife is a principle for the husband.
3- sometimes, man uses the most sacred appellations for the
worst aims.
4- for the return of some individuals to the right path and that
they make a wise decision, giving a respite is necessary.
5- islam is the advocator of the oppressed. women have always
been oppressed and their rights have been transgressed all along the
length of the history. therefore, the qur'an has frequently supported
them.
6- people should be encouraged to lead safe and sound lives. the
statement: "...so if then they revert, sruely allah is forgiving, merciful " has
occurred in the verse to make man aware of the fact that reverting to
the course of life is the secret of receiving the forgiveness and mercy of
allah.
7- islam accepts divorce, with all its bitterness and ugliness, but it
does not bear that a wife be suspended and her situation unclear.
8- be careful of sensuality and be in awe of a decision that
destroys the livelihood of a woman, because:
" allah is all-hearing, all-knowing ".
|
