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Al-Mujadila (The Pleading Woman)

Verse 3of 22

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُظَٰهِرُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا۟ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَتَمَآسَّا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ تُوعَظُونَ بِهِۦ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ﴿٣

Translation (Sahih International)

And those who pronounce thihar from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said - then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one another. That is what you are admonished thereby; and Allah is Acquainted with what you do.

Word-by-word meaning

وَٱلَّذِينَwa-alladhīnaAnd those who
يُظَـٰهِرُونَyuẓāhirūnapronounce zihar
مِنmin[from]
نِّسَآئِهِمْnisāihim(to) their wives
ثُمَّthummathen
يَعُودُونَyaʿūdūnago back
لِمَاlimāon what
قَالُوا۟qālūthey said
فَتَحْرِيرُfataḥrīruthen freeing
رَقَبَةٍۢraqabatin(of) a slave
مِّنminbefore
قَبْلِqablibefore
أَنan[that]
يَتَمَآسَّا ۚyatamāssāthey touch each other
ذَٰلِكُمْdhālikumThat
تُوعَظُونَtūʿaẓūnayou are admonished
بِهِۦ ۚbihito it
وَٱللَّهُwal-lahuAnd Allah
بِمَاbimāof what
تَعْمَلُونَtaʿmalūnayou do
خَبِيرٌۭkhabīrun(is) All-Aware

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Az-Zihar and the Atonement for It ImamAhmad recorded that Khuwaylah bint Tha`labah said, "By Allah! Allah sent down the beginning of Surat Al-Mujadilah in connection with me and `Aws bin As-Samit. He was my husband and had grown old and difficult. One day, he came to me and I argued with him about something and he said, out of anger, `You are like my mother's back to me.' He went out and sat with some of his people. Then he came back and wanted to have sexual intercourse with me.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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