Overall meaning : Allah Almighty explains that He will not punish His servants in this world or the next for something they swear in a meaningless or unintended oath, nor for taking an oath in Allah’s name that something is true or will surely happen and then they prove wrong. Punishment will be inflicted only on those who intentionally lie in the oaths they take in His name. As for those who swear an oath and then break it, they must atone for breaking it in this world, otherwise they will be subject to punishment in the hereafter. Allah is All-Forgiving—He conceals the slips they make in oaths and does not punish them for committing them; All-Clement—He does not hasten their punishment for neglecting to show due respect for swearing meaningless oaths, nor does He become angry with them for being unmindful of Him when they take such oaths unintentionally.
Allah Almighty further explains that if a husband takes an oath in His name to abstain from relations with his wife, he is only allowed a maximum period of four months to do so. If he has relations with her before the end of the four-month period or as soon as it ends, he is permitted to do so. Allah is All-Merciful for forgiving him the sin of depriving his wife of conjugal relations during this period, and All-Merciful for making him keep his wife and not imposing on him an atonement as in the case of other forms of oaths. If he really intends to divorce her, then he should do so immediately and not delay divorce, as this would definitely cause her harm. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing—He can hear him if he divorces her, knows and understands the intentions of his heart, and nothing escapes His knowledge.
He further teaches that free women who are divorced after the consummation of the marriage should not hasten to remarry, but must wait for three menstrual periods (or three periods of purity after menses) if they still have menstrual periods and are not pregnant. It is unlawful for divorced women to conceal menstruation or pregnancy due to the numerous evils this is bound to cause. Indeed, concealment in this case can only be contemplated by those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. Their husbands have a better right to take them back if they desire reconciliation, whether their wives are in their three menstrual waiting period or during pregnancy if they are pregnant. This, however, applies only in the case of a revocable divorce.
The Almighty then mentions that wives in general, whether divorced or still married, have rights which their husbands must respect by fulfilling their duties towards them, and husbands have rights which their wives must respect by fulfilling their duties towards them according to what is just and in accordance with established moral norms, but without violating any of Allah’s commands; and their husbands have more rights in view of what they do for them, among other things. Allah Almighty has complete dominance and ultimate power and authority, part of which may be manifested in the punishment He inflicts on those who violate these rulings, and He is always wise as to the laws He prescribes.
Allah Almighty further explains that a husband is only allowed to revoke a divorce and take his wife back twice. If a husband divorces his wife, he has two choices, either he takes her back honourably according to what is just and in accordance with established moral norms, as long as she is in her waiting period, or he waits until the end of her waiting period and then divorces her in kindness, without doing her any harm whatsoever. If he chooses to divorce her, then he is not allowed to take back anything of what he has given her—be it the bridal due (dowry) or otherwise—unless both spouses or their relatives fear that one of the spouses will not fulfil his duties towards the other, in which case it is permissible for the wife to initiate the divorce by giving a consideration to the husband for her release from the marriage tie. There is nothing wrong with her paying it to him, nor with him accepting it. These rulings represent some of the limits of Allah which He has made clear and which must under no circumstances be transgressed. Those who transgress them are truly wrongdoers for doing what they should not do.
If a man divorces his wife for the third time, she cannot be his wife again and so he cannot possibly remarry her until she marries some other man who genuinely divorces her after the consummation of the marriage. Only after the second husband divorces her and her waiting period elapses can the first husband remarry her with a new marriage contract, provided they are certain, or nearly so, they will live honourable lives together in mutual love and forbearance, neither party neglecting to fulfil their duties towards the other. These represent some provisions of Allah’s law which He makes clear to those endowed with knowledge, because they are the ones who understand it perfectly, and so they benefit themselves as well as others.
If men, divorce their wives for the first or second time and their wives’ waiting period is about to expire, they should either take them back with a sincere intention to fulfil their duties towards them, or choose not to take them back and wait until the waiting period expires and then divorce them, but without causing them any harm at all. Allah forbids them to do them any form of harm either by extending the waiting period, for instance, or compelling them to seek release from the marriage bond in return for a compensation or consideration, in which case they overstep Allah’s limits by forsaking a lawful act for the sake of a prohibited act. Those who do so hurt no one but themselves because by so doing they commit a sin that makes them justly deserving of Allah’s punishment.
The Almighty then forbids making a mockery of the rulings He has revealed in His Book and urges His servants to remember the countless favours He has bestowed upon them, such as what He has revealed to His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, including His Book (the Qur’an) and His Prophet’s practice (Sunnah) containing wisdom. He reminds them and exhorts them to adhere to the teachings in both of these sources and directs them to be mindful of Him by doing what He commands and avoiding what He forbids, and to be absolutely sure that He has total knowledge of everything and nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him.
Allah Almighty next forbids women’s guardians from oppressing them by preventing them from remarrying their husbands who have divorced them up to two times (i.e. not irrevocably), in case their husbands wish to take them back and the wives freely consent to this after both spouses have agreed to remarry in kindness and on fair terms. This prohibition serves as an admonition for those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. The women’s guardians’ compliance with Allah’s command not to prevent them from returning to their former husbands is better in the sight of Allah and serves to purify the guardians’ hearts from sins, enmity and suspicion, just as it purifies honour even more. Allah knows what will benefit His servants in this world and the hereafter, while they do not know where good may lie, except what He has Himself showed them. Therefore, they ought to observe His law even if it runs counter to their desires.