Surah Baqarah ayat 226 Tafsir Quran 2:226

﴿لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَائِهِمْ تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ ۖ فَإِن فَاءُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
[ البقرة: 226]

2:226 For those who swear not to have sexual relations with their wives is a waiting time of four months, but if they return [to normal relations] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

For those who forswear their women by swearing that they will not have sexual intercourse with them a wait of four months; if they revert back from the oath or repeal it and resume sexual relations God is Forgiving of the harm they caused their women by swearing Merciful to them.

And those of you who make an oath to abstain from approaching your wives must not exceed four months. Should they reconcile with their own hearts and with Allah thereby resuming their normal relationship, they shall find Allah Ghafurun and Rahimun

The Ila' and its Rulings Ila' is a type of vow where a man swears not to sleep with his wife for a certain period, whether less or more than four months.
If the vow of Ila' was for less than four months, the man has to wait for the vow's period to end and then is allowed to have sexual intercourse with his wife.
She has to be patient and she cannot ask her husband, in this case, to end his vow before the end of its term.
It is reported in the Two Sahihs that `A'ishah said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ swore he would stay away from with his wives for a month.
He then came down after twenty-nine days saying:
«الشَّهْرُ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُون»
( The (lunar ) month is twenty-nine days.) Similar was narrated by `Umar bin Al-Khattab and reported in the Two Sahihs.
If the period of Ila' is for more than four months, the wife is allowed in this case to ask her husband, upon the end of the four months, to end the Ila' and have sexual relations with her.
Otherwise, he should divorce her, by being forced to do so by the authorities if necessary, so that the wife is not harmed.
Allah said: لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ ( Those who take an oath not to have sexual relations with their wives ) meaning, swear not to have sexual relations with the wife.
This Ayah indicates that the Ila' involves the wife and not a slave-women, as the majority of the scholars have agreed, تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ ( ...must wait for four months, ) meaning, the husband waits for four months from the time of the vow and then ends the Ila' ( if the vow was for four or more months ) and is required to either return to his wife or divorce her.
This is why Allah said next: فَإِن فَآءُوا ( ...then if they return, ) meaning, to a normal relationship, having sexual intercourse with the wife.
This is the Tafsir of Ibn `Abbas, Masruq, Ash-Sha`bi, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ibn Jarir. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( ...verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ) with any shortcomings that occurred in the rights of the wife because of the vow of Ila'. Allah said: وَإِنْ عَزَمُواْ الطَّلَـقَ ( And if they decide upon divorce, ) indicating that divorce does not occur by merely passing the four month mark ( during the Ila' ).
Malik reported from Nafi` that `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "If the man swears to Ila' from his wife, then divorce does not occur automatically even after the four months have passed.
When he stops at the four months mark, he should either divorce or return." Al-Bukhari also reported this Hadith.
Ibn Jarir reported that Suhayl bin Abu Salih said that his father said, "I asked twelve Companions about the man who does Ila' with his wife.
They all stated that he does not have to do anything until the four months have passed and then has to either retain or divorce her." Ad-Daraqutni also reported this from Suhayl. It is also reported from `Umar, `Uthman, `Ali, Abu Ad-Darda', `A'ishah, Ibn `Umar and Ibn `Abbas.
This is also the opinion of Sa`id bin Musayyib, `Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz, Mujahid, Tawus, Muhammad bin Ka`b and Al-Qasim.

(2:226) Those who take an oath to keep apart from their wives are given four months (for a final decision), *245 Then if they resume their relations, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. *246

For those who swear not to have meaning

*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.

 

The Ila' and its Rulings Ila' is a type of vow where a man swears not to sleep with his wife for a certain period, whether less or more than four months.
If the vow of Ila' was for less than four months, the man has to wait for the vow's period to end and then is allowed to have sexual intercourse with his wife.
She has to be patient and she cannot ask her husband, in this case, to end his vow before the end of its term.
It is reported in the Two Sahihs that `A'ishah said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ swore he would stay away from with his wives for a month.
He then came down after twenty-nine days saying: «الشَّهْرُ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُون» ( The (lunar ) month is twenty-nine days.) Similar was narrated by `Umar bin Al-Khattab and reported in the Two Sahihs.
If the period of Ila' is for more than four months, the wife is allowed in this case to ask her husband, upon the end of the four months, to end the Ila' and have sexual relations with her.
Otherwise, he should divorce her, by being forced to do so by the authorities if necessary, so that the wife is not harmed.
Allah said: لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ ( Those who take an oath not to have sexual relations with their wives ) meaning, swear not to have sexual relations with the wife.
This Ayah indicates that the Ila' involves the wife and not a slave-women, as the majority of the scholars have agreed, تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ ( ...must wait for four months, ) meaning, the husband waits for four months from the time of the vow and then ends the Ila' ( if the vow was for four or more months ) and is required to either return to his wife or divorce her.
This is why Allah said next: فَإِن فَآءُوا ( ...then if they return, ) meaning, to a normal relationship, having sexual intercourse with the wife.
This is the Tafsir of Ibn `Abbas, Masruq, Ash-Sha`bi, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ibn Jarir. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( ...verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ) with any shortcomings that occurred in the rights of the wife because of the vow of Ila'. Allah said: وَإِنْ عَزَمُواْ الطَّلَـقَ ( And if they decide upon divorce, ) indicating that divorce does not occur by merely passing the four month mark ( during the Ila' ).
Malik reported from Nafi` that `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "If the man swears to Ila' from his wife, then divorce does not occur automatically even after the four months have passed.
When he stops at the four months mark, he should either divorce or return." Al-Bukhari also reported this Hadith.
Ibn Jarir reported that Suhayl bin Abu Salih said that his father said, "I asked twelve Companions about the man who does Ila' with his wife.
They all stated that he does not have to do anything until the four months have passed and then has to either retain or divorce her." Ad-Daraqutni also reported this from Suhayl. It is also reported from `Umar, `Uthman, `Ali, Abu Ad-Darda', `A'ishah, Ibn `Umar and Ibn `Abbas.
This is also the opinion of Sa`id bin Musayyib, `Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz, Mujahid, Tawus, Muhammad bin Ka`b and Al-Qasim.

( Those who forswear their wives ) those who abstain from having sex with their wives because of an oath they have made, should not touch them for a period of four months ( may wait up to four months ) they should wait four months; ( then, if they change their mind ) if they have sex with them before the elapse of four months, ( lo! Allah is Forgiving ) that they have not honoured their oath, provided they repent, ( Merciful ) in that He made the amends due on them clear.

Those who take an oath not to have sexual relation with their wives must wait four months, then if they return (change their idea in this period), verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

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