The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 368
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH means, the woman married and had a husband. is like meaning, both a husband and a wife, i. e. a partner in life; but the significance of husband is more common. The word also means, lord, master or owner of a thing; or a person in authority. The Arabs sometimes gave the name to their idols also (Lane & Mufradāt). (equity) is a common Arabic word which has been freely used in the Quran as well as the Ḥadīth. The word is derived from. They say i. e. he knew it either by means of the five senses or by mental perception, as by reflection, or by consideration of the effect of a thing on the mind; he recognized it. means, (1) a known or commonly known thing; (2) an action or thing the goodness of which is known by reason, i. e. equity; (3) an action or thing the goodness of which is known by the law of Shari'ah; (4) goodness, kindness and beneficence; (5) liberality coupled with moderation; (6) good fellowship with one's family and others; (7) sincere and honest word of advice, etc. (Lane). It may be noted here that while taking the oath of allegiance from would-be Muslims, the Holy Prophet always used the word asking them to solemnly affirm that they would obey him in all things, i. e. not only in such things as formed part of the divine law of Shari'ah but also in those which the Prophet held to be good by his own reason. (rank) means, (1) the various steps forming a set of stairs; (2) rank; (3) eminence (4) degree (Aqrab). Commentary: PT. 2 the most hateful of all lawful things in the sight of God (Dāwūd), it has been hedged round by many checks and limitations. One of these checks is that a husband can divorce his wife only when she is clean i. e. in a state of purity, and he has had no sexual knowledge of her in her period of purity. After the pronouncement of divorce the wife must wait for three menstruations, i. e. about three months, which period is called (iddah) or the period of waiting. This is another check, because this period of waiting gives to the husband sufficient time to consider the pros and cons of his action and to allow his love for her, if there is yet a dormant spark lying smouldering somewhere, to reassert itself. The third check laid down in this verse is that a divorced woman, if pregnant, must not conceal this fact from her husband, for the expected birth of a child is calculated to go a long way in bringing about reconciliation between the couple. The fourth check, as mentioned in the succeeding verses, is that for complete and irrevocable separation there should be three divorces. After the pronouncement of the first as well as the second divorce, and before the expiry of the period of waiting, the husband enjoys the privilege of taking his wife back, if he so desires. Even after the period of waiting is over, the couple can become reunited in the case of the first and second divorce by renewing the marriage tie. The verse adds that as far as personal rights are concerned, the husband and the wife stand on a par, In view of the fact that divorce is but in matters relating to discipline, 368