The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 214
CH. 58 AL-MUJĀDALAH PT. 28 لَعَفُو غَفُورٌ but surely Allah is the Effacer of sins, Most Forgiving. 4173 وَالَّذِينَ يُظْهِرُونَ مِنْ نِسَا بِهِمْ ثُمَّ As to those who call their. 4 wives mothers, and then would يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِنْ go back on what they have said the penalty for it is the freeing b قَبْلِ أَن يَتَمَاسَّا ذَلِكُمْ تُوعَظُونَ بِهِ of a slave before they touch وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ فَمَنْ لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ E مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا ۚ فَمَنْ لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ successive months, before they فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا ذَلِكَ لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللهِ وَرَسُوْلِهِ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللهِ وَلِلْكُفِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمُ each other. This is what you are admonished with. And Allah is Well-Aware of what you do. 4174 5. But whoso does not find a slave, he must fast for two touch each other. And whoso is not able to do so, must feed sixty poor people. This is so prescribed, that you may truly believe in Allah and His Messenger. And these are the limits prescribed by Allah; and God hears the prayers and plaints of even the weakest of His servants. 4173. Commentary: Zihār or calling ones wife "mother" has been declared here a heinous sin. For a somewhat detailed note see 33:5. The words mean that God in His great mercy has made allowance for man's weakness and that He is always ready to forgive his lapses, provided he comes to God with a penitent heart and makes amends. The verse has redeemed a right which through a cruel custom was denied to women and thus has raised 3110 them to the status to which they were entitled. 4174. Commentary: The words "they go back on what they have said," may signify that after calling their wives "mothers" they seek to re-establish conjugal relations with them. Or the words may mean that after having once called their wives "mothers" they repeat what they have said. According to this meaning, it is deliberate repetition of the obnoxious words and not their casual or inadvertent utterance that renders the utterer liable to the punishment prescribed in this and the following verse.