سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 20
وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَءَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا ﴿20﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintâr (of gold i.e. a great amount as Mahr) take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِنْ
wa-in
And if
أَرَدتُّمُ
aradttumu
you intend
ٱسْتِبْدَالَ
is'tib'dāla
replacing
زَوْجٍۢ
zawjin
a wife
مَّكَانَ
makāna
(in) place
زَوْجٍۢ
zawjin
(of) a wife
وَءَاتَيْتُمْ
waātaytum
and you have given
إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ
iḥ'dāhunna
one of them
قِنطَارًۭا
qinṭāran
heap (of gold)
فَلَا
falā
then (do) not
تَأْخُذُوا۟
takhudhū
take away
مِنْهُ
min'hu
from it
شَيْـًٔا ۚ
shayan
anything
أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ
atakhudhūnahu
Would you take it
بُهْتَـٰنًۭا
buh'tānan
(by) slander
وَإِثْمًۭا
wa-ith'man
and a sin
مُّبِينًۭا
mubīnan
open
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
20. 1. In the case of giving divorce yourself, taking back the dower has been strictly forbidden, that is, no matter how much dower has been given, it cannot be taken back. If you do so, then this is oppression (slander) and an open sin.
