سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 237
وَإِن طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَمَسُّوهُنَّ وَقَدْ فَرَضْتُمْ لَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً فَنِصْفُ مَا فَرَضْتُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يَعْفُونَ أَوْ يَعْفُوَا۟ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِۦ عُقْدَةُ ٱلنِّكَاحِ ۚ وَأَن تَعْفُوٓا۟ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَنسَوُا۟ ٱلْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ﴿237﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And if you divorce them before you have touched (had a sexual relation with) them, and you have appointed unto them the Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), then pay half of that (Mahr), unless they (the women) agree to forego it, or he (the husband), in whose hands is the marriage tie, agrees to forego and give her full appointed Mahr. And to forego and give (her the full Mahr) is nearer to At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness). And do not forget liberality between yourselves. Truly, Allâh is All-Seer of what you do.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِن
wa-in
And if
طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ
ṭallaqtumūhunna
you divorce them
مِن
min
from
قَبْلِ
qabli
before
أَن
an
[that]
تَمَسُّوهُنَّ
tamassūhunna
you (have) touched them
وَقَدْ
waqad
while already
فَرَضْتُمْ
faraḍtum
you have specified
لَهُنَّ
lahunna
for them
فَرِيضَةًۭ
farīḍatan
an obligation (dower)
فَنِصْفُ
faniṣ'fu
then (give) half
مَا
mā
(of) what
فَرَضْتُمْ
faraḍtum
you have specified
إِلَّآ
illā
unless
أَن
an
[that]
يَعْفُونَ
yaʿfūna
they (women) forgo (it)
أَوْ
aw
or
يَعْفُوَا۟
yaʿfuwā
forgoes
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
the one
بِيَدِهِۦ
biyadihi
in whose hands
عُقْدَةُ
ʿuq'datu
(is the) knot
ٱلنِّكَاحِ ۚ
l-nikāḥi
(of) the marriage
وَأَن
wa-an
And that
تَعْفُوٓا۟
taʿfū
you forgo
أَقْرَبُ
aqrabu
(is) nearer
لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ
lilttaqwā
to [the] righteousness
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَنسَوُا۟
tansawū
forget
ٱلْفَضْلَ
l-faḍla
the graciousness
بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ
baynakum
among you
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
بِمَا
bimā
of what
تَعْمَلُونَ
taʿmalūna
you do
بَصِيرٌ
baṣīrun
(is) All-Seer
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
237. And if you divorce them before you have touched them, but after a dowry has been specified, then half of what was specified is due, unless they forgo it, or the one in whose hand is the marriage contract forgoes it. And if you forgo, it is closer to righteousness. And do not forget graciousness [331] among yourselves. And Allah is surely seeing of whatever you do.
[331]
The Lesson of Generosity and Altruism Among Yourselves:
It is sufficient generosity on the part of the woman or her guardian that they forgive the husband even the half of the dowry (mahr) which, according to the command of Allah, he was obliged to pay. And generosity on the part of the husband is that he pays the full dowry instead of half, or if he has already paid it, he does not take any of it back. This emphasis is because such generous behavior is necessary to create pleasantness in social life. If everyone insists only on their legal rights, social life can never be pleasant.
Different Forms of Dowry and Mahr Mithl:
Now, regarding the payment of dowry to a divorced woman, according to the Shariah rulings, there are four possible situations:
(1) Neither the dowry was fixed nor consummation took place.
(2) The dowry was fixed but consummation did not take place. The ruling for both these situations has already been mentioned in these two verses.
(3) The dowry was fixed and consummation also took place, and this is the most common situation. In this case, the full dowry must be given.
(4) The dowry was not fixed but consummation took place. In this case, mahr mithl must be given, i.e., the amount of dowry that is customary in the woman’s tribe. And for a widow, all four situations are also possible, but there is a difference in the rulings, which is that whether the dowry was fixed or not, and whether the deceased husband consummated or not, the woman will in any case receive the full dowry. If the dowry was fixed, she will receive that amount, and if it was not fixed, she will receive mahr mithl. And the proof of this is the following hadith: Hazrat Alqamahؓ says that Ibn Mas’udؓ was asked about a person who married a woman, neither fixed the dowry nor consummated, and then he died. Ibn Mas’ud replied that she should be given the dowry equal to the women of her family, neither less nor more, and she must also observe the waiting period (‘iddah), and she will also receive a share from the inheritance. (Upon hearing this) Ma’qil bin Sinan Ashja’i said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also gave the same verdict regarding a woman from our family, Barwa’ bint Washiq.” Upon hearing this, Ibn Mas’udؓ was pleased. [ترمذي، ابواب النكاح باب فى الرجل يتزوج المرأة فيموت عنها قبلأن يفرض لها نيز ابو داؤد، كتاب النكاح، باب فيمن تزوج ولم يسم صداقا حتي مات]
[331]
The Lesson of Generosity and Altruism Among Yourselves:
It is sufficient generosity on the part of the woman or her guardian that they forgive the husband even the half of the dowry (mahr) which, according to the command of Allah, he was obliged to pay. And generosity on the part of the husband is that he pays the full dowry instead of half, or if he has already paid it, he does not take any of it back. This emphasis is because such generous behavior is necessary to create pleasantness in social life. If everyone insists only on their legal rights, social life can never be pleasant.
Different Forms of Dowry and Mahr Mithl:
Now, regarding the payment of dowry to a divorced woman, according to the Shariah rulings, there are four possible situations:
(1) Neither the dowry was fixed nor consummation took place.
(2) The dowry was fixed but consummation did not take place. The ruling for both these situations has already been mentioned in these two verses.
(3) The dowry was fixed and consummation also took place, and this is the most common situation. In this case, the full dowry must be given.
(4) The dowry was not fixed but consummation took place. In this case, mahr mithl must be given, i.e., the amount of dowry that is customary in the woman’s tribe. And for a widow, all four situations are also possible, but there is a difference in the rulings, which is that whether the dowry was fixed or not, and whether the deceased husband consummated or not, the woman will in any case receive the full dowry. If the dowry was fixed, she will receive that amount, and if it was not fixed, she will receive mahr mithl. And the proof of this is the following hadith: Hazrat Alqamahؓ says that Ibn Mas’udؓ was asked about a person who married a woman, neither fixed the dowry nor consummated, and then he died. Ibn Mas’ud replied that she should be given the dowry equal to the women of her family, neither less nor more, and she must also observe the waiting period (‘iddah), and she will also receive a share from the inheritance. (Upon hearing this) Ma’qil bin Sinan Ashja’i said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also gave the same verdict regarding a woman from our family, Barwa’ bint Washiq.” Upon hearing this, Ibn Mas’udؓ was pleased. [ترمذي، ابواب النكاح باب فى الرجل يتزوج المرأة فيموت عنها قبلأن يفرض لها نيز ابو داؤد، كتاب النكاح، باب فيمن تزوج ولم يسم صداقا حتي مات]
