65:1. O Prophet [and believers], when any of you want to divorce women, then divorce them at a time when their prescribedwaiting period can properly start,^{1Divorce should only be issued after the woman has purified herself following the end of menses, and before any intimacy occurs. The waiting period (‘iddah) is three menstrual cycles, as stated in al-Baqarah (2: 228), after which the woman becomes completely divorced, if the husband has not taken her back before the end of the ‘iddah, and then has the right to marry someone else if she wishes.} and keep an accurate count of the waiting period; and fear Allah your Lord. Do not turn them [divorced women] out of their houses [during the waiting period], nor should they themselves leave, unless they are guilty of manifestly immoral conduct. Such are the limits ordained by Allah; whoever transgresses the limits ordained by Allah has wronged himself. You do not know; perhaps Allah will bring about some new development [leading to reconciliation].

65:2. When they have approached [the end of] their waiting periods, either retain them on equitable terms or part with them on equitable terms. Call to witness two just men from among you, and give honest testimony for the sake of Allah. This is an exhortation for those who believe in Allah and the Last Day. Whoever fears Allah, He will grant him a way out [from difficulty],

65:3. and will provide for him from where he does not expect. Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Allah will surely attain His purpose. Allah has set a measure [and appointed term] for all things.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, addressing His Prophet (ﷺ) and the believers: s(0 Prophet [and believers], when any of you want to divorce women, then﴿ do it in the prescribed manner, and do not hasten to issue a divorce as soon as a reason for doing so occurs, without paying attention to the guidelines set out by Allah.

Rather ﴾divorce them at a time when their prescribed waiting period can properly start﴿ that is, at the right time for their ‘iddahor prescribed waiting period to begin. What this means is that the husband should divorce his wife when she is in a state of purity (that is, not menstruating), during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her. This is the kind of divorce following which the waiting period will be clear.

That is in contrast to a case in which the husband divorces her when she is menstruating, because the menstrual cycle in which he divorced her will not count, and the waiting period will be longer as a result of that.

Similarly, if he divorces her during a period of purity in which he has had intercourse with her, he cannot be sure that she is not pregnant, because the pregnancy will not show at that time, and as a result the type of waiting period to be observed will not be clear.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has instructed us to keep an accurate count of the waiting period, either by counting menstrual cycles, if the woman menstruates, or by counting months, if she does not menstruate and is not pregnant.

Keeping an accurate count of it is a fulfilment of the command of Allah, and it also fulfils the rights of the husband who has issued the divorce and the rights of any future husband, as well as the woman’s right to maintenance and so on.

If she counts her ‘iddah, she will have a clear idea of her situation, and her rights and duties will be known.

This command to keep an accurate count of the waiting period is addressed to both the husband and the wife, if she is accountable, otherwise it is addressed to her guardian.

﴾(and fear Allah your Lord﴿ that is, fear Him in all your affairs, and with regard to the rights of divorced wives.

﴾Do not turn them [divorced women] out of their houses [during the waiting period])•); rather let them stay in the houses where they were living at the time when their husbands divorced them.(﴾nor should they themselves leave﴿ that is, it is not permissible for them to leave their houses.

With regard to the prohibition on turning them out, that is because it is obligatory for the husband to provide the wife with accommodation so that she may complete her waiting period, which is one of his rights. As for the prohibition on them themselves leaving, that is because their leaving could lead to loss of the husband’s rights.

This prohibition on being turned out of or leaving their houses lasts until completion of the waiting period.

﴾unless they are guilty of manifestly immoral conduct﴿ that is, any actions that are obviously reprehensible, which dictate that they should be turned out, because their actions are so reprehensible that they may cause harm to the household if the woman is not turned out, such as offensive talk and immoral deeds. In such cases it is permissible for the husband to ask the wife to leave, because she has brought it on herself. Providing her with accommodation during the waiting period is a kind of consolation and kindness to her, and if she loses that because of her immoral conduct, then she is the one who has brought harm on herself. This is applicable in the case of a revocable (first or second) divorce.

However in the case of an irrevocable divorce, she is not entitled to accommodation, because accommodation is connected to maintenance, and maintenance is only a right in the case of a revocable divorce, not an irrevocable divorce.

﴾Such are the limits ordained by Allah﴿ that is, the limits that He has set out and prescribed for His slaves, and has commanded them to adhere to them and abide by them.

﴾whoever transgresses the limits ordained by Allah﴿ by not adhering to them and by transgressing them or falling short of them,

﴾has wronged himself﴿ that is, he has caused himself to miss out on an opportunity to follow the commands of Allah, on which well-being in this world and the hereafter is based.

﴾You do not know; perhaps Allah will bring about some new development [leading to reconciliation]]﴿ that is, Allah has prescribed the waiting period and has made divorce connected to it for significant reasons, including the following:

Perhaps Allah will instil love and compassion in the heart of the husband who issued the divorce, so that he will take her back and resume intimacy with her, so the waiting period gives him the opportunity to do so. Or perhaps he divorced her because of some reason on her part, then that reason will cease to exist during the waiting period, so that he can take her back because the reason for divorcing her is no longer applicable.

During the waiting period, it will be established whether or not the wife is pregnant from the husband.

t-(When they have approached [the end of] their waiting periods﴿ that is, when the end of the waiting period approaches. Once the waiting period is over, the husband no longer has the choice between keeping his wife or separating from her.

﴾either retain them on equitable terms﴿ that is, on a basis of kind treatment and good companionship, not by way of causing harm, harsh treatment and not letting her get on with her life. Keeping her with such ill intentions is not permissible.

t-[or part with them on equitable terms]﴿ that is, a separation in which there is nothing contrary to Islamic teachings, and without trading insults, arguing, or mistreating the wife in order to force her to give up some of her wealth.

﴾Call to witness﴿ the divorce or the taking back of the wife ﴾two just men from among you﴿ that is, two Muslim men of good character, because this calling to witness closes the door to dispute and prevents either of them concealing that which he should disclose.

﴾and﴿, O witnesses, {[give honest testimony for the sake of Allah﴿ that is, give proper testimony, as it should be given, without addingor subtracting anything, and by giving it seek the pleasure of Allah alone; do not pay any attention when giving testimony to any relative because of your ties with him or to any friend because of your love for him.

﴾This﴿ that We have mentioned to you of rulings and limits ﴾is an exhortation for those who believe in Allah and the Last Day﴿, for whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, that would lead him to pay heed to the exhortations of Allah and give precedence to the hereafter by doing righteous deeds as much as he can. That is in contrast to the one whose heart is devoid of faith, for he would not care about whatever he commits of evil deeds, or about paying heed to the exhortations of Allah, because there is nothing to motivate him to do so.

Because divorce may lead to anxiety, distress and grief, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins people to fear Him, and tells us that whoever fears Him with regard to divorce and other matters, Allah will grant him relief and a way out from difficulty.

If a person wants to divorce his wife, and does it in the proper manner, by issuing a single divorce when she is not menstruating, and not during a period of purity in which he has had intercourse with her, Allah will not put him through difficulty; rather Allah will grant him a way out from difficulty and gives him room to resume the marriage if he regrets having issued the divorce.

Although the context of this verse has to do with divorce and taking back the wife, it is more general in meaning: whoever fears Allah (is) and constantly seeks His pleasure in all his affairs, Allah will reward him in this world and the hereafter.

Part of that reward is that Allah will grant him relief and a way out from all difficulties and hardship.

Just as whoever fears Allah, He will grant him relief and a way out, by the same token, whoever does not fear Allah will face difficulties,obstacles and troubles that he cannot find a way out of or escape the consequences thereof.

This is also applicable to divorce. If a person does not fear Allah with regard to it, and issues a divorce in a prohibited manner, such as issuing the threefold divorce and the like, he will inevitably come to regret it and will not be able to escape the negative consequences thereof.

fjand will provide for him from where he does not expect﴿. Allah will bestow provision upon the one who fears Him, from where he does not expect it.

﴾Whoever puts his trust in Allah﴿ with regard to his spiritual and worldly affairs, by relying on Allah to bring him that which will benefit him and ward off that which will harm him, and trusting Him to make that easy for him,

﴾He will suffice him﴿ that is, with regard to the matter concerning which he put his trust in Him. When the matter is in the care of the Self-Sufficient, the Most Strong, the Almighty, the Most Merciful, He is closer to the individual than anything else. But divine wisdom may dictate that it be delayed until the appropriate time. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Allah will surely attain His purpose﴿ that is, His will and decree will inevitably be done. But Allah has set a measure [and appointed term] for all things﴿ that is. He has set a time and a measure, and matters will not go beyond that or fall short of it.

65:4. Regarding those of your women who have passed the age of menstruation, if you are uncertain [of the ruling], their waiting period is three months; that also applies to those who have not yet begun to menstruate. Regarding those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth. And whoever fears Allah, He will make matters easy for him.

65:5. This is the ruling of Allah, that He has revealed to you [in the Qur’an], Whoever fears Allah, He will absolve him of his bad deeds and make his reward immense.

Having mentioned the type of divorce that is enjoined, which is when the woman’s prescribed waiting period can properly start, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now discusses further the issue of the prescribed waiting period: ﴾Regarding those of your women who have passed the age of menstruation﴿ because they used to menstruate, but now menstruation has ceased, because of old age or otherwise, and there is no hope of it returning,

﴾their waiting period is three months﴿; each month is instead of one menstrual cycle.

﴾that also applies to those who have not yet begun to menstruate﴿ that is, those who are very young and have not yet menstruated, or adult women who never got their menses at all. They are like those who no longer menstruate; their prescribed waiting period is three months.

As for those who do menstruate, Allah has mentioned their prescribed waiting period elsewhere, where He says:

﴾Divorced women should wait concerning themselves for three menstrual cycles...]•) (al-Baqarah 2: 228)

﴾Regarding those who are pregnant, their term﴿ that is, waiting period ﴾is until they give birth﴿ to all that is in their wombs, whether it is a single child or more (twins or other multiple birth). In this case no attention is to be paid to the number of months and so on.

﴾(And whoever fears Allah, He will make matters easy for him﴿ that is, whoever fears Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). He will make his affairs easy for him and will make every difficulty easy.

﴾(This﴿ namely the ruling that Allah has explained to you ﴾is the ruling of Allah, that He has revealed to you [in the Qur’an]﴿ so that you may follow it, comply with it, adhere to it and venerate it.

﴾(Whoever fears Allah, He will absolve him of his bad deeds and make his reward immense﴿ that is, he will be protected from what he fears and will be able to attain what he seeks.

65:6. Accommodate them [during their waiting period] where you also reside, according to your means, and do not harass them in order to make their lives difficult. If they arc pregnant, then spend on them until they give birth, and if they breastfeed your offspring for you, then give them their recompense and settle the question of recompense between yourselves on an equitable basis. But if it is too difficult for you to reach an agreement [concerning that], another woman may breastfeed the child [in return for recompense].

65:7. Let the wealthy man spend according to his means, and let the man whose resources are limited spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah does not place on any soul a burden beyond what He has given it. Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease.

We have seen above that Allah forbids making divorced women leave their houses. Here He instructs husbands to accommodate them, and describes the type of accommodation that should be provided, which is that which is common among people like them, according to how well off or otherwise the husband is.

﴾and do not harass them in order to make their lives difficulty that is, do not harass them in word or deed during the time when they live in the accommodation provided, so that they get fed up and leave those houses before the waiting period is over, so that you would be the ones who made them leave.

The point is that Allah has forbidden men to make them leave, and He has forbidden the women themselves to leave. He has instructed the men to provide accommodation for them, in such a way that does not cause them any harm or hardship, and that is to be based on what is usual for any particular people.

e﴾If they﴿ namely the divorced women ﴾are pregnant, then spend on them until they give birth ﴿ - that is for the sake of the child in the womb, if it is an irrevocable divorce; if it is a revocable divorce, then it is for the sake of the woman and her child. That right to maintenance ceases when the mothers give birth. Once they give birth, they may either breastfeed their children or not.

﴾and if they breastfeed your offspring for you, then give them their recompense﴿ as agreed upon, if there is such an agreement; otherwise they should be given the usual fee in this situation.

﴾and settle the question of recompense between yourselves on an equitable basis﴿ that is, let each of the spouses, and others, enjoin what is right and proper, which is everything that is beneficial and good inthis world and the hereafter. Failing to enjoin upon one another that which is right and proper leads to evil and harm, the extent of which no one knows except Allah, but enjoining one another to do that which is right and proper leads to cooperation in righteousness and piety.

It is appropriate to point out here that when the spouses separate, and during the waiting period - especially if they have a child - there are usually disputes and arguments concerning the maintenance of the woman and the child, in addition to the stress of separation, which usually results from resentment, and that will usually have an impact on many aspects of the relationship.

Therefore each of them is enjoined and advised to do that which is right and proper, and to treat the other kindly, not to resort to fights and arguments.

﴾But if it is too difficult foryou to reach an agreement [concerning that]﴿ namely the breastfeeding of her child, ﴾another woman﴿ other than the wife ﴾may breastfeed the child [in return for recompense]﴿. Allah says elsewhere: c:.. .there is no blame on you, provided you pay [the wet-nurses] what you agreed upon, on an equitable basis.. .﴿ (al-Baqarah 2: 233)

This applies if the infant will accept the breast of someone other than his mother. If he will only accept his mother’s breast, then she must breastfeed him; it is obligatory upon her and she is to be forced if she refuses. She is entitled to the usual fee, if they did not agree on a fee.

This is based on the meaning of the verse. Allah specified that when the child was in his mother’s womb, before he was born, his guardian should spend on his maintenance. Then when he is bom, and it is possible for him to be breastfed by his mother or by another woman, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) permitted both options. But in a case where the infant can only breastfeed from his mother, this is like the situation when he was in her womb, and the mother had no choice but to nourish him.

Then Allah specifies that maintenance is to be provided according to the husband's means, as He says:

﴾Let the wealthy man spend according to his means﴿ that is, let him spend from his wealth as a rich man, and not like a poor man. dand let the man whose resources are limited spend according to what Allah has given him﴿ of provision.

﴾Allah does not place on any soul a burden beyond what He has given it﴿ - this is in accordance with divine wisdom and mercy, as He has made the expenditure of each according to his means, and He has reduced the burden for the one who is not well off, for He does not place on him a burden beyond what He has given him. Allah does not place on any soul a burden greater than it can bear with regard to spending or anything else.

Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease﴿. This is glad tidings for those who are in difficulty, that Allah will relieve them of hardship.

﴾So truly with hardship comes ease, truly with hardship comes ease.p

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65:8. How many cities there were that insolently transgressed the command of their Lord and of His Messengers, so We sentupon them a severe requital and afflicted them with a terrible punishment.

65:9. Thus they tasted the evil consequences of their deeds, and their ultimate fate was destruction and loss.

65:10. Allah has prepared for them a severe punishment. So fear Allah, O people of understanding who believe. Allah has sent down to you a reminder [the Qur’an],

65:11. and a Messenger reciting to you the revelations of Allah which make things clear, so as to bring forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of darkness into the light. Whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds. He will admit him to gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. Allah will grant them a goodly provision [in paradise].

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about His destruction of the arrogant nations who disbelieved the Messengers; their numbers and strength did not benefit them in the slightest when the severe reckoning and painful punishment came to them, for Allah caused them to taste the punishment, commensurate with their misdeeds.

In addition to the punishment of this world, Allah has prepared a severe punishment for them in the hereafter.

c-[So fear Allah, O people of understanding﴿ that is, O people of mature thinking who understand the verses and exhortations of Allah, and realise that the One Who destroyed the past nations for their disbelief is also able to punish later nations; there is no difference between them and those who come after them.

Then Allah mentions those of His slaves who believe in that which He has sent down to them of His Book, which He revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) in order to bring humankind forth from the darkness of disbelief, ignorance and disobedience to the light of knowledge, faith and obedience.

IN THE NAME OF

THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Among the people are those who believe in Him and those who do not believe in Him.

﴾Whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds﴿ both obligatory and supererogatory

﴾He will admit him to gardens through which rivers flow﴿ in which there is eternal bliss such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever crossed the mind of man.

﴾to abide therein forever. Allah will grant them a goodly provision [in paradise]﴿ that is, and whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), they will be the inhabitants of hell, to abide therein forever.

65:12. It is Allah Who created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. His decree descends throughout them so that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that He encompasses all things in His knowledge.

Then Allah tells us that He created the seven heavens and all those who are in them, and the seven earths and all those who are in them, and everything between them, and He sent down His decree, which is the laws and religious rulings that He revealed to His Messengers, so as to remind and exhort people. He also sent down His universal decrees by means of which He controls and disposes of the affairs of all of creation. All of that is so that people may know Him and know that His might and His knowledge encompass all things.

If they know Him by His sublime attributes and beautiful names, and worship Him, love Him and fulfil their duty towards Him, thisTitle: Tafseer as-Sadi Vol. 10 (Juz' 28-30) Author: Abdur-Rahman Nasir as-Sa‘di English Edition 1 (2018)

Translator: Nasiruddin al-Khattab

Edited by: Huda Khattab

Layout Design: IIPH

Cover Design: Samo Press Group, Beirut is the purpose behind the creation and the command: to know Allah and worship Him.

Those who are guided among the righteous slaves of Allah do that, but the wrongdoers turn away from it.

Th is is the end of the commentary on Soorat at- falaq.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.