AL TALAQ (Divorce)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 O prophet! When you divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed periods, and count their prescribed periods: and fear God your Lord: and turn them not out of their houses, nor shall they leave, except in case they are guilty of some open lewdness, those are limits set by God: and any who transgresses the limits of God, truly wrongs his own soul: you know not if perhaps God will bring about thereafter some new situation.
2 Thus when they fulfil their term appointed, either take them back on equitable terms or part with them on equitable terms; and take for witness two persons from among you, endued with justice, and establish the evidence before God. Such is the admonition given to him who believes in God and the Last Day. And for those who fear God, he prepares a way out,
3 And he provides for him from sources he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in God, sufficient is God for him. For God will surely accomplish his purpose: truly, for all things has God appointed a due proportion.
4 Such of your women as have passed the age of childbearing, for them the prescribed period, if you have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no monthly period: for those who are pregnant, their period is until they give birth: and for those who fear God, he will make their path easy.
5 That is the command of God, which he has sent down to you: and if anyone fears God, he will remove his ills from him, and will enlarge his reward.
6 Let the women live in Iddat in the same style as you live, according to your means: annoy them not, so as to restrict them. And if they are pregnant, then spend your substance on them until they deliver their burden: and if they nurse your offspring, give them their reward: and take mutual counsel together, according to what is just and reasonable. And if you find yourselves in difficulties, let another woman nurse the child on the father’s behalf.
7 Let the man of means spend according to his means: and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what God has given him. God puts no burden on any person beyond what he has given him. After a difficulty, God will soon grant relief.
8 How many populations that insolently opposed the command of their Lord and of his messengers, did we not then call to account, to severe account? And we imposed on them an exemplary punishment.
9 Then did they taste the evil result of their conduct, and the end of their conduct was perdition.
10 God has prepared for them a severe punishment. Therefore fear God, o you men of understanding who have believed! For God has indeed sent down to you a message,
11 A messenger, who rehearses to you the signs of God containing clear explanations, that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of darkness into light. And those who believe in God and work righteousness, he will admit to gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell in them forever: God has indeed granted for them a most excellent provision.
12 God is he who created seven heavens and of the earth a similar number. Through the midst of them descends his command: that you may know that God has power over all things, and that God comprehends all things in his knowledge.
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎