Quran Garden

In pre-Islamic Arabia, women were treated like property and even passed on as inheritance when the husband died.  God put an end to this dreadful practice.  Sadly, we see a few Muslim men still mistreating women and pressuring them to hand over their wealth.  In today's Tafsir, we look at such practices and how to fix them.

Session 561

Chapter 4

Verse 19

You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor should you constrict them, hoping to take back some of the bride-gift you gave them, unless they are guilty of something clearly outrageous.  Live with them in accordance with what is fair and kind: if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which God has put much good.  (Chapter 4: Verse 19)

When you come across any Aya that starts with "You who believe," understand that God is calling on you with a personal conversation: 'You chose to believe in Me as your God, with all My attributes of knowledge, power, wisdom, and sovereignty.  Since you arrived at this decision through choice and reason, then declared, "There is no God but Allah," you should honor your word and listen to my commandments.  I do not issue commands to the non-believers as they made a different choice for themselves.' 

God says in the 256^th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah,

There is no compulsion in the matter of faith: true guidance has become distinct from error.

In the verse under study, Allah addresses you, the Muslim man, concerning the proper treatment of women.  He says, "You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will." The word "inherit" suggests that someone has died, leaving an heir and some items to inherit.  When Allah says, "It is not lawful for you to inherit," it also means that some of the things left behind by the deceased are ineligible for inheritance.   

In Arabia, during pre-Islamic times, women were subjected to injustice and exploitation.  If a man died, his heir –usually the brother- would take possession not only of the wealth but also of the widow!  By force, if necessary.  If the heir didn't desire her as a wife, he would keep her until she died to inherit her wealth.  Alternatively, he may allow her to marry if she passes her dowry to him.  Often, the heir would force her into the marriage that benefits him most.  In other words, women were treated as property and investment.  Thus, Allah ended this dreadful practice, saying, "You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will."  

Keep in mind that when the word "women" is used, it means free women.  The ruling does not apply to the "women that your right hand possesses," we discussed in Aya 3, which the heir inherits. 

The verse continues, "Nor should you constrict them."  The word "constrict" is taken from the birth process.  When a woman goes into labor, her muscles contract and relax, pushing the infant down to facilitate delivery.  If the muscles constrict and fail to dilate, a cesarean becomes necessary.  Thus, the word "Constrict" conveys withholding or preventing a natural process from occurring, like a chicken unable to lay an egg due to muscle spasms.

Whenever a routine natural process stalls for apparently no reason, we should turn our attention to the Creator, who has power over everything.  Occasionally, God highlights that the universe does not operate mechanically.  Causes and effects are not always automatic.  Above all causes is the Creator of causes, who can command them to cease.  If everything unfolded mechanically, people might believe in the infallibility of their methods.  Allah did not create the universe to operate robotically and then abandon it.  Occasionally, He commands the causes to pause.  These anomalies should remind you of His presence so you do not become complacent and overly reliant on material mechanics.  God is the Sustainer who exercises continuous dominion, never overtaken by slumber or sleep.    

When everything works as expected, we often overlook the Divine hand behind it all.  When was the last time you thought about your eyes or kidney?  Probably when something got into your eye, and you could not see for a minute, or as you passed by the kidney dialysis clinic.  Shouldn't we be grateful to the Lord every day for every blessing? 

We find one of the best examples of God's ultimate power and control in the story of our beloved Abraham.  After he took an axe to the idols of his village, the villagers wanted to make an example out of him and publically burn him in a firepit.  Allah could have saved Abraham by guiding him to escape.  But the Lord allowed the villagers to capture him before he escaped.  Allah could have sent down rain to extinguish the fire, but instead, He let the villagers stoke the flames high and mighty.  Allah even allowed them to throw Abraham into the midst of the raging blaze.  Then He commanded,

We said, "O fire!  Be cool and safe for Abraham!" (21:69)

Isn't this the ultimate display of God's power and control?  Wasn't it the most devastating scenario for the villagers?  They captured Abraham, lit the fire, gathered an audience, and threw him in, yet failed to harm him.

This brings us back to the verse.  What does "Nor should you constrict them" mean?  Just as a woman's muscles might constrict, hindering natural childbirth, a man may constrict a widow by denying her rights and robbing her of her freedom.  After the mourning period ends, the widow has every right to remarry, choosing or accepting the man of her dreams.  

The command: "Nor should you constrict them " also addresses husbands who abandon yet refuse to divorce their wives, treating them as strangers and denying them the freedom of moving on with a new partner.  Why?  To humiliate and force them to hand back the dowry and bridal gifts in exchange for divorce.  Islam prohibits such acts, defending women's rights and dignity.  God says in the 229^th Aya of Surah Al-Baqarah,

Divorce is pronounced twice.  Then the husband should either retain his wife without offending her honor and in a fair manner, or release her kindly and in a fair and pleasing manner.  It is not lawful for you to take back anything of what you have given them unless you both fear that they might be unable to keep within the bounds set by God.

But there is an exception.  You are allowed to constrict a woman's freedom if she is "guilty of something clearly outrageous." This was before Allah legislated a specific punishment for lewd acts.  Some scholars stated that a husband can demand monetary compensation if his wife commits adultery -a specific form of divorce where the wife compensates her husband for separating. 

Tune in next week as we discuss the controversial topic of how a Muslim is to treat his or her disbelieving parents and relatives.  Click the subscribe and bell icons to avoid missing any future sessions.