Surah Al-Baqarah Ayat 226 provides profound insights into the nature of vows, marriage, and divine guidance in Islam. It serves as a reminder of the sanctity of oaths, the importance of marital harmony, and the compassionate nature of Allah.
surah baqarah ayat 226 arabic, English translation and transliteration:
Arabic Text: “لِلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَائِهِمْ تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ ۖ فَإِن فَاءُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ”
English Translation: “Those who swear not to have intercourse with their wives must wait for four months. If they change their mind, then Allah is certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Transliteration: “Lillatheena yu’loona min nisa’ihim tarabbusu arba’ati ashhurin fa-in faoo fa-inna Allaha ghafoorun raheem”
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tafsir al baqarah ayat 226 in english – Tafsir ibn kathir:
لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ فَإِنْ فَآؤُوا فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٦﴾
Those who take an oath not to have sexual relation with their wives must wait for four months, then if they return, verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Ila’ is a type of vow where a man swears not to sleep with his wife for a certain period, whether less or more than four months. If the vow of Ila’ was for less than four months, the man has to wait for the vow’s period to end and then is allowed to have sexual intercourse with his wife. She has to be patient and she cannot ask her husband, in this case, to end his vow before the end of its term.
For a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith and practice, I recommend reading the Surah Al Baqarah Translation. You can also find Quran translations of all the other surahs online.
It is reported in the Two Sahihs that Aishah said that;
Allah’s Messenger swore he would stay away from with his wives for a month. He then came down after twenty-nine days saying:
الشَّهْرُ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُون
The (lunar) month is twenty-nine days.
Similar was narrated by Umar bin Al-Khattab and reported in the Two Sahihs.
If the period of Ila’ is for more than four months, the wife is allowed in this case to ask her husband, upon the end of the four months, to end the Ila’ and have sexual relations with her. Otherwise, he should divorce her, by being forced to do so by the authorities if necessary, so that the wife is not harmed.
Allah said:
لِّلَّذِينَ يُؤْلُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ …
Those who take an oath not to have sexual relations with their wives,
meaning, swear not to have sexual relations with the wife.
Discover the profound meaning of Surah Baqarah Ayat 238, emphasizing the importance of prayers, on Quran House Online
This Ayah indicates that the Ila’ involves the wife and not a slave-women, as the majority of the scholars have agreed,
… تَرَبُّصُ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ …
…must wait for four months,
meaning, the husband waits for four months from the time of the vow and then ends the Ila’ (if the vow was for four or more months) and is required to either return to his wife or divorce her.
This is why Allah said next:
… فَإِنْ فَآؤُوا …
…then if they return,
meaning, to a normal relationship, having sexual intercourse with the wife.
This is the Tafsir of Ibn Abbas, Masruq, Ash-Shabi, Said bin Jubayr and Ibn Jarir.
… فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٦﴾
…verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
with any shortcomings that occurred in the rights of the wife because of the vow of Ila’. Here we conclude the interpretation of the verse by Ibn Kathir
