alladhīna yuẓāhirūna minkum min nisāihim mā hunna ummahātihim in ummahātuhum illā allāī waladnahum wa-innahum layaqūlūna munkaran mina l-qawli wazūran wa-inna l-laha laʿafuwwun ghafūrun
Translation
Those who pronounce ẓihār1639 among you [to separate] from their wives - they are not [consequently] their mothers. Their mothers are none but those who gave birth to them. And indeed, they are saying an objectionable statement and a falsehood. But indeed, Allāh is Pardoning and Forgiving.
Notes
[1639] The saying by a husband to his wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother," meaning unlawful to approach. This was a type of divorce practiced by the Arabs before the prophethood of Muḥammad (ﷺ).
Verse 2 of Surah Al-Mujadila (58:2), a Medinan surah, is in juz 28, on page 542 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 2
Al-Mukhtasar
Those who do Ẓihār to their wives, by saying to them: “You are for me like the back of my mother”, have lied in this statement of theirs. Their wives are not their mothers; their mothers are only those women who gave birth to them, and when they make such statements they are uttering a disgusting, false statement. But indeed, Allah is overlooking and forgiving: He has legislated an atonement for you to free you of the sin.
As for those among you who divorce their wives by likening them to their mothers2, they are not their mothers; their mothers are none but those who gave birth to them. They utter words that are abhorrent and false, but Allah is Most Pardoning, Most Forgiving.
Notes
[2] By saying to one's wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother," meaning unlawful to approach, which was abolished by the revelation of these verses.
Those among you who make their wives unlawful to them by (Zihâr الظهار)1 (i.e. by saying to them "You are like my mother’s back,") they cannot be their mothers. None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie. And verily, Allâh is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.
Notes
[1] (V.58:2) Az-Zihâr الظهار is the saying of a husband to his wife: You are to me like the back of my mother (i.e. unlawful for me to approach).
Such of you as put away your wives (by saying they are as their mothers) - They are not their mothers; none are their mothers except those who gave them birth - they indeed utter an ill word and a lie. And lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
If any men among you divorce their wives by Zihar (calling them mothers), they cannot be their mothers: None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And in fact they use words (both) iniquitous and false: but truly Allah is one that blots out (sins), and forgives (again and again).
(As for) those of you who put away their wives by likening their backs to the backs of their mothers, they are not their mothers; their mothers are no others than those who gave them birth; and most surely they utter a hateful word and a falsehood and most surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.
The ones of you who back away from their women, (i.e. their wives, to whom the husbands say, "Be as my mother's back." This is called ahihar, a pre-Islamic from of divorce) in no way are they their mothers; decidedly their mothers are none except those who gave birth (to) them, and surely they are saying a maleficent saying and a forgery. And surely Allah is indeed Ever-Clement, Ever-Forgiving.
But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allāh enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allāh which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allāh is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.
