Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE FAMILY: THE FOUNDATION OF HUMAN SOCIETYThe first of these three verses establishes the right of a widow to a bequest by herdeceased husband, allowing her to stay in his home with a provision for hermaintenance. She does not need to leave his home or marry again during that periodif that is what she chooses to do. This does not exclude her right to leave the houseafter four months and ten days, the waiting period, as laid down earlier. While thewaiting period is an obligation upon the widow, her staying in her late husband’shome for a year is her right. Some jurists are of the opinion that this ruling isoverruled by the one given in Verse 234. Such a conclusion is not justified since thetwo rulings refer to two different matters: one establishes a widow’s right while theother states an obligation binding upon her.The sūrah goes on to state that: “Should they leave home [of their own accord], you shallincur no sin for what they may do with themselves in a lawful manner.” (Verse 240) Theuse of the plural ‘you’ in this context is significant because it indicates a collectivecommunal responsibility for the welfare of widowed women, and a need for allmembers of the community to respect and observe Islamic rules and norms.The concluding phrase, “God is Almighty, Wise,” draws attention to God’s powerand wisdom in laying down such rules, with a hint of warning that they should notbe taken lightly.The next verse institutes a divorcee’s right to provisions, in general, and links theobservance of this to righteousness and God-fearing.Some scholars are of the view that the right given in this verse was superseded bythose outlined earlier, which is again difficult to justify because the ‘provisions’referred to here are not the same as maintenance. The context and the spirit of theseQur’ānic passages suggest that such provisions are a right of all divorced womenirrespective of whether the marriage was consummated or a dowry agreed andsettled. These provisions are designed to mitigate the bitterness and acrimonynormally associated with divorce, and to offset some of the sadness anddisappointment that follow the separation. The sūrah again evokes the couple’s fearof God as the best guarantee of fairness and generosity.The final verse in this section asserts: “God makes clear to you His revelations that youmay understand.” (Verse 242) God lays down rules clearly, fairly and effectively,inviting people to reflect on their value and purpose and to appreciate God’sblessings and mercy, implicit in them. They should not lose sight of the fact that theyare aimed to bring about conciliation and accord. They are straightforward, easy andbeneficial to put into practice, but rigorous and decisive at the, same time.There is a great need for mankind to take heed of the divinely- inspired socialorder of Islam and put it into effect in their daily life, which will surely bring peace,stability and harmony into their hearts and minds, and into their lives as a whole.318