26 A l K O R A N . C hap. 2.
commanded you *, for G o d loveth thofe who repent, and loveth thofe who
are clean. Your wives are your tillage j go in therefore unto your tillage in
what manner foever ye willb: and do firft fome aft that may be profitable unto
your fouls'; and fear G o d , and know that ye muft meet him ; and bear
good tidings unto the faithful. Make not G o d the objeft of your oaths",
that ye will deal juftly, and be devout, and make peace among men' ; for G o d is he who heareth and knoweth. G o d will not punifh you for an in-
confiderate word f in your oaths-, but he will punifh you for that which your
hearts have affented unto : G o d is merciful and gracious. They who vow to
abftain from their wives, arewllowed to wait four months6: but if they go back
from their vow, verily G o d is gracious and mercifulh ; and if they refolve
on a divorce, G o d is he who heareth and knoweth. The women who are divorced
fhall wait concerning themfelves until they have their courfes thrice *1
and it fhall not be lawful for them to conceal that which G o d hath created
in their wombs \ if they believe in G o d and the laft day; and their
hufbands will aft more juftly to bring them back at this time, if they defire a
reconciliation. The women ought alio to behave towards their hufbands in like
manner as their hufbands Jhould behave towards them, according to what is juft:
but
* As God hath commanded you ;] But not while
they have their courfes, nor by ufmg prepofter-
ous venery *.
b In what manner foever ye will;] That is in
any pofture ; either Handing, fitting, lying, forwards,
or backwards. And this paffage, it is
faid, was reveal’d to anfwer the yews, who pretended
that if a man lay withhis wife backwards,
he would get a more witty child 2. It has been
imagined that thefe words allow that prepo-
flerous luft, which the commentators fay is forbidden
by the preceding i but I queftion whether
this can be proved.
* Do f i r f t fome aft that may profit your fouls jj
i. e. Perform fome ail of devotion or charity.
d Make not God the objeft of your oaths',"] So as
to fwear frequently by him. The word tranfla-
ted objeft, properly fignifies a but to fhoo.t
at with arrows 3.
e That ye will, deal juftly, &c.] Some commentators
* expound this negatively, That ye will
not deal juftly, nor be devout, &c. For fuch wicked
oaths, they fay, were cuftomary among the
idolatrous inhabitants of Mecca j which gave oc-
cafion to the following faying of Mohammed;
When you fwear to do a thing, and afterwards find
it better to do otherwife, do that which is better,
and make void your oath.
f An inconftderate wordi] When a man fwears
inadvertently, and without defign.
*Tbey who vow to abftain from, their wives, are
allowed to waif four months ,*J That is, they m y
take fo much time to confiderrand fhall not, by
arafh oath, be obliged actually to divorce them.
h I f they go back from their v ow s, &c.] i. e. If
they be reconciled to their wives within four
months, or after, they may retain them ;„and
G ód will difpenfe with their oath.
1 This is to be underilood of thofe only wi th
wham the marriage has been contaminated; for
as to the others there is no time limited. Thofe
who are not quite paft childbearing (whichawo-
man is reckoned to be after her courfes ceafe, and
fhe is fifty five lunar years, or about fifty three
folar years old) and thofe who are too young to.
have children, are allowed three months only ;
but they who are with child, muft wait till they
be delivered 5.
* ‘Ihey Jhall not conceal what God hath created in
their wombsfj That is, they fhall tell the real
truth, whether they have their courfes, or be
with child, or not,- and fhall not,,by deceiving
their husband, obtain a feparation from him before
the term be accomplifhed: left the firft husband’s
child lhould, by that means, go to the
fécond j or the wife, in cafe of the firft husband’s
death, fhould fet up her child as his heir, or de.-
mand her maintenance during the time, fhe went
with fuch child, and the expences of her lying
in, under pretence that fhe waited not her full,
preferibed time 6.
1 E b k A b b a s , J a l l a l o .’ d d i n . 2 J a l l a l o ’ d d i n , Y a h y a , A l Z a m a k h s h a r l
L u c r e t . derer. nat. /. iv. v 1258, {Jc.. 3 J a l l a l q ’d d i n . 4 I d e m Y a h y a . * J a l l a -
l o ’ d d i n . 6 Y a h y a .
bat the men ought to have a fuperiority over them. G ' o d is mighty and wife.
Ye may divorce your wives twice; and then either retain them with humanity,
or diftnifs them with kindnefs. But it is not lawful for you to take away any
thing of what ye have given them, unlefs both fear that they cannot obferve
the ordinances of G o d *. And if ye fear that they cannot obferve the ordinances
of G o d , it fhall be no crime in either of them on account of that for which the
wife fhall redeem her felfb. Thefe are the ordinances of G o d ; therefore tranf-
vrefs them not; for whoever tranfgreffeth the ordinances of G o d , they are un-
mft doers. But if the hufband divorce her a third time, fhe fhall not be lawful
for him again, until fhe marry another hufband. But if he alfo divorce
her, it fhall be no crime in them, if they return to each other, if they think
they can obferve the ordinances of G o d ; and thefe are the ordinances of G o d ,
he declareth them to people of underftanding. But when ye divorce women,
and they have fulfilled their preferibed time, either retain them with humanity,
or difmifs them with kindnefs ; and retain them not by violence, fo that
ye tranfgrefs 1; for he who doth this, furely injureth his own foul. And make
not the fignsof G o d a jeft : but remember G o d ’ s favour towards you, and
that he hath fent down unto you the book of the KoR^tn, and wifdom, ad-
monifhing you thereby ; and fear G o d , and know that G o d is omnifeient.
But when ye have divorced your wives, and they have fulfilled their preferibed
time, hinder them not from marrying their husbands, when they have a-
greed among themfelves according to what is honourable. This is given in
admonition unto him among you who believeth in G o d , and the laft day.
This is moft righteous for you, and moft pure. G o d knoweth, but ye know
not. Mothers after they are divorced fhall give fuck unto their children two
full years, to him who defireth the time of giving fuck to be compleated ;and
the father fhall be obliged to maintain them and cloath them in the mean
time, according to that which fhall be reafonable. No perfon fhall be obliged
beyond his ability. A mother fhall not be compelled to what is unreafonable
on account of her child, nor a father on account of his child. And the heir
of the father fhall be obliged to do in like manner. But if they chufe to wean
the child before the end of two years, by common content, and on mutual con-
fideration, it fhall be no crime in them. And if ye have a mind to provide
a nurfe for your children, it fhall be no crime in you, in cafe ye fully pay
what ye offert her, according to that which is juft. And fear G o d , and
know that G o d feeth whatsoever ye do. Such of you as die, and leave
wives, their wives muft wait concerning themfelves four months and ten days*,
and when they fhall have fulfilled their term, it fhall be no crime in you,
for that which they fhall do with themfelves , according to what is rea-
E 2 fonable.
* Unlefs both fear they cannot obferve the ordinances^
« / G o d . ] For if there be a fettled averfion
on either fide, their continuing together may
have very ill, and perhaps fatal confequences.
It Jhall be no crime i f Jbe redeem herfelft] i.e.
If Ihe prevail on her husband to dilmifs her, by
releafing part of her dowry.
‘find retain them not by force, fo that ye tranf-
grefsf\ viz. By obliging them to purchafe their
liberty with part of their dowry.
' The wives of fticb as die, muß wait four
months and ten days',] That is to fay, before they
marry again; and this not only for decency fake,1
but that it may be known whether they be with
child by the deceafed or not.
e For that which they ßoall do with themfelves;]
That isftif they leave off their mourning weeds,
and look out for new husbands.