Sūrah Aṭ-Ṭalāq Divorce: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالطلاقMadanī 12 versesDivorce procedure, ʿiddah rules, housing obligation

Key DisagreementWhat is the ʿiddah for a woman who does not menstruate (65:4)?Fiqh of ʿiddahAl-Ṭabarī: three months traced through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās and Companion legal opinions establishing the three-month rule for post-menopausal and pre-menstrual women

Competing OpinionsDoes "do not expel them from their homes" (65:1) apply during all types of divorce?Housing obligation scopeAl-Ṭabarī: applies during revocable divorce the woman stays in the marital home for the ʿiddah period; traces Companion legal opinions

MethodologyFiqh-oriented analysis of each divorce rule through Companion legal opinions and chain evidenceLegal chain methodAl-Ṭabarī treats this surah as a legal document, applying isnād evaluation to Companion fiqh opinions

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The divorce procedure (65:1) "Divorce them for their waiting period and count the waiting period" is analyzed by al-Ṭabarī as establishing that divorce should be pronounced at the beginning of the ʿiddah period (not during menstruation). He traces through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb on the proper timing and count of the ʿiddah. His tarjīḥ: divorce pronounced during menstruation does not begin the ʿiddah count the woman must first complete the menstruation, then the ʿiddah begins from the next purity period.

The three-category ʿiddah system (65:4) is analyzed in detail: (1) menstruating women: three menstrual cycles; (2) those who do not menstruate (post-menopausal or pre-pubescent): three months; (3) pregnant women: until delivery. Al-Ṭabarī traces Companion legal opinions for each category through chains, noting that the pregnant woman's ʿiddah ends at delivery even if just hours after the divorce making delivery the definitive marker.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ وَأَحْصُوا الْعِدَّةَ Yā ayyuhā l-nabiyyu idhā ṭallaqtumu l-nisāʾa fa-ṭalliqūhunna li-ʿiddatihinna wa-aḥṣū l-ʿiddah "O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for their waiting period and keep count of the waiting period." (65:1) Al-Ṭabarī presents chains from multiple Companion jurists on the proper timing of divorce specifically that it should not occur during menstruation making this the Quranic foundation for the "sunnah divorce" rules.

وَاللَّائِي يَئِسْنَ مِنَ الْمَحِيضِ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ Wa-l-lāʾī yaʾisna mina l-maḥīḍi min nisāʾikum in irtabtum fa-ʿiddatuhunna thalāthatu ashhur "And those who no longer expect menstruation among your women if you doubt, then their period is three months, and likewise for those who have not menstruated." (65:4) Al-Ṭabarī traces chains establishing the three-month rule as applying to both post-menopausal and pre-pubescent women.

Sunnah divorce timing: Al-Ṭabarī establishes through chains that divorce during menstruation does not start the ʿiddah timing matters legally.
Three-category system: The three categories of ʿiddah (menstrual, monthly, delivery) are traced through Companion chains as a complete legal framework.
Housing obligation: The requirement that divorced women remain in the marital home during ʿiddah is analyzed through chains as a legal right protecting the woman's welfare.
Tawakkul closing: 65:3's "Whoever relies upon Allah He will be sufficient for him" is connected through chains to the context: divorce is difficult, but reliance on Allah eases it.
Seven heavens: 65:12's mention of the seven heavens and seven earths generates chains on their nature al-Ṭabarī presents Companion statements on the structure of the cosmos.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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