Sūrat al-Ṭalāq is a Medinan surah, as its content suggests. In some reports it is also referred to as the ‘short Sūrat al-Nisāʾ’. It was reportedly revealed after Sūrat al-Baqarah, which also contains rulings of divorce.
It has been reported that the first verse of this surah was revealed about the Prophet divorcing his wife Ḥafṣah (after the events described in Sūrat al-Taḥrīm took place), and that he was reportedly instructed here that she is in her waiting period and he should take her back as ‘she is a wife who fasts (ṣawwāmah) and prays (qawwāmah), and one of your wives in paradise’. However, the more correct opinion is that he never divorced Ḥafṣah or any of his other wives. See the commentary on Sūrat al-Taḥrīm for more.
In another report it is mentioned that it was revealed because ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar divorced his wife while she was in her menses. In another report it is said that it was revealed about Asmāʾ bint Yazīd ibn Sakan al-Anṣāriyyah, who says that she was divorced and at that time the rulings of the waiting period (ʿiddah) did not exist, following which these verses were revealed, commanding the believers to maintain a waiting period. According to the report from her, she was the first for whom the rules of the waiting period were applied. These reports are, however, better considered as instances to which the verses were applicable, rather than the reason for their revelation.
Obviously, a major theme of the surah is divorce and the many subthemes that relate to it, such as how to treat one’s spouse, and the rights spouses have with regards to each other, even after the dissolution of the marriage.
The theme of divorce is situated within even a larger theme of the order (amr) of God. The word amr appears in different forms and meanings in this surah a total of nine times. The amr of God can be divided into two categories. There is the amr takwīnī (cosmological command) and then there is the amr tashrīʿī (legislative command). God created all of existence and it is through His will and through His command that it is maintained, managed, and ordered. To those with free will, He also legislates how they should behave so that order is maintained and that they will enjoy a happy and balanced life. He does not force them to abandon evil through His amr takwīnī, but counsels them to do so through His amr tashrīʿī.
In this surah, God emphasises that He has created the whole of existence and that this vast expanse of heavens and planets is all ordered according to His command. When He then orders us to behave in a certain way, this is meant to bring order to our lives. Those who exceed the boundaries set by God, bring about disorder first and foremost to themselves. Those who obey God’s commands and orders, enter into the grace of God and He will order their affairs, in this world and especially so in the next.
By its very nature, divorce is a messy and disorderly affair. It can turn lives upside down and it destroys routines and the status quo. The commands and rules given by God with regards to it are meant to make the messy affair of divorce a more orderly and less disruptive event, and one that takes into account the needs and rights of both parties. Unfortunately, many couples forget the commands of God when it comes to divorce and seek to harm or hurt one another; they may backbite each other, trample each other’s rights, use children as weapons against each other, and so on. God reminds the believers that even in the tumultuous affair of divorce they should not forget God, nor cease to follow His instructions and commands. They should have faith that the path of God will bring them to the best conclusion, and that by relying on Him they will succeed. In this way they will also ensure the best outcome for themselves, their families, and society as a whole. By abiding by God’s legislative command and having reliance on Him, we will ensure the best outcome for ourselves in His cosmological command.
This surah is closely linked thematically and structurally to the surah after it (Sūrat al-Taḥrīm). They both number twelve verses and the length of their verses are approximately similar. They both also begin with an address to the Prophet, and they both deal with the topic of divorce and family relations.
It also links to the previous surah, which discusses the challenges posed by some family members, and how one’s spouse can even become one’s enemy (64:14). Also, the previous surah states, To Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise (64:1), and the Sovereign must look after the order of His kingdom, and if the Sovereign is praiseworthy, that means He has kept that order well.
[1] Tibyan, 10/27. [2] Tabrisi, 10/454. Sūrat al-nisāʾ al-quṣrā, as opposed to Sūrat al-Baqarah being sūrat al-nisāʾ al-ṭūlā. [3] Bukhari, 5/161, 6/68; Nasai, 6/197. [4] Tabari, 28/85; Razi, 30/558. [5] Razi, 30/558. It is also mentioned that others did the same, such as ʿAmr ibn Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ, and ʿUtbah ibn Ghazwān. [6] Qurtubi, 18/149. [7] Tabrisi, 10/454. [8] Razi, 30/558.