Intermediate
Family
Surah: Al-Baqarah (231)
When You Divorce Women and They Reach the End — Retain Them Properly
فَأَمۡسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفٍ أَوۡ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفٍ
— البقرة الآية 231
Verse: "When you divorce women and they reach the end of their term — retain them properly or release them properly." (2:231) — Two options: retention with goodwill or release with dignity. "Properly" repeated twice — Islam mandates ethics even in separation. Prohibiting retaining them to cause harm — explicit prohibition of bad-faith reconciliation.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (3/155); Ibn Al-Arabi (1/194)
Test Yourself
What moral condition is repeated in both reconciliation and release in the verse?
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