Zihar and Its Ruling — Story of Khawla and Forbidden Analogy
fiqh
Level: advanced
family
fqh-072
ٱلَّذِينَ يُظَٰهِرُونَ مِنكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِهِم مَّا هُنَّ أُمَّهَٰتِهِمۡ
— المجادلة 2
Verse: "Those who make zihar from among you of their wives — they are not their mothers. Their mothers are only those who gave birth to them. And indeed they utter a reproachable saying and a falsehood." (58:2)
Zihar: Saying "you are to me like my mother's back" — was divorce in pre-Islam; Islam abolished that and imposed expiation.
Story of Khawla bint Tha'laba: She argued for herself after her husband made zihar — Allah revealed this surah, called Al-Mujadila (The Disputer) for this reason.
Ordered expiation: (1) Free a believing slave. (2) If unable: fast two consecutive months. (3) If unable: feed sixty needy persons. Must complete first before second.
Source: Ahkam Al-Quran by Ibn Al-Arabi (4/270); Al-Qurtubi (17/282); Al-Mughni (11/56)
Question: What is the expiation for zihar — ordered or optional?
Answer: Ordered: first free a slave, if unable fast two consecutive months, if unable feed sixty needy persons. Cannot move to next without inability.