The Majestic Quran

58. Al-Mujadilah The Woman at Odds This Madinan chapter is entitled Al-Mujadilah as well as Al- Mujadilah. Aisha reported that Khawla bint Sa’laba came to the Messenger r , and pleaded with him about the injustice her husband had done to her. He divorced her by the Arabian custom of Zihar , when the husband tells his wife: “You are to me like the back of my mother.” This declaration could not be revoked, so the woman would be left in limbo, in an indeterminate state – neither married, nor divorced. So Khawla appealed to the Messenger r : he told her that until God revealed a new law about Zihar, it remained normative. She was disappointed and continued to argue with him, she said, “When Aws married me, I was young and wealthy, and my parents were alive. Now that I am old, my parents dead, and my wealth finished – now he divorced me. Is there any room for us to live together?” The Prophet r said, “Until I receive revelation, this is the normative.” She kept complaining, until finally this chapter was revealed to provide a way out for her from this difficult situation. This story reminds us that God is deeply engaged with His people. It shows that God’s speech can be elicited by anyone who earnestly pleads to Him. The chapter offers instruction on the manners of having private conversations. The secret conversations of the hypocrites and Jews alarmed the Muslims, unaware of what they were plotting. So they complained to the Messenger r , and these verses were revealed as a warning. Another social manner highlighted is how to make room for others in gatherings. The chapter ends by describing the dedication and loyalty of true believers.