He asks: What is the reason for the revelation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of the one who argues with you regarding her husband and complains to Allah, and Allah hears your conversation. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing”

The questioner : He asks: What is the reason for the revelation of the saying of Allah the Exalted and what is the meaning of this verse?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and all his Companions. The reason for this verse is that a woman of Aws ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him and her) had zihar pronounced against her by her husband, Aws. Zihar is when a man says to his wife: “You are to me like the back of my mother.” In the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, zihar was considered a form of divorce. So she came to complain to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah the Exalted heard her complaint and revealed the solution to her case to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: meaning, she argues with you regarding his matter, seeking a solution from you. The hearing here is from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and it is a real hearing. Allah heard her words while He is above His heavens, upon His Throne. For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “Blessed is He whose hearing encompasses all sounds. And I was in the chamber, and some of her conversation was hidden from me”. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is above His Throne, knowing about His creation. He heard her words. Then Allah the Exalted clarified that Allah hears her conversation with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because He is Hearing and Seeing. His hearing has encompassed all sounds, so there is no sound, whether hidden or clear, that He does not hear, (Glorified and Exalted is He). And there is nothing seen that He does not see, (Glorified and Exalted is He), whether it is hidden or clear. Then Allah the Exalted clarified the ruling of this case, which is zihar, stating that it is an abominable statement and a lie. It is a lie of the most severe kind. How can your wife, whom Allah has made lawful for you to have intercourse with, be like your mother, whom Allah has forbidden you to have intercourse with? Forbidding the mother, meaning forbidding intercourse with her, is among the most severe sins and prohibitions. And making the wife lawful is the most complete form of lawfulness and permission. How can this be likened to that? It is an abominable statement because it is forbidden and contrary to the ruling of Allah the Exalted. But despite this, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. If a person seeks forgiveness and pardon from his Lord, He forgives him, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
As for the ruling regarding the wife, it is not permissible for him, meaning her husband, to touch her until he does what Allah has commanded. He must free a slave. If he cannot find one, he must fast for two consecutive months before touching her. If he is unable to do so, he must feed sixty poor people before touching her. In this severe punishment, or rather this severe expiation, there is evidence of the greatness of zihar, its prohibition, and its magnitude. It is obligatory for a person to purify his tongue from it and to fear Allah regarding himself, so that he does not pronounce zihar against his wife, because of the abomination, lie, and harm it causes to her and to her husband. And Allah is the One to be asked for help.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.
This questioner, my Shaykh Muhammad from the wilaya of M'Sila in Algeria, sent two questions. The first question.