The Meaning of al-Khatn

Question:
What is the meaning of the phrase “you were betraying yourselves” in the verse from Surat al-Baqarah?

Answer:
Answer: “Allah knows that you were betraying yourselves.” In the early days of fasting, when fasting was first prescribed, people would fast from the night prayer until the setting of the sun, fasting through the night and the day, and they would not break their fast except between the sunset prayer and the night prayer. Some of them ended up having intercourse with their wives; they did not exercise patience and had intercourse with their wives at night, even though it was forbidden after the night prayer. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, called this a betrayal of Allah. He said: “It has been made lawful for you on the night of fasting to approach your wives. They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. Allah knows that you were betraying yourselves, so He has turned to you in forgiveness and has pardoned you. So now have intercourse with them and seek what Allah has decreed for you. Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of night. Then complete your fasting until the night.” This abrogated what was the case in the early days of Islam, where people fasted from the night prayer; it was changed to begin from the dawn prayer as a concession for the people.