(… فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ ..  ) (..either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms….): When the woman is divorced; and the waiting period is over or about to end (two or three days left) the man decides either to take his wife back -with a new contract and dowry if the waiting period is over- or the whole issue is over. In what manner? According to acceptable terms.’ Or ‘with good treatment’ as in other verses. Once this and once that. Islam always has all the good and its elements.

(… وَلَا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِّتَعْتَدُوا ..  ) (..and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress ….): Some people may misuse the right not to divorce the woman or to take her back for transgressing over her rights, blaming her, or treating her bad. Thus, Islam highlights the fact that the waiting period should take place in her home.

When someone is unjust to their wife, they are unjust to themselves at the first place, as the wife has become maltreated and nothing would block her supplication to Allah (swt). Thus, they are unjust to themselves.

(… وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا آيَاتِ اللَّهِ هُزُوًا ..  ) (..And do not take the verses of Allah in jest….): The verses of Allah (swt) refers to His rules. What is the reason behind calling them verse of the Holy Qur’an? A The Arabic word of “verse” refers to a miracle, and we have verse of the Holy Qur’an as what Allah (swt) says is miraculous. Then, (And do not take the verses of Allah in jest.) means do not take what Allah (swt) says or orders in jest. How is that possible? It is when someone is not willing to accept or is not convinced with the orders of Allah (swt) as made the Wise. It is also like what some people do by trying to hide and take the Sharia, which is aimed to honor humans, in jest.

(… وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِ ۚ ..  ) (..And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you….): The conjunction ‘and’ implies either sharing or deviating. We have to keep remembering the favors of Allah (swt) through the Sharia He (swt) set for us aimed at maintaining ourselves and our wives, children and families.

Allah (swt) names here the Qur’an along with the Sunnah (wisdom). Yet, how do we know that the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws) is referred by the wisdom? This is through the verse related to the wives of Prophet Muhammad (saws), the mother’s to believers:

 {وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ }

(And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and wisdom.)  (Al-Ahzab: 34)

What’s being recited in the houses of the mothers to believers? Wisdom, indeed, and it encompasses every utterance, word, action, or approval by Prophet Muhammad (saws). Moreover, we have what Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUT)said:

 {رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ ۚ }

(Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them.)  (Al-Baqara: 129)

No one should ever say, then, that what’s stated in the Qur’an is enough for them; no one, however, can know anything unless they are familiar with what the Prophet has taught us. Besides, this is stipulated clearly in the Holy Quranic text. Where does the Sharia Law come from? From the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws) at first. The Prophet is the one who detailed the rules: we never know how many Raka’s are there in each prayer; we never know how much we have to pay as Zakat; and we do not know the detailed shares while dividing the inheritance as such rules are revealed as a whole. Prophet Muhammad (saws) never speaks from his inclination:

 {وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ * إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ }

(Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. %  It is not but a revelation revealed,.)  (An-Najm: 3-4)

Whatever Prophet Muhammad (saws) uttered, approved, admired, or let pass are considered as a legislation for us. And the same is stipulated in this verse here. (Instructs): advices, guides, and directs you. The main guidance is in the Book and wisdom, i.e. whatever the Prophet (saws) taught us here with respect to the rules of marriage and divorce. Humans should not legislate on their own because Allah (swt) has set the rules of marriage, divorce, and the waiting period out for us. Do not legislate on your own; this is the meaning of (He instructs you.).

(… وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ  ) (….And fear Allah and know that Allah is Knowing of all things): The whole issue is about fearing Allah (swt). As such, worshipping is for Allah (swt), who orders us to worship, and a matter of a set of moves embodying the worshipping. One can’t worship Allah (swt) without having orders, dos and don’ts, lawful  and unlawful, and permissible and non-permissible. Therefore, your abidance by the rules of marriage, divorce, and the waiting period should be based on your fearing of Allah (swt). The verse, then, is concluded with: (and know that Allah is Knowing of all things.) i.e. you can mislead people but not the Creator. Allah (swt) can never be deceived or lied to because He knows the secret and what is beyond the secret as such. He (swt) knows what we keep within ourselves. Allah (swt) knows everything. To sum up, the intention to implement the rules of marriage, divorce and the waiting period should be based upon the worship of Allah (swt).