65. Sunday. Swearing against one’s wife.

There was a practice among the Arabs those days, swearing upon God against their wives, not to entertain them forever, because they annoyed them. This verse (2:226) of the Quran not only reprimands them for the practice but also spells out the remedy for this act. 

People who made such vows need not separate themselves from their wives, but can rejoin them by breaking their promise within four months. 

This remedy of four months also applies to persons promised to stay away from wives all their life. 

The condition that they can rejoin within four months does not mean only after four months but even before the completion.

One can break the promise made even immediately the next day. But even after four months he is not ready to join his wife, the alternative is to divorce her says the next verse. 

So, we come to understand that staying away from a wife on a promise made, is a grave matter in the eyes of God. 

Some who stay away from their wives in foreign countries in pursuit of wealth, or within the country for more than four months do not come under the purview of this requirement. Though they are separated bodily they have mutually agreed to do so. The husband is fulfilling the financial needs of the wife; hence no one can accuse them of having not come together within the period of four months.

There are chances that due to health reasons the couple is unable to come together, circumstances, inability, etc., may be the reasons, but not out of dislike for the wife. The people under these kinds of circumstances do not come under the ambit of this verse.

Some out of hatred for the wife neither live with nor divorce her, continuing the torture without providing her the required livelihood. In case such persons continue to separate themselves from their wives even after the period of four months, the concerned jamaat should take active participation in requesting such men to renew their relationship and provide livelihood to them. (wives).

And if such men continue to exhibit their stubbornness in not complying to such laws, the Jamaat carries the duty of announcing their divorce. 

Though there is an opportunity of asking a question, how can one act against the promise made in the name of God, the answer is, the same God has given an opportunity to rejoin. This goes to prove how cruel it is for a person to stick on to stubbornness without any commitment to a promise made and relaxations offered as remedies.