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An-Nisa 20

Ayah 20 of 176 · Medinan

وَإِنۡ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسۡتِبۡدَالَ زَوۡجٖ مَّكَانَ زَوۡجٖ وَءَاتَيۡتُمۡ إِحۡدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارٗا فَلَا تَأۡخُذُواْ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـًٔاۚ أَتَأۡخُذُونَهُۥ بُهۡتَٰنٗا وَإِثۡمٗا مُّبِينٗا ٢٠

But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin?

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَإِنۡAnd ifwa-in
  2. أَرَدتُّمُyou intendaradttumu
  3. ٱسۡتِبۡدَالَreplacingis'tib'dāla
  4. زَوۡجٖa wifezawjin
  5. مَّكَانَ(in) placemakāna
  6. زَوۡجٖ(of) a wifezawjin
  7. وَءَاتَيۡتُمۡand you have givenwaātaytum
  8. إِحۡدَىٰهُنَّone of themiḥ'dāhunna
  9. قِنطَارٗاheap (of gold)qinṭāran
  10. فَلَاthen (do) notfalā
  11. تَأۡخُذُواْtake awaytakhudhū
  12. مِنۡهُfrom itmin'hu
  13. شَيۡـًٔاۚanythingshayan
  14. أَتَأۡخُذُونَهُۥWould you take itatakhudhūnahu
  15. بُهۡتَٰنٗا(by) slanderbuh'tānan
  16. وَإِثۡمٗاand a sinwa-ith'man
  17. مُّبِينٗاopenmubīnan

Tafsir

If you want to divorce a woman and replace her with another, then you are allowed to do so; but if you gave the one you intend to divorce a great deal of wealth as a dowry, then you are not allowed to take anything back from it. Taking back what you gave to them would be an injustice and a clear sin.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran