وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَيْنِهِمَا فَٱبْعَثُوا۟ حَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهِۦ وَحَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن يُرِيدَآ إِصْلَـٰحًا يُوَفِّقِ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا خَبِيرًا 35
Translations
And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allāh will cause it between them. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Aware.
Transliteration
Wa-in khiftum shiqaaqa baynahumaa fab'ath-u hakaman min ahlihi wa hakaman min ahliha in yureedaa islahan yuwaffiq-u Allahu baynahumaa. Inna Allaha kana aliman khabira.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah prescribes the method of reconciliation when discord (shiqaq) threatens a marriage, requiring the appointment of arbiters (hakams) from both the husband's and wife's families. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain that these arbiters act as mediators to assess the marriage and attempt reconciliation, with Allah's guidance promised to those sincere in seeking reform. The ayah emphasizes that success in reconciliation depends on the arbiters' genuine intention (niyyah) to seek islah (restoration/reform), and concludes with assurance of Allah's all-encompassing knowledge and awareness of hidden conditions.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nisa (revealed in Medina) and addresses the social framework of marriage and family relations in Islamic law. It follows verses discussing marital rights and duties, providing an institutional mechanism for preserving marriages when conflict arises—reflecting the Islamic emphasis on maintaining family bonds while recognizing human limitations in resolving disputes.
Related Hadiths
The principle is supported by the Quranic framework; Hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah and other sources indicate the Prophet (ﷺ) emphasized reconciliation between spouses, with the statement that among permissible things, divorce is most disliked to Allah. The concept of fair arbitration is reinforced in hadith collections addressing just judgment and peacemaking.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that preserving marriages requires communal involvement and structured mediation rather than hasty decisions, reminding modern families that seeking wise counsel from trusted members of both families can restore harmony. It underscores that successful reconciliation depends not merely on procedural steps, but on sincere intention to heal, with trust that Allah guides those genuinely seeking reform.
Related Ayahs
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًا
So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you, [O Muḥammad], against these [people] as a witness?
وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ عُدْوَٰنًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرًا
And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allāh, is [always] easy.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ حَقًّا ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا
Those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.
۞ وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُرَٰغَمًا كَثِيرًا وَسَعَةً ۚ وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allāh will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allāh and His Messenger and then death overtakes him - his reward has already become incumbent upon Allāh. And Allāh is ever Forgiving and Merciful.