'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And for every one We have made heirs of what the parents and the near relatives leave behind, and to those whom your oaths have bound, give them their share. Indeed, Allah is, over all things, Witness.﴾ ﴿Men are in charge of women by what Allah has favored some of them over others and by what they spend of their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard. And those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance - admonish them and forsake them in bed and strike them. But if they obey you, seek not against them a means. Indeed, Allah is Exalted and Grand.﴾

It has been reported from Ibn Abbas that the emigrants inherited from the helpers without their relatives, due to the brotherhood that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, established between them. Thus, the verse was revealed regarding that, abrogating it. And the giving of the share from support and assistance, or from wealth, remains as a recommendation in the will.

Said Ibn al-Musayyib: They are the children who were adopted, and the share that people were commanded to give is the will, not the inheritance.

Ibn Abbas also said: They are the allies, except that the share is the support in truth, and victory, and fulfilling the oath, not the inheritance.

It has been narrated from al-Hasan that it pertains to a people to whom a will is made, and the one for whom the will was made dies before its enforcement and obligation. The testator was commanded to deliver it to the heirs of the one for whom the will was made.

The term 'contract' and 'oaths' indicates that the intended meaning is the allies, for what was mentioned regarding those other than the allies does not all pertain to contracts or oaths.

And 'witness' means: Allah is a witness among you regarding the contract and the connection, so fulfill the covenant according to that, with vigilance and reverence.

And His saying, the Exalted, 'Men are protectors of women'—the verse indicates that 'protector' is an active participle, a superlative form, and it is from the act of standing over something, and overseeing it, and preserving it with effort. Thus, the standing of a man over women is to this extent. The reasoning for this is with virtue and expenditure, which necessitates that men have authority and ownership over them.

Ibn Abbas said: Men are leaders over women. And on this, the people of interpretation said, and 'what' in His saying: 'by what Allah has preferred' is a source, and for that reason, it suffices without a return. Likewise, 'and by what they spend,' and the virtue is: it is the striving, and the completeness of religion, and intellect, and similar matters, and the expenditure is: it is the dowry, and the continuous support for the wives.

It was said: The reason for this verse is that 'Sa'd ibn al-Rabi' slapped his wife, Habibah bint Zayd ibn Abi Zuhayr. She came with her father to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who commanded that she slap him as he slapped her. Thus, the verse was revealed permitting men to discipline their women. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, called them and annulled the first ruling, saying: 'I intended something, and what Allah intended is better.' In another narration: 'I intended something and Allah intended otherwise.' And it was said that in this annulled ruling was revealed: 'And do not hasten with the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you' [Ta-Ha: 114]. And it was said that its reason is the earlier statement of Umm Salamah, meaning: when the women wished for the rank of men, they were informed of the aspect of virtue.

And the righteousness in His saying: 'So the righteous women' is the righteousness in religion. And 'obedient' means: obedient, and obedience means: to their husbands, or to Allah regarding their husbands, and other than that. And al-Zajjaj said: It refers to prayer, and this interpretation here is far-fetched.

'And for the unseen' means: everything that is absent from the knowledge of her husband regarding what she is responsible for. This includes both the state of the husband being absent and present. Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'The best of women is one whom, when you look at her, she pleases you. When you command her, she obeys you. And when you are absent from her, she protects you in your wealth and herself.' Then the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, recited this verse.

And in the Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud: 'So the righteous are guardians.' This construction is specific to the feminine. Ibn Jinni said: 'The plural form is more similar in sound to the meaning, as it conveys abundance, which is the intended meaning here.'

And 'by what Allah has protected,' the majority hold that the name of Allah is raised by attributing the action to Him. Abu Ja'far ibn al-Qaqa' read: 'Allah' in the accusative case, applying it to 'protected.' As for the reading of the raising, 'what' is a nominal form, its estimation being: Allah protects. It is correct that it can mean 'which,' and the pronoun that returns to 'protected' is in the accusative. The meaning can either be the protection of Allah and His care, which no matter can occur without it, or His commands and prohibitions for women, so that it is as if it is His protection. Its meaning is that women are protected by His will and power. As for the reading of Ibn al-Qaqa', 'by what Allah has protected,' it is preferable that 'what' means 'which,' and in 'protected' there is a nominative pronoun, and the meaning is: guardians of the unseen through obedience, fear, kindness, and religion, having preserved Allah's commands when they obeyed them. It is said: it is correct that 'what' can be nominal, with the estimation of the speech being: by what we have preserved of Allah, and the pronoun is omitted, and in its omission, there is an ugliness that is not permissible except in poetry, as it is said:

'... for indeed, the incidents have led to it.'

It means 'led to.' The meaning is: they protect Allah in His command when they obey it. Ibn Jinni said: the speech is based on the omission of a genitive, its estimation being: by what has been preserved of the religion of Allah, or the command of Allah. In the Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud: 'by what Allah has protected, then rectify towards them.'

'And those' is in the nominative position as a subject, and the predicate is 'advise them.' It is correct that it can be in the accusative position with an implied verb, its estimation being: and advise those whom you fear their disobedience, like His saying: 'and the thief and the female thief' according to the reading of those who read it in the accusative. Sibawayh said: the accusative is the norm, but the nominative is more prevalent in their speech. It has been reported from Sibawayh that the estimation of the verse according to him is: and in what is recited to you, those.

A group said: the meaning of 'you fear' is: you know and are certain. They went in this direction to say that the occurrence of disobedience is what necessitates the advising, and they argued for the permissibility of the occurrence of fear meaning certainty by the saying of Abu Mihjan:

'And do not bury me in the wilderness, for I fear that when I die, I will not taste it.'

And another group said: fear here is in its original sense of expectation, because the advising and what follows it is indeed in the continuity of what has appeared from the principles of what is feared.

'And disobedience' means: when a woman becomes rebellious, raises herself in her character, and becomes arrogant over her husband. It is from the highness of the land. It is said: rebellious, and it is also said: high. From it is the verse of al-A'sha:

'A sheikh covered her at night, and she became a Qudaiyyah coming to the old women, rebellious.'

'And "So admonish them" means: remind them of the command of Allah, and call them to what is obligatory upon them by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. And Ibrahim al-Nakha'i read: "in the bed", which is a singular that indicates the plural.

And the interpreters differed regarding His saying: "And forsake them". A group said: Its meaning is: avoid having sexual relations with them, and they made "in" for the container without omission. Ibn Abbas said: He should lie with her and turn his back to her and not have sexual relations with her. Mujahid said: Avoid lying with them, and there is an implied omission in this saying, which is: and forsake them by rejecting the beds, or by leaving the beds. And Said ibn Jubair said: It is the forsaking of speech, meaning: do not speak to them, and turn away from them, and there is an implied omission, which is: and forsake them regarding the beds until they return to them. Ibn Abbas also said: Its meaning is: and say to them a harsh word, meaning: a sternness, until they return to the beds. And this cannot be correctly interpreted except for those who narrated: forsook and abandoned with one meaning.

And al-Tabari said: Its meaning is: tie them with a rope as a camel is tied with it, which is a rope that is used to tie the camel. So it is in the meaning of: strike them and similar. Al-Tabari preferred this interpretation and criticized the other sayings, and in all of his words in this matter, there is consideration.

And the striking in this verse is a striking of discipline that does not cause pain, which does not break a bone, nor does it injure a limb. And the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Strike the women if they disobey you in a good manner, a strike that does not cause pain." And Ata said: I asked Ibn Abbas: What is a strike that does not cause pain? He said: With a sandal and similar. And it has been narrated from Ibn Shihab that he said: There is no retaliation between a man and his wife except in the case of life.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this is an excess. Others said: Except in the case of life and wounds. And this admonition, forsaking, and striking are levels; if obedience occurs at one of them, it does not extend to the others.

And "And seek" means: request, and "a way" means: to harm, which is the hardship and oppression by word or action. And this is a prohibition against wronging them without necessity after estimating the favor upon them, and the enabling of their discipline. And it is good with it to be characterized by superiority and pride, meaning: his status above every status, and his hand with power above every hand. So no one should exalt himself over his wife, for Allah is watching, and this refers to the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: "So I turned my face and behold, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was saying: 'Know, Abu Mas'ud, that Allah is more capable over you than you are over this servant.'"