Transliteration:( Wa in arattumustib daala zawjim makaana zawjin wa aataitum ihdaahunna qintaaran falaa ta'khuzoo minhu shai'aa; ata'khuzoonahoo buhtaannanw wa ismam mubeenaa )
"And if you desire to change one wife for another [75], and you have already given one of them a heap of treasure [76], then take not anything thereof [77]. Would you take it by mere slander and with manifest sin [78]?"
This refers to a case where:
A man divorces one wife and chooses to marry another.
The verse clarifies that even in such transitions, the rights and dignity of the first wife must be respected.
Even if the husband has given the wife a heap of wealth in the form of:
Mehr, or
Gifts
Two key rulings arise from this:
A husband cannot take back a gift he gave his wife—
the bond of marriage is an obstacle to reclaiming it.
It is permissible to increase Mehr, even after marriage.
The prohibition against excessive Mehr in certain Hadith is understood in the context of deterring greed or hardship, not as a legal limit.
If the separation is initiated by the husband, then:
He is not entitled to reclaim any part of the Mehr or gifts he gave.
From this, we learn:
If a man wants to divorce his wife solely due to dislike,
he cannot force a Khula (where the wife returns Mehr)—
such an act is forbidden in Islam.
The verse promotes dignified separation, not one based on financial exploitation.
In pre-Islamic Arabia, men would:
Falsely accuse their wives of immorality,
In hopes of forcing them to return the Mehr and seek divorce.
This verse strictly forbids such actions and calls them a grave sin.
From this, we learn that false accusations against a woman—especially one’s wife—are among the most serious offenses.
⚠️ A critical note:
To cast even a shadow of doubt over the chastity of the Mother of the Believers,
Sayyidah Ayesha Siddiqah (رضي الله عنها),
is apostasy.
The tafsir of Surah Nisa verse 20 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nisa ayat 19 which provides the complete commentary from verse 19 through 22.
(4:20) And if you decide to dispense with a wife in order to take another, do not take away anything of what you might have given the first one, even if you had given her a heap of gold. Would you take it back by slandering her and committing a manifest wrong?
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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