ONE AYAT A DAY
وَاِنْ طَلَّقْتُمُوْهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ اَنْ تَمَسُّوْهُنَّ وَقَدْ فَرَضْتُمْ لَهُنَّ فَرِيْضَةً فَنِصْفُ مَا فَرَضْتُمْ اِلَّآ اَنْ يَّعْفُوْنَ اَوْ يَعْفُوَا الَّذِيْ بِيَدِهٖ عُقْدَةُ النِّكَاحِ ۗ وَاَنْ تَعْفُوْٓا اَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوٰىۗ وَلَا تَنْسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِيْرٌ
Wa in ṭallaqtumūhunna min qabli an tamassūhunna wa qad faraḍtum lahunna farīḍatan faniṣfu mā faraḍtum illā ay ya‘fūna au ya‘fuwal-lażī biyadihī ‘uqdatun-nikāḥ(i), wa an ta‘fū aqrabu lit-taqwā, wa lā tansawul-faḍla bainakum, innallāha bimā ta‘malūna baṣīr(un).
And if you divorce them before you have touched them and you have already specified for them an obligation, then [give] half of what you specified - unless they forego the right or the one in whose hand is the marriage contract foregoes it. And to forego it is nearer to righteousness. And do not forget graciousness between you. Indeed Allāh, of whatever you do, is Seeing.
The Wife gets half of Her Mahr if She is divorced before the Marriage is consummatedThis honorable Ayah is not a continuation of the Mut`ah (gift) that was mentioned in the previous Ayah (i.e., divorce before the marriage is consummated). This Ayah (2:237) requires the husband to relinquish half of the appointed Mahr if he divorces his wife before the marriage is consummated. If it was discussing any other type of gift, then it would have been mentioned that way, especially when this Ayah follows the previous Ayah related to this subject. Allah knows best. Giving away half of the bridal-money in this case is the agreed practice according to the scholars. So, the husband pays half of the appointed Mahr if he divorces his wife before consummating the marriage. Allah then said: إَّلا أَن يَعْفُونَ(unless they (the women) agree to remit it,) meaning, the wife forfeits the dowry and relieves the husband from further financial responsibility. As-Suddi said that Abu Salih mentioned that Ibn `Abbas commented on Allah's statement: إَّلا أَن يَعْفُونَ(unless they (the women) agree to remit it,) "Unless the wife forfeits her right."Furthermore, Imam Abu Muhammad bin Abu Hatim said that it was reported that Shurayh, Sa`id bin Musayyib, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, Ash-Sha`bi, Al-Hasan, Nafi`, Qatadah, Jabir bin Zayd, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, Ad-Dahhak, Az-Zuhri, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Ibn Sirin, Ar-Rabi` b…