Sūrah 65 · Medinan

How Sūrah At-Talaaq was revealed.

Where and when it came down, what it teaches, and the hadith about it — all on one calm page.

Read At-Talaaq → The revelation story
Where revealed Medinan

Revealed in the Madīnan period, after the migration to Madīnah.

Order of revelation #99

Its place in the traditional order in which the sūrahs were revealed.

Length 12 ayahs

2 reading sections in the Muṣḥaf.

The revelation story

How and when it came down.

This Madinan surah completes the legal code regarding marital separation. Its primary purpose is to establish the precise method and limits of divorce (ṭalāq), the rules of the waiting period (ʿiddah), and the subsequent laws of financial support and breastfeeding. The surah interweaves these laws with strong exhortations to piety, assuring believers that adherence to these laws brings ease and provision.

Themes and purpose:

This Madinan surah completes the legal code regarding marital separation. Its primary purpose is to establish the precise method and limits of divorce (ṭalāq), the rules of the waiting period (ʿiddah), and the subsequent laws of financial support and breastfeeding. The surah interweaves these laws with strong exhortations to piety, assuring believers that adherence to these laws brings ease and provision.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Madinan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed to refine the general laws previously mentioned in Sūrat al-Baqarah and al-Nisā’. The specific incident that prompted the revelation was the Prophet’s (ﷺ) correction of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, who had divorced his wife while she was menstruating.

Chronology: It is counted as the 96th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Insān and before al-Bayyinah.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah's established name is "Sūrat al-Ṭalāq" (The Divorce), due to its theme and the use of this word from the first ayah. It was known to ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd as "Sūrat al-Nisā’ al-Quṣrā" (The Shorter Chapter of Women), distinguishing it from the longer Sūrat al-Nisā’.

Ayah Count: 12 ayahs (Majority) or 11 (Baṣran).

Surah Overview:

  • The Law of Divorce: Establishing the proper time, method, and legal procedures for divorce and the waiting period. [1]
  • Protecting the Rights of Women: Prohibiting harm to divorced women and mandating provision and residence for them during the waiting period. [6]
  • Provision and Ease: Affirming the divine principle that Allah grants provision and ease to those who adhere to piety and observe His limits. [2-3, 5]
  • Witnesses: The command to bring witnesses to the acts of divorce and reconciliation. [2]
  • Family Law: Highlighting rules concerning breastfeeding and payment between the divorced parents. [6]
  • Warning from History: Warning the Muslim community by citing the severe punishment that afflicted previous nations that disobeyed their messengers. [8-10]
  • Conclusion: Affirming Allah's vast knowledge, His power over all things, and that His revelation is the path to forgiveness and a great reward. [11]

Sūrah background — via the Quran Foundation Content API. Shown as supplied by the provider. We do not edit, summarise or generate it.

Hadith about this sūrah

What the hadith say.

These 2 narrations in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī are connected to specific āyāt of this sūrah — a linkage reviewed by the Quran Foundation. Open any one to read it in full, in Arabic and English.

  1. Relates to āyah4
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4909

    حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ، قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ جَالِسٌ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ أَفْتِنِي فِي امْرَأَةٍ وَلَدَتْ بَعْدَ زَوْجِهَا بِأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً‏.‏ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ آخِرُ الأَجَلَيْنِ‏.‏ قُلْتُ أَنَا ‏﴿‏وَأُولاَتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ‏﴾‏ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَا مَعَ ابْنِ أَخِي ـ يَعْنِي أَبَا سَلَمَةَ ـ فَأَرْسَلَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ غُلاَمَهُ كُرَيْبًا إِلَى أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ يَسْأَلُهَا فَقَالَتْ قُتِلَ زَوْجُ سُبَيْعَةَ الأَسْلَمِيَّةِ وَهْىَ حُبْلَى، فَوَضَعَتْ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً فَخُطِبَتْ فَأَنْكَحَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَكَانَ أَبُو السَّنَابِلِ فِيمَنْ خَطَبَهَا‏.‏

    Narrated Abu Salama: A man came to Ibn `Abbas while Abu Huraira was sitting with him and said, "Give me your verdict regarding a lady who delivered a baby forty days after the death of her husband." Ibn `Abbas said, "This indicates the end of one of the two prescribed periods." I said "For those who are pregnant, their prescribed period is until they deliver their burdens." Abu Huraira said, I agree with my cousin (Abu Salama)." Then Ibn `Abbas sent his slave, Kuraib to Um Salama to ask her (regarding this matter). She replied. "The husband of Subai'a al Aslamiya was killed while she was pregnant, and she delivered a baby forty days after his death. Then her hand was asked in marriage and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) married her (to somebody). Abu As-Sanabil was one of those who asked for her hand in marriage".

    Open at Sunnah.com →

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4910

    وَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَأَبُو النُّعْمَانِ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ فِي حَلْقَةٍ فِيهَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي لَيْلَى وَكَانَ أَصْحَابُهُ يُعَظِّمُونَهُ، فَذَكَرَ آخِرَ الأَجَلَيْنِ فَحَدَّثْتُ بِحَدِيثِ سُبَيْعَةَ بِنْتِ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ قَالَ فَضَمَّزَ لِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ‏.‏ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَفَطِنْتُ لَهُ فَقُلْتُ إِنِّي إِذًا لَجَرِيءٌ إِنْ كَذَبْتُ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ وَهْوَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْكُوفَةِ‏.‏ فَاسْتَحْيَا وَقَالَ لَكِنَّ عَمَّهُ لَمْ يَقُلْ ذَاكَ‏.‏ فَلَقِيتُ أَبَا عَطِيَّةَ مَالِكَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَذَهَبَ يُحَدِّثُنِي حَدِيثَ سُبَيْعَةَ فَقُلْتُ هَلْ سَمِعْتَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِيهَا شَيْئًا فَقَالَ كُنَّا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَتَجْعَلُونَ عَلَيْهَا التَّغْلِيظَ وَلاَ تَجْعَلُونَ عَلَيْهَا الرُّخْصَةَ‏.‏ لَنَزَلَتْ سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ الْقُصْرَى بَعْدَ الطُّولَى ‏﴿‏وَأُولاَتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ‏﴾‏‏.‏

    See hadith 4909

    Open at Sunnah.com →

The link between each āyah and these narrations is the Quran Foundation's reviewed reference map. The wording is reproduced verbatim from a public-domain edition of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and is not edited, summarised or generated; every narration also opens at Sunnah.com so it can be checked against another copy.

Learning to pray as you read? How to pray step by step, how to perform wuḍūʾ, and how many rakʿahs each prayer has.