0% studied · Top
Surah 58 · Madinah · 22 āyāt
Phase 05 · Hijrah and the building of Madinah(1–5 AH) — view in timelineAl-MujādilahThe Pleading Woman
المجادلة
Named after Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah, whose complaint against her husband's pronouncement of ẓihār was heard by Allah from above the seven heavens, this surah legislates the expiation for ẓihār, rebukes secret counsels held against the believers, teaches etiquette in gatherings, and closes by describing the distinguishing mark of 'the party of Allah' — those who do not take Allah's opponents as beloved, even if they are close relatives.
Why it was revealed
Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah's husband, Aws ibn al-Ṣāmit, said to her in anger, 'You are to me like the back of my mother' (ẓihār), an old pre-Islamic formula. She went to the Prophet ﷺ, but when he initially informed her that she had become unlawful to her husband under prevailing custom, she disputed the ruling and turned to Allah in complaint.
Drawn fromSunan Ibn Mājah 2063; Ibn Kathīr on 58:3–4; Ibn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mujādilah; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, introduction to 58:1
ʿĀʾishah said: Blessed is He whose hearing encompasses all things — I heard the speech of Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah, but some of what she said was hidden from me, while Allah heard it from above seven heavens; she was complaining to the Prophet ﷺ about her husband, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, he consumed my youth and I bore him children, then when I grew old he pronounced ẓihār against me,' and this surah was revealed with her case and the ruling.
Cited toSunan Ibn Mājah 2063; cf. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, introduction to 58:1
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Aws ibn al-Ṣāmit's pronouncement of ẓihār
In a moment of anger, Aws likened his wife Khawlah to his mother's back, a pre-Islamic formula that carried no clear legal resolution under existing custom.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mujādilah
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Khawlah's complaint heard by Allah
The surah opens declaring that Allah has heard the speech of the woman pleading with the Prophet ﷺ about her husband and directing her complaint to Allah — He hears the dialogue between them, being All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Āyah 2 then addresses the practice of ẓihār directly: such wives are not the men's mothers, and the only true mothers are those who bore them; the statement is condemned as a wrong word and a falsehood.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
قَدْ سَمِعَ ٱللَّهُ قَوْلَ ٱلَّتِى تُجَـٰدِلُكَ فِى زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَآ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌۢ بَصِيرٌ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Certainly has Allāh heard the speech of the one who argues [i.e., pleads] with you, [O Muḥammad], concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allāh. And Allāh hears your dialogue; indeed, Allāh is Hearing and Seeing.
From the tafsīr
The opening āyah records a real historical event with such precision that ʿĀʾishah remarked how astonishing it was that Allah heard a conversation partly inaudible even to someone in the same room.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'Munkaran min al-qawl wa-zūran' (an objectionable statement and a falsehood) describes ẓihār itself — a pre-Islamic custom the Qur'an here corrects rather than simply bans without remedy.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī
Key takeaways
- No plea to Allah, however quiet or seemingly unheard by others, escapes His hearing.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Injustice inherited from pre-Islamic custom does not survive contact with revelation unchallenged.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Words that liken a wife to a mother are called out explicitly as false and objectionable speech.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Have you ever assumed a complaint of yours went unheard, only later to see it answered?
Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet
Check yourself
0 / 2 correctAnswer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.
Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt
Question 1 of 2
What does āyah 1 say Allah did regarding the pleading woman's speech?
Question 2 of 2
What two words describe the ẓihār statement in āyah 2?
The expiation of ẓihār
Having condemned the statement, the surah legislates a path back for those who pronounced ẓihār and wish to return to their wives: freeing a slave before resuming relations, or, if unable, fasting two consecutive months, or, if unable, feeding sixty needy people. The graduated expiation shows mercy alongside correction — the wrong is named, but a way out is given.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُظَـٰهِرُونَ مِن نِّسَآئِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا۟ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَتَمَآسَّا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ تُوعَظُونَ بِهِۦ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
And those who pronounce ẓihār from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said - then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one another. That is what you are admonished thereby; and Allāh is Aware of what you do.
From the tafsīr
The three-tiered expiation (freeing a slave, then fasting, then feeding) follows the same structure as other expiations in the Sharīʿah, moving from the costliest to the most accessible according to ability.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'That is what you are admonished thereby' shows the expiation itself functions as a lesson — the difficulty of it deters casual repetition of such careless speech in future.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- Revelation both names an injustice and provides a practical way to correct it.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Expiations in the Sharīʿah are graduated by ability, not a single rigid demand.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- A costly expiation is also a deterrent — it makes careless words expensive enough to think twice.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Is there a harsh word you have said that you have never actually taken steps to repair?
Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet
Check yourself
0 / 2 correctAnswer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.
Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt
Question 1 of 2
Why are there three options rather than one fixed requirement?
Question 2 of 2
What is the first expiation given for ẓihār before resuming marital relations?
Private counsels and Allah's presence
The surah turns to secret conversations (najwā), often held by hypocrites or the disgruntled to plot against the believers, and reminds that Allah is always the fourth of any three, the sixth of any five — present in knowledge wherever people are, regardless of how private their whispering feels. Believers are told that righteous private counsel must be about piety, not sin and aggression.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجْوَىٰ ثَلَـٰثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلَا خَمْسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلَآ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ ۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Have you not considered that Allāh knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth? There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them [in knowledge] wherever they are. Then He will inform them of what they did, on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed Allāh is, of all things, Knowing.
From the tafsīr
'He is with them wherever they are' refers to Allah's knowledge encompassing every secret gathering, not His Essence being physically located among creation — a point of theology the Salaf were careful to preserve.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The occasion involved the Jews of Madinah and some hypocrites whispering together in ways that unsettled the believers, prompting a reminder that such whispering is transparent before Allah.
Cited toAl-Ṭabarī
Key takeaways
- No private conversation, however secret it feels, is hidden from Allah's knowledge.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
- Secret counsel intended for sin and aggression against believers is explicitly condemned.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
- Righteous private consultation must be built on piety, not scheming.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Would the private conversations you have this week change if you remembered Allah is present in them?
Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet
Check yourself
0 / 2 correctAnswer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.
Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt
Question 1 of 2
What does the surah say about secret gatherings of three or five?
Question 2 of 2
What kind of private counsel does the surah condemn?
Assembly manners and the party of Allah
The surah teaches simple courtesy in gatherings — making space for others and rising when asked, promising that Allah raises those who believe and those given knowledge in rank. It closes with the defining feature of 'the party of Allah': true believers do not hold love for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, even if they are their own fathers, sons, brothers or kin, because Allah has written faith into their hearts and supported them with His spirit.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْمَجَـٰلِسِ فَٱفْسَحُوا۟ يَفْسَحِ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ ٱنشُزُوا۟ فَٱنشُزُوا۟ يَرْفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ دَرَجَـٰتٍ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
O you who have believed, when you are told, "Space yourselves" in assemblies, then make space; Allāh will make space for you. And when you are told, "Arise," then arise; Allāh will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allāh is Aware of what you do.
لَّا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنْ حَآدَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ ۖ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ رَضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
You will not find a people who believe in Allāh and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allāh and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allāh. Unquestionably, the party of Allāh - they are the successful.
From the tafsīr
'Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees' links humility in gatherings with the reward of elevated rank — the two are shown together deliberately.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The closing description of the party of Allah — loving no opponent of Allah even among close kin — is not a call to sever natural family ties but to refuse inner allegiance and affection that would compromise faith.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- Simple courtesy in gatherings — making room, rising when asked — is tied directly to Allah raising people in rank.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Knowledge combined with faith is named explicitly as a path to elevated status before Allah.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- The party of Allah is defined by where its members place their deepest loyalty, even against the pull of kinship.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Faith, when it is real, is described as something Allah 'writes' into the heart and supports with His spirit.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Where does your deepest loyalty actually sit when family expectations conflict with your principles?
Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet
Check yourself
0 / 2 correctAnswer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.
Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt
Question 1 of 2
What does the surah say Allah will do for believers with knowledge?
Question 2 of 2
How does the surah characterise true believers at its end?
Upload your handwritten notes
Photograph or scan the pages you wrote in class — several at once. Each page is transcribed, translated into English if you wrote in Arabic or Urdu, matched to the theme it belongs to, and added to your notes for this surah.
Up to 3 pages at a time · JPG, PNG or HEIC
10 of 10 free AI pages left today
Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ج د ل
āyāt 1to argue, dispute, plead
- تُجَـٰدِلُكَshe pleads with you
- جِدَالdisputation
- مُجَادَلَةargumentation
ظ ه ر
āyāt 2, 3, 4back; to make apparent (root of ẓihār)
- يُظَـٰهِرُونَthey pronounce ẓihār
- ظَهْرback
- ظَاهِرapparent, outward
ن ج و
āyāt 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13private conversation, to save
- نَّجْوَىٰprivate/secret conversation
- نَاجَىٰhe conversed privately
- نَجَاةsalvation, deliverance
ف س ح
āyāt 11to make space, room
- تَفَسَّحُوا۟make space for yourselves
- يَفْسَحِHe will make space
- فُسْحَةspaciousness
د ر ج
āyāt 11rank, degree, step
- دَرَجَـٰتٍranks/degrees
- دَرَجَةa degree
- دَرَجsteps
و د د
āyāt 22affection, love
- يُوَآدُّونَthey hold affection for
- مَوَدَّةaffection
- وَدُودThe Most Loving
ح ز ب
āyāt 19, 22party, group
- حِزْبُ ٱللَّهِthe party of Allah
- أَحْزَابparties, confederates
- حِزْبa party/faction
Carry this with you
- No complaint, spoken quietly or under duress, escapes Allah's hearing.
- Revelation both condemns an injustice and provides a practical, graduated remedy for it.
- Every private conversation is transparent before Allah, whatever its secrecy feels like.
- Righteous consultation must be built on piety, never on scheming against others.
- Simple courtesy in gatherings is tied to Allah raising a person's rank.
- Faith and knowledge together are named as a path to elevated standing before Allah.
- True loyalty to Allah sometimes requires withholding affection even from close kin who oppose Him.
- The 'party of Allah' is defined by where loyalty ultimately rests, not by lineage or numbers.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
All threads →Sources behind Sūrah Al-Mujādilah
Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.
Ḥadīth1
Tafsīr15
- Al-Qurṭubī
- Al-Qurṭubī on 58:2
- Al-Saʿdī
- Al-Saʿdī on 58:22
- Al-Saʿdī on 58:4
- Al-Ṭabarī
- Al-Ṭabarī on 58:8–9
- Ibn Kathīr
- Ibn Kathīr on 58:1
- Ibn Kathīr on 58:11
- Ibn Kathīr on 58:3
- Ibn Kathīr on 58:3–4
- Ibn Kathīr on 58:7
- Ibn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mujādilah
- Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, introduction to 58:1
Full exam — the whole surah, from memory
Every question from every theme, interleaved and reworded. Interleaving is what turns recognition into recall. Each answer updates your review schedule, your mistakes list and your mastery score for that theme.
Al-Mujādilah — full exam
1 / 8 · 0 correct
8 questions across 4 themes.
Al-Mujādilah · The expiation of ẓihār
What does the graduated structure of the ẓihār expiation reveal?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol