(O you who believe! You are not permitted to inherit women against their will,) "Before, the practice was that when a man dies, his male relatives used to have the right to do whatever they wanted with his wife. If one of them wants, he would marry her, give her in marriage, or prevent her from marriage, for they had more right to her than her own family. Thereafter, this Ayah was revealed about this practice,
Secondly, in the following sentence in verse 21, it was said: وَكَيْفَ تَأْخُذُونَهُ وَقَدْ أَفْضَىٰ بَعْضُكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ that is, how can you now take back what you had given her when not only the marriage has been solemnized, but you have also had access to each other in privacy? For, in this situa-tion, whatever has been given, if against dower, the woman certainly deserved it. She now owns it because she surrendered herself to her husband. The idea that it could be returned is senseless. Even if this money or property given by the husband was presented or gifted, even then, it is not possible that it could be returned because what a husband and wife give to each other as gift cannot be taken back. Such claim of its return is neither permissible in Shari` ah, nor is it legally enforced. So, marital bond prevents the taking back of what has been given as gift.
The same subject has been stated in the last sentence of verse 21: وَأَخَذْنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا (and they have taken a firm covenant from you). This 'covenant' is the bond of marriage which is solemnly attested to with the name of Allah before a gathering of people following a khutbah.
To sum up, once this marital covenant has been made and mutual privacy has brought the couple close together, to force the woman to return what was given to' her is open injustice and tyranny. All Muslims must abstain from it.
Tazkirul Quran
Maulana Wahiduddin KhanOn ayahs 20–21
Undoubtedly, the successors of a deceased person have the right to inherit his property. But his widow is not to be treated as a part of the inheritance and exploited as the successors decide. Property is inanimate and therefore without feeling, and, as such is a proper object of inheritance, but human beings have sensate, independent existences, and therefore possess the right to decide their future according to their own choice. If there is any physical or temperamental shortcoming in a woman, it should be tolerated so that she may have the opportunity to use her other natural talents to play her part in the building up of the household. One should overlook the unpleasant aspects of her personality and try to adjust amicably. The secret of the progress and solidarity of any family or society is that its members should ignore the shortcomings and deficiencies of each other and give everyone the chance to exercise his or her abilities. Those who adopt the way of patience and tolerance in this world for the sake of God, are the people who will be granted admission to Paradise in the Hereafter. When one does not like one’s life companion and, rather than be tolerant, decides to separate, it often happens that one exaggerates the shortcomings of the other to justify one’s decision. Allegations are fabricated so that the weaker person should become nervous and leave. Similarly, while severing the marriage bond, trumped up reasons are presented to the other party. But these activities are against the covenant. A covenant is considered sacred by God and whether written or unwritten, it is essentially binding. It applies equally to both parties, leaving them no choice of their own.
