المجادلة
Al Mujadila
Verses
22
Revelation
Madani
Period
Madinan
Surah No.
58 / 114
Al-Mujadila takes its name from the woman who pleaded with the Prophet about the pre-Islamic practice of zihar – a form of divorce by which a husband declared his wife to be as forbidden to him as his mother's back. The surah abolishes this unjust custom, mandates expiation for it, and then addresses the broader themes of the hypocrites' secret counsel, the etiquette of gatherings, and the obligation to support Allah and His Messenger above all worldly ties.
أسباب النزول
The opening verses were revealed in response to Khawlah bint Tha'labah, whose husband Aws ibn al-Samit pronounced zihar against her. She came to the Prophet distressed, and her complaint rose to Allah. The surah then reveals divine rulings on the expiation required for zihar. Later verses were revealed addressing the secret whisperings (najwa) of the hypocrites and Jews, which caused distress to the believers, and the proper conduct Muslims should observe in gatherings and consultations.
“Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah.”
Allah affirms that He heard Khawlah's plea directly, establishing that every cry of the oppressed reaches Him and that divine law responds to human need.
“There is no private conversation of three except that He is the fourth of them.”
A foundational statement of Allah's omniscience – He is intimately aware of every secret counsel, instilling taqwa and guiding believers to transparency and integrity.