ٱلْبَقَرَة : ٢٤٠

  • وَٱلَّذِينَ And those who
  • يُتَوَفَّوۡنَ they die
  • مِنكُمۡ among you
  • وَيَذَرُونَ and leave behind
  • أَزۡوَٰجٗا (their) wives
  • وَصِيَّةٗ (should make) a will
  • لِّأَزۡوَٰجِهِم for their wives
  • مَّتَٰعًا provision
  • إِلَى for
  • ٱلۡحَوۡلِ the year
  • غَيۡرَ without
  • إِخۡرَاجٖۚ driving (them) out
  • فَإِنۡ But if
  • خَرَجۡنَ they leave
  • فَلَا then no
  • جُنَاحَ blame
  • عَلَيۡكُمۡ upon you
  • فِي in
  • مَا what
  • فَعَلۡنَ they do
  • فِيٓ concerning
  • أَنفُسِهِنَّ themselves
  • مِن [of]
  • مَّعۡرُوفٖۗ honorably
  • وَٱللَّهُ And Allah
  • عَزِيزٌ (is) All-Mighty
  • حَكِيمٞ All-Wise
And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - for their wives is a bequest: maintenance for one year without turning [them] out. But if they leave [of their own accord], then there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in an acceptable way.1 And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.
Footnotes
1 - This directive was abrogated by those later revealed in 2:234 and 4:12.
And those of you who die, leaving wives, let them, make testament (wasiyyatan, or wasiyyatun) for their wives, as an obligation, and give them provision, what they can enjoy of property and clothes, for, until the completion of, a year (mataa'an ilaa l-hawl, 'provision for a year', is a circumstantial qualifier), that is, without expelling them from their habitations; but if they go forth, of their own accord, you would not be at fault, [you] the guardians of the dead one, regarding what they may do with themselves honourably, in accordance with the Law, such as adorning themselves or abandoning the mourning, or that you should cut off their expenditure; God is Mighty, in His Kingdom, Wise, in His actions. The testament mentioned here was abrogated by the 'inheritance' verse [Q. 4:12], and the waiting of one year [without expulsion] was abrogated by the previous verse four months and ten [Q. 2:234] which was revealed later. In the opinion of al-Shaafi'ee, may God have mercy on him, the habitation remains hers.