"And those who are taken in death among you and leave behind wives, they wait for themselves four months and ten [days]." In the ten [days], the soul is breathed into the fetus. This verse abrogated the verse that follows it in arrangement: "And those who are taken in death among you and leave behind wives, a bequest for their wives, maintenance for a year without being turned out," and it is before this one in revelation, but it was placed in this position. Al-Hasan said: Gabriel (peace be upon him) used to come to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say: "O Muhammad, indeed Allah commands you to place such-and-such a verse between the contents of such-and-such a verse of the surah."
Yahya: On the authority of Yazid ibn Ibrahim, from Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Malik ibn Amr, from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, that he said: "The pregnant woman whose husband has died was abrogated from this verse; for he said in the shorter Surah an-Nisa: 'And for those who are pregnant, their period is until they give birth to their burden.' (And when they have reached their term) meaning: the waiting period has expired, (there is no blame upon you) meaning: there is no sin upon you (in what they do with themselves in an honorable manner)." Mujahid said: He means lawful marriage.
﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يتربص بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَة أشهر وَعشرا﴾ وَفِي الْعشْر ينْفخ فِي الْوَلَد الرّوح، فنسخت هَذِه الآيةُ الآيةَ الَّتِي بعْدهَا فِي التَّأْلِيف ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا وَصِيَّةً لأَزْوَاجِهِمْ مَتَاعًا إِلَى الْحَوْلِ غَيْرَ إِخْرَاج﴾ وَهِي قبل هَذِه فِي التَّنْزِيل، وَوضعت فِي هَذَا الْموضع. قَالَ الحَسَن: وَكَانَ جِبْرِيل عليه السلام يَأْتِي النَّبِي عليه السلام فَيَقُول: يَا مُحَمَّد، إِن اللَّه يَأْمُرك أَن تضع آيَة كَذَا بَين ظهراني آيَة كَذَا وَكَذَا من السُّورَة.
يَحْيَى: عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ؛ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: ((نُسِخَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الآيَةِ الْحَامِلُ الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا؛ فَقَالَ فِي سُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ الْقُصْرَى: ﴿وَأُولاتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَملهنَّ﴾ (فَإِذا بلغن أَجلهنَّ﴾ أَي: انْقَضتْ الْعدة ﴿فَلا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُم﴾ أَي: فَلَا إِثْم عَلَيْكُم ﴿فِيمَا فعلن فِي أَنْفسهنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾ قَالَ مُجَاهِد: يُرِيد النِّكَاح الْحَلَال.