"O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion." In the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), a man would die leaving behind his wife, and her guardian would cast a garment over her; if he wished to marry her, he would do so, or otherwise, he would leave her until she died and then inherit her, unless she went to her own family before he could cast the garment over her, in which case she had more right to herself. "And do not hinder them," meaning: do not detain them, "in order to take [back] part of what you have given them," meaning: the dower (sadaq), "unless they commit a manifest immorality." A man was prohibited from harming his wife if he had no need of her by detaining her so that she might ransom herself from him. "Unless they commit a manifest immorality": some interpreted this as her being defiant (nashizah), so she obtains a divorce by ransom (khul') from him. Manifest immorality refers to her disobedience and her defiance.
﴿يَا أَيهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن ترثوا النِّسَاء كرها﴾ كَانَ الرجل فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّة يَمُوت عَن امْرَأَته، فيلقي وليه عَلَيْهَا ثوبا؛ فَإِن أحب أَن يَتَزَوَّجهَا تزَوجهَا، وَإِلَّا تَركهَا حَتَّى تَمُوت، فيرثها، إِلَّا أَن تذْهب إِلَى أَهلهَا من قبل أَن يلقِي عَلَيْهَا ثوبا، فَتكون أَحَق بِنَفسِهَا ﴿وَلَا تعضلوهن﴾ تحبسوهن ﴿لِتَذْهَبُوا بِبَعْضِ مَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ﴾ يَعْنِي: الصَدَاق ﴿إِلا أَنْ يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَة مبينَة﴾ نُهِيَ الرجل إِذا لم يكن لَهُ بامرأته حَاجَة أَن يَضرهَا فيحبسها لتفتدي مِنْهُ ﴿إِلا أَنْ يَأْتِين بِفَاحِشَة مبينَة﴾ تَفْسِير بَعضهم: إِلَّا أَن تكون هِيَ النَّاشِزَة فتختلع مِنْهُ. الْفَاحِشَة المبينة: عصيانها ونشوزها.
