Al-Baqara • EN-ASBAB-AL-NUZUL-BY-AL-WAHIDI
﴿ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًۭا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَعَشْرًۭا ۖ فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ ﴾
“And if any of you die and leave wives behind, they shall undergo, without remarrying, a waiting-period of four months and ten days; whereupon, when they have reached the end of their waiting-term, there shall be no sin in whatever they may do with their persons in a lawful manner. And God is aware of all that you do.”
(Such of you as die and leave behind them wives�) [2:234]. Abu �Amr Muhammad ibn �Abd al-�Aziz al-Marwazi informed me in his epistle> Abu�l-Fadl Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Haddadi> Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Khalid> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanzali who said: �I have related from Muqatil ibn Hayyan regarding this verse [the following]: a man from Ta�if went to Medina. This man had children: men and women, and he also had with him his parents and wife. This man later died in Medina and his matter was reported to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, gave reasonably to the man�s parents and children but did not give anything to his wife. However, he ordered them to spend on her from her husband�s bequest for a year�.