Sahih al-Bukhari 4579

Hadith text

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:regarding the Divine Verse: "O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness that you may take back part of the (Mahr) dower you have given them." (4.19) (Before this revelation) if a man died, his relatives used to have the right to inherit his wife, and one of them could marry her if he wished, or they would give her in marriage if they wished, or, if they wished, they would not give her in marriage at all, and they would be more entitled to dispose her, than her own relatives. So the above Verse was revealed in this connection

Ibn Abbas bataate hain: Is Aayat ke baare mein: 'Aye Iman waalo! Tumhare liye jaayez nahi ke tum auraton ko unki marzi ke bagair (miraas mein) waaris bano, aur na hi unke saath sakhti se pesh aao taake tum unhe diye hue Mahr ka kuch hissa wapas le sako' (4:19). Is Aayat ke naazil hone se pehle, agar koi shaks mar jaata to uske rishtedaar uski biwi ke waaris hone ka haq rakhte the - unmein se koi chaahe to khud usse nikaah kar leta, ya chaahe to kisi aur se uska nikaah kara deta, ya chaahe to uska nikaah karwaate hi nahi, aur wo uske apne khaandaan waalon se zyaada haqdaar samjhe jaate the ke uske baare mein faisla karein. Isi silsile mein ye Aayat naazil hui.

Sahih al-Bukhari 4579 · Book 65, Hadith 101