AND THEY will ask thee about [woman's] monthly courses. Say: "It is a vulnerable condition. Keep, therefore, aloof from women during their monthly courses, and do not draw near unto them until they are cleansed; and when they are cleansed, go in unto them as God has bidden you to do." Verily, God loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and He loves those who keep themselves pure. 222 Your women are a tillage for you; so come unto your tillage as you wish, and forward for your souls; and fear God, and know that you shall meet Him. Give thou good tidings to the believers. 223 AND DO NOT allow your oaths in the name of God to become an obstacle to virtue and God-consciousness and the promotion of peace between men: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. 224 Allah hears everything you utter and knows everything. Allah does not call you to Account for unintentional and meaningless oaths, but will surely take you to task for oaths taken deliberately and in earnest: Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing. 225 Those who take an oath that they will not approach their wives shall have four months of grace; and if they go back [on their oath] - behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. 226 And if they decide upon divorce (let them remember that) Allah is Hearer, Knower. 227 The divorced women must wait up to three menstrual cycles before another marriage. If they believe in God and the Day of Judgment, it is not lawful for them to hide what God has created in their wombs. Within their waiting period their husbands have the right to resume marital relations, if they want reconciliation. Women have benefits as well as responsibilities. Men have a status above women. God is Majestic and Wise. 228