The Holy Quran 16:92 — Surah An-Nahl

Arabic text

وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّتِى نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنۢ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَـٰثًا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِىَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ ۚ وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

Translation

Do not be (foolish) like the woman who shredded her spun yarn to threads after strengthening it (she shredded it after all her effort of spinning it. Just as this verse refers to breaking vows after solemnising them, it also refers to abandoning an act like salaah or Hajj without completing it). (Referring to the practice of Arab tribes who used to break the treaties they made with small tribes so that they could enter into treaties with larger tribes, Allaah says,) You make your vows (treaties solemnised with vows) a means of causing corruption between you because a nation is larger in number than another. The fact of the matter is that Allaah only tests you by it (by these vows to see who will abide by them and who will not). And, on the Day of Judgement, He will certainly make clear to you the matters about which you differed (and then the sinners will be punished for their sins).

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The parable of breaking a covenant: that is, to make a covenant and then break it is as foolish as a woman who spins yarn all day and then in the evening tears the spun yarn to shreds. Indeed, in Makkah there was a mad woman who used to do just that.

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