And if you divorce them before you have touched them but you have already settled a dower on them then one half of what you have appointed unless it be that they make remission or he makes remission the one in whose hand is the knot of marriage; yet that you should remit is nearer to piety. Then [God] mentions that remission is more perfect and more commend- able either on the part of the woman in the half due to her or from the husband in the half returned to him. Forget not kindness between you; surely God sees what you do. It is said that whoever lacks kindness faḌl368 and is content with the obligatory will soon neglect the obligatory [as well]. It is said that to forget kindness is to become ever more niggardly. Part of the way of noble people sunnat al-kirām is that even when there are no obvious occasions for acting with nobility they nonetheless sharpen the eyes of generosity and look for more subtle opportunities to act with kindness-and they are given many such opportunities.
