قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا} [النساء: 19]

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 would, 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.  

الشَّيْبَانِيُّ وَذَكَرَهُ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ السُّوَائِيُّ وَلاَ أَظُنُّهُ ذَكَرَهُ إِلاَّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا وَلاَ تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا بِبَعْضِ مَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ} قَالَ كَانُوا إِذَا مَاتَ الرَّجُلُ كَانَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ أَحَقَّ بِامْرَأَتِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ تَزَوَّجَهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا زَوَّجُوهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا لَمْ يُزَوِّجُوهَا فَهُمْ أَحَقُّ بِهَا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ  

Regarding the Qur'anic Verse: 'O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will.' (4.19) The custom (in the Pre-lslamic Period) was that if a man died, his relatives used to have the right to inherit his wife, and if one of them wished, he could marry her, or they could marry her to somebody else, or prevent her from marrying if they wished, for they had more right to dispose of her than her own relatives. Therefore this Verse was revealed concerning this matter.  

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَطَاءٌ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ السُّوَائِيُّ وَلاَ أَظُنُّهُ إِلاَّ ذَكَرَهُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا} الآيَةَ قَالَ كَانُوا إِذَا مَاتَ الرَّجُلُ كَانَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ أَحَقَّ بِامْرَأَتِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ تَزَوَّجَهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا زَوَّجَهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا لَمْ يُزَوِّجْهَا فَهُمْ أَحَقُّ بِهَا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ  

About the Qur'anic verse: "It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit the woman (of your deceased kinsmen), nor (that) ye should put constraint upon them. When a man died, his relatives had more right to his wife then her own guardian. If any one of them wanted to marry her, he did so; or they married her (to some other person), and if they did not want to marry her, they did so. So this verse was revealed about the matter.  

الشَّيْبَانِيُّ وَذَكَرَهُ عَطَاءٌ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ السُّوَائِيُّ وَلاَ أَظُنُّهُ إِلاَّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ { لاَ يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا وَلاَ تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ } قَالَ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا مَاتَ كَانَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ أَحَقَّ بِامْرَأَتِهِ مِنْ وَلِيِّ نَفْسِهَا إِنْ شَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ زَوَّجَهَا أَوْ زَوَّجُوهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا لَمْ يُزَوِّجُوهَا فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ  

[Machine] "And when a man dies, his relatives have more right to his wife than any other person, if they wish to marry her. If they do not wish to marry her, they can allow someone else to marry her, or they can choose not to marry her. This verse was revealed regarding this matter."  

وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا مَاتَ كَانَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ أَحَقَّ بِامْرَأَتِهِ مِنْ وَلِيِّ نَفْسِهَا إِنْ شَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ تَزَوَّجَهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا زَوَّجُوهَا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا لَمْ يُزَوِّجُوهَا فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ