According to the Quran, marriage is intended to be unbounded in time, as indicated by its characterization as a "firm bond" and by the rules governing divorce. The relationship between the spouses should ideally be based on love ("mawadda wa rahma", 30:21) and important decisions concerning both spouses should be made by mutual consent. When marital harmony cannot be attained, the Quran allows and even advises the spouses to bring the marriage to an end (2:231), although this decision is not to be taken lightly, and the community is called upon to intervene by appointing arbiters from the two families to attempt a reconciliation (4:35). The Quran establishes two further means to avoid hasty divorces. For a menstruating woman, Al-Baqarah 2:228 prescribes the waiting (Iddah) period before the divorce is finalized, as three monthly periods. Similarly for non-menstruating women, including post-menopause women and pre-menarche girls, At-Talaq 65:4 prescribes the waiting periods. This is to give the husband time to reconsider his decision. Moreover, a man who takes an oath not to have sexual intercourse with his wife, which would lead to automatic divorce, is allowed a four-month period to break his oath (2:226).