On the verse: "The fornicator shall marry only a fornicatress"

Ikrimah, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress" [Al-Nur: 3], said: A fornicator commits fornication only with a fornicatress.

Sa'id bin al-Musayyib, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It used to be said that it was abrogated by the verse after it, "And marry off the unmarried among you" [Al-Nur: 32]. He said: And it used to be said that she (too) is among the unmarried women of the Muslims.

Sa'id bin Jubayr, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: He commits fornication only with a fornicatress or a polytheist woman.

Mujahid, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It refers to the women who were prostitutes in the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah).

Urwah, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It refers to the women who were prostitutes in the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah). They had particular flags by which they were recognised.

Al-Sha'bi, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It refers to the women of the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) who sold their bodies.

Al-Dahhak, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: The man who fornicates commits fornication with a fornicatress, and the woman who fornicates commits fornication with a fornicator.

Something similar is reported from Sa'id bin Jubayr.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It refers to the prostitutes of the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), on whose doors there were particular flags like the flags of the farriers, and people would come to them. People came to know of them through the flags.

Something similar is reported from Urwah.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: In this verse, marriage means intercourse.

Ibrahim, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: No one has intercourse with a fornicatress except a fornicator or a polytheist.

Sa'id bin Jubayr, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: These women used to practise prostitution in Makkah before Islam. Men would marry them, and the women would spend on them what they earned. When Islam came, some Muslim men also married them, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made that unlawful for them.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: The fornicator commits fornication only with a fornicatress or a polytheist woman, but Allah Almighty has expressed this by way of allusion.

Mujahid, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress", said: It refers to women who openly practised prostitution in the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah). These women were told: "This is unlawful," and men wanted to marry them, so Allah Almighty made marrying them unlawful for those men.