سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 15
وَٱلَّـٰتِى يَأْتِينَ ٱلْفَـٰحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ فَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِى ٱلْبُيُوتِ حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ ٱلْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا ﴿15﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And those of your women who commit illegal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them (i.e. women) to houses until death comes to them or Allâh ordains for them some (other) way.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلَّـٰتِى
wa-allātī
And those who
يَأْتِينَ
yatīna
commit
ٱلْفَـٰحِشَةَ
l-fāḥishata
[the] immorality
مِن
min
from
نِّسَآئِكُمْ
nisāikum
your women
فَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟
fa-is'tashhidū
then call to witness
عَلَيْهِنَّ
ʿalayhinna
against them
أَرْبَعَةًۭ
arbaʿatan
four
مِّنكُمْ ۖ
minkum
among you
فَإِن
fa-in
And if
شَهِدُوا۟
shahidū
they testify
فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ
fa-amsikūhunna
then confine them
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْبُيُوتِ
l-buyūti
their houses
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
يَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ
yatawaffāhunna
comes to them
ٱلْمَوْتُ
l-mawtu
[the] death
أَوْ
aw
or
يَجْعَلَ
yajʿala
makes
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
لَهُنَّ
lahunna
for them
سَبِيلًۭا
sabīlan
a way
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
15. 1. This is the punishment for immoral women’s immorality, which was temporarily prescribed in the early days of Islam, when the punishment for adultery had not yet been determined. Also, remember that in the Arabic language, it is an established rule in counting from one to ten that if the number is masculine, the counted noun will be feminine, and if the number is feminine, the counted noun will be masculine. Here, "اربعہ" (i.e., the number four) is feminine, so the counted noun, which is not mentioned here and is omitted, will certainly be masculine, and that is "رجال" (i.e., four men), from which it is clearly known that for the establishment of adultery, four male witnesses are necessary. Thus, just as the punishment for adultery is strictly prescribed, a strict condition of witnesses is imposed for its establishment, i.e., four Muslim male eyewitnesses; without this, the establishment of the legal punishment is not possible.
15. 2. By "this way" is meant the punishment for adultery that was later prescribed, i.e., stoning for married adulterous men and women, and one hundred lashes for unmarried immoral men and women (the details of which are found in Surah An-Nur and authentic ahadith).
15. 2. By "this way" is meant the punishment for adultery that was later prescribed, i.e., stoning for married adulterous men and women, and one hundred lashes for unmarried immoral men and women (the details of which are found in Surah An-Nur and authentic ahadith).
