سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 25
وَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنكُمْ طَوْلًا أَن يَنكِحَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ فَمِن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُكُم مِّن فَتَيَـٰتِكُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَـٰنِكُم ۚ بَعْضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ ۚ فَٱنكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ وَءَاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ مُحْصَنَـٰتٍ غَيْرَ مُسَـٰفِحَـٰتٍ وَلَا مُتَّخِذَٰتِ أَخْدَانٍ ۚ فَإِذَآ أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَـٰحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِىَ ٱلْعَنَتَ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَأَن تَصْبِرُوا۟ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿25﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And whoever of you have not the means wherewith to wed free, believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those (slaves) whom your right hands possess, and Allâh has full knowledge about your Faith; you are one from another. Wed them with the permission of their own folk (guardians, Auliyâ’ or masters) and give them their Mahr according to what is reasonable; they (the above said captive and slave-girls) should be chaste, not committing illegal sex, nor taking boy-friends. And after they have been taken in wedlock, if they commit illegal sexual intercourse, their punishment is half that for free (unmarried) women. This is for him among you who is afraid of being harmed in his religion or in his body; but it is better for you that you practise self-restraint, and Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَن
waman
And whoever
لَّمْ
lam
(is) not
يَسْتَطِعْ
yastaṭiʿ
able to
مِنكُمْ
minkum
among you
طَوْلًا
ṭawlan
afford
أَن
an
to
يَنكِحَ
yankiḥa
marry
ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ
l-muḥ'ṣanāti
the free chaste
ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ
l-mu'mināti
[the] believing women
فَمِن
famin
then (marry) from
مَّا
mā
what
مَلَكَتْ
malakat
possess[ed]
أَيْمَـٰنُكُم
aymānukum
your right hands
مِّن
min
of
فَتَيَـٰتِكُمُ
fatayātikumu
your slave girls
ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۚ
l-mu'mināti
(of) the believers
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
أَعْلَمُ
aʿlamu
knows best
بِإِيمَـٰنِكُم ۚ
biīmānikum
about your faith
بَعْضُكُم
baʿḍukum
You
مِّنۢ
min
(are) from
بَعْضٍۢ ۚ
baʿḍin
(one) another
فَٱنكِحُوهُنَّ
fa-inkiḥūhunna
So marry them
بِإِذْنِ
bi-idh'ni
with (the) permission
أَهْلِهِنَّ
ahlihinna
(of) their family
وَءَاتُوهُنَّ
waātūhunna
and give them
أُجُورَهُنَّ
ujūrahunna
their bridal due
بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ
bil-maʿrūfi
in a fair manner
مُحْصَنَـٰتٍ
muḥ'ṣanātin
(They should be) chaste
غَيْرَ
ghayra
not
مُسَـٰفِحَـٰتٍۢ
musāfiḥātin
those who commit immorality
وَلَا
walā
and not
مُتَّخِذَٰتِ
muttakhidhāti
those who take
أَخْدَانٍۢ ۚ
akhdānin
secret lovers
فَإِذَآ
fa-idhā
Then when
أُحْصِنَّ
uḥ'ṣinna
they are married
فَإِنْ
fa-in
and if
أَتَيْنَ
atayna
they commit
بِفَـٰحِشَةٍۢ
bifāḥishatin
adultery
فَعَلَيْهِنَّ
faʿalayhinna
then for them
نِصْفُ
niṣ'fu
(is) half
مَا
mā
(of) what
عَلَى
ʿalā
(is) on
ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ
l-muḥ'ṣanāti
the free chaste women
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْعَذَابِ ۚ
l-ʿadhābi
the punishment
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
لِمَنْ
liman
(is) for whoever
خَشِىَ
khashiya
fears
ٱلْعَنَتَ
l-ʿanata
committing sin
مِنكُمْ ۚ
minkum
among you
وَأَن
wa-an
and that
تَصْبِرُوا۟
taṣbirū
you be patient
خَيْرٌۭ
khayrun
(is) better
لَّكُمْ ۗ
lakum
for you
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
غَفُورٌۭ
ghafūrun
(is) Oft-Forgiving
رَّحِيمٌۭ
raḥīmun
Most Merciful
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.
25. 1. From this it is understood that the owner of the slave-girl is her guardian; the slave-girl cannot be married off anywhere without his permission. Similarly, a slave cannot marry anywhere without his owner's permission.
25. 2. That is, slave-girls will be given half the punishment, i.e., (50) lashes instead of (100). Thus, there is no punishment of stoning to death (rajm) for them, because that cannot be halved, and for the unmarried, there will be a discretionary punishment (ta'zeer).
25. 3. That is, permission to marry slave-girls is for those who do not have the power to control the passions of youth and there is a fear of falling into immorality. If there is no such fear, then it is better to be patient until one becomes capable of marrying a free, noble woman.
25. 2. That is, slave-girls will be given half the punishment, i.e., (50) lashes instead of (100). Thus, there is no punishment of stoning to death (rajm) for them, because that cannot be halved, and for the unmarried, there will be a discretionary punishment (ta'zeer).
25. 3. That is, permission to marry slave-girls is for those who do not have the power to control the passions of youth and there is a fear of falling into immorality. If there is no such fear, then it is better to be patient until one becomes capable of marrying a free, noble woman.
