Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 32

(Ayah 32) ➊ {وَ اَنْكِحُوا الْاَيَامٰى مِنْكُمْ: ’’ الْاَيَامٰى ‘‘ ’’آمَ يَئِيْمُ أَيْمًا‘‘} ({بَاعَ يَبِيْعُ}) is the plural of { ’’أَيِّمٌ‘‘ } (on the pattern of {فَیْعِلٌ، كَسَيِّدٍ}), meaning a woman who does not have a husband, whether she is a virgin, a widow, or divorced, and a man who does not have a wife, whether he is a bachelor or previously married. According to Zamakhshari, the pattern of {’’أَيَامٰي‘‘} is {’’أَفَاعِلُ‘‘}, because it is the plural of {’’ أَيِّمٌ‘‘}, which is on the pattern of {’’فَيْعِلٌ‘‘}, and the plural of {’’فَيْعِلٌ‘‘} does not come as {’’فَعَالٰي‘‘}. Therefore, the original of {’’أَيَامٰي‘‘} is {’’ أَيَايِمُ‘‘}, in which, by transposition, the meem is placed before the yaa, because reading yaa after alif is heavy, then meem is given a fatha for lightness, and yaa is replaced with alif to become {’’أَيَامٰي‘‘}. According to Ibn Malik and many scholars, this is, contrary to analogy, on the pattern of {’’ فَعَالٰي‘‘}, and the apparent meaning of Sibawayh’s statement is also this. (Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir)

➋ The command to lower the gaze and guard the private parts does not mean to suppress the sexual instinct given by Allah or to abandon the world and become monks and ascetics, because this is to oppose nature, and whoever tries to oppose nature will be badly defeated like priests and nuns. Rather, the command is to marry off your unmarried men and women and fulfill your desires and pleasures in a lawful way; this is a means of your chastity and lowering the gaze, and also of increasing the number of the Muslim Ummah.

➌ By { ’’ الْاَيَامٰى مِنْكُمْ ‘‘} is meant free, unmarried Muslim men and women, because the mention of slaves comes later, and non-Muslims are not {’’ مِنْكُمْ ‘‘} but {’’مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ ‘‘}. As for whom this command is addressed to: the marriage of a woman is the responsibility of her guardians, and without their permission, a woman is not allowed to marry. If a woman has no guardian or he is not fit for guardianship, such that instead of marrying her off, he becomes an obstacle to her marriage without any valid reason, then the ruler of the time is her guardian and is commanded to marry her off. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ نَكَحَتْ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ مَوَالِيْهَا فَنِكَاحُهَا بَاطِلٌ، ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ، فَإِنْ دَخَلَ بِهَا فَالْمَهْرُ لَهَا بِمَا أَصَابَ مِنْهَا فَإِنْ تَشَاجَرُوْا فَالسُّلْطَانُ وَلِيُّ مَنْ لَا وَلِيَّ لَهُ ] [أبوداوٗد، النکاح، باب في الولي : ۲۰۸۳ ] “Any woman who marries without the permission of her guardians, her marriage is invalid.” He said this three times, then said: “If the husband has intercourse with her, he must give her the dowry, due to the benefit he has taken from her, and if the guardians dispute among themselves, then the ruler is the guardian of the one who has no guardian.”

As for men, their marriage is not dependent on the permission of a guardian, but obviously, when a child reaches adulthood, if his parents or relatives who are supporting him do not try for his marriage and do not cooperate, then marriage becomes very difficult for him. Therefore, they are commanded to marry off their children as soon as possible after they reach adulthood. The word {’’ اَنْكِحُوْا ‘‘} (marry them off) is general, so its addressees are the government and all Muslims, that they should help as much as possible in marrying off men and women. When there is a command to marry off others, then marrying oneself is even more necessary. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We used to be with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we were young and had nothing, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: [ يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ! مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَائَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ] [ بخاري، النکاح، باب من لم یستطع البائۃ فلیصم : ۵۰۶۶، ۵۰۶۵ ] “O group of young men! Whoever among you can afford to marry, let him marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding the private parts, and whoever cannot afford it, let him fast, for it will be a shield for him (against desire).”

➍ By { وَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَ اِمَآىِٕكُمْ:’’ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ ‘‘} can be meant religious competence (righteousness) as well, in which case among slaves or slave-girls, the righteous one is the one who is not immoral or a fornicator. The owner should marry him/her off as a reward for his/her righteousness and to encourage further righteousness. As for the fornicator, since he is not righteous but corrupt, his marriage is not impermissible until he repents and becomes righteous. Thus, this supports the command mentioned at the beginning of the surah, {’’ اَلزَّانِيْ لَا يَنْكِحُ اِلَّا زَانِيَةً اَوْ مُشْرِكَةً وَّ الزَّانِيَةُ لَا يَنْكِحُهَاۤ اِلَّا زَانٍ اَوْ مُشْرِكٌ وَ حُرِّمَ ذٰلِكَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ‘‘}. The reason for especially stipulating this condition among slaves seems to be that this disease is often found in this class, because they are deprived of the honor that compels a free man or woman in society to guard their chastity. (Sa'di) Therefore, the scholars have considered Yusuf’s (peace be upon him) abstention from fornication as the height of chastity, because, in worldly terms, there was nothing to prevent him from fornication, not even freedom. (See details in Surah Yusuf) By {’’ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ ‘‘} it can also be meant those slave-girls or slaves who have the ability to marry and need it. This is supported by the fact that if a slave or slave-girl does not need marriage, the owner is not commanded to marry them off, and if both meanings of {’’ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ ‘‘} are intended, it is not far-fetched. (Sa'di)

➎ { اِنْ يَّكُوْنُوْا فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهٖ :} Generally, poverty is considered an obstacle to a man’s marriage, that when he has nothing, how will he feed his wife, so no one gives a match to the poor. Allah refuted this notion and said: Marry off your unmarried people; if they are poor, Allah will enrich them. Allah has the power to enrich from the unseen, and in terms of means, after the wife comes, he will strive harder to earn. He used to eat alone before; even if he does not earn more, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the food of one is enough for two. [ دیکھیے، بخاری : ۵۳۹۲ ] Previously, he used to earn alone; after the wife comes, his earning capacity will not just double but, according to the common saying, increase elevenfold. The wife will help him; it is possible that Allah has given the wife some skill, or she may prove to be an excellent advisor to her husband by giving better advice, or the situation may change due to the cooperation of the wife’s relatives. Moreover, after having children, it is quite possible that they may earn so much that the whole family joins the ranks of the wealthy. On the contrary, if a rich man is given a girl, he may be tested and become poor. Allah said: «{ قُلِ اللّٰهُمَّ مٰلِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَآءُ وَ تَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَآءُ وَ تُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَآءُ وَ تُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ اِنَّكَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ (26) تُوْلِجُ الَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَ تُوْلِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي الَّيْلِ وَ تُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَ تُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَ تَرْزُقُ مَنْ تَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ}» [ آل عمران : ۲۶، ۲۷ ] “Say: O Allah! Owner of sovereignty! You give sovereignty to whom You will and take sovereignty from whom You will, and You honor whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good. Surely, You have power over all things. You cause the night to enter the day and You cause the day to enter the night, and You bring the living out of the dead and You bring the dead out of the living, and You provide for whom You will without measure.” All this is commonly observed. Wealth is like sunshine and shade—here today, there tomorrow. In fact, the very meaning of wealth is to circulate. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) married off that companion who had nothing but a single sheet, not even an iron ring. (See Bukhari: 5029) He did not even consider where he would feed his wife from. Therefore, the scholars have considered marriage as one of the means of becoming wealthy. Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Some people narrate a report that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Marry even in poverty, Allah will enrich you.’ I have not come across this narration, neither with a strong chain nor a weak one, nor do we need such a baseless narration for this subject, because this verse of the Qur’an and the hadith (about marrying the one who did not even have an iron ring) are sufficient for it. (All praise is due to Allah)” (Ibn Kathir)

A similar narration is commonly known that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) complaining of poverty, and he said: “Get married.” He got married, but poverty remained. He came again and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again told him to marry. He married a second time, but the situation remained the same. He came again, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again told him to marry. Even after the third marriage, poverty did not go away, so he came again and complained, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told him to marry a fourth time. He did so, and his poverty was removed. I searched a lot for this narration but did not find it in any reliable book, nor did any of those who quoted it provide a reference. The baselessness of such stories is evident from their content. It is hardly possible for such a poor man to get four wives one after another.

➏ { وَ اللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيْمٌ :} The waw of conjunction indicates that it is connected to the previous sentence, which is omitted because it is understood from {’’ يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهٖ ‘‘}, and this brevity is a miracle of the eloquence of the Qur’an. If the omitted sentence is made explicit, the wording would be: {’’ أَنْ يَّكُوْنُوْا فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَاللّٰهُ ذُوْ فَضْلٍ عَظِيْمٍ وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيْمٌ‘‘} Here, the appropriateness of mentioning the attributes {’’ وَاسِعٌ ‘‘ } and {’’عَلِيْمٌ‘‘} is that Allah is All-Bountiful; there is no shortage with Him. He enriches whom He wills, no matter how poor he is, and He is All-Knowing; He knows whom to enrich, how, and by what means. (Biqai)