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 al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 25) ➊ { وَ مَنْ لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ … :} That is, if a person's financial condition does not allow him to marry free Muslim women, then he may marry a slave woman belonging to another Muslim, provided that the slave woman is a Muslim. Here, the permission is not for a person to marry his own slave woman, because her being a slave is itself a reason for the owner to have intercourse with her; no one else can have intercourse with her, and her children will be considered legitimate. However, if he wants to marry her, then he should first set her free and then marry her after freeing her. (Fath al-Qadeer)
➋ { بَعْضُكُمْ مِّنْ بَعْضٍ :} That is, you are all children of Adam (peace be upon him) and your religion is also one, so do not hesitate to marry her merely because she is a slave woman. (Shawkani)
➌ { فَانْكِحُوْهُنَّ۠ بِاِذْنِ اَهْلِهِنَّ:} That is, just as the permission of a guardian (wali) is necessary for marrying a free Muslim woman, similarly, the permission of the owner is necessary for marrying a slave woman. Likewise, a slave man cannot marry without his owner's permission.
➍ { وَ اٰتُوْهُنَّ اُجُوْرَهُنَّ :} Some have understood from these words that the dowry (mahr) is the right of the slave woman, but according to most of the early scholars, this dowry belongs to the owner of the slave woman; the attribution of the dowry to the slave woman is figurative. (Fath al-Qadeer)
➎ { وَ لَا مُتَّخِذٰتِ اَخْدَانٍ: ”اَخْدَانٍ“ ’’خِدْنٌ ‘‘} is the plural of "secret companion." Secret relationships have been forbidden, so witnesses are necessary in marriage.
➏ { نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنٰتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ: ”الْمُحْصَنٰتُ“ } contains the definite article of specification, by which specific muhsanat (i.e., virgin free women) are meant, because their punishment is one hundred lashes, which can be halved. The punishment for married free women is stoning, which cannot be halved, nor are {”الْمُحْصَنٰتُ“} meant here; that is, if slave women commit adultery after marriage, they will receive half the punishment of virgin free women, which is fifty lashes. Those who have used this verse as evidence to deny stoning, arguing that since stoning cannot be halved, therefore stoning is not part of the Shariah, have misunderstood the meaning of the definite article and have not understood the correct intent of {’’ الْمُحْصَنٰتُ ‘‘}. Abdullah bin Ayyash Makhzumi says that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered me and some young men of Quraysh, so we flogged some government slave women fifty lashes each for committing adultery. [ الموطأ، الحدود، باب ما جاء فی حد الزنا : ۱۶ ]
➐ { ذٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ:} That is, marriage to a slave woman with the mentioned conditions is only permissible when there is a fear of falling into immorality. (Qurtubi)
➑ { وَ اَنْ تَصْبِرُوْا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ:} Most of the early scholars have deduced from this that it is better not to marry a slave woman, because the children of such a married slave woman also become slaves of her owner. (Ibn Kathir)
➋ { بَعْضُكُمْ مِّنْ بَعْضٍ :} That is, you are all children of Adam (peace be upon him) and your religion is also one, so do not hesitate to marry her merely because she is a slave woman. (Shawkani)
➌ { فَانْكِحُوْهُنَّ۠ بِاِذْنِ اَهْلِهِنَّ:} That is, just as the permission of a guardian (wali) is necessary for marrying a free Muslim woman, similarly, the permission of the owner is necessary for marrying a slave woman. Likewise, a slave man cannot marry without his owner's permission.
➍ { وَ اٰتُوْهُنَّ اُجُوْرَهُنَّ :} Some have understood from these words that the dowry (mahr) is the right of the slave woman, but according to most of the early scholars, this dowry belongs to the owner of the slave woman; the attribution of the dowry to the slave woman is figurative. (Fath al-Qadeer)
➎ { وَ لَا مُتَّخِذٰتِ اَخْدَانٍ: ”اَخْدَانٍ“ ’’خِدْنٌ ‘‘} is the plural of "secret companion." Secret relationships have been forbidden, so witnesses are necessary in marriage.
➏ { نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنٰتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ: ”الْمُحْصَنٰتُ“ } contains the definite article of specification, by which specific muhsanat (i.e., virgin free women) are meant, because their punishment is one hundred lashes, which can be halved. The punishment for married free women is stoning, which cannot be halved, nor are {”الْمُحْصَنٰتُ“} meant here; that is, if slave women commit adultery after marriage, they will receive half the punishment of virgin free women, which is fifty lashes. Those who have used this verse as evidence to deny stoning, arguing that since stoning cannot be halved, therefore stoning is not part of the Shariah, have misunderstood the meaning of the definite article and have not understood the correct intent of {’’ الْمُحْصَنٰتُ ‘‘}. Abdullah bin Ayyash Makhzumi says that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered me and some young men of Quraysh, so we flogged some government slave women fifty lashes each for committing adultery. [ الموطأ، الحدود، باب ما جاء فی حد الزنا : ۱۶ ]
➐ { ذٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ:} That is, marriage to a slave woman with the mentioned conditions is only permissible when there is a fear of falling into immorality. (Qurtubi)
➑ { وَ اَنْ تَصْبِرُوْا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ:} Most of the early scholars have deduced from this that it is better not to marry a slave woman, because the children of such a married slave woman also become slaves of her owner. (Ibn Kathir)
