سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 6
إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿6﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are free from blame;
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِلَّا
illā
Except
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
from
أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ
azwājihim
their spouses
أَوْ
aw
or
مَا
mā
what
مَلَكَتْ
malakat
possess
أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ
aymānuhum
their right hands
فَإِنَّهُمْ
fa-innahum
then indeed, they
غَيْرُ
ghayru
(are) not
مَلُومِينَ
malūmīna
blameworthy
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
6. Except with their wives or those whom their right hands possess [6], for in their case they are not to be blamed.
[6]
Rejection of Abstaining from Marriage and Monasticism:
That is, for Muslims, there are only two ways to fulfill their sexual desires and passions. One is that they fulfill their desire with their wives, and the other is that they may fulfill it with their slave women. For slave women, the condition of marriage does not apply, and the basis for the permissibility of enjoyment with them is not marriage but ownership. From this verse, two more matters become clear. One is that monks, ascetics, or some types of Sufis consider the fulfillment of sexual desire to be bad. To the extent that marriage is considered contrary to the standards of their self-made sainthood. This is because after marriage, a person gets involved in the worries of household and children, and this becomes an obstacle in attaining the exercises of monasticism. In this verse, there is a complete refutation of the ideology of such people. Also, in the time of the Prophet, there was a tendency towards monasticism among some of the Companions. Thus, Hazrat Anas bin Malikؓ says that three men came to the houses of the wives of the Messenger of Allahﷺ and began to ask about his worship. When they were informed, they considered it little and said, "Where are we compared to the Messenger of Allahﷺ, whose past and future sins have all been forgiven?" Then one of them said, "I will always spend the whole night in prayer." The second said, "I will always fast." And the third said, "I will always keep away from women and never marry." Meanwhile, the Prophetﷺ came and asked them, "Are you the people who said such and such things? By Allah! I am the one who fears Allah the most among you and is the most pious. Yet I fast and also break my fast, I pray at night and also sleep, and I also marry women. So whoever dislikes my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب الترغیب فی النکاح]
Prohibition of a Woman Enjoying Her Male Slave:
And the second matter is that for a man, it is permissible to enjoy his slave woman, but a woman cannot enjoy her male slave. In the time of Hazrat Umarؓ, a woman enjoyed her male slave and then presented this verse as evidence. He presented this matter in the council of the Companions, and all unanimously said: «تَاَوَّلْتُ كِتَاب اللّٰهِ تَعَاليٰ خَيْرُ تَاوِيْلِه» (i.e., this woman has derived the wrong meaning from the Book of Allah), and the wisdom in prohibiting this for a woman is that a slave can fulfill the sexual desire of his mistress, but he cannot become her guardian (qawwam). Therefore, it is better for such a woman that if she wishes, she should free him and then marry him.
[6]
Rejection of Abstaining from Marriage and Monasticism:
That is, for Muslims, there are only two ways to fulfill their sexual desires and passions. One is that they fulfill their desire with their wives, and the other is that they may fulfill it with their slave women. For slave women, the condition of marriage does not apply, and the basis for the permissibility of enjoyment with them is not marriage but ownership. From this verse, two more matters become clear. One is that monks, ascetics, or some types of Sufis consider the fulfillment of sexual desire to be bad. To the extent that marriage is considered contrary to the standards of their self-made sainthood. This is because after marriage, a person gets involved in the worries of household and children, and this becomes an obstacle in attaining the exercises of monasticism. In this verse, there is a complete refutation of the ideology of such people. Also, in the time of the Prophet, there was a tendency towards monasticism among some of the Companions. Thus, Hazrat Anas bin Malikؓ says that three men came to the houses of the wives of the Messenger of Allahﷺ and began to ask about his worship. When they were informed, they considered it little and said, "Where are we compared to the Messenger of Allahﷺ, whose past and future sins have all been forgiven?" Then one of them said, "I will always spend the whole night in prayer." The second said, "I will always fast." And the third said, "I will always keep away from women and never marry." Meanwhile, the Prophetﷺ came and asked them, "Are you the people who said such and such things? By Allah! I am the one who fears Allah the most among you and is the most pious. Yet I fast and also break my fast, I pray at night and also sleep, and I also marry women. So whoever dislikes my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب الترغیب فی النکاح]
Prohibition of a Woman Enjoying Her Male Slave:
And the second matter is that for a man, it is permissible to enjoy his slave woman, but a woman cannot enjoy her male slave. In the time of Hazrat Umarؓ, a woman enjoyed her male slave and then presented this verse as evidence. He presented this matter in the council of the Companions, and all unanimously said: «تَاَوَّلْتُ كِتَاب اللّٰهِ تَعَاليٰ خَيْرُ تَاوِيْلِه» (i.e., this woman has derived the wrong meaning from the Book of Allah), and the wisdom in prohibiting this for a woman is that a slave can fulfill the sexual desire of his mistress, but he cannot become her guardian (qawwam). Therefore, it is better for such a woman that if she wishes, she should free him and then marry him.
