سُوْرَةُ النُّوْرِ
Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 32
وَأَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْأَيَـٰمَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَآئِكُمْ ۚ إِن يَكُونُوا۟ فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿32﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَأَنكِحُوا۟
wa-ankiḥū
And marry
ٱلْأَيَـٰمَىٰ
l-ayāmā
the single
مِنكُمْ
minkum
among you
وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
wal-ṣāliḥīna
and the righteous
مِنْ
min
among
عِبَادِكُمْ
ʿibādikum
your male slaves
وَإِمَآئِكُمْ ۚ
wa-imāikum
and your female slaves
إِن
in
If
يَكُونُوا۟
yakūnū
they are
فُقَرَآءَ
fuqarāa
poor
يُغْنِهِمُ
yugh'nihimu
Allah will enrich them
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah will enrich them
مِن
min
from
فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ
faḍlihi
His Bounty
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
وَٰسِعٌ
wāsiʿun
(is) All-Encompassing
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
All-Knowing
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.
32. And marry off those among you who are single [50], and the righteous among your male and female slaves who are fit for marriage [51]. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty [52]. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.
The Literal Meaning of Ayaami:
For purification from the immoralities of society, it is also necessary that none among you, whether man or woman, remains without a spouse. Marry off all such individuals. Ayaami is the plural of Ayyim, and it is used in a very broad sense. It refers to those men whose wives have died or whom they have divorced and who remain single, and also to those women who are widows or divorced and remain single. It also includes those unmarried men and women who, after reaching maturity, have not married for a long time. Therefore, the meaning of this word is simply to remain single. The guardians of such single individuals are being given this command. Thus, once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed Ali ؓ and said: "Ali! Do not delay in three things: the obligatory prayer when its time comes, the burial of a deceased when the body is present, and the marriage of a widow when a suitable match is found." [ترمذی۔ ابواب الصلوۃ۔ باب ماجاء فی الوقت الاول من الفصل]
The Command for the Marriage of Single Individuals:
In our society, the marriage of single men or women is generally considered objectionable. And if someone musters the courage to get married, he is subjected to taunts and criticism, or at the very least, people raise their eyebrows at his action, questioning why he needed to marry when he already has children. They should understand that such an attitude is tantamount to mocking the verses of Allah. There are several reasons for this custom. The biggest reason is being impressed by Western culture, where the law of monogamy prevails, all avenues of immorality and unlawful acts are open, and these people want the same here. The second reason is that sometimes children obstruct the marriage of their single father or widowed mother, and the main reason for this is usually that if children are born, they will become heirs to the inheritance, or it is due to a false sense of honor. The third reason is the propaganda of those who advocate family planning, and for this reason, the encouragement to remain single for a long time after maturity is given. All these reasons together have created such an environment where all facilities are available for unlawful acts, but acting upon lawful deeds has been made very difficult. Incidentally, from this verse, it is also understood that a woman's marriage is not valid without a guardian, regardless of her age. And this matter is mentioned in detail in the hadiths. Thus, Aisha ؓ says that any woman who marries without a guardian, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid. [ترمذی۔ ابواب النکاح۔ باب لا نکاح الا بولی]
Therefore, the guardians are being commanded to marry off single people. And it is also understood that here the imperative form is not for obligation, meaning it is not obligatory upon society, the Islamic government, or the guardians to forcibly marry off every single individual in society. Rather, this command is for recommendation, because there may be obstacles to marriage, such as not finding a suitable match or poverty, etc. However, it is better for the members of society to cooperate as much as possible in the marriage of single people. And for those whose circumstances are not suitable for marriage, the Prophet ﷺ has commanded them to fast. Thus, Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that we were a group of young men in the service of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we had nothing (for marriage). So he instructed us: "O young men! Whoever among you has the ability to support a family should marry, for marriage is the best means of lowering the gaze and protecting the private parts, and whoever cannot do so should fast, for fasting will be a shield for him to cool his desires." [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب من لم یستطع الباءۃ فلیصم]
Also, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not permit Uthman bin Maz'un ؓ to practice celibacy (to remain single or separate from women). If he had permitted him, we would have become eunuchs. [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔باب مایکرہ من التبتل والخصاء]
[51] In the mention of slave women and men, the word "righteous" (salihin) is used, which conveys two meanings here. First, that they have the ability to maintain married life, so that after marriage they do not become negligent and all the burden falls on the owner. Second, that they are pious and wish to remain pure and avoid immorality and indecency. In any case, their owners should make every possible effort to arrange their marriage.
[52]
The Narrowness or Abundance of Sustenance Does Not Depend on Marriage:
This does not mean that whoever is needy and gets married will become wealthy and rich after marriage. Rather, it means that a person's view is limited to apparent causes, and he calculates based on these apparent causes. Whereas in this universe, besides apparent causes, there are countless hidden causes as well, which a person cannot perceive, and these causes are entirely in the power of Allah Almighty. Therefore, those who hesitate to marry because they fear how they will bear the burden of wife and children after marriage are being told not to refrain from marriage due to such imaginary fears. Your and your children's sustenance is in the hands of Allah. It is not necessary that you will become rich by remaining single, or that you will become poor and destitute after marriage. Often it happens that after marriage, due to a sense of responsibility, a person starts working hard in a way he did not before. Sometimes the wife becomes his helper in earning a livelihood. Sometimes the wife's family helps him in this regard. Sometimes avenues of earning and income open up for the man that he could not have imagined before. It is as if the children being born bring their sustenance with them, for which their father becomes the means. Therefore, be certain that the narrowness or abundance of sustenance does not depend on getting married or remaining single. Therefore, one should not avoid marriage on this basis.
The Literal Meaning of Ayaami:
For purification from the immoralities of society, it is also necessary that none among you, whether man or woman, remains without a spouse. Marry off all such individuals. Ayaami is the plural of Ayyim, and it is used in a very broad sense. It refers to those men whose wives have died or whom they have divorced and who remain single, and also to those women who are widows or divorced and remain single. It also includes those unmarried men and women who, after reaching maturity, have not married for a long time. Therefore, the meaning of this word is simply to remain single. The guardians of such single individuals are being given this command. Thus, once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed Ali ؓ and said: "Ali! Do not delay in three things: the obligatory prayer when its time comes, the burial of a deceased when the body is present, and the marriage of a widow when a suitable match is found." [ترمذی۔ ابواب الصلوۃ۔ باب ماجاء فی الوقت الاول من الفصل]
The Command for the Marriage of Single Individuals:
In our society, the marriage of single men or women is generally considered objectionable. And if someone musters the courage to get married, he is subjected to taunts and criticism, or at the very least, people raise their eyebrows at his action, questioning why he needed to marry when he already has children. They should understand that such an attitude is tantamount to mocking the verses of Allah. There are several reasons for this custom. The biggest reason is being impressed by Western culture, where the law of monogamy prevails, all avenues of immorality and unlawful acts are open, and these people want the same here. The second reason is that sometimes children obstruct the marriage of their single father or widowed mother, and the main reason for this is usually that if children are born, they will become heirs to the inheritance, or it is due to a false sense of honor. The third reason is the propaganda of those who advocate family planning, and for this reason, the encouragement to remain single for a long time after maturity is given. All these reasons together have created such an environment where all facilities are available for unlawful acts, but acting upon lawful deeds has been made very difficult. Incidentally, from this verse, it is also understood that a woman's marriage is not valid without a guardian, regardless of her age. And this matter is mentioned in detail in the hadiths. Thus, Aisha ؓ says that any woman who marries without a guardian, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid. [ترمذی۔ ابواب النکاح۔ باب لا نکاح الا بولی]
Therefore, the guardians are being commanded to marry off single people. And it is also understood that here the imperative form is not for obligation, meaning it is not obligatory upon society, the Islamic government, or the guardians to forcibly marry off every single individual in society. Rather, this command is for recommendation, because there may be obstacles to marriage, such as not finding a suitable match or poverty, etc. However, it is better for the members of society to cooperate as much as possible in the marriage of single people. And for those whose circumstances are not suitable for marriage, the Prophet ﷺ has commanded them to fast. Thus, Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that we were a group of young men in the service of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we had nothing (for marriage). So he instructed us: "O young men! Whoever among you has the ability to support a family should marry, for marriage is the best means of lowering the gaze and protecting the private parts, and whoever cannot do so should fast, for fasting will be a shield for him to cool his desires." [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب من لم یستطع الباءۃ فلیصم]
Also, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not permit Uthman bin Maz'un ؓ to practice celibacy (to remain single or separate from women). If he had permitted him, we would have become eunuchs. [بخاری۔ کتاب النکاح۔باب مایکرہ من التبتل والخصاء]
[51] In the mention of slave women and men, the word "righteous" (salihin) is used, which conveys two meanings here. First, that they have the ability to maintain married life, so that after marriage they do not become negligent and all the burden falls on the owner. Second, that they are pious and wish to remain pure and avoid immorality and indecency. In any case, their owners should make every possible effort to arrange their marriage.
[52]
The Narrowness or Abundance of Sustenance Does Not Depend on Marriage:
This does not mean that whoever is needy and gets married will become wealthy and rich after marriage. Rather, it means that a person's view is limited to apparent causes, and he calculates based on these apparent causes. Whereas in this universe, besides apparent causes, there are countless hidden causes as well, which a person cannot perceive, and these causes are entirely in the power of Allah Almighty. Therefore, those who hesitate to marry because they fear how they will bear the burden of wife and children after marriage are being told not to refrain from marriage due to such imaginary fears. Your and your children's sustenance is in the hands of Allah. It is not necessary that you will become rich by remaining single, or that you will become poor and destitute after marriage. Often it happens that after marriage, due to a sense of responsibility, a person starts working hard in a way he did not before. Sometimes the wife becomes his helper in earning a livelihood. Sometimes the wife's family helps him in this regard. Sometimes avenues of earning and income open up for the man that he could not have imagined before. It is as if the children being born bring their sustenance with them, for which their father becomes the means. Therefore, be certain that the narrowness or abundance of sustenance does not depend on getting married or remaining single. Therefore, one should not avoid marriage on this basis.
