سُوْرَةُ الْقَصَصِ
Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 27
قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ٱبْنَتَىَّ هَـٰتَيْنِ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَأْجُرَنِى ثَمَـٰنِىَ حِجَجٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِندِكَ ۖ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ ۚ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ﴿27﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you, on condition that you serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, it will be (a favour) from you. But I intend not to place you under a difficulty. If Allâh wills, you will find me one of the righteous."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
إِنِّىٓ
innī
Indeed, I
أُرِيدُ
urīdu
[I] wish
أَنْ
an
to
أُنكِحَكَ
unkiḥaka
marry you to
إِحْدَى
iḥ'dā
one
ٱبْنَتَىَّ
ib'natayya
(of) my daughters
هَـٰتَيْنِ
hātayni
(of) these two
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
on
أَن
an
that
تَأْجُرَنِى
tajuranī
you serve me
ثَمَـٰنِىَ
thamāniya
(for) eight
حِجَجٍۢ ۖ
ḥijajin
years
فَإِنْ
fa-in
but if
أَتْمَمْتَ
atmamta
you complete
عَشْرًۭا
ʿashran
ten
فَمِنْ
famin
then from
عِندِكَ ۖ
ʿindika
you
وَمَآ
wamā
And not
أُرِيدُ
urīdu
I wish
أَنْ
an
to
أَشُقَّ
ashuqqa
make it difficult
عَلَيْكَ ۚ
ʿalayka
for you
سَتَجِدُنِىٓ
satajidunī
You will find me
إِن
in
if
شَآءَ
shāa
Allah wills
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah wills
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
l-ṣāliḥīna
the righteous
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.
He (Shu‘ayb) said, "I wish to marry one of these two daughters of mine to you, on the condition that you serve me for eight years. But if you complete ten, it will be out of your own goodwill. I do not wish to make things difficult for you. If Allah wills, you will find me to be a man of fair dealings."
[37]
The Condition of Marriage with the Girl:
The father also agreed with the opinion of the girls. But now the difficulty was that there was not enough comfort in the house to keep Musa (peace be upon him) employed on a monthly salary. And an even greater difficulty was how to keep a young man as an employee in the house when there were also two young girls present. After mutual consultation with the girls, one day he asked Musa (peace be upon him) whether it would be possible for him to marry one of these two girls to him, and that after marriage, he would stay with me and take care of all the household work. And after marriage, he should stay with me for at least eight years. And if he extended this period from eight years to ten years, it would be his kindness. On my part, there would be no compulsion for this additional period. And, God willing, I would try to handle this matter in the best possible manner and would not take any hard service from you. Nor would you see any kind of harshness in me.
Was the Eight Years of Service as Dowry?
At this point, some people have raised the question of whether a father can take compensation himself in exchange for his daughter's mahr (dower) or not. In our opinion, this question is a confusion of issues. Here, there are not one but two matters. One is the matter of marriage. The other is the matter of taking care of the household after marriage. That is, Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) only set the condition that after marriage, you would not leave with your wife, but would stay with me for at least eight years. At that time, the house would be yours just as it is mine. This question could only arise if, after the period of eight or ten years, Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) married his daughter to Musa (peace be upon him). His compulsion was that how could a stranger stay in a house with girls. Therefore, by marrying him quickly, he could be kept in the house. As for the issue of the marriage mahr (dower), it could be very little, even as little as an iron ring, and such a mahr (dower) could be paid even by a traveler.
[37]
The Condition of Marriage with the Girl:
The father also agreed with the opinion of the girls. But now the difficulty was that there was not enough comfort in the house to keep Musa (peace be upon him) employed on a monthly salary. And an even greater difficulty was how to keep a young man as an employee in the house when there were also two young girls present. After mutual consultation with the girls, one day he asked Musa (peace be upon him) whether it would be possible for him to marry one of these two girls to him, and that after marriage, he would stay with me and take care of all the household work. And after marriage, he should stay with me for at least eight years. And if he extended this period from eight years to ten years, it would be his kindness. On my part, there would be no compulsion for this additional period. And, God willing, I would try to handle this matter in the best possible manner and would not take any hard service from you. Nor would you see any kind of harshness in me.
Was the Eight Years of Service as Dowry?
At this point, some people have raised the question of whether a father can take compensation himself in exchange for his daughter's mahr (dower) or not. In our opinion, this question is a confusion of issues. Here, there are not one but two matters. One is the matter of marriage. The other is the matter of taking care of the household after marriage. That is, Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) only set the condition that after marriage, you would not leave with your wife, but would stay with me for at least eight years. At that time, the house would be yours just as it is mine. This question could only arise if, after the period of eight or ten years, Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) married his daughter to Musa (peace be upon him). His compulsion was that how could a stranger stay in a house with girls. Therefore, by marrying him quickly, he could be kept in the house. As for the issue of the marriage mahr (dower), it could be very little, even as little as an iron ring, and such a mahr (dower) could be paid even by a traveler.
