Surah 33. Al-Ahzab, Ayah 50
| يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللَّاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّاتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالَاتِكَ اللَّاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَنْ يَسْتَنْكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۗ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ لِكَيْلَا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا |
| Asad | : | O PROPHET! Behold, We have made lawful to thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowers,57 as well as those whom thy right hand has come to possess from among the captives of war whom God has bestowed upon thee.58 And [We have made lawful to thee] the daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with thee [to Yathrib];59 and any believing woman who offers herself freely to the Prophet and whom the Prophet might be willing to wed:60 [this latter being but] a privilege for thee, and not for other believers- [seeing that] We have already made known what We have enjoined upon them with regard to their wives and those whom their right hands may possess.61 [And] in order that thou be not burdened with [undue] anxiety - for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace- |
| Malik | : | O Prophet! We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have given their dowers; and those ladies whom your right hands possess (from the prisoners of war) whom Allah has assigned to you; and the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with you; and the believing woman who gave herself to the Prophet if the Prophet desires to marry her - this permission is only for you and not for the other believers; We know what restrictions We have imposed on the other believers concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess. We have granted you this privilege as an exception so that no blame may be attached to you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. |
| Pickthall | : | O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war, and the daughters of thine uncle on the father's side and the daughters of thine aunts on the father's side, and the daughters of thine uncles on the mother's side emigrated with thee, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage, a privilege for thee only, not for the (rest of) believers. We are aware of that which We enjoined upon them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess that thou mayst be free from blame, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | O prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts who migrated (from Mecca) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her this only for thee and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess in order that there should be no difficulty for Thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. 3741 3742 3743 3744 3745 3746 3747 3748 |
| Transliteration | : | Ya ayyuha alnnabiyyu inna ahlalna laka azwajaka allatee atayta ojoorahunna wama malakat yameenuka mimma afaa Allahu AAalayka wabanati AAammika wabanati AAammatika wabanati khalika wabanati khalatika allatee hajarna maAAaka waimraatan muminatan in wahabat nafsaha lilnnabiyyi in arada alnnabiyyu an yastankihaha khalisatan laka min dooni almumineena qad AAalimna ma faradna AAalayhim fee azwajihim wama malakat aymanuhum likayla yakoona AAalayka harajun wakana Allahu ghafooran raheeman |
Note - 57The term ajr is in this context synonymous with faridah
in its specific sense of "dower" (mahr): see surah {2},
note [224].
|
Note - 58As pointed out in several places (see, in particular,
note [32] on 4:25), Islam does not countenance any form
of concubinage, and categorically prohibits sexual
relations between a man and a woman unless they are
lawfully married to one another. In this respect, the
only difference between a "free" woman and a slave is
that whereas the former must receive a dower from her
husband, no such obligation is imposed on a man who
marries his rightfully owned slave (lit., "one whom his
right hand possesses") - that is, a woman taken captive
in a "holy war" (jihad ) waged in defence of the Faith or
of liberty (note [167] on 2:190 and note [72] on
8:67) - : for, in such a case, the freedom conferred
upon the bride by the very act of marriage is considered
to be equivalent to a dower.
|
Note - 59This was - in addition to his not being allowed to
divorce any of his wives (see verse {52} below) - a
further restriction imposed on the Prophet in the matter
of marriage: whereas all other Muslims are free to marry
any of their paternal or maternal cousins, the Prophet
was allowed to marry only such from among them as had
proved their strong, early attachment to Islam by having
accompanied him on his exodus (the hijrah) from Mecca to
Medina. In the opinion of Baghawi - an opinion obviously
based on the corresponding, ancient Arabian usage - the
term "daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts"
comprises in this context not only the actual paternal
cousins but, in general, all women of the tribe of
Quraysh, to which Muhammad's father belonged, while the
term "daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts"
comprises all women of his mother's tribe, the Banu
Zuhrah.
|
Note - 60The relevant clause reads, literally, "if she offered
herself as a gift (in wahabat nafsaha) to the Prophet".
Most of the classical commentators take this to mean
"without demanding or expecting a dower (mahr)", which,
as far as ordinary Muslims are concerned, is an essential
item in a marriage agreement (cf. 4:4 and {24}, and the
corresponding notes; also surah {2}, note [224]).
|
Note - 61The above parenthetic sentence refers to the previously
revealed, general laws relating to marriage (see 2:221,
{4:3-4} and {19-25}, as well as the corresponding notes;
also surah {2}, note {224}).
|
Note - 3741This introduces no new exemption or privilege. Verses
50-52 merely declare the points in which, on account of
the special circumstances (see n. 3706 above), the
Prophet's marriages differed from those of ordinary
Muslims. This is considered under four heads, which we
shall examine in the four notes following.
|
Note - 3742Head 1. Marriage with dower (iv. 4): this is the
universal Muslim marriage. The difference in the
Prophet's case was that there was no limitation to the
number of four (iv. 3), and women of the People of the
Book (v. 6) were not among his wives, but only Believers.
These points are not expressly mentioned here, but are
inferred by his actual practice. Obviously women who are
expected to instruct other women in Islam must be
Muslims.
|
Note - 3743Head 2. Women Prisoners of War: the same remark as in the
last note.
|
Note - 3744Head 3. These are first cousins, and not within the
Prohibited Degrees of Marriage (see iv. 23-24). These are
specially mentioned here by way of limitation. None of
them could marry the Prophet unless she had performed the
Hijrat with him.
|
Note - 3745Head 4. A believing woman who gives herself to the
Prophet: obviously this case, like the last, is only
applicable to the Prophet, and it is hedged round with
the limitation that the Prophet considers it suitable.
|
Note - 3746The ordinary law of Muslim marriage will be found chiefly
in ii. 221-235, iv. 19-25, iv. 34-35, and v. 6.
|
Note - 3747The words "this only for thee ... right hands possess"
are parenthetical, and the words "in order that..."
connect on with the previous clauses beginning with "O
Prophet, We have made lawful .... wishes to wed her".
|
Note - 3748Marriage is an important relationship not only in our
physical life, but in our moral and spiritual life, and
its effects extend not only to the parties themselves but
to children and future generations, A number of special
problems arise according to special circumstances. Every
man and woman must seriously consider all sides of the
question and must do the best in his or her power to
temper instincts and inclinations with wisdom and
guidance from Allah. Allah wishes to make every one's
path easy, for He is indeed "Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful".
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
The term ajr is in this context synonymous with faridah in its specific sense of "dower" (mahr): see surah {2}, note [224]. |
| |
As pointed out in several places (see, in particular, note [32] on 4:25), Islam does not countenance any form of concubinage, and categorically prohibits sexual relations between a man and a woman unless they are lawfully married to one another. In this respect, the only difference between a "free" woman and a slave is that whereas the former must receive a dower from her husband, no such obligation is imposed on a man who marries his rightfully owned slave (lit., "one whom his right hand possesses") - that is, a woman taken captive in a "holy war" (jihad ) waged in defence of the Faith or of liberty (note [167] on 2:190 and note [72] on 8:67) - : for, in such a case, the freedom conferred upon the bride by the very act of marriage is considered to be equivalent to a dower. |
| |
This was - in addition to his not being allowed to divorce any of his wives (see verse {52} below) - a further restriction imposed on the Prophet in the matter of marriage: whereas all other Muslims are free to marry any of their paternal or maternal cousins, the Prophet was allowed to marry only such from among them as had proved their strong, early attachment to Islam by having accompanied him on his exodus (the hijrah) from Mecca to Medina. In the opinion of Baghawi - an opinion obviously based on the corresponding, ancient Arabian usage - the term "daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts" comprises in this context not only the actual paternal cousins but, in general, all women of the tribe of Quraysh, to which Muhammad's father belonged, while the term "daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts" comprises all women of his mother's tribe, the Banu Zuhrah. |
| |
The relevant clause reads, literally, "if she offered herself as a gift (in wahabat nafsaha) to the Prophet". Most of the classical commentators take this to mean "without demanding or expecting a dower (mahr)", which, as far as ordinary Muslims are concerned, is an essential item in a marriage agreement (cf. 4:4 and {24}, and the corresponding notes; also surah {2}, note [224]). |
| |
The above parenthetic sentence refers to the previously revealed, general laws relating to marriage (see 2:221, {4:3-4} and {19-25}, as well as the corresponding notes; also surah {2}, note {224}). |
| |
This introduces no new exemption or privilege. Verses 50-52 merely declare the points in which, on account of the special circumstances (see n. 3706 above), the Prophet's marriages differed from those of ordinary Muslims. This is considered under four heads, which we shall examine in the four notes following. |
| |
Head 1. Marriage with dower (iv. 4): this is the universal Muslim marriage. The difference in the Prophet's case was that there was no limitation to the number of four (iv. 3), and women of the People of the Book (v. 6) were not among his wives, but only Believers. These points are not expressly mentioned here, but are inferred by his actual practice. Obviously women who are expected to instruct other women in Islam must be Muslims. |
| |
Head 3. These are first cousins, and not within the Prohibited Degrees of Marriage (see iv. 23-24). These are specially mentioned here by way of limitation. None of them could marry the Prophet unless she had performed the Hijrat with him. |
| |
Head 4. A believing woman who gives herself to the Prophet: obviously this case, like the last, is only applicable to the Prophet, and it is hedged round with the limitation that the Prophet considers it suitable. |
| |
The ordinary law of Muslim marriage will be found chiefly in ii. 221-235, iv. 19-25, iv. 34-35, and v. 6. |
| |
The words "this only for thee ... right hands possess" are parenthetical, and the words "in order that..." connect on with the previous clauses beginning with "O Prophet, We have made lawful .... wishes to wed her". |
| |
Marriage is an important relationship not only in our physical life, but in our moral and spiritual life, and its effects extend not only to the parties themselves but to children and future generations, A number of special problems arise according to special circumstances. Every man and woman must seriously consider all sides of the question and must do the best in his or her power to temper instincts and inclinations with wisdom and guidance from Allah. Allah wishes to make every one's path easy, for He is indeed "Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful". |
