Verses 19–23
4. An-Nisaa · The Women
Madinan176 verses
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَرِثُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ كَرْهًۭا ۖ وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا۟ بِبَعْضِ مَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَٰحِشَةٍۢ مُّبَيِّنَةٍۢ ۚ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًۭا كَثِيرًۭا
4:19O you who have faith! It is not lawful for you to inherit women forcibly, and do not press them to take away part of what you have given them, unless they commit a gross indecency. Consort with them in an honourable manner; and should you dislike them, maybe you dislike something while Allah invests it with an abundant good.1
وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍۢ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍۢ وَءَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارًۭا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ بُهْتَٰنًۭا وَإِثْمًۭا مُّبِينًۭا
4:20If you desire to take a wife in place of another, and you have given one of them a quintal [of gold], do not take anything away from it. Would you take it by way of calumny and flagrant sin?!2
وَكَيْفَ تَأْخُذُونَهُۥ وَقَدْ أَفْضَىٰ بَعْضُكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ وَأَخَذْنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظًۭا
4:21How could you take it back, when you have known each other, and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?3
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ مَا نَكَحَ ءَابَآؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةًۭ وَمَقْتًۭا وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا
4:22Do not marry any of the women whom your fathers had married, excluding what is already past. That is indeed an indecency, an outrage and an evil course.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمْ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمْ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمْ تَكُونُوا۟ دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبْنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَٰبِكُمْ وَأَن تَجْمَعُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
4:23Forbidden to you are your mothers, your daughters and your sisters, your paternal aunts and your maternal aunts, your brother’s daughters and your sister’s daughters, your [foster-]mothers who have suckled you and your sisters through fosterage, your wives’ mothers, and your stepdaughters who are under your care [born] of the wives whom you have gone into—but if you have not gone into them there is no sin upon you—and the wives of your sons who are from your own loins, and that you should marry two sisters at one time—excluding what is already past; indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful—
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 19
1.In the time of ignorance, a few unjust methods were customarily in force. (i) Stepson or daughter put the cloth on the head of their father’s legal wife and inherited the property of their stepmother. (ii) They possessed the whole property of their stepmother and deprived her from the inheritance. (iii) They did not allow her for remarriage. They fell suspicion that she would lake away all the property with her. (iv) They allowed her to remarry if she was restrained from taking away any possession and to leave the premises. (v) They were very strict with her. They forced her to give up the portion and return them back to get rid of. But the law of Islam forbade all these methods and decided that this kind of force is not compulsory and they should not do any sinful act. Islam says – Be social with them and do not oppress them or force them.
Verse 20
2.The branch of knowledge in Islam is not distinct from other branches. Each branch of knowledge is connected to other branches and at this juncture. The Holy Quran draws our attention to the question of marriage and property. Bond of marriage is also another matter of discussion and there are some distinguishing features and that is why its contracts or agreements are very heavy and stem. For any other contract, it is the bargaining of materials by materials and goods by goods while in marriage, it construes the bargaining of human by human or bargaining of soul by soul, and its sanctity is far greater than other matters.
Verse 21
3.The Islamic marriage is a contract like other contracts but it has some special characteristics that are not found in other contracts and that is why its agreement is very strict and solemn. In other contracts goods are exchanged for goods or property is exchanged for property, in marriage it is the transaction of the soul with a soul and a transaction of a human being with a human being.
Verse 22
4.What a bestial mode of life it is, when a son acts sinfully with his stepmother as his wife. Islam looks down upon this act as disdain. In the past, it was a time when Yazeed, a drunkard was having sexual relation with his stepmothers. People selected him as their king and paid homage to him. At the time, sacrifice was needed to save Islam and the Holy Quran. It was chiefly due to the timely sacrifice of Imam Hussain (a.s.) that Islam has survived and infidelity has not acquired the grab of Islam.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
When Arabs wanted to leave a woman and marry another, they used to falsely occur the former for unchastity so that she would even pay some amount to free herself, which can be used to pay the dower of the new bride. Islam has denounced this act of false allegation to be a greater sin.
- 2
Afza means mixing together or the merging of two entities into one whole, normally referred to as ‘entering’ in common parlance. The Holy Quran has expressed it in a beautiful way how the woman has given herself completely to man. And how man is looking for a chance to deprive her of some petty amount that she deserves. How shameful!
Benefit: It must be clarified that even though the command of ayat number 20 is a supposition, the law is general and the example is given only to bring out the actual conditions during the period of ignorance.
- 3
This is the difference between the mother-in-law and step-daughter. As soon as one marries the wife’s mother becomes haraam for him forever. However, this is not the case with stepdaughter. She becomes haraam only when the marriage is consummated. If a man divorces a woman before he has consummated their marriage, he can also marry the step-daughter.