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Ayah
Word by Word
يُرِيدُ
Wishes
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لِيُبَيِّنَ
to make clear
لَكُمۡ
to you
وَيَهۡدِيَكُمۡ
and to guide you
سُنَنَ
(to) ways
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those
مِن
from
قَبۡلِكُمۡ
before you
وَيَتُوبَ
and (to) accept repentance
عَلَيۡكُمۡۗ
from you
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلِيمٌ
(is) All-Knowing
حَكِيمٞ
All-Wise
يُرِيدُ
Wishes
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لِيُبَيِّنَ
to make clear
لَكُمۡ
to you
وَيَهۡدِيَكُمۡ
and to guide you
سُنَنَ
(to) ways
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those
مِن
from
قَبۡلِكُمۡ
before you
وَيَتُوبَ
and (to) accept repentance
عَلَيۡكُمۡۗ
from you
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلِيمٌ
(is) All-Knowing
حَكِيمٞ
All-Wise
Translation
Allāh wants to make clear to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And Allāh is Knowing and Wise.
Tafsir
God desires to make clear to you, the laws of your religion and what is in your best interests, and to guide you in the ways, the paths, of those, prophets, before you, in the way of what is lawful and what is unlawful, so that you might follow them, and to turn [in forgiveness] towards you, bringing you back from the disobedience which you practised, to obedience to Him; God is Knowing, of you, Wise, in what He has ordained for you.
"Marrying a Female Slave, if One Cannot Marry a Free Woman
Allah said,
وَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ
And whoever of you have not,
Allah said, those who do not have,
مِنكُمْ طَوْلاً
the means,
financial capability,
أَن يَنكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُوْمِنَاتِ
Wherewith to wed free believing women,
meaning, free faithful, chaste women.
فَمِن مِّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُم مِّن فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُوْمِنَاتِ
They may wed believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess,
meaning, they are allowed to wed believing slave girls owned by the believers.
وَاللّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِكُمْ بَعْضُكُم مِّن بَعْضٍ
and Allah has full knowledge about your faith; you are one from another.
Allah knows the true reality and secrets of all things, but you people know only the apparent things.
Allah then said,
فَانكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ
Wed them with the permission of their own folk,
indicating that the owner is responsible for the slave girl, and consequently, she cannot marry without his permission. The owner is also responsible for his male slave and they cannot wed without his permission.
A Hadith states,
أَيُّمَا عَبْدٍتَزَوَّجَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ مَوَالِيهِ فَهُوَ عَاهِر
Any male slave who marries without permission from his master, is a fornicator.
When the owner of the female slave is a female, those who are allowed to give away the free woman in marriage, with her permission, become responsible for giving away her female slave in marriage, as well.
A Hadith states that;
لَاا تُزَوِّجِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْمَرْأَةَ وَلَاا الْمَرْأَةُ نَفْسَهَا فَإِنَّ الزَّانِيَةَ هِيَ الَّتِي تُزَوِّجُ نَفْسَهَا
The woman does not give away another woman, or herself in marriage, for only the adulteress gives herself away in marriage.
Allah's statement,
وَاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
And give them their due in a good manner;
meaning, pay them their dowry with a good heart, and do not keep any of it, belittling the matter due to the fact that they are owned slaves.
Allah's statement,
مُحْصَنَاتٍ
they should be chaste,
means, they are honorable women who do not commit adultery, and this is why Allah said,
غَيْرَ مُسَافِحَاتٍ
not fornicators,
referring to dishonorable women, who do not refrain from illicit sexual relations with those who ask.
Ibn Abbas said that;
the fornicating women are the whores, who do not object to having relations with whomever seeks it, while,
وَلَا مُتَّخِذَاتِ أَخْدَانٍ
nor promiscuous.
refers to taking boyfriends.
Similar was said by Abu Hurayrah, Mujahid, Ash-Sha`bi, Ad-Dahhak, Ata Al-Khurasani, Yahya bin Abi Kathir, Muqatil bin Hayyan and As-Suddi.
The Slave Girl's Punishment for Adultery is Half that of a Free Unmarried Woman
Allah said,
فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ
And after they have been taken in wedlock, if they commit Fahishah, their punishment is half of that for free (unmarried) women.
this is about the slave women who got married, as indicated by the Ayah;
وَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنكُمْ طَوْلاً أَن يَنكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُوْمِنَاتِ فَمِن مِّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُم مِّن فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُوْمِنَاتِ
And whoever of you have not the means wherewith to wed free believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess.
Therefore, since the honorable Ayah is about believing slave girls, then,
فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ
(And after they have been taken in wedlock), refers to when they (believing slave girls) get married, as Ibn Abbas and others have said.
Allah's statement,
نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ
their punishment is half of that for free (unmarried) women.
indicates that the type of punishment prescribed here is the one that can be reduced to half, lashes in this case, not stoning to death, and Allah knows best.
Allah's statement,
ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ الْعَنَتَ مِنْكُمْ
This is for him among you who is afraid of being harmed in his religion or in his body;
indicates that marrying slave girls, providing one satisfies the required conditions, is for those who fear for their chastity and find it hard to be patient and refrain from sex.
In this difficult circumstance, one is allowed to marry a slave girl. However, it is better to refrain from marrying slave girls and to observe patience, for otherwise, the offspring will become slaves to the girl's master.
Allah said,
وَأَن تَصْبِرُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
but it is better for you that you practice self-restraint, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Allah says;
يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ
Allah wishes to make clear (what is lawful and what is unlawful) to you,
Allah explains to the believers what He has allowed and prohibited for them in this and other Surahs.
وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ
And to show you the ways of those before you,
meaning their righteous ways and how to adhere to the commandments that He likes and is pleased with.
وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ
and accept your repentance.
from sin and error
وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
and Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.
in His commands, decrees, actions and statements.
Allah's statement
وَاللّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ
Allah wishes to accept your repentance,
وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَن تَمِيلُواْ مَيْلً عَظِيمًا
but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away (from the right path).
indicates that the followers of Shaytan among the Jews, Christians and the adulterous, wish that you would take the horrendous path of falsehood instead of the truth.
يُرِيدُ اللّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ
Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you,
His legislation, orders, what He prohibits and what He decrees for you.
This is why Allah has allowed free men to marry slave girls under certain conditions, as Mujahid and others have stated.
وَخُلِقَ الاِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
and man was created weak.
and this is why it is suitable in his case that the commands are made easy for him, because of his weakness and feebleness.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Tawus said that,
وَخُلِقَ الاِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
(and man was created weak),
""Concerning women.""
Waki said,
""Man's mind leaves when women are involved."""
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