An-Nisa 4:23
The Women · Juz 4 · Page 81
حُرِّمَتۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمۡ وَبَنَاتُكُمۡ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمۡ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمۡ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمۡ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلۡأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلۡأُخۡتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِيٓ أَرۡضَعۡنَكُمۡ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمۡ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِي فِي حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِي دَخَلۡتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمۡ تَكُونُواْ دَخَلۡتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبۡنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۡ أَصۡلَٰبِكُمۡ وَأَن تَجۡمَعُواْ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡأُخۡتَيۡنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدۡ سَلَفَۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا ٢٣
Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred.1 Indeed, Allāh is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
1 translator’s note
- See previous footnote. ↩
Tafsir · in Arabic
Al-Jalalayn
Brief · The traditional first tafsir: a few words per phrase.
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Commentary on 4:23
﴿حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهاتكُمْ﴾ أنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ وشَمِلَتْ الجَدّات مِن قِبَل الأَب أوْ الأُمّ ﴿وبَناتكُمْ﴾ وشَمِلَتْ بَنات الأَوْلاد وإنْ سَفَلْنَ ﴿وأَخَواتكُمْ﴾ مِن جِهَة الأَب أوْ الأُمّ ﴿وعَمّاتكُمْ﴾ أيْ أخَوات آبائِكُمْ وأَجْدادكُمْ ﴿وخالاتكُمْ﴾ أيْ أخَوات أُمَّهاتكُمْ وجَدّاتكُمْ ﴿وبَنات الأَخ وبَنات الأُخْت﴾ ويَدْخُل فِيهِنَّ أوْلادهمْ ﴿وأُمَّهاتكُمْ اللّاتِي أرْضَعْنَكُمْ﴾ قَبْل اسْتِكْمال الحَوْلَيْنِ خَمْس رَضَعات كَما بَيَّنَهُ الحَدِيث ﴿وأَخَواتكُمْ مِن الرَّضاعَة﴾ ويُلْحَق بِذَلِكَ بِالسُّنَّةِ البَنات مِنها وهُنَّ مَن أرْضَعَتْهُمْ مَوْطُوءَته والعَمّات والخالات وبَنات الأَخ وبَنات الأُخْت مِنها لِحَدِيثِ (يَحْرُم مِن الرَّضاع ما يَحْرُم مِن النَّسَب) رَواهُ البُخارِيّ ومُسْلِم ﴿وأُمَّهات نِسائِكُمْ ورَبائِبكُمْ﴾ جَمْع رَبِيبَة وهِيَ بِنْت الزَّوْجَة مِن غَيْره ﴿اللّاتِي فِي حُجُوركُمْ﴾ تُرَبُّونَهُنَّ صِفَة مُوافِقَة لِلْغالِبِ فَلا مَفْهُوم لَها ﴿مِن نِسائِكُمْ اللّاتِي دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ﴾ أيْ جامَعْتُمُوهُنَّ ﴿فَإنْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ فَلا جُناح عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ فِي نِكاح بَناتهنَّ إذا فارَقْتُمُوهُنَّ ﴿وحَلائِل﴾ أزْواج ﴿أبْنائِكُمْ الَّذِينَ مِن أصْلابكُمْ﴾ بِخِلافِ مَن تَبَنَّيْتُمُوهُمْ فَلَكُمْ نِكاح حَلائِلهمْ ﴿وأَنْ تَجْمَعُوا بَيْن الأُخْتَيْنِ﴾ مِن نَسَب أوْ رَضاع بِالنِّكاحِ ويُلْحَق بِهِما بِالسُّنَّةِ الجَمْع بَيْنها وبَيْن عَمَّتها أوْ خالَتها ويَجُوز نِكاح كُلّ واحِدَة عَلى الِانْفِراد ومِلْكهما مَعًا ويَطَأ واحِدَة ﴿إلّا﴾ لَكِنْ ﴿ما قَدْ سَلَفَ﴾ فِي الجاهِلِيَّة مِن نِكاحهمْ بَعْض ما ذُكِرَ فَلا جُناح عَلَيْكُمْ فِيهِ ﴿إنّ اللَّه كانَ غَفُورًا﴾ لِما سَلَفَ مِنكُمْ قَبْل النَّهْي ﴿رَحِيمًا﴾ بِكُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ
Page 81
4:20
وَإِنۡ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسۡتِبۡدَالَ زَوۡجٖ مَّكَانَ زَوۡجٖ وَءَاتَيۡتُمۡ إِحۡدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارٗا فَلَا تَأۡخُذُواْ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـًٔاۚ أَتَأۡخُذُونَهُۥ بُهۡتَٰنٗا وَإِثۡمٗا مُّبِينٗا ٢٠
But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin?
4:21
وَكَيۡفَ تَأۡخُذُونَهُۥ وَقَدۡ أَفۡضَىٰ بَعۡضُكُمۡ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ وَأَخَذۡنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظٗا ٢١
And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?
4:22
وَلَا تَنكِحُواْ مَا نَكَحَ ءَابَآؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا قَدۡ سَلَفَۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةٗ وَمَقۡتٗا وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا ٢٢
And do not marry those [women] whom your fathers married, except what has already occurred.1 Indeed, it was an immorality and hateful [to Allāh] and was evil as a way.
1 translator’s note
- Before Islām. After the ruling was revealed by Allāh, men were required to release those women unlawful to them (e.g., a stepmother, one of two sisters, or any wives over the limit of four). The same obligation applies to one once he has accepted Islām. ↩
4:23
حُرِّمَتۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمۡ وَبَنَاتُكُمۡ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمۡ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمۡ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمۡ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلۡأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلۡأُخۡتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِيٓ أَرۡضَعۡنَكُمۡ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمۡ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِي فِي حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِي دَخَلۡتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمۡ تَكُونُواْ دَخَلۡتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبۡنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۡ أَصۡلَٰبِكُمۡ وَأَن تَجۡمَعُواْ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡأُخۡتَيۡنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدۡ سَلَفَۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا ٢٣
Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred.1 Indeed, Allāh is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
1 translator’s note
- See previous footnote. ↩