عَمّٰتِ
Appears 2 times in Quran
Derived Words (2)
Words derived from the stem "عَمّٰتِ".
- of thy paternal aunts
- your fathers’ sisters
Occurrences in Quran
Found 2 verses containing "عَمّٰتِ".
لَّیۡسَ عَلَی الۡاَعۡمٰی حَرَجٌ وَّلَا عَلَی الۡاَعۡرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَّلَا عَلَی الۡمَرِیۡضِ حَرَجٌ وَّلَا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ اَنۡ تَاۡکُلُوۡا مِنۡۢ بُیُوۡتِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اٰبَآئِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اُمَّہٰتِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اِخۡوٰنِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اَخَوٰتِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اَعۡمٰمِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ عَمّٰتِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ اَخۡوٰلِکُمۡ اَوۡ بُیُوۡتِ خٰلٰتِکُمۡ اَوۡ مَا مَلَکۡتُمۡ مَّفَاتِحَہٗۤ اَوۡ صَدِیۡقِکُمۡ ۚ لَیۡسَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ جُنَاحٌ اَنۡ تَاۡکُلُوۡا جَمِیۡعًا اَوۡ اَشۡتَاتًا ۚ فَاِذَا دَخَلۡتُمۡ بُیُوۡتًا فَسَلِّمُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ تَحِیَّۃً مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ مُبٰرَکَۃً طَیِّبَۃً ۚ کَذٰلِکَ یُبَیِّنُ اللّٰہُ لَکُمُ الۡاٰیٰتِ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ
24:28.
这节经文述及社会行为的某些法则。这些法则可以去除盛行在人类社会某些部分中的那些倾向于限制贫富之间的自由交往的愚蠢偏见。伊斯兰教主张社会完全平等而且极端敌视把人们进行严格的区分。这节经文强调社会一切阶层之间自由交往和集体进餐的重要性和有效性, 并且鼓励和赞同共餐来促进相互之间的亲近而去掉那些隔离社会地位不同的人们的障碍, 然而它并不禁止他们分开来进餐。阿拉伯人和犹太人过去对和盲人或社会上某些有残疾的人一起吃饭有许多顾忌, 像印度的印度教徒甚至到现在还不愿和 “贱民” 一起吃或坐。伊斯兰教厌恶所有这种做法, 并且鼓励所有不同阶层和部分的人们之间的自由交往和共同进餐。حَرَجْ (Haraj) 的意思是: 一种罪恶; 一个反对意见; 伤害; 责怪或犯罪行为 (Lane)。
یہودی تعلیم کے مطابق اندھے‘ لنگڑے اور دوسرے جسمانی عیوب والے ناپاک سمجھے جاتے تھے۔ قرآن مجیدنے اس کی غلطی ظاہر کی ہے۔
24:28.
The verse deals with some rules of social conduct which dispose of those foolish prejudices which prevail among certain sections of human society and which tend to restrict free intercourse between the rich and the poor. Islam enjoins complete social equality and is the avowed enemy of division of people within watertight compartments. Here it has stressed the importance and usefulness of free social intercourse and collective dining among all classes of society, and has encouraged and preferred eating together to promote familiarity and remove those bars that keep apart people of different social standing, though it has not disallowed eating separately. The Arabs and the Jews had scruples to eat with the blind or with persons suffering from certain social disabilities, as the Hindus of India even to this day do not eat or sit with the "untouchables." Islam looks askance at all such practices and encourages inter-dining and free intercourse among all classes and sections of people. Haraj means, a si
24:28.
Commentary:
This verse deals with some rules of social conduct. These rules are intended to dispose of those foolish prejudices that prevail among certain sections of human society and tend to restrict free intercourse between the rich and the poor. Islam enjoins complete social equality and is the avowed enemy of division of people within water-tight compartments. Here it has stressed the importance and usefulness of free social intercourse and collective dining among all classes of society, and has encouraged and preferred eating together to promote familiarity and to remove those bars that keep apart people of different social standing, though it has not disallowed eating separately.
The Arabs and Jews had scruples to eat with the blind or with persons suffering from certain social disabilities, as the Hindus of India even to this day do not eat or sit with the "untouchables". Islam looks askance at all such practices and encourages interdining and free intercourse among all classes and sections of people.
The expression بیوتکم (your own houses) includes the houses of one’s sons, and daughters because in the following list of the houses where one can eat freely the houses of sons and daughters are omitted while, being the nearest relatives, they should have been mentioned first of all.
a
24:28.
915
这节经文述及社会行为的某些法则。这些法则可以去除盛行在人类社会某些部分中的那些倾向于限制贫富之间的自由交往的愚蠢偏见。伊斯兰教主张社会完全平等而且极端敌视把人们进行严格的区分。这节经文强调社会一切阶层之间自由交往和集体进餐的重要性和有效性, 并且鼓励和赞同共餐来促进相互之间的亲近而去掉那些隔离社会地位不同的人们的障碍, 然而它并不禁止他们分开来进餐。阿拉伯人和犹太人过去对和盲人或社会上某些有残疾的人一起吃饭有许多顾忌, 像印度的印度教徒甚至到现在还不愿和 “贱民” 一起吃或坐。伊斯兰教厌恶所有这种做法, 并且鼓励所有不同阶层和部分的人们之间的自由交往和共同进餐。حَرَجْ (Haraj) 的意思是: 一种罪恶; 一个反对意见; 伤害; 责怪或犯罪行为 (Lane)。
1
یہودی تعلیم کے مطابق اندھے‘ لنگڑے اور دوسرے جسمانی عیوب والے ناپاک سمجھے جاتے تھے۔ قرآن مجیدنے اس کی غلطی ظاہر کی ہے۔
a
24:28.
2636
Commentary:
This verse deals with some rules of social conduct. These rules are intended to dispose of those foolish prejudices that prevail among certain sections of human society and tend to restrict free intercourse between the rich and the poor. Islam enjoins complete social equality and is the avowed enemy of division of people within water-tight compartments. Here it has stressed the importance and usefulness of free social intercourse and collective dining among all classes of society, and has encouraged and preferred eating together to promote familiarity and to remove those bars that keep apart people of different social standing, though it has not disallowed eating separately.
The Arabs and Jews had scruples to eat with the blind or with persons suffering from certain social disabilities, as the Hindus of India even to this day do not eat or sit with the "untouchables". Islam looks askance at all such practices and encourages interdining and free intercourse among all classes and sections of people.
The expression بیوتکم (your own houses) includes the houses of one’s sons, and daughters because in the following list of the houses where one can eat freely the houses of sons and daughters are omitted while, being the nearest relatives, they should have been mentioned first of all.
a
24:28.
2059
The verse deals with some rules of social conduct which dispose of those foolish prejudices which prevail among certain sections of human society and which tend to restrict free intercourse between the rich and the poor. Islam enjoins complete social equality and is the avowed enemy of division of people within watertight compartments. Here it has stressed the importance and usefulness of free social intercourse and collective dining among all classes of society, and has encouraged and preferred eating together to promote familiarity and remove those bars that keep apart people of different social standing, though it has not disallowed eating separately. The Arabs and the Jews had scruples to eat with the blind or with persons suffering from certain social disabilities, as the Hindus of India even to this day do not eat or sit with the "untouchables." Islam looks askance at all such practices and encourages inter-dining and free intercourse among all classes and sections of people. Haraj means, a si
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ اِنَّاۤ اَحۡلَلۡنَا لَکَ اَزۡوٰجَکَ الّٰتِیۡۤ اٰتَیۡتَ اُجُوۡرَہُنَّ وَمَا مَلَکَتۡ یَمِیۡنُکَ مِمَّاۤ اَفَآءَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡکَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّکَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمّٰتِکَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِکَ وَبَنَاتِ خٰلٰتِکَ الّٰتِیۡ ہَاجَرۡنَ مَعَکَ وَامۡرَاَۃً مُّؤۡمِنَۃً اِنۡ وَّہَبَتۡ نَفۡسَہَا لِلنَّبِیِّ اِنۡ اَرَادَ النَّبِیُّ اَنۡ یَّسۡتَنۡکِحَہَا خَالِصَۃً لَّکَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ۗ قَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا مَا فَرَضۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ فِیۡۤ اَزۡوٰجِہِمۡ وَمَا مَلَکَتۡ اَیۡمٰنُہُمۡ لِکَیۡلَا یَکُوۡنَ عَلَیۡکَ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَکَانَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرًا رَّحِیۡمًا
بیویاں تو سب کی حلال ہوتی ہیں۔ پھر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی بیویوں کا ذکر اس جگہ کیوں کیا؟ اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ اسی سورت کی آیت۲۹ میں فرمایا تھا کہ اے بیویو! اگر تمہارے دل میں دنیا کی خواہش ہے تو میں دنیا دے کر تم کو آزاد کر دیتا ہوں۔ اس طرح ان کا معاملہ معلق ہو گیا تھا۔ لیکن اس آیت کے اعلان کے بعد کسی ایک بیوی نے بھی نہیں کہا کہ مجھے دنیا دے کر چھوڑ دیں۔ جس سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سب بیویوں کے دل میں دین کی خواہش تھی۔ دنیا کی خواہش نہیں تھی۔ اس آیت میں یہی بتایا گیا ہے کہ انہوں نے اپنے دل میں دنیا چھوڑنے اور رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ساتھ رہنے کا فیصلہ کر لیا ہے۔
یہ صرف اجازت ہے عملًا رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اس اجازت سے فائدہ نہیں اٹھایا۔ اگر حضرت ماریہ قبطیہؓ کی مثال پیش کی جائے تو اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ حضرت ماریہؓ اور گروہ میں سے ہیں۔ اس آیت میں جنگ میں پکڑی جانے والی عورتوں کا ذکر ہے اور حضرت ماریہؓ کو مقوقس مصر نے اپنے ملک کے رواج کے مطابق لونڈی کے طور پر تحفۃً رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو بھیجا تھا۔ پس وہ اس آیت کے حکم سے باہر ہیں اور ان سے بھی رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا نکاح ثابت ہے۔
اس آیت سے ظاہر ہے کہ وہ مخالف جو کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے یہ حکم خاص طور پر اپنے لئے نازل کر لیا ہے درست نہیں کیونکہ اس آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ یہ حکم تمام انبیاء کے لئے ہے۔ صرف محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے نہیں۔ کیونکہ جہاں یہ فرمایا ہے کہ یہ حکم خاص تیرے لئے ہے وہاں آگے یہ بڑھا دیا ہے کہ مومنوں کے سوا۔ جس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ مومنوں کے لئے یہ حکم نہیں۔ لیکن مومنوں کے سوا جو انبیاء ہیں ان کے لئے یہ حکم ہے خواہ وہ گذشتہ تھے یا آئندہ ہوں گے۔
ایسی کسی عورت سے رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے شادی نہیں کی۔ یہ سب احکام بطور اجازت ہیں۔ دشمن اعترض کرتا ہے کہ اپنے لئے خاص حکم آپ نے اتار لئے۔ لیکن رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے جب ان اجازتوں پر عمل ہی نہیں کیا تو دشمن کا منہ کالا ہو گیا اور اس کا یہ اعتراض باطل ہو گیا کہ اپنی خواہشات کے پورا کرنے کے لئے خاص مراعات قرآن کریم نے بیان کر دی ہیں۔ آیت نمبر۳ سے بھی ظاہر ہے کہ یہ حکم صرف بعض بیویوں کے متعلق رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی نیک رائے ظاہر کرنے کے لئے ہے آپ کے لئے کوئی خاص راستہ کھولنے کے لئے نہیں۔
’’خوب جانتے ہیں‘‘ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ اس کو تجھ پر ظاہر بھی کر دیا ہے۔ چنانچہ فرمایا ’’تاکہ تجھ پر تنگی نہ ہو‘‘ یعنی مسئلہ بتاتے وقت یہ خیال نہ ہو کہ خداتعالیٰ کی مرضی معلوم نہیں۔
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above, in which the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between his companionship and the material benefits and comforts of life, and they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse, by implication, refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Qur’an. Till they gave their reply, the physical relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. While the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52), he did not exercise the choice and retained all of them.
The Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by highly noble considerations and not by those imputed to him by his ignorant and ignoble critics. With the solitary exception of his marriage with
Commentary:
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above. In those verses the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between the companionship of the Holy Prophet and the material benefits and comforts of life, but they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse by implication refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Quran. Till they gave their reply, the marital relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. The verse shows that while the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52) he did not exercise the choice and in deference to his wishes God permitted him in the present verse to retain all his wives.
The verse refers to three kinds of women whom the Holy Prophet could marry in addition to his already wedded wives: (1) Women who were taken prisoner in wars against Islam; (2) women who had migrated to Medina with the Holy Prophet, and (3) a woman who should offer herself for marriage to him. This shows that the Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by considerations other than sensuous gratification as his ignorant and mischievous critics try to depict. Those who had left their hearths and homes for the sake of Islam and those whose husbands had been killed in wars fighting in defence of Islam had special claim on the Holy Prophet’s consideration. It is in view of these considerations that he married most of his wives. He married Hafsah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Badr; Zainab bint Khuzaimah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Uhud; Ummi Salmah whose husband died in 4 A.H., and Ummi Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, who became a widow in 5 or 6 A.H. (in exile in Abyssinia). He married Juwairiyyah and Safiyyah, both widows, in 5 A.H. and 7 A.H. respectively, seeking a union with and pacification of their tribes. It is worthy of note that a hundred families of the Banu Mustaliq were liberated by Muslims when the Holy Prophet married Juwairiyyah. Maimunah, another widow, it is said, offered herself to be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet which offer he condescended to accept in the interest of the education and training of Muslim women. He married Zainab, the divorced wife of Zaid in 5 A.H. in order to put a stop to a foolish custom prevailing among the Arabs and in order also to assuage her wounded feelings as the respected lady had felt deeply humiliated at being divorced by Zaid. He married Mariah in 7 A.H., and thus by raising a freed slave girl to the highly eminent spiritual status of the "Mother of the Faithful", he gave a death blow to slavery. Such were the pious and righteous motives of our noble Master in marrying widows and divorced women, by no means noted for their youth or beauty, and yet his cruel and mean traducers vainly try to depict him as a person who was given to gratifying his carnal desires. They deliberately ignore the patent fact that up to the age of 25 he lived the spotless life of a celibate. Then in the prime of his youth he married a lady fifteen years his senior and lived with her a most happy life till he was an old man of fifty and she about sixty-five. After her death he married Saudah, another lady of a very advanced age. He married all his other wives, to which exception has been taken by evil-minded carpers, between 2 A.H. and 7 A.H., a period when he was constantly engaged in active fighting and his life was perpetually in danger and the fate of Islam itself hung in the balance. Could any sane person in such situation of danger and uncertainty conceive of contracting marriage after marriage from motives attributed to the Holy Prophet? After this he lived for about three years as virtual ruler of the whole of Arabia when all the comforts and amenities of life were at his disposal and yet he entered into no further marriage. Does not this fact alone establish the honesty and sincerity of the Holy Prophet’s motives in marrying his wives?
The words "if she entrusts herself to the Prophet" have been taken as specially referring to Maimunah who is reported to have offered herself to be taken into marriage by the Holy Prophet. The clause, "This provision is only for thee as against other believers," means that it was a special privilege of the Holy Prophet and was due to the special nature of his duties as a Divine Prophet. In fact, marriages of the Holy Prophet were dictated by much higher and nobler considerations than merely personal ones. The clause may also refer to the special permission granted to the Holy Prophet, to retain all his wives, after the commandment contained in 4:4 was revealed, limiting to four the number of wives allowed to Muslims at one time.
The words, "We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives," refer to the commandment contained in 4:4.
1
بیویاں تو سب کی حلال ہوتی ہیں۔ پھر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی بیویوں کا ذکر اس جگہ کیوں کیا؟ اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ اسی سورت کی آیت۲۹ میں فرمایا تھا کہ اے بیویو! اگر تمہارے دل میں دنیا کی خواہش ہے تو میں دنیا دے کر تم کو آزاد کر دیتا ہوں۔ اس طرح ان کا معاملہ معلق ہو گیا تھا۔ لیکن اس آیت کے اعلان کے بعد کسی ایک بیوی نے بھی نہیں کہا کہ مجھے دنیا دے کر چھوڑ دیں۔ جس سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سب بیویوں کے دل میں دین کی خواہش تھی۔ دنیا کی خواہش نہیں تھی۔ اس آیت میں یہی بتایا گیا ہے کہ انہوں نے اپنے دل میں دنیا چھوڑنے اور رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ساتھ رہنے کا فیصلہ کر لیا ہے۔
2
یہ صرف اجازت ہے عملًا رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اس اجازت سے فائدہ نہیں اٹھایا۔ اگر حضرت ماریہ قبطیہؓ کی مثال پیش کی جائے تو اس کا جواب یہ ہے کہ حضرت ماریہؓ اور گروہ میں سے ہیں۔ اس آیت میں جنگ میں پکڑی جانے والی عورتوں کا ذکر ہے اور حضرت ماریہؓ کو مقوقس مصر نے اپنے ملک کے رواج کے مطابق لونڈی کے طور پر تحفۃً رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو بھیجا تھا۔ پس وہ اس آیت کے حکم سے باہر ہیں اور ان سے بھی رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا نکاح ثابت ہے۔
3
اس آیت سے ظاہر ہے کہ وہ مخالف جو کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے یہ حکم خاص طور پر اپنے لئے نازل کر لیا ہے درست نہیں کیونکہ اس آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ یہ حکم تمام انبیاء کے لئے ہے۔ صرف محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے نہیں۔ کیونکہ جہاں یہ فرمایا ہے کہ یہ حکم خاص تیرے لئے ہے وہاں آگے یہ بڑھا دیا ہے کہ مومنوں کے سوا۔ جس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ مومنوں کے لئے یہ حکم نہیں۔ لیکن مومنوں کے سوا جو انبیاء ہیں ان کے لئے یہ حکم ہے خواہ وہ گذشتہ تھے یا آئندہ ہوں گے۔
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ایسی کسی عورت سے رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے شادی نہیں کی۔ یہ سب احکام بطور اجازت ہیں۔ دشمن اعترض کرتا ہے کہ اپنے لئے خاص حکم آپ نے اتار لئے۔ لیکن رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے جب ان اجازتوں پر عمل ہی نہیں کیا تو دشمن کا منہ کالا ہو گیا اور اس کا یہ اعتراض باطل ہو گیا کہ اپنی خواہشات کے پورا کرنے کے لئے خاص مراعات قرآن کریم نے بیان کر دی ہیں۔ آیت نمبر۳ سے بھی ظاہر ہے کہ یہ حکم صرف بعض بیویوں کے متعلق رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی نیک رائے ظاہر کرنے کے لئے ہے آپ کے لئے کوئی خاص راستہ کھولنے کے لئے نہیں۔
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’’خوب جانتے ہیں‘‘ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ اس کو تجھ پر ظاہر بھی کر دیا ہے۔ چنانچہ فرمایا ’’تاکہ تجھ پر تنگی نہ ہو‘‘ یعنی مسئلہ بتاتے وقت یہ خیال نہ ہو کہ خداتعالیٰ کی مرضی معلوم نہیں۔
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Commentary:
This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above. In those verses the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between the companionship of the Holy Prophet and the material benefits and comforts of life, but they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse by implication refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Quran. Till they gave their reply, the marital relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. The verse shows that while the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52) he did not exercise the choice and in deference to his wishes God permitted him in the present verse to retain all his wives.
The verse refers to three kinds of women whom the Holy Prophet could marry in addition to his already wedded wives: (1) Women who were taken prisoner in wars against Islam; (2) women who had migrated to Medina with the Holy Prophet, and (3) a woman who should offer herself for marriage to him. This shows that the Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by considerations other than sensuous gratification as his ignorant and mischievous critics try to depict. Those who had left their hearths and homes for the sake of Islam and those whose husbands had been killed in wars fighting in defence of Islam had special claim on the Holy Prophet’s consideration. It is in view of these considerations that he married most of his wives. He married Hafsah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Badr; Zainab bint Khuzaimah whose husband was killed in the Battle of Uhud; Ummi Salmah whose husband died in 4 A.H., and Ummi Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, who became a widow in 5 or 6 A.H. (in exile in Abyssinia). He married Juwairiyyah and Safiyyah, both widows, in 5 A.H. and 7 A.H. respectively, seeking a union with and pacification of their tribes. It is worthy of note that a hundred families of the Banu Mustaliq were liberated by Muslims when the Holy Prophet married Juwairiyyah. Maimunah, another widow, it is said, offered herself to be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet which offer he condescended to accept in the interest of the education and training of Muslim women. He married Zainab, the divorced wife of Zaid in 5 A.H. in order to put a stop to a foolish custom prevailing among the Arabs and in order also to assuage her wounded feelings as the respected lady had felt deeply humiliated at being divorced by Zaid. He married Mariah in 7 A.H., and thus by raising a freed slave girl to the highly eminent spiritual status of the "Mother of the Faithful", he gave a death blow to slavery. Such were the pious and righteous motives of our noble Master in marrying widows and divorced women, by no means noted for their youth or beauty, and yet his cruel and mean traducers vainly try to depict him as a person who was given to gratifying his carnal desires. They deliberately ignore the patent fact that up to the age of 25 he lived the spotless life of a celibate. Then in the prime of his youth he married a lady fifteen years his senior and lived with her a most happy life till he was an old man of fifty and she about sixty-five. After her death he married Saudah, another lady of a very advanced age. He married all his other wives, to which exception has been taken by evil-minded carpers, between 2 A.H. and 7 A.H., a period when he was constantly engaged in active fighting and his life was perpetually in danger and the fate of Islam itself hung in the balance. Could any sane person in such situation of danger and uncertainty conceive of contracting marriage after marriage from motives attributed to the Holy Prophet? After this he lived for about three years as virtual ruler of the whole of Arabia when all the comforts and amenities of life were at his disposal and yet he entered into no further marriage. Does not this fact alone establish the honesty and sincerity of the Holy Prophet’s motives in marrying his wives?
The words "if she entrusts herself to the Prophet" have been taken as specially referring to Maimunah who is reported to have offered herself to be taken into marriage by the Holy Prophet. The clause, "This provision is only for thee as against other believers," means that it was a special privilege of the Holy Prophet and was due to the special nature of his duties as a Divine Prophet. In fact, marriages of the Holy Prophet were dictated by much higher and nobler considerations than merely personal ones. The clause may also refer to the special permission granted to the Holy Prophet, to retain all his wives, after the commandment contained in 4:4 was revealed, limiting to four the number of wives allowed to Muslims at one time.
The words, "We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives," refer to the commandment contained in 4:4.
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This verse should be read along with vv. 29 and 30 above, in which the wives of the Holy Prophet were offered a choice between his companionship and the material benefits and comforts of life, and they preferred the Prophet’s company. The present verse, by implication, refers to that reply of the Prophet’s consorts which is recorded in the books of history but expressly nowhere in the Qur’an. Till they gave their reply, the physical relations between them and the Holy Prophet remained, as it were, in a state of suspension. While the wives of the Holy Prophet preferred his company to material goods and amenities of life, he too had great consideration for their feelings, and though he was given the choice to retain such of them as he liked (v. 52), he did not exercise the choice and retained all of them.
The Holy Prophet’s marriages were motivated by highly noble considerations and not by those imputed to him by his ignorant and ignoble critics. With the solitary exception of his marriage with