Verses about Book (Kitab) / Written Document - inQuran Topics

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

And those who find no means of marriage should keep themselves chaste, until Allah grants them means out of His bounty. And such as desire a deed of manumission in writing from among those whom your right hands possess, write it for them if you know any good in them; and give them out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids to unchaste life by keeping them unmarried if they desire to keep chaste, in order that you may seek the gain of the present life. But if any one forces them, then after their compulsion Allah will be Forgiving and Merciful to them.

اردو ترجمہ مرزا طاہر احمد خلیفة المسیح الرابعؒ

اور وہ لوگ جو نکاح کی توفیق نہیں پاتے انہیں چاہئیے کہ اپنے آپ کو بچائے رکھیں یہاں تک کہ اللہ انہیں اپنے فضل سے مالدار بنا دے۔ اور تمہارے جو غلام تمہیں معاوضہ دے کر اپنی آزادی کا تحریری معاہدہ کرنا چاہیں اگر تم ان کے اندر صلاحیت پاؤ تو اُن کو تحریری معاہدہ کے ساتھ آزاد کر دو۔ اور وہ مال جو اللہ نے تمہیں عطا کیا ہے اس میں سے کچھ اُن کو بھی دو۔ اور اپنی لونڈیوں کو اگر وہ شادی کرنا چاہیں تو (روک کر مخفی) بدکاری پر مجبور نہ کرو تاکہ تم دنیوی زندگی کا فائدہ چاہو۔ اور اگر کوئی ان کو بے بس کردے گا تو ان کے بے بس کئے جانے کے بعد یقیناً اللہ بہت بخشنے والا (اور) بار بار رحم کرنے والا ہے۔

French

Et ceux qui ne trouvent point de moyens pour le mariage doivent se garder chastes jusqu’à ce qu’Allāh leur octroie des moyens de par Sa libéralité. Et ceux de vos esclaves qui désirent que soit établi sous forme de contrat un acte d’affranchissement, rédigez-le pour eux si vous trouvez en eux quelque bien potentiel et donnez-leur à partir de ces biens qui appartiennent en réalité à Allāh qu’Il vous a octroyés. Et, dans le but de vous procurer des gains de la vie de ce monde, ne poussez pas vos servantes à une vie impudique en les gardant non-mariées, si elles désirent rester chastes, Mais si quelqu’un les contraint, alors, après qu’elles aient été contraintes, Allāh sera Très- Pardonnant et Miséricordieux envers elles.

German

Und diejenigen, die keine (Gelegenheit) zur Ehe finden, sollen sich keusch halten, bis Allah sie aus Seiner Fülle reich macht. Und jene, die eure Rechte besitzen – wenn welche von ihnen eine Freilassungsurkunde begehren, stellt sie ihnen aus, falls ihr in ihnen Gutes wisset; und gebet ihnen von Allahs Reichtum, den Er euch gegeben hat. Und zwingt eure Mägde nicht zur Unzucht (indem ihr sie nicht verheiratet), wenn sie keusch zu bleiben wünschen, nur damit ihr die Güter des irdischen Lebens erlanget. Zwingt sie aber einer, dann wird Allah gewiss allvergebend und barmherzig (zu ihnen) sein nach ihrem Zwang.

Chinese

凡是不能结婚的, 他们要固守贞操, 直到安拉以自己的恩典使其富裕。在你们的奴仆中, 凡要求立约释放者, 如果你们见他们是适合的, 那么, 你们就与他们订约;[909] (如果他们没有足够的钱财, 那么,) 你们要用安拉赐予你们的财富援助他们 (获得自由)。如果你们的奴婢愿保持贞操, 切不要强迫她们过失节生涯, 而寻求今世生活的利益。可是如果任何人强迫他们, 那么, 安拉在那些妇女受迫之后, 将是极为宽恕的, 永久仁慈的, (他将不拿问她们。)

Italian

E quanti non trovano mezzi per sposarsi, si mantengano casti, finché Allah non concederà loro mezzi grazie alla Sua bontà. E quelli dei vostri schiavi che desiderano che venga contratto un atto di emancipazione, stendetelo voi per loro, se riconoscete in essi del bene potenziale; e date loro parte delle ricchezze che veramente appartengono ad Allah e che Egli vi ha concesso. E non costringete le vostre ragazze schiave a una vita non casta, tenendole nubili, se vogliono mantenersi caste, per un vostro desiderio dei beni caduchi di questa vita. Ma se qualcuno le costringesse, dopo la costrizione subita da esse, Allah sarà Indulgente e Misericordioso verso di loro.

Spanish

Y quienes no encuentren medios para el matrimonio, deben conservarse castos hasta que Al‑lah les conceda medios de Su agnanimidad. Y aquellos de vuestros esclavos que desean contratar una escritura de emancipación, extendédsela si veis que poseen lguna buena capacidad; y dadles de la riqueza que verdaderamente pertenece a Al‑lah y que Él os ha oncedido. No forcéis a vuestras esclavas a una vida impura manteniéndolas sin casar si desean conservarse castas, para buscar ganancias en la vida presente. Mas si alguno las fuerza, en verdad, Al‑lah, después de haber sido obligadas, será Indulgente y Misericordioso con ellas.

اردو تفسیرِ صغیر

اور چاہیئے کہ وہ لوگ جن کو نکاح کی توفیق نہیں پاکیزگی اختیار کریں‘ یہاں تک کہ اللہ ان کو اپنے فضل سے غنی بنا دے‘ اور تمہارے غلاموں میں سے جو لوگ مکاتبت کا مطالبہ کریں اگر تم ان میں [1]بھلائی دیکھو تو ان سے مکاتبت کر لو اور (اگر ان کے پاس پورا مال نہ ہو تو) جو اللہ نے تم کو مال دیا ہے اس میں سے کچھ مال دے (کر ان کی آزادی ممکن بنا) دو۔ اور تم اپنی لونڈیوں کو بدکاری پر مجبور نہ کرو اگر وہ نیک[2] رہنا چاہتی ہوں‘ تا کہ تم اس ذریعہ سے[3] دنیوی زندگی کا سامان جمع کرو۔ اورجو کوئی ان کو مجبور کرے۔ تو اللہ ان عورتوں کی مجبوری کے بعد بہت بخشنے والا (اور) باربار رحم کرنے والا[4] ہے (وہ ان پر گرفت نہیں کرے گا) ۔

English - Short Commentary Translation

And let those who find no means of marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah grants them means out of His bounty. And such as desire a deed of manumission[2046] in writing from among those whom your right hands possess, write it for them if you know any good in them; and give them out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids into unchaste life by keeping them unmarried if they desire to keep chaste, in order that you may seek the gain of the present life. But if anyone forces them, then after their compulsion Allah will be Forgiving and Merciful to them.

English - Five Volume Translation

And those who find no means of marriage should keep themselves chaste, until Allah grants them means out of His bounty. And such as desire a deed of manumission in writing from among those whom your right hands possess, write it for them if you know any good in them; and give them out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids to unchaste life by keeping them unmarried if they desire to keep chaste, in order that you may seek the gain of the present life. But if any one forces them, then after their compulsion Allah will be Forgiving and Merciful to them.[2616]

Important Words:

کاتبوھم (write it for them). کاتب (kataba) is derived from کتب (kataba) which means, he wrote; he made a thing obligatory; or he prescribed a law. کتب اللّٰه لاغلبن انا ورسلی i.e. Allah has decreed or has made it obligatory upon Himself that He and His Messengers will prevail (58:22). کاتب العبد means, he made a written contract with the slave that the latter shall pay a certain sum as the price of his emancipation and then he shall earn his freedom (Lane & Aqrab). This civil written contract by means of which a slave can earn his manumission is called مکاتبة (mukatabat).

تحصنا (keeping chaste) is derived from حصن, meaning, he or it was or became inaccessible, fortified or protected against attack. حصنت المرأة means, the woman was chaste i.e. protected herself against moral or sexual sinfulness. أحصنت المرأة means, the woman got married or she was chaste. تحصن (tahassana) means, he fortified himself or he entered the حصن i.e. fortress; or he protected himself by it; he guarded or protected himself in any way. تحصنت المرأة means, she was chaste (Lane & Aqrab). See also 4:25.

The expression ان علمتم فیھم خیراً (if you know any good in them) may mean (1) if you know that they are fit to work and earn their living; (2) if you know that after their manumission they will become useful members of the society.

Commentary:

We maintain that of all Divine Messengers and Prophets of God, of all Founders of different creeds, Faiths and religious systems, of all social reformers and philanthropists and of all those teachers and leaders of men, who, at any time, in any land and in any form, contributed to the social uplift and moral and spiritual regeneration of humanity, the share of Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam, was by far the largest. And one of the greatest services to mankind of this greatest and noblest of men was his unequivocal and emphatic condemnation of, and the effective measures he took to abolish those social injustices that were practised by one section of humanity against another. His mind rebelled and revolted against the then prevalent idea that man could be bought, sold and treated by man like chattels. His ideal of human brotherhood and the inborn and inherent equality of all men could scarcely be reconciled with the practice of slavery which was so widespread as to have become inextricably interwoven and deeply rooted in the social conditions and ideas of his time. His heart burnt to see the iniquities and enormities practised by man upon man. He grieved and pined for this unfortunate section of humanity. He would, if he could, abolish altogether by a stroke of the pen a system so repugnant and revolting, so destructive of all noble human instincts, of all that distinguishes man from beast and brute. But this institution had become an integral part of the whole fabric of human society in his time. To abolish it all of a sudden was neither wise, nor practicable or even possible. It should have meant a death-blow to the entire existing social order. The sudden emancipation in hundreds of thousands of those persons who having been held in bondage for generations had lost all initiative to lead an independent life, would have seriously told upon the whole moral tone of society. Jobless and workless they would have stooped to all sorts of immoral acts. This was exactly what the Holy Prophet sought to avoid and he did succeed in avoiding it. On the other hand, he laid down precepts and injunctions which were calculated to do away with slavery gradually but surely and effectively.

These injunctions were of two categories:

(i) Temporary provisions bearing upon the general improvement and betterment of the moral and social conditions of the existing slaves and their speedy enfranchisement. Slaves were to be treated as members of the family as long as they were in bondage, and at the same time it was declared as a most heinous crime tantamount to murder to deprive a free man of his freedom and reduce him to slavery (Muslim Kitabul-Iman). But those persons were excepted from this commandment who should themselves incur the loss of their freedom by participating in a war undertaken to destroy Islam and to impose their own beliefs and doctrines upon the Muslims at the point of the sword. Even this denial of freedom to war prisoners was to last only till those prisoners had discharged their share of the guilt, either by paying off their part of the cost of war by getting themselves ransomed or by the Muslims themselves setting them free as an act of favour which the Quran has so repeatedly and emphatically enjoined on them (47:5). See also 23:7.

(ii) Provisions of a permanent nature aiming at the complete and total extinction of slavery in every shape or form. One of such provisions by means of which a slave could earn his emancipation, independently and irrespective of the fact whether his master liked it or not, was that he could enter into a civil written contract with the latter. It is this written contract which is known as mukatabat (deed of manumission) and to which the verse under comment refers. According to this contract a definite amount of money or labour is fixed as the price of the freedom of a slave. After the contract is duly written and attested the slave is considered as manumitted and is free to earn the required amount of money by any legitimate means he likes. After he has paid the whole stipulated sum he is quite free. As to whether the slave is fit to enter into a contract of the above nature with his master is to be decided by the State and not by the master of the slave and also the amount of the money he has to pay and the manner and the time-limit of the payment. No choice is left to the owner if the slave applies for such a contract and the State considers him eligible to it with the conditions and stipulations proposed by it but to accept it. By this excellent arrangement Islam sought to secure to all slaves, who could not otherwise obtain freedom, their full emancipation and liberty, at the same time steering clear of the terrible social and moral evils to which the whole Muslim society would have fallen a helpless victim if slavery had been abolished with a stroke of the pen.

The verse has further urged the wealthy and the rich Muslims to help, with their money, those slaves who enter into mukatabat with their masters, to earn their emancipation.

The words ومن یکرھھن (but if anyone forces them to remain unmarried) signify that the responsibility of keeping them from marriage will be that of their masters. They will not be accountable for this default.

اردو ترجمہ مودودی

اور جو نکاح کا موقع نہ پائیں انہیں چاہیے کہ عفت مآبی اختیار کریں، یہاں تک کہ اللہ اپنے فضل سے اُن کو غنی کر دے اور تمہارے مملوکوں میں سے جو مکاتبت کی درخواست کریں ان سے مکاتبت کر لو اگر تمہیں معلوم ہو کہ ان کے اندر بھلائی ہے، اور ان کو اُس مال میں سے دو جو اللہ نے تمہیں دیا ہے اور اپنی لونڈیوں کو ا پنے دنیوی فائدوں کی خاطر قحبہ گری پر مجبور نہ کرو جبکہ وہ خود پاکدامن رہنا چاہتی ہوں، اور جو کوئی اُن کو مجبور کرے تو اِس جبر کے بعد اللہ اُن کے لیے غفور و رحیم ہے

English - Sahih

But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.

اردو ترجمہ احمد علی

اور چاہیے کہ پاک دامن رہیں وہ جو نکاح کی توفیق نہیں رکھتے یہاں تک کہ الله انہیں اپنے فضل سے غنی کر دے اور تمہارے غلاموں میں سے جو لوگ مال دے کر آزادی کی تحریر چاہیں تو انہیں لکھ دو بشرطیکہ ان میں بہتری کے آثار پاؤ اور انہیں الله کے مال میں سے دو جو اس نے تمہیں دیا ہے اور تمہاری لونڈیاں جو پاک دامن رہنا چاہتی ہیں انہیں دنیا کی زندگی کے فائدہ کی غرض سے زنا پر مجبور نہ کرو اور جو انہیں مجبور کرے گا تو الله ان کے مجبور ہونے کے بعد بخشنے والا مہربان ہے

English - Talal Itani

And let be chaste those who (do) not find (means for) marriage until Allah enriches them from His Bounty. And those who seek the writing from (those) whom possess your right hands, then give them (the) writing if you know in them any good and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And (do) not compel your slave girls to [the] prostitution, if they desire chastity that you may seek temporary gain (of) the life (of) the world. And whoever compels them, then indeed, Allah after their compulsion (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Chinese Commentary ^*

909

مُكَاتَبَة (Mukatabah, 解放奴隶的契约) 是一张契约书。根据这一契约, 男女奴隶可以得到释放, 不受他们主人意愿的约束和影响。契约内规定一个数量的钱财或劳动作为奴隶获得自由的代价。

اردہ تفصیرِ صغیر نوٹس ^*

1

یعنی وہ مال لٹانے والے نہ ہوں یا آوارہ نہ ہوں لیکن اگر مالک راضی نہ ہو تو مکاتبت چاہنے والا غلام قاضی کے ذریعہ سے آزادی حاصل کر سکتا ہے کیونکہ یہ اس کا حق ہے۔

2

یعنی لونڈیوں کی خواہش نکاح کی ہو تو اس سے انہیں روکو نہیں کیونکہ اس کا نتیجہ فسق و فجور ہوگا۔

3

یعنی عورتوں کو غلام رکھ کر اپنے گھر کی نوکروں کی مشکل حل نہ کرو۔

4

یعنی قرآن کریم کا حکم ہے کہ نکاح کرو۔ لیکن اگر مالک اس میں روک بنے تو گناہ اس پر ہوگا نہ کہ عورت پر۔

English - Arberry

And let those who find not the means to marry be abstinent till God enriches them of His bounty. Those your right hands own who seek emancipation, contract with them accordingly, if you know some good in them; and give them of the wealth of God that He has given you. And constrain not your slave-girls to prostitution, if they desire to live in chastity, that you may seek the chance goods of the present life. Whosoever constrains them, surely God, after their being constrained, is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

English - Maududi

And those, who cannot find a match, should observe continence till Allah provides them with means out of His bounty And if those who are in your possession, ask for a deed of emancipation, execute the deed of emancipation with them, provided that you find some good in them; and give them something out of the means Allah has given you. And do not force your slave-girls into prostitution for your own worldly gains when they themselves want to keep chaste; and if anyone forces them into it, after such a compulsion Allah will be forgiving and merciful for them.

English - Ahmed Ali

Those who cannot afford to marry should abstain from what is unlawful until God enriches them by His grace. And free those slaves you possess who wish to buy their freedom after a written undertaking, if you know they have some goodness, and give them out of the riches God has given you. Do not force your maids to prostitution if they wish to lead married lives, in order to get the benefits of this world. But if someone forces them, surely God (will forgive them) after their forced helplessness, for He is forgiving and kind.

English - Yusuf Ali

Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum), give them such a deed if ye know any good in them: yea, give them something yourselves out of the means which Allah has given to you. But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is Allah, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them),

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

2616

Important Words:

کاتبوھم (write it for them). کاتب (kataba) is derived from کتب (kataba) which means, he wrote; he made a thing obligatory; or he prescribed a law. کتب اللّٰه لاغلبن انا ورسلی i.e. Allah has decreed or has made it obligatory upon Himself that He and His Messengers will prevail (58:22). کاتب العبد means, he made a written contract with the slave that the latter shall pay a certain sum as the price of his emancipation and then he shall earn his freedom (Lane & Aqrab). This civil written contract by means of which a slave can earn his manumission is called مکاتبة (mukatabat).

تحصنا (keeping chaste) is derived from حصن, meaning, he or it was or became inaccessible, fortified or protected against attack. حصنت المرأة means, the woman was chaste i.e. protected herself against moral or sexual sinfulness. أحصنت المرأة means, the woman got married or she was chaste. تحصن (tahassana) means, he fortified himself or he entered the حصن i.e. fortress; or he protected himself by it; he guarded or protected himself in any way. تحصنت المرأة means, she was chaste (Lane & Aqrab). See also 4:25.

The expression ان علمتم فیھم خیراً (if you know any good in them) may mean (1) if you know that they are fit to work and earn their living; (2) if you know that after their manumission they will become useful members of the society.

Commentary:

We maintain that of all Divine Messengers and Prophets of God, of all Founders of different creeds, Faiths and religious systems, of all social reformers and philanthropists and of all those teachers and leaders of men, who, at any time, in any land and in any form, contributed to the social uplift and moral and spiritual regeneration of humanity, the share of Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam, was by far the largest. And one of the greatest services to mankind of this greatest and noblest of men was his unequivocal and emphatic condemnation of, and the effective measures he took to abolish those social injustices that were practised by one section of humanity against another. His mind rebelled and revolted against the then prevalent idea that man could be bought, sold and treated by man like chattels. His ideal of human brotherhood and the inborn and inherent equality of all men could scarcely be reconciled with the practice of slavery which was so widespread as to have become inextricably interwoven and deeply rooted in the social conditions and ideas of his time. His heart burnt to see the iniquities and enormities practised by man upon man. He grieved and pined for this unfortunate section of humanity. He would, if he could, abolish altogether by a stroke of the pen a system so repugnant and revolting, so destructive of all noble human instincts, of all that distinguishes man from beast and brute. But this institution had become an integral part of the whole fabric of human society in his time. To abolish it all of a sudden was neither wise, nor practicable or even possible. It should have meant a death-blow to the entire existing social order. The sudden emancipation in hundreds of thousands of those persons who having been held in bondage for generations had lost all initiative to lead an independent life, would have seriously told upon the whole moral tone of society. Jobless and workless they would have stooped to all sorts of immoral acts. This was exactly what the Holy Prophet sought to avoid and he did succeed in avoiding it. On the other hand, he laid down precepts and injunctions which were calculated to do away with slavery gradually but surely and effectively.

These injunctions were of two categories:

(i) Temporary provisions bearing upon the general improvement and betterment of the moral and social conditions of the existing slaves and their speedy enfranchisement. Slaves were to be treated as members of the family as long as they were in bondage, and at the same time it was declared as a most heinous crime tantamount to murder to deprive a free man of his freedom and reduce him to slavery (Muslim Kitabul-Iman). But those persons were excepted from this commandment who should themselves incur the loss of their freedom by participating in a war undertaken to destroy Islam and to impose their own beliefs and doctrines upon the Muslims at the point of the sword. Even this denial of freedom to war prisoners was to last only till those prisoners had discharged their share of the guilt, either by paying off their part of the cost of war by getting themselves ransomed or by the Muslims themselves setting them free as an act of favour which the Quran has so repeatedly and emphatically enjoined on them (47:5). See also 23:7.

(ii) Provisions of a permanent nature aiming at the complete and total extinction of slavery in every shape or form. One of such provisions by means of which a slave could earn his emancipation, independently and irrespective of the fact whether his master liked it or not, was that he could enter into a civil written contract with the latter. It is this written contract which is known as mukatabat (deed of manumission) and to which the verse under comment refers. According to this contract a definite amount of money or labour is fixed as the price of the freedom of a slave. After the contract is duly written and attested the slave is considered as manumitted and is free to earn the required amount of money by any legitimate means he likes. After he has paid the whole stipulated sum he is quite free. As to whether the slave is fit to enter into a contract of the above nature with his master is to be decided by the State and not by the master of the slave and also the amount of the money he has to pay and the manner and the time-limit of the payment. No choice is left to the owner if the slave applies for such a contract and the State considers him eligible to it with the conditions and stipulations proposed by it but to accept it. By this excellent arrangement Islam sought to secure to all slaves, who could not otherwise obtain freedom, their full emancipation and liberty, at the same time steering clear of the terrible social and moral evils to which the whole Muslim society would have fallen a helpless victim if slavery had been abolished with a stroke of the pen.

The verse has further urged the wealthy and the rich Muslims to help, with their money, those slaves who enter into mukatabat with their masters, to earn their emancipation.

The words ومن یکرھھن (but if anyone forces them to remain unmarried) signify that the responsibility of keeping them from marriage will be that of their masters. They will not be accountable for this default.

English - Short Commentary Notes ^*

2046

Mukatabah (deed of manumission) is a written contract by means of which a slave could earn his or her emancipation, independently and irrespective of the fact whether his or her master likes it or not. According to this contract a definite amount of money or labour is fixed as the price of the freedom of the slave.

English - Pickthall

And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste till Allah give them independence by His grace. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them if ye are aware of aught of good in them, and bestow upon them of the wealth of Allah which He hath bestowed upon you. Force not your slave-girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would preserve their chastity. And if one force them, then (unto them), after their compulsion, lo! Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful.

English - Muhammad Ali ^ra

And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste, until Allah makes them free from want out of His grace. And those of your slaves who ask for a writing (of freedom), give them the writing, if you know any good in them, and give them of the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And compel not your slave-girls to prostitution when they desire to keep chaste, in order to seek the frail goods of this world’s life. And whoever compels them, then surely after their compulsion Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

English - Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan ^ra

Those who find no means of marriage should keep themselves chaste, until Allah grants them means out of His bounty. Write out a deed of manumission for such out of those under your control as desire it, if you see some good in them, and help them to secure their freedom with a portion of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you. Force not females under your control into unchastity by restraining them from marriage should they desire to safeguard their chastity through marriage, in order that you may add to your worldly gains through their labour. If anyone forces them into unchastity by restraining them from marriage, surely Allah will, thereafter, be towards them Most Forgiving, Merciful.

Topic: Written Document

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