The Quran

221

وَلا تَنكِحُوا المُشرِكاتِ حَتّىٰ يُؤمِنَّ ۚ وَلَأَمَةٌ مُؤمِنَةٌ خَيرٌ مِن مُشرِكَةٍ وَلَو أَعجَبَتكُم ۗ وَلا تُنكِحُوا المُشرِكينَ حَتّىٰ يُؤمِنوا ۚ وَلَعَبدٌ مُؤمِنٌ خَيرٌ مِن مُشرِكٍ وَلَو أَعجَبَكُم ۗ أُولٰئِكَ يَدعونَ إِلَى النّارِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَدعو إِلَى الجَنَّةِ وَالمَغفِرَةِ بِإِذنِهِ ۖ وَيُبَيِّنُ آياتِهِ لِلنّاسِ لَعَلَّهُم يَتَذَكَّرونَ

Muhammad Asad

AND DO NOT many women who ascribe divinity to aught beside God ere they attain to [true] belief: for any believing bondwoman [of God]¹ is certainly better than a woman who ascribes divinity to aught beside God, even though she please you greatly. And do not give your women in marriage to men who ascribe divinity to aught beside God ere they attain to [true] belief: for any believing bondman [of God] is certainly better than a man who ascribes divinity to aught beside God, even though he please you greatly. [Such as] these invite unto the fire, whereas God invites unto paradise, and unto [the achievement of] forgiveness by His leave; and He makes clear His messages unto mankind, so that they might bear them in mind.

Although the majority of the commentators attribute to the term amah, occurring in this context, its usual connotation of "slave-girl", some of them are of the opinion that it stands here for "God's bondwoman". Thus, Zamakhshari explains the words amah mu'minah (lit., "a believing bondwoman") as denoting "any believing woman, whether she be free or slave; and this applies to [the expression] 'believing bondman as well: for all human beings are God's bondmen and bondwoman". My rendering of the above passage is based on this eminently plausible interpretation.