32 Preface وَأَنكِحُوا الأَيامىٰ مِنكُم وَالصّالِحينَ مِن عِبادِكُم وَإِمائِكُم ۚ إِن يَكونوا فُقَراءَ يُغنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضلِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ واسِعٌ عَليمٌYusuf AliMarry those among you who are single,1 or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, God will give them means out of His grace: for God encompasseth all,2 and he knoweth all things.The subject of sex ethics and manners brings us to the subject of marriage. “Single” (ayama, plural of Ayyim) here means any one not in the bond of wedlock, whether unmarried or lawfully divorced, or widowed. If we can, we must marry in our own circle, but if we have not the means, there is no harm if we choose from a lower circle, provided our choice is determined by virtue. Poverty in the other party does not matter if there is virtue and love. A happily married man has the best wealth in a virtuous wife, and his very happiness makes him a better potential earner of wealth. A slave becomes free by marriage.Cf. 10:57 God’s mercy is for all: it is not confined to a class or grade of people.