The Quran

Preface

يا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنّا أَحلَلنا لَكَ أَزواجَكَ اللّاتي آتَيتَ أُجورَهُنَّ وَما مَلَكَت يَمينُكَ مِمّا أَفاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيكَ وَبَناتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَناتِ عَمّاتِكَ وَبَناتِ خالِكَ وَبَناتِ خالاتِكَ اللّاتي هاجَرنَ مَعَكَ وَامرَأَةً مُؤمِنَةً إِن وَهَبَت نَفسَها لِلنَّبِيِّ إِن أَرادَ النَّبِيُّ أَن يَستَنكِحَها خالِصَةً لَكَ مِن دونِ المُؤمِنينَ ۗ قَد عَلِمنا ما فَرَضنا عَلَيهِم في أَزواجِهِم وَما مَلَكَت أَيمانُهُم لِكَيلا يَكونَ عَلَيكَ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَكانَ اللَّهُ غَفورًا رَحيمًا

Yusuf Ali

O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee¹ thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers;² and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom³ God has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated⁴ (from Mecca) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet⁵ wishes to wed her;—this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to⁶ their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;—in order that⁷ there should be no difficulty for thee. And God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.⁸

This introduces no new exemption or privilege. Verses 50-52 merely declare the points in which, on account of the special circumstances (see n. to verse 33:28 above), the Prophet’s marriages differed from those of ordinary Muslims. This is considered under four heads, which we shall examine in the four notes following.
Head 1. Marriage with dower (4:4): this is the universal Muslim marriage. The difference in the Prophet’s case was that there was no limitation to the number of four (4:3), and women of the People of the Book (5:6) were not among his wives, but only Believers. These points are not expressly mentioned here, but are inferred by his actual practice. Obviously women who are expected to instruct other women in Islam must be Muslims.
Head 2. Women Prisoners of War: the same remark as the last note. The point does not now arise, as the whole condition and incidents of war have been altered and slavery has been abolished by international agreement.
Head 3. These are first cousins, and not within the Prohibited Degrees of Marriage (see 4:23-24). These are specially mentioned here by way of limitation. None of them could marry the Prophet unless she had performed the Hijrat with him. If she had not so performed it in spite of her close relationship, she could not be credited with any great fervour for Islam, or be considered suitable for instructing other women in Islam.
Head 4. A believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet: obviously this case, like the last, is only applicable to the Prophet, and is hedged around with the limitations that the Prophet considers it a suitable and proper case of true service to the community, and not merely a sentimental woman’s freak. Some Commentators think there was no such case. But others, with whom I agree, think that this applies to Zainab bint Khuzaima, who had dedicated herself to the poor and was called the Mother of the Poor (Umm-ul-masākīn). Similarly, the last head might possibly refer to Zainab bint Jaḥsh, who was a daughter of the Prophet’s paternal aunt, herself a daughter of ʿAbd-ul-Muṭṭalib.
The ordinary law of Muslim marriage will be found chiefly in 2:221-235, 4:3-4, 4:19-25, 4:34-35 and 5:6.
The words “this only for thee… right hands possess” are parenthetical, and the words “in order that…” connect on with the previous clauses beginning with “O Prophet, We have made lawful… wishes to wed her”.
Marriage is an important relationship not only in our physical life, but in our moral and spiritual life, and its effects extend not only to the parties themselves but to children and future generations. A number of special problems arise according to special circumstances. Every man and woman must seriously consider all sides of the question and must do the best in his or her power to temper instincts and inclinations with wisdom and guidance from God. God wishes to make every one’s path easy, for He is indeed “Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”.