The Quran

235

وَلا جُناحَ عَلَيكُم فيما عَرَّضتُم بِهِ مِن خِطبَةِ النِّساءِ أَو أَكنَنتُم في أَنفُسِكُم ۚ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُم سَتَذكُرونَهُنَّ وَلٰكِن لا تُواعِدوهُنَّ سِرًّا إِلّا أَن تَقولوا قَولًا مَعروفًا ۚ وَلا تَعزِموا عُقدَةَ النِّكاحِ حَتّىٰ يَبلُغَ الكِتابُ أَجَلَهُ ۚ وَاعلَموا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعلَمُ ما في أَنفُسِكُم فَاحذَروهُ ۚ وَاعلَموا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفورٌ حَليمٌ

Muhammad Asad

But you will incur no sin if you give a hint of [an intended] marriage-offer to [any of] these women, or if you conceive such an intention without making it obvious: [for] God knows that you intend to ask them in marriage.¹ Do not, however, plight your troth with them in secret, but speak only in a decent manner; and do not proceed with tying the marriage-knot ere the ordained [term of waiting] has come to its end. And know that God knows what is in your minds, and therefore remain conscious of Him; and know, too, that God is much-forgiving, forbearing.

Lit., "if you conceal [such an intention] within yourselves: [for] God knows that you will mention [it] to them". In classical Arabic usage, the expression dhakaraha ("he mentioned [it] to her") is often idiomatically synonymous with "he demanded her in marriage" (see Lane III, 969). The above passage relates to a marriage-offer - or to an intention of making such an offer - to a newly-widowed or divorced woman before the expiry of the prescribed waiting-term.