Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:221
And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than a polytheist, even though she might please you. And do not marry polytheistic men [to your women] until they believe. And a believing slave is better than a polytheist, even though he might please you. Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission. And He makes clear His verses to the people that perhaps they may remember.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَّ (And do not marry the polytheistic women (mushrikāt) until they believe)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The people of interpretation differed concerning this verse: was it revealed with the intent of comprising every polytheistic woman, or was only a part of the polytheistic women meant by its ruling and not another part? And, after its ruling became obligatory, is anything of it abrogated (mansūkh) or not?
Some of them said: It was revealed with the intent of prohibiting the marriage of every polytheistic woman by every Muslim, of whatever kind of shirk she might be — whether she was an idolatress, or a Jewess, or a Christian, or a Zoroastrian (majūsiyya), or of another of the kinds of shirk; thereafter the prohibition of marrying the People of the Book was abrogated by His words: يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ up to وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ (They ask you what is made lawful for them; say: lawful for you are the good things ... and the food of those who were given the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them; and the chaste women among the believing women and the chaste women among those who were given the Book before you) [Sūra al-Māʾida: 4–5].
* Mention of who said that:
4212 — ʿAlī ibn Wāqid related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His words: "And do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," whereupon He excepted the women of the People of the Book and said: وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ (and the chaste women among those who were given the Book) are lawful for you إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ (when you give them their bridal dues).
4213 — Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn Wāqid, on the authority of Yazīd al-Naḥwī, on the authority of ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, who both said concerning "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe": from it the women of the People of the Book were abrogated (excepted); He made them lawful for the Muslims.
4214 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he said: The women of the people of Mecca and the rest of the polytheistic women; thereafter He permitted to them the women of the People of the Book.
4215 — al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
4216 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, who said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women" up to His words لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (that they may take heed), he said: Allah in this verse forbade the polytheistic women; thereafter He revealed in "Sūra al-Māʾida" and excepted the women of the People of the Book, and said: وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ (and the chaste women among those who were given the Book before you, when you give them their bridal dues).
* * *
Others said: Rather, this verse was revealed with the intent that its ruling is directed at the polytheistic women of the Arabs; nothing of it is abrogated and nothing is excepted. It is merely a verse whose outward form is general but whose interpretation is specific.
* Mention of who said that:
4217 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he means: the polytheistic women of the Arabs among whom there is no Book that they recite.
4218 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he said: The polytheistic women are those who do not belong to the People of the Book; and Ḥudhayfa married a Jewess or a Christian.
4219 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, who said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he means the polytheistic women of the Arabs among whom there is no Book that they recite.
4220 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Ḥammād, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he said: The polytheistic women among the idolaters.
* * *
Others said: Rather, this verse was revealed with the intent of comprising every polytheistic woman, of whatever kind of shirk she might be, without excepting one polytheistic woman over another from it — whether she was an idolatress, or a Zoroastrian, or a woman of the Book; and nothing of it is abrogated.
* Mention of who said that:
4221 — ʿUbayd ibn Ādam ibn Abī Iyās al-ʿAsqalānī related to us, he said: my father related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bahrām al-Fazārī related to us, he said: Shahr ibn Ḥawshab related to us, he said: I heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the kinds of women, except what was of the believing emigrant women; and he declared forbidden every woman of a religion other than Islam. And Allah, exalted be His remembrance, said: وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ (and whoever rejects the faith, his work has come to nothing) [Sūra al-Māʾida: 5]. And Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbayd Allāh had married a Jewess, and Ḥudhayfa ibn al-Yamān had married a Christian. Thereupon ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, became severely angry, until he resolved to attack them. They both said: We will divorce her (nuṭalliq), O Commander of the Believers, do not be angry! He said: If divorcing her is permissible, then marrying her is also permissible, but I take them away from you as humiliated and lowly ones.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most well-founded of these statements regarding the interpretation of the verse is what Qatāda said: that Allah, exalted be His remembrance, by His words "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," meant those among the polytheistic women who did not belong to the People of the Book — and that the verse is general in its outward form, specific in its inward meaning, and that nothing of it is abrogated — and that the women of the People of the Book do not fall under it. That is because Allah, exalted be His remembrance, by His words وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ (and the chaste women among those who were given the Book before you) has permitted to the believers the marriage of their chaste women, just as He has permitted to them of the believing women.
And we have already explained elsewhere in this our book, and in our book (Kitāb al-laṭīf min al-bayān): that of any two verses or two reports, of which one abrogates the ruling of the other in the natural disposition of the intellect, it is not permissible to judge concerning either of the two that it abrogates the ruling of the other, except on the basis of a proof from a report whose transmission cuts off any excuse. And such is not present — namely, that His words وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ (and the chaste women among those who were given the Book) abrogate that which had become forbidden of the women by His words "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe." And since that is thus not present, the statement of the one who says: "This abrogates that" is a claim for which he has no proof; and the one who makes a claim for which he has no proof acts arbitrarily, and to arbitrariness everyone is capable.
* * *
As for the statement related from Shahr ibn Ḥawshab, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, on the authority of ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him — concerning his separating between Ṭalḥa and Ḥudhayfa and their two wives who were women of the Book — that is a statement which has no foundation, on account of its contradiction of that whose permissibility the community has unanimously established on the basis of the Book of Allah, exalted be His remembrance, and the report of His Messenger ﷺ. And from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, a statement is related which is the contrary of that, with an isnād more authentic than this, and that is:
4222 — Mūsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Masrūqī related it to me, he said: Muḥammad ibn Bishr related to us, he said: Sufyān ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād, on the authority of Zayd ibn Wahb, who said: ʿUmar said: The Muslim marries the Christian woman, but the Christian does not marry the Muslim woman.
* * *
ʿUmar directed Ṭalḥa and Ḥudhayfa, may Allah's mercy be upon them, away from marrying the Jewess and the Christian only out of fear that the people would follow them in that and thereby disdain the Muslim women, or for other meanings, and he commanded them both to rid themselves of them. As:
4223 — Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, he said: al-Ṣalt ibn Bahrām related to us, on the authority of Shaqīq, who said: Ḥudhayfa married a Jewess, whereupon ʿUmar wrote to him: "Set her free (divorce her)." He wrote back to him: "Do you claim that she is forbidden, so that I should set her free?" He said: "I do not claim that she is forbidden, but I fear that you may involve yourselves with the licentious women among them."
And already:
4224 — Tamīm ibn al-Muntaṣir related to us, he said: Isḥāq al-Azraq informed us, on the authority of Sharīk, on the authority of Ashʿath ibn Sawwār, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, on the authority of Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: We marry the women of the People of the Book, but they do not marry our women.
* * *
Now, this report — even though there is in its isnād what is in it — to assent to it, on account of the agreement of all upon the correctness of assenting to it, is more deserving of preference than the report of ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bahrām, on the authority of Shahr ibn Ḥawshab.
* * *
So the meaning of the words is: and do not marry, O believers, any polytheistic women — other than the People of the Book — until they believe and thus hold true Allah and His Messenger and what was revealed to him.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلأَمَةٌ مُؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُشْرِكَةٍ (And a believing slave-woman (ama) is truly better than a polytheistic woman)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted means by His words "and a believing slave-woman truly" — believing in Allah, in His Messenger, and in that which he brought from Allah — is better with Allah and more excellent than a polytheistic, unbelieving free woman, even if her lineage is noble and her origin is honorable. He says: and do not strive for marriage ties with the noble women among the people of shirk against Allah, for the Muslim slave-women (imāʾ) are better with Allah as a marriage partner than they.
* * *
It has already been mentioned that this verse was revealed concerning a man who married a slave-woman and was therefore rebuked, while a polytheistic free woman was being offered to him.
* Mention of who said that:
4225 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, he said: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe; and a believing slave-woman is truly better than a polytheistic woman, even though she please you," he said: This was revealed concerning ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥa, who had a black slave-woman. He became angry with her and struck her in the face. Then he became fearful and came to the Prophet ﷺ and conveyed to him her case. The Prophet ﷺ said to him: "What is she, O ʿAbd Allāh?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, she fasts and prays and performs the ritual ablution excellently and testifies that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. He said: "This one is a believer!" Thereupon ʿAbd Allāh said: By Him who sent you with the truth, I shall surely set her free and surely marry her! And he did that. Thereupon some people among the Muslims reproached him and said: He has married a slave-woman!! For they wished to contract marriage ties with the polytheists and to give them in marriage out of desire for their noble descent. Thereupon Allah revealed concerning them: "and a believing slave-woman is truly better than a polytheistic woman" and "a believing slave (ʿabd) is truly better than a polytheist."
4226 — al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: al-Ḥajjāj related to me, he said: Ibn Jurayj said concerning His words: "and do not marry the polytheistic women until they believe," he said: the polytheistic women — on account of their nobility — "until they believe."
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ (even though she please you)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted means thereby: and even if the polytheistic woman who does not belong to the People of the Book pleases you in beauty, noble descent, and wealth, then do not marry her, for the believing slave-woman is better with Allah than she.
* * *
"Lau" (even though) is here merely put in place of "in" (if) on account of the closeness of the point of departure of both and the meanings of both; and therefore each of the two is answered with the answer of the other, as we have already explained before.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَلا تُنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنُوا وَلَعَبْدٌ مُؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ (And do not give the polytheistic men (mushrikīn) in marriage until they believe; and a believing slave is truly better than a polytheist, even though he please you)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted means thereby that Allah forbade the believing women to marry a polytheist, whoever the polytheist may be and of whatever kind of shirk he may be. So do not give them in marriage to them, O believers, for that is forbidden to you; and that you give them in marriage to a believing slave who holds true Allah, His Messenger, and that which he brought from Allah, is better for you than that you give them in marriage to a free polytheist, even if his lineage is noble and his origin is honorable, and even if his noble descent and lineage please you.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī used to say: This statement of Allah, exalted be His remembrance, is an indication that the guardians of the woman have more right to give her in marriage than the woman herself.
4227 — Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Abū Hishām al-Rifāʿī related to us, he said: Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth informed us, on the authority of an unnamed shaykh, who said: Abū Jaʿfar said: Marriage takes place through a guardian (walī) according to the Book of Allah; then he recited: "and do not give the polytheistic men in marriage (wa-lā tunkiḥū) until they believe" with a ḍamma on the tāʾ (in the imperative form "do not give in marriage").
4228 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda and al-Zuhrī, concerning His words: "and do not give the polytheistic men in marriage," he said: It is not permissible for you to give a Jew or a Christian or a polytheist outside your religion in marriage.
4229 — al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to us, he said: Ibn Jurayj said: "and do not give the polytheistic men in marriage" — on account of their nobility — "until they believe."
4230 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn Wāqid, on the authority of Yazīd al-Naḥwī, on the authority of ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī: "and do not give the polytheistic men in marriage until they believe," he said: He forbade the Muslim women to their men — that is, the men of the polytheists.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: أُولَئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيُبَيِّنُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (221) (They are the ones who call to the Fire, and Allah calls to the Garden and forgiveness with His permission; and He makes His signs clear to the people, that they may take heed. (221))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted means by His words "they are the ones": these, whose marriage is forbidden to you, O believers, among the men and women of the people of shirk, call you to the Fire (al-nār) — that is to say: they call you to the doing of that which leads you into the Fire, and that is the work which they do, namely unbelief (kufr) in Allah and His Messenger. He says: so do not accept from them what they say, and do not seek their counsel, and do not marry them nor give in marriage to them, for they spare no effort to harm you; rather accept from Allah that which He has commanded you and do it, and desist from that which He has forbidden you, for He calls you to the Garden (al-janna) — that is to say: He calls you to the doing of that which leads you into the Garden and makes incumbent upon you the deliverance from the Fire if you do it, and to that which effaces your missteps or sins, so that He forgives them and covers them for you.
* * *
And as for His words "with His permission (bi-idhnih)": that means that He calls you to that by making known to you His way and His path along which one attains the Garden and forgiveness.
* * *
Then the Exalted said: "and He makes His signs clear to the people that they may take heed," He says: and He makes clear His proofs and His indications in His Book which He revealed for His servants by the tongue of His Messenger, that they may take heed and draw a lesson from it, and distinguish between the two matters of which one is a caller to the Fire and the abiding therein forever, and the other is a caller to the Garden and the forgiveness of sins, so that they may choose the better of the two for themselves. And the distinction between these two matters has remained unknown only to one with a foolish [deficient] intellect and a corrupted judgment.
