Tafseer of The Clans · Al-Ahzaab · 33:50
O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers. We certainly know what We have made obligatory upon them concerning their wives and those their right hands possess, [but this is for you] in order that there will be upon you no discomfort. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
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 statement of the Exalted: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّاتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالاتِكَ اللاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَنْ يَسْتَنْكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ لِكَيْلا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (50) (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts (mahr), and those whom your right hand possesses (mulk al-yamīn) from among that which Allah has allotted to you as spoils of war, and the daughters of your paternal uncle and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncle and the daughters of your maternal aunts who have emigrated with you, and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet wishes to take her in marriage — exclusively for you, to the exclusion of the believers. We already know what We have imposed upon them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess — so that there may be no difficulty for you. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (33:50))
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts), that is to say: those whom you have married with a fixed dower (ṣadāq).
As Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning His statement أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ (your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts): he said: their dowers.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts): he said: every woman to whom he gave a bride-gift (mahr), Allah had made her lawful for him.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh saying: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk saying concerning His statement يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ... (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts...) up to His statement خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (exclusively for you, to the exclusion of the believers): so whatever was of this stipulation, much or little, whatever he wished.
And His statement أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ (their bride-gifts, and those whom your right hand possesses from among that which Allah has allotted to you as spoils of war) — He says: and We have made lawful for you your slave-women (imāʾ) whom you have taken as captives of war, so that you have come to possess them through the captivity, and who have fallen to you through Allah's conquest in your favor from the spoils of war (fayʾ). وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّاتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالاتِكَ اللاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ (and the daughters of your paternal uncle and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncle and the daughters of your maternal aunts who have emigrated with you) — Allah made lawful for him ﷺ the daughters of his paternal uncle and paternal aunts and his maternal uncle and maternal aunts, those of them who had emigrated with him (had performed hijra), to the exclusion of those of them who had not emigrated with him.
As Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mūsā related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Umm Hāniʾ, who said: the Prophet ﷺ asked me in marriage, but I excused myself to him with my excuse, and thereafter Allah sent down to him إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ... (We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts...) up to His statement اللاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ (who have emigrated with you). She said: and I was not made lawful for him, because I had not emigrated with him; I was among the freed ones (al-ṭulaqāʾ).
And it has been mentioned that in the reading of Ibn Masʿūd this reads: (وَبَنَاتِ خَالاتِكَ وَالَّلاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ) (and the daughters of your maternal aunts, and those who have emigrated with you) with a wāw. And even though it is so in his reading, it can nonetheless carry the meaning of our reading, without the wāw, for the Arabs sometimes insert the wāw in the appositive substitution of something previously mentioned, as the poet said:
"For Rushayd and the son of Marwān were not inclined / to undertake anything until the matter would be settled."
And Rushayd is the son of Marwān. And al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim explained this reading of ʿAbd Allāh thus, that they are a separate group, other than the daughters of his maternal aunts, and that they are every emigrant woman who emigrated with the Prophet ﷺ.
Mention of the report concerning that from him:
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh saying: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk saying concerning the reading of Ibn Masʿūd (وَالَّلاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ) (and those who have emigrated with you): he means by it: every woman who emigrated with him, who does not belong to the daughters of the paternal uncle and paternal aunt, nor to the daughters of the maternal uncle and maternal aunt.
And His statement وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ (and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet) — He says: and We have made lawful for him a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet without a dower (ṣadāq).
As Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning His statement وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ (and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet): without a bride-gift; he, however, used not to do this, and it was made lawful for him specifically, to the exclusion of the believers.
And it has been mentioned that in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh this reads: (وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ) (and a believing woman who has given herself to the Prophet) without "if" (in), and its meaning and the meaning of our reading in which "if" occurs are one and the same. And that is as the speaker says in common speech: "There is no harm in his having intercourse with an owned slave-girl (jāriya mamlūka) if he possesses her," and "a slave-girl whom he possesses."
And His statement إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَنْ يَسْتَنْكِحَهَا (if the Prophet wishes to take her in marriage) — He says: if he wishes to marry her, then it is lawful for him to marry her when she has given herself to him without a bride-gift (mahr). خَالِصَةً لَكَ (exclusively for you) — He says: it is not lawful for anyone of your community to approach a woman who has given herself to him; that is only for you, O Muḥammad, exclusively, it is specifically designated for you to the exclusion of the rest of your community.
As Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (exclusively for you, to the exclusion of the believers): he says: it is not lawful for any woman to give herself to a man without the permission of a guardian and without a bride-gift, except to the Prophet — for him it was exclusively designated, to the exclusion of the people. And they claim that this was revealed concerning Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith, that she was the one who gave herself to the Prophet.
Yūnus related to us, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ... (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives...) up to His statement خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (exclusively for you, to the exclusion of the believers): he said: every woman to whom he gave a bride-gift, Allah had made her lawful for him, until these gave themselves to him, whereupon they became lawful for him to the exclusion of the believers, without a bride-gift, exclusively for you to the exclusion of the believers — except a woman who has a husband.
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ṣāliḥ ibn Muslim, he said: I asked al-Shaʿbī about a woman who gives herself to a man. He said: that does not hold, she is not lawful for him; that was only for the Prophet ﷺ.
And the reciters differed over the reading of His statement إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا (if she gives herself). Most of the reciters of the cities read it as (إِنْ وَهَبَتْ) with a kasra on the alif, in the sense of a condition, with the meaning: if she gives. And it has been transmitted from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī that he read: (أَنْ وَهَبَتْ) with a fatḥa on the alif, with the meaning: and We have made lawful for him a believing woman to marry her, on account of her giving of herself to him.
And the reading from which I allow no deviation is the kasra on the alif, on account of the consensus of the authoritative reciters upon it.
And as for His statement خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (exclusively for you, to the exclusion of the believers): that does not hold for the believers. And it has been mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, before this verse was sent down to him, was permitted to marry whichever women he wished; then Allah restricted him to these, so that he might not exceed them, and He restricted the rest of his community to two, three, and four.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, he said: I heard Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Abī Mūsā, on the authority of Ziyād, a man from the Anṣār, on the authority of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, that those of the women whom Allah made lawful for the Prophet were these whom Allah has mentioned يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ... (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their bride-gifts...) up to His statement فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ (concerning their wives); and Allah permitted for the believers only two, three, and four.
And Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His statement يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ... (O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives...) to the end of the verse, he said: Allah forbade him the remaining women beyond them, whereas previously he could marry whichever women he wished, that was not forbidden to him; and his wives were greatly grieved by that, that he could marry whichever people he loved. When Allah sent down: "I have forbidden you the people, except those whom I have enumerated to you," that gladdened his wives.
And the people of knowledge differed concerning the one who gave herself to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ among the believing women, and whether there was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ such a woman. Some said: with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ there was no woman except through a marriage contract or through what the right hand possesses (mulk al-yamīn); as for giving, there was not with him a single one of them.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Yūnus ibn Bukayr related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa ibn al-Azhar, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ there was no woman who had given herself.
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Mujāhid, that he said concerning this verse وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ (and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet): he said: that she gives. And as for those who said that there was indeed one of them with him, some of them said: it was Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith. And some said: it was Umm Sharīk. And some said: Zaynab bint Khuzayma.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ (and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet): he said: it is Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith.
And some said: Zaynab bint Khuzayma, "mother of the poor" (umm al-masākīn), a woman from the Anṣār.
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, he said: al-Ḥakam related to me, he said: ʿAbd al-Malik wrote to the people of Medina and asked them. He said: then ʿAlī wrote back to him — Shuʿba said: and it is my surmise that it was ʿAlī ibn Ḥusayn; and Abān ibn Taghlib reported it to me, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, that it was ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn to whom he wrote — he said: it is a woman from al-Asad, named Umm Sharīk, who gave herself to the Prophet.
He said: Shuʿba related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī al-Safar related to me, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī, that she is a woman from the Anṣār, who gave herself to the Prophet, and she is among those who were deferred (mimman arjaʾa).
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Saʿīd related to me, on the authority of Hishām ibn ʿUrwa, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Khawla bint Ḥakīm ibn al-Awqaṣ of the Banū Sulaym, that she was among those who gave themselves to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
He said: Saʿīd ibn Abī al-Zinād related to me, on the authority of Hishām ibn ʿUrwa, on the authority of his father, he said: we used to say that Umm Sharīk gave herself to the Prophet ﷺ, and she was a pious woman.
And His statement قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ (We already know what We have imposed upon them concerning their wives) — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We already know what We have imposed upon the believers concerning their wives when they wish to marry them, something which We have not imposed upon you, and that by which We have distinguished them specifically with respect to the ruling therein, to your exception. And that is that We have imposed upon them that it is not lawful for them to conclude a marriage contract with a free Muslim woman except by means of a guardian from the male agnate relatives (walī ʿaṣaba) and just witnesses, and that it is not lawful for them to have more than four of them.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have said.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabbawayh related to me, he said: Muṭahhar related to us, he said: ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of Maṭar, on the authority of Qatāda concerning the statement of Allah قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ (We already know what We have imposed upon them concerning their wives): he said: among what Allah imposed upon them is that there is no marriage except by a guardian and two witnesses.
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ (We already know what We have imposed upon them concerning their wives): he said: concerning the four.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His statement قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ (We already know what We have imposed upon them concerning their wives): he said: among what Allah imposed upon them was that no woman would be married except by a guardian and a bride-gift in the presence of two just witnesses, and that of women only four were made lawful for them and those whom their right hands possess.
And His statement وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ (and those whom their right hands possess) — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We already know what We have imposed upon the believers concerning their wives, because it is not lawful for them to have more than four of them, and those whom their right hands possess — for all those women, when they are believing or belonging to the People of the Book (kitābiyyāt), are lawful for them through captivity, concubinage (tasarrī), and other causes of possession.
And His statement لِكَيْلا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (so that there may be no difficulty for you. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We have made lawful for you, O Muḥammad, your wives whom We have mentioned in this verse, and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet wishes to take her in marriage; so that there may be no sin and no constriction for you in marrying whomever you marry from these categories whose marriage I have made lawful for you, which have been named specifically in this verse. And Allah is Forgiving toward you and toward the people who believe in you, Merciful toward you and toward them, that He will not punish them for a prior sin of theirs that has passed, after their repentance of it.
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Footnotes:
(1) The verse is among the evidentiary verses of al-Farrāʾ (Maʿānī al-Qurʾān, photocopy of the university, p. 257). He said regarding the statement of the Exalted وبنات خالك وبنات خالاتك اللاتي هاجرن معك (and the daughters of your maternal uncle and the daughters of your maternal aunts who have emigrated with you), and in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh, that is Ibn Masʿūd: وبنات خالك وبنات خالاتك واللاتي هاجرن معك; the emigrant women may be the daughters of the maternal uncle and maternal aunt, even though the wāw appears therein, so that he said: "waاللاتي"; and the Arabs make appositive substitution with the wāw and without the wāw, as the poet said: "For Rushayd and the son of Marwān ... etc." And you say in speech: "If you visit a brother of yours and the son of your closest uncle"; and if you were to say: "and the closest one," that would be correct. And the author took it from al-Farrāʾ. And he clarified it by his statement in the verse: and Rushayd is the son of Marwān.
