وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ مَا نَكَحَ ءَابَآؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةً وَمَقْتًا وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا 22
Translations
And do not marry those [women] whom your fathers married, except what has already occurred. Indeed, it was an immorality and hateful [to Allāh] and was evil as a way.
Transliteration
Wa la tankihoo ma nakaha aabaaokum minan nisaa illa ma qad salaf. Innahu kana fahisatan wa maqtan wa saa sabila.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah prohibits marrying women who were previously married to one's fathers, declaring such marriages to be a grave sin and morally repugnant. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this prohibition targets the pre-Islamic Arabian custom of inheriting widows of one's father, and the exception 'illa ma qad salaf' (except what has already occurred) refers to contracts made before this revelation, which were nullified upon Islam's establishment. The triple condemnation—fahisha (grave sin), maqt (abomination), and saa sabila (evil way)—emphasizes the severity of this prohibition and its violation of natural human decency and family honor.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina as part of Surah An-Nisa's comprehensive legislation on marriage and kinship relations. It addresses a pre-Islamic Arabian practice where men would inherit or marry the wives of their deceased fathers as property, treating women as possessions. The revelation came to establish the Islamic legal framework for marriage, protecting women's dignity and clarifying forbidden marriages within family relationships.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari records that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said: 'The most disliked of lawful things to Allah is divorce.' While not directly about this ayah, it relates to the protection of marital bonds. Additionally, the practice mentioned in this verse is condemned in various hadith collections discussing the pre-Islamic customs (jahiliyyah) that Islam abolished.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islamic law prioritizes human dignity, particularly for women, and firmly rejects exploitative social customs regardless of their prevalence. For modern readers, it underscores Islam's revolutionary stance on women's rights and reminds us that adherence to Islamic principles must supersede cultural traditions that contradict divine wisdom.
Related Ayahs
ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ ۖ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِۦٓ إِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
Look how they invent about Allāh untruth, and sufficient is that as a manifest sin.
لَّـٰكِنِ ٱلرَّٰسِخُونَ فِى ٱلْعِلْمِ مِنْهُمْ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ ۚ وَٱلْمُقِيمِينَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۚ وَٱلْمُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَنُؤْتِيهِمْ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
But those firm in knowledge among them and the believers believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], and what was revealed before you. And the establishers of prayer [especially] and the givers of zakāh and the believers in Allāh and the Last Day - those We will give a great reward.
لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبُونَ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبُونَ مِمَّا قَلَّ مِنْهُ أَوْ كَثُرَ ۚ نَصِيبًا مَّفْرُوضًا
For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much - an obligatory share.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا۟ وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَنْ أَلْقَىٰٓ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا تَبْتَغُونَ عَرَضَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فَعِندَ ٱللَّهِ مَغَانِمُ كَثِيرَةٌ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلُ فَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
O you who have believed, when you go forth [to fight] in the cause of Allāh, investigate; and do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace, "You are not a believer," aspiring for the goods of worldly life; for with Allāh are many acquisitions. You [yourselves] were like that before; then Allāh conferred His favor [i.e., guidance] upon you, so investigate. Indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.