82 Page Notes

04 Surah An-Nisa (continued)

Page 82 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

4:24

4:25

4:26

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 82 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 82 of the Holy Quran contains Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), verses 24 through 26. Moving seamlessly from the blood-relation exclusions on page 81, these verses continue outlining social boundary lines for marriage. They explicitly address married women, captives, economic alternative paths via enslaved women, and the fundamental permissibility of regular marriage over illicit relationships.

The Prophetic Sunnah and Hadith literature serve as the definitive lens for understanding the context (Asbab al-Nuzul) and legal exceptions established in these three specific verses.

1. Verse 24: The Prohibition of Married Women & The Exception of Captives

"Also forbidden are married women—except those captive women you possess. This is God’s commandment to you..."

The Incident at Awtas (Asbab al-Nuzul)

The opening clause of verse 24 outlines a definitive ban on polyandry (a woman having more than one husband simultaneously) (Fahmi et al., 2023). However, it highlights an exception concerning captive women. The precise background of this exception is recorded in a highly authentic Hadith in Sahih Muslim narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri:

During the Battle of Hunayn, the Messenger of Allah sent an army to Awtas. They encountered the enemy, fought them, and prevailed over them. Having captured women from the enemy who had pagan husbands, the companions of the Prophet felt hesitant to approach them intimately because their marital bonds back home were still intact. Consequently, Allah revealed this verse: "And forbidden are married women—except those whom your right hands possess." (Maswandi, 2023).

This Sunnah tradition established a major legal precedent: a state of war and subsequent captivity effectively dissolves previous non-Muslim marriage contracts once the captive woman has cleared her Istibra (a mandatory waiting period of one menstrual cycle to ensure she is not pregnant) (Maswandi, 2023).

The Debate on Temporary Marriage (Mut'ah)

Verse 24 contains the phrase: "So for whatever you enjoy [from the marriage] (Istimta') from them, give them their due compensation..."

Historically, this phrasing sparked intense legal dialogue. In Sunni Hadith collections (such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), it is recorded that the Prophet initially allowed temporary marriage (Mut'ah) exclusively during strenuous military expeditions as a concession (Maheran, 2020). However, subsequent Sunnah decrees firmly rescinded this. During the conquest of Khaybar and final victory at Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad announced a permanent, universal prohibition of Mut'ah, clarifying that the text of verse 24 refers strictly to paying the mandatory dowry (Mahr) in a permanent, lifelong marriage (Maheran, 2020).

2. Verse 25: Marriage Alternatives for the Financially Constrained

"If any of you cannot afford to marry free, believing women, then marry believing maids whom you possess..."

This verse creates a realistic socioeconomic safety valve, encouraging men who lacked the substantial wealth required to provide a dowry for a "free woman" to marry believing, enslaved women instead (Zuhri, 2023).

Protecting the Chastity of Maid-Servants

The verse mandates that men must still seek the permission of their legal guardians (Ahl) and pay them their fair dowries (Ujur) openly, requiring these women to maintain absolute chastity (Muhsanat), neither committing illegal intercourse nor taking secret lovers (Aris, 2026).

The relevant Sunnah acts as a firm enforcement mechanism against the pre-Islamic practice of masters forcing their female servants into prostitution for financial gain. A Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah in Sahih al-Bukhari outlines that the Prophet strictly forbade the earnings acquired from prostitution, ensuring that maid-servants could only be approached through the legal, respectful boundaries of marriage or lawful ownership.

Reduction of Prescribed Punishments (Hudud)

Verse 25 establishes a merciful legal distinction: if a married slave-woman commits adultery (Fahishah), "her punishment is half that of a free unmarried woman."

The Sunnah provides the exact execution of this law. The Prophet Muhammad explained that because enslaved individuals historically lacked the structural, familial protection, societal status, and total independence of free citizens, Islamic law reduces their legal culpability. While a free, married individual guilty of adultery would face stoning (Rajm), the Sunnah clarifies that an enslaved woman receives a halved, alternate physical punishment (50 lashes instead of 100) and cannot be stoned, demonstrating a structural leniency based on socio-legal status.

3. Verse 26: Divine Intention for Guidance and Mercy

"God wants to make things clear to you, guide you to the paths of those before you, and turn to you in mercy..."

This closing verse transitions from precise family law into the broader moral objectives (Maqashid) of Islamic legislation.

The Sunnah of Easing Hardships

The Prophetic Sunnah directly mirrors the theological ethos of Verse 26. In a famous tradition recorded across multiple classical compilations, the Prophet Muhammad instructed his companions: "Make things easy for people and do not make them difficult; give glad tidings and do not drive them away."

The complex marital boundary matrix established on pages 81 and 82 of the Quran was not sent down to constrain human civilization, but rather to clean up chaotic, exploitative Pre-Islamic relationship structures (Zuhri, 2023). The Sunnah actively implements this verse by ensuring that the institution of legal marriage remains highly accessible, functional, and anchored securely to the preservation of human lineage and family dignity (Kasim, 2025).

References

• Aris, N. (2026). Analysis legal impact of cancellation marriage in religious court. Journal FH UMI, 4(2), 295–299.

• Fahmi, M., Iqbal, M., Akbar, R., & Nurdin, A. (2023). Raj'i Talaq law according to the Shafi'i school in polyandry cases (Case study of Banda Aceh Shar'iyah Court Decision Number 383/Pdt.G/2020/MS. Bna). El-Usrah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga, 6(1), 161–165.

• Kasim, D. (2025). Approaching the Maqashid Sharia of marriage from the perspective of Al-Qur'an Fiqh. Kalosara: E-Journal IAIN Kendari, 2(1), 22–26.

• Maheran, S. (2020). Exploring the differences in views of Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti and Ayatollah Khomeini on the law of Mut'ah marriage. Innovative: Journal of Social Science Research, 3(2), 4–8.

• Maswandi, M. (2023). Community views on polygamy and polyandry: Islamic legal perspective. International Asia Journal of Law and Money Laundering, 2(4), 163–168.

• Zuhri, I. I. (2023). Wanita yang haram dinikahi menurut Al-Qur'an (Kajian Tafsīr Mauḍū'ī). Ar-Risalah, 5(1), 93–98.