Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 221
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكَٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ ۚ وَلَأَمَةٌۭ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ وَلَعَبْدٌۭ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ ۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۖ وَيُبَيِّنُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
Kuma kada ku auri mãtã mushirikai sai sun yi ĩmãni: Kuma lalle ne baiwa mũminaita ce mafi alhẽri daga ɗiya kãfira, kuma kõ da tã bã ku sha'awa. Kuma kada ku aurar wa maza mushirikai sai sun yi ĩmãni, kuma lalle ne bãwa mũmini shi ne mafi alhẽri daga da mushiriki, kuma kõ da yã bã ku sha'awa, waɗannan suna kira ne zuwa ga wuta kuma Allah Yana kira zuwa ga Aljanna da gãfara da izninsa. Kuma Yana bayyana ãyõyinsa ga mutãne; tsammãninsu suna tunãwa.
walā tankiḥū l-mush'rikāti ḥattā yu'minna wala-amatun mu'minatun khayrun min mush'rikatin walaw aʿjabatkum walā tunkiḥū l-mush'rikīna ḥattā yu'minū walaʿabdun mu'minun khayrun min mush'rikin walaw aʿjabakum ulāika yadʿūna ilā l-nāri wal-lahu yadʿū ilā l-janati wal-maghfirati bi-idh'nihi wayubayyinu āyātihi lilnnāsi laʿallahum yatadhakkarūna
Word by word
- وَلَا walā And (do) not
- تَنكِحُوا۟ tankiḥū [you] marry
- ٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ l-mush'rikāti [the] polytheistic women
- حَتَّىٰ ḥattā until
- يُؤْمِنَّ ۚ yu'minna they believe
- وَلَأَمَةٌۭ wala-amatun And a bondwoman
- مُّؤْمِنَةٌ mu'minatun (who is) believing
- خَيْرٌۭ khayrun (is) better
- مِّن min than
- مُّشْرِكَةٍۢ mush'rikatin a polytheistic woman
- وَلَوْ walaw [and] even if
- أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ ۗ aʿjabatkum she pleases you
- وَلَا walā And (do) not
- تُنكِحُوا۟ tunkiḥū give in marriage (your women)
- ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ l-mush'rikīna (to) [the] polytheistic men
- حَتَّىٰ ḥattā until
- يُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ yu'minū they believe
- وَلَعَبْدٌۭ walaʿabdun and a bondman
- مُّؤْمِنٌ mu'minun (who is) believing
- خَيْرٌۭ khayrun (is) better
- مِّن min than
- مُّشْرِكٍۢ mush'rikin a polytheistic man
- وَلَوْ walaw [and] even if
- أَعْجَبَكُمْ ۗ aʿjabakum he pleases you
- أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ulāika [Those]
- يَدْعُونَ yadʿūna they invite
- إِلَى ilā to
- ٱلنَّارِ ۖ l-nāri the Fire
- وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu and Allah
- يَدْعُوٓا۟ yadʿū invites
- إِلَى ilā to
- ٱلْجَنَّةِ l-janati Paradise
- وَٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ wal-maghfirati and [the] forgiveness
- بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۖ bi-idh'nihi by His permission
- وَيُبَيِّنُ wayubayyinu And He makes clear
- ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ āyātihi His Verses
- لِلنَّاسِ lilnnāsi for the people
- لَعَلَّهُمْ laʿallahum so that they may
- يَتَذَكَّرُونَ yatadhakkarūna take heed
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Prohibition of marrying Mushrik Men and Women
Allah prohibited the believers from marrying Mushrik women who worship idols. Although the meaning is general and includes every Mushrik woman from among the idol worshippers and the People of the Scripture, Allah excluded the People of the Scripture from this ruling. Allah stated:
مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ
((Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time when you have given their due dowry, desiring chastity (i.e., taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse.) (5:5)
`Ali bin Abu Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said about what Allah said:
وَلاَ تَنْكِحُواْ الْمُشْرِكَـتِ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَّ
(And do not marry Al-Mushrikat (female idolators) till they believe (worship Allah Alone).) "Allah has excluded the women of the People of the Scripture." This is also the explanation of Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Makhul, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, Zayd bin Aslam and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and others. Some scholars said that the Ayah is exclusively talking about idol worshippers and not the People of the Scripture, and this meaning is similar to the first meaning we mentioned. Allah knows best.
Abu Ja`far bin Jarir (At-Tabari) said, after mentioning that there is Ijma` that marrying women from the People of the Scripture is allowed, "`Umar disliked this practice so that the Muslims do not refrain from marrying Muslim women, or for similar reasons." An authentic chain of narrators stated that Shaqiq said: Once Hudhayfah married a Jewish woman and `Umar wrote to him, "Divorce her." He wrote back, "Do you claim that she is not allowed for me so that I divorce her" He said, "No. But, I fear that you might marry the whores from among them." Ibn Jarir related that Zayd bin Wahb said that `Umar bin Khattab said, "The Muslim man marries the Christian woman, but the Christian man does not marry the Muslim woman." This Hadith has a stronger, authentic chain of narrators than the previous Hadith.
Ibn Abu Hatim said that Ibn `Umar disliked marrying the women from the People of the Scripture. He relied on his own explanation for the Ayah:
وَلاَ تَنْكِحُواْ الْمُشْرِكَـتِ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَّ
(And do not marry Al-Mushrikat (female idolators) till they believe (worship Allah Alone).)
Al-Bukhari also reported that Ibn `Umar said, "I do not know of a bigger Shirk than her saying that Jesus is her Lord!"
Allah said:
وَلأَمَةٌ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ
(And indeed a slave woman who believes is better than a (free) Mushrikah (female idolators), even though she pleases you.)
It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said:
«تُنْـكَحُ الْمَرْأَةُ لِأَرْبَعٍ: لِمَالِهَا وَلِحَسَبِهَا وَلِجَمَالِهَا وَلِدِينِهَا، فَاظْفَرْ بِذَاتِ الدِّينِ، تَرِبَتْ يَدَاك»
(A woman is chosen for marriage for four reasons: her wealth, social status, beauty, and religion. So, marry the religious woman, may your hands be filled with sand (a statement of encouragement).)
Muslim reported this Hadith from Jabir. Muslim also reported that Ibn `Amr said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:
«الدُّنْيَا مَتَاعٌ، وَخَيْرُ مَتَاعِ الدُّنْيَا الْمَرْأَةُ الصَّالِحَة»
(The life of this world is but a delight, and the best of the delights of this earthly life is the righteous wife.)
Allah then said:
وَلاَ تُنكِحُواْ الْمُشِرِكِينَ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنُواْ
(And give not (your daughters) in marriage to Al-Mushrikin till they believe (in Allah Alone).) meaning, do not marry Mushrik men to believing women. This statement is similar to Allah's statement:
لاَ هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ
(They are not lawful (wives) for them, nor are they lawful (husbands) for them.) (60:10)
Next, Allah said:
وَلَعَبْدٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ
(. ..and verily, a believing servant is better than a (free) Mushrik (idolator), even though he pleases you.)
This Ayah indicates that a believing man, even an Abyssinian servant, is better than a Mushrik man, even if he was a rich master.
أُوْلَـئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ
(Those (Al-Mushrikun) invite you to the Fire) meaning, associating and mingling with the disbelievers makes one love this life and prefer it over the Hereafter, leading to the severest repercussions. Allah said:
وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُواْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِ
(...but Allah invites (you) to Paradise and forgiveness by His leave) meaning, by His Law, commandments and prohibitions. Allah said:
وَيُبَيِّنُ آيَـتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
(...and makes His Ayat clear to mankind that they may remember.)