Surah An-Nisā (The Women) in English

1. والمحصنات من النساء إلا ما ملكت أيمانكم كتاب الله عليكم وأحل لكم ما وراء ذلكم أن تبتغوا بأموالكم محصنين غير مسافحين فما استمتعتم به منهن فآتوهن أجورهن فريضة ولا جناح عليكم فيما تراضيتم به من بعد الفريضة إن الله كان عليما حكيما

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   and married women, excepting your slave-women. This is Allah’s ordinance for you. As to others than these, it is lawful for you to seek [temporary union with them] with your wealth, in wedlock, not in license. For the enjoyment you have had from them thereby, give them their dowries, by way of settlement, and there is no sin upon you in what you may agree upon after the settlement. Indeed Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.

   wa-l-muḥṣanātu mina n-nisāʾi ʾillā mā malakat ʾaymānukum kitāba llāhi ʿalaykum wa-ʾuḥilla lakum mā warāʾa dhālikum ʾan tabtaghū bi-ʾamwālikum muḥṣinīna ghayra musāfiḥīna fa-mā stamtaʿtum bihī minhunna fa-ʾātūhunna ʾujūrahunna farīḍatan wa-lā junāḥa ʿalaykum fī-mā tarāḍaytum bihī min baʿdi l-farīḍati ʾinna llāha kāna ʿalīman ḥakīman

2. ومن لم يستطع منكم طولا أن ينكح المحصنات المؤمنات فمن ما ملكت أيمانكم من فتياتكم المؤمنات والله أعلم بإيمانكم بعضكم من بعض فانكحوهن بإذن أهلهن وآتوهن أجورهن بالمعروف محصنات غير مسافحات ولا متخذات أخدان فإذا أحصن فإن أتين بفاحشة فعليهن نصف ما على المحصنات من العذاب ذلك لمن خشي العنت منكم وأن تصبروا خير لكم والله غفور رحيم

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   As for those of you who cannot afford to marry faithful free women, then [let them marry] from what you own, from among your faithful slave-women. Your faith is best known [only] to Allah; you are all [on a] similar [footing]. So marry them with their masters’ permission, and give them their dowries in an honourable manner—[such of them] as are chaste women, not licentious ones or those who take paramours. But should they commit an indecent act on marrying, there shall be for them [only] half the punishment for free women. This is for those of you who fear falling into fornication; but it is better that you be continent, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

   wa-man lam yastaṭiʿ minkum ṭawlan ʾan yankiḥa l-muḥṣanāti l-muʾmināti fa-min mā malakat ʾaymānukum min fatayātikumu l-muʾmināti wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu bi-ʾīmānikum baʿḍukum min baʿḍin fa-nkiḥūhunna bi-ʾidhni ʾahlihinna wa-ʾātūhunna ʾujūrahunna bi-l-maʿrūfi muḥṣanātin ghayra musāfiḥātin wa-lā muttakhidhāti ʾakhdānin fa-ʾidhā ʾuḥṣinna fa-ʾin ʾatayna bi-fāḥishatin fa-ʿalayhinna niṣfu mā ʿalā l-muḥṣanāti mina l-ʿadhābi dhālika li-man khashiya l-ʿanata minkum wa-ʾan taṣbirū khayrun lakum wa-llāhu ghafūrun raḥīmun

3. يريد الله ليبين لكم ويهديكم سنن الذين من قبلكم ويتوب عليكم والله عليم حكيم

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   Allah desires to explain [the laws] to you, and to guide you to the customs of those who were before you, and to turn toward you clemently, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.

   yurīdu llāhu li-yubayyina lakum wa-yahdiyakum sunana lladhīna min qablikum wa-yatūba ʿalaykum wa-llāhu ʿalīmun ḥakīmun