Quran Chapter 2- 221b (Pt-2, Stg-1) (L-285) - درس قرآن
Grade of a Muslim bondwoman
Surah
‘Al-Baqarah (The Cow) – Chapter – 2)
‘A-‘uu-zu Billaahi minash-Shay-taanir- Rajiim.
(I seek refuge in God from Satan the outcast.)
Bis-Millaahir-Rah-maanir-Rahiim.
(In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.)
(I seek refuge in God from Satan the outcast.)
Bis-Millaahir-Rah-maanir-Rahiim.
(In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.)
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكَٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ وَلَأَمَةٌ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَعَبْدٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِّنمُّشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَيُبَيِّنُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ 221
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221b. And lo! A believing bondwoman is
better than an idolatress though she please you;
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221b. Wa la-‘amatum-mu’-minatun
khayrum-mim-mushrikatinw-wa law ‘a’-jabat-kum.
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Commentary
In the first part of
this verse, it has been described that marriage with any idolatress woman is
unlawful. Now Allah Almighty commands that if any idolatress woman has the entire
kinds of beauties and qualities, apparently she has each type of attraction,
but when she has not the light of belief then she would not have any allurement
for a Muslim. Comparatively, if any Muslim woman doesn’t have blessings like
freedom, she is better to be wed a Muslim man.
There may be some
reasons to like any idolatress or non-Muslim woman, for instance; she may be
rich, she may have wealth and property more than enough, she may be beautiful
and elegant, she may be well educated, she may belong to a higher
family/dynasty, she may be unraveled, she may be excellent and worthy, she may
have all qualities which should be in a complete woman, but all these
characteristics of an idolatress woman are valueless before a Believer woman
still the basic principles of the life of this idolatress are not good.
Conversely to her,
many reasons may be found to dislike a believing bondwoman. For example,
she may be ugly, poor or illiterate and maid/female slave. But in spite of all
these things; she is superior to the idolatress in the Court of Allah Almighty
because of her belief. So, it has been commanded that this type of woman should
be preferred for wedding.
The life of husband
becomes difficult naturally if he weds any idolatress woman. Difference of
opinion and dispute in every matter, contention in domestic affairs, difference
of opinion in the matters of children’s education and civilization, this type
of strife effects badly not only upon the husband but there is a risk of affect
also upon the children. The children don’t find the straight path in front of
them. The father teaches them according to his religion whereas the mother
advises them something else.
However, if any Muslim
bondwoman is wedded then these types of difficulties and entanglements will not
be faced. Because the children will remain anyhow Muslims, and being a Muslim
is better than infidelity and ascribing plurality to Allah Almighty, though
they are children of a bondwoman. Nowadays, although, the reproach of slavery
has been finished from the world due to remedies of Islam, there is no slave
male or female now. So this verse strengthens only the restriction which has
come in the first part of the verse about marriage with any idolatress and
infidel woman.
When this verse was revealed,
at that time, the slaves and bondwomen were present. At the same time, it was
admonished that there were some social harms also to wed any Muslim bondwoman.
But those are less than the badness and intricacies which grow due to wedding a
non-Muslim life partner (woman). Today also, we can understand from it that
Islamic way of life is the best to produce married relationships and
connections. It should be kept in mind about the matter of bondwomen that their
children will be slaves till the time they are not the children of the master
of bondwoman. The children of free woman will remain independent, whether their
father is from any race, and it is final that nowadays bondwomen and slaves do
not exist.
