The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 17
I - Commencement of the Second Era of Life in Madīnah 17 were revealed piecemeal on three occasions. First and foremost, a short time after the migration, the verses of Sūrah Al-Baqarah were revealed, wherein it was instructed that no Muslim man was permitted to marry an idolatrous woman, nor could a Muslim woman marry an idolatrous man. As such the Holy Qur’ān states: الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا تُنكِحُوا وَلَا. . . َّ الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِن تَنكِحُوا وَلَا “O Ye Muslims! Marry not idolatrous women until they believe. . . And give not believing women in marriage to idolaters until they believe. ” 1 However, this verse did not explain what was to be done in the case that the Nikāḥ had already been performed. Therefore, verses of Sūrah Mumtaḥinah were revealed after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah in regards to this issue, in which it is stated that the Nikāḥ of a Muslim woman cannot be upheld with an idolatrous man in any circumstance, nor is it permissible for a Muslim man to continue a Nikāḥ with an idolatrous woman. As such, God the Exalted states: الْكُفَّارِ لَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ اِلَى فَلَا. . . ٍ َكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ مُهَاجِرَات ء جَا اِذَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اَيُّهَا يَا ِ بِعِصَمِ الْكَوَافِر تُمْسِكُوا وَلَا. . . َّ هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُن هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلَا “O Ye Muslims! When believing women come to you as refugees. . . send them not back to the disbelievers. These women are not lawful for them, nor are disbelieving men lawful for Muslim women. . . and O Ye Muslims! Hold not to your matrimonial ties of the disbelieving (idolatrous) women. ” 2 After this, in the last days of the Holy Prophet sa the verses of Sūrah Al-Mā’idah were revealed, in which it was expounded that a Muslim man can marry a woman from the Ahl-e-Kitāb, (i. e. , Jewish or Christian, etc. ). Therefore, the Holy Qur’ān states: َ وَالْمُحْصَنَات ُ مِن َ الْمُؤْمِنَات ِ وَالْمُحْصَنَات ُ مِن َ الَّذِين. . . ُ اَلْيَوْم َ اُحِل َّ لَكُم ُ الطَّيِّبَات 1 Al-Baqarah (2:222) 2 Al-Mumtaḥinah (60:11)