The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 277
PT. 18 AL-MU'MINŪN CH. 23 they are treated as wives. have migrated with thee (33:51), 4. And marry not idolatrous women points to the fact that the until they believe; even a believing commandment regarding marriage bondwoman is better than idolatrous woman, although she may highly please you (2:222). whom your ما ملكت أيمانكم an | applies to The sense being that a believing slave wife should be preferred to a non-believing free wife. The Holy Prophet is also very explicit on this point. He is reported to have said, "He who has a slave girl, and gives her proper education and brings her up in a becoming manner and then frees and marries her, for him is double reward" (Bukhārī, Kitābul- Ilm). This ḥadīth implies that if a Muslim wishes to have a slave girl as wife, he should first set her free and then marry her. The Holy Prophet's own practice was quite in harmony with his precept. Two of the Holy Prophet's wives, Juwairiyyah and Safiyyah, came to him as prisoners of war. They were his. But he married them according to Islamic Law. Mariyah was sent to him by the King of Egypt. He also married her and she enjoyed the status of a free wife like his other wives. observed "purdah" and was included among "the Mothers of the Faithful. " She right hands possess) as much as it does to daughters of the Holy maternal Prophet's paternal and uncles and aunts. Both are to be legally wedded before they treated are as wives. All the three were categories mentioned above made lawful to the Holy Prophet through marriage. The verse 4:25 viz. And forbidden to you are married women, except such as your right hands possess, seems to present some difficulty. But in reality there is no such difficulty. The verse along with its predecessor deals with women whom it is unlawful for a man to marry and among these are included married women. But it makes one exception. Those married women who are taken prisoner in a religious war and then choose to remain with Muslims, can be married to their masters. The fact that they choose not to go to their former husbands is considered as tantamount to the annulment of their former marriage. may also be noted in passing that it is not permitted to take in marriage such female relations of a slave as correspond to the relations of a free woman within the prohibited degree. For instance, the mothers, sisters, daughters etc. , of a slave wife cannot be taken in marriage. This also shows that the Quranic commandments with regard to marriage and in-laws apply as much to bondwomen as they apply to free women. 2191 Another verse of the Quran, viz. O Prophet We have made lawful to thee thy wives whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesses from among those whom Allah has given thee as gains of war, and the daughters of thy paternal uncle, and the daughters of thy paternal aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncle, and the daughters of thy maternal aunts who