Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nur Verse 32

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Arrange the marriage of the spouseless among you, and the capable from among your bondmen and bondwomen. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His grace. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Marry off the ˹free˺ singles among you, as well as the righteous of your bondmen and bondwomen. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Arrange marriages for those of you who are unmarried, and for the righteous of your bondmen and bondwomen. If they are poor, Allah will suffice them from His bounty, for Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.

A. J. Arberry

Marry the spouseless among you, and your slaves and handmaidens that are righteous; if they are poor, God will enrich them of His bounty; God is All-embracing, All-knowing.

Abdul Haleem

Marry off the single among you and those of your male and female slaves who are fit [for marriage]. If they are poor, God will provide for them from His bounty: God’s bounty is infinite and He is all knowing.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And wed the single among you and the fit ones among your male and female slaves; if they are poor, Allah will enrich them of His grace; Allah is Ample, Knowing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female; if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace; for Allah encompasseth all, and he knoweth all things.

Abul Ala Maududi

Arrange marriages between the single men and women among your and between your slave men and slave women, who are righteous,, if they be indigent, Allah will provide means for them out of His bounty: Allah has boundless resources and He is AllKnowing.

Ahmed Ali

Marry off those who are single among you, and those of your male and female servants who are righteous. If they are poor, God will enrich them of His grace, for God is bounteous and all-knowing.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And enjoin in marriage those among you who are not married, and your deserving slaves and bondwomen; if they are poor, Allah will make them wealthy by His munificence; and Allah is Most Capable, All Knowing.

Ali Quli Qarai

Marry off those who are single among you, and the upright among your male and female slaves. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His grace, and Allah is all-bounteous, all-knowing.

Ali Ünal

Marry those among you who are single (whether men or women) and those of your male and female slaves that are righteous (and fit for marriage). If they are poor, God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty. God is All-Embracing in His mercy, All-Knowing.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Arrange marriages for those of you who are single and for your male and female slaves as are deserving and fit (to lead a married life). If they are poor Allâh will grant them means out of His bounty; Bountiful is Allâh, All-Knowing.

English Literal

And marry the widows/widowers from you, and the correct/righteous from your slaves/servants and your owned (F) slaves, if they be poor/needy God enriches/suffices them from His grace/favour/blessing, and God (is) rich/spread , knowledgeable.

Faridul Haque

And enjoin in marriage those among you who are not married, and your deserving slaves and bondwomen; if they are poor, Allah will make them wealthy by His munificence; and Allah is Most Capable, All Knowing.

Hamid S. Aziz

And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their modesty, and display not their ornaments, except those which are obvious from the outside; and let them pull their veils over their bosoms and not display their ornaments (and beauty) save to their husbands and fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers´ sons, or their sisters´ sons, or their women, or what their right hands possess (slaves), or their male attendants who are incapable (eunuchs or old men), or to children who do not note women´s nakedness; and that they beat not with their feet to draw attention to their hidden ornaments; but turn you all to Allah, O you believers, in order that you may succeed (or prosper or attain bliss).

Hilali & Khan

And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And say to the believing women that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions and do not display their adornment except what appears thereof. And let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms. And they should not display their adornment except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or guileless male servants, or the children who know not women’s nakedness. And let them not strike their feet so that the adornment that they hide may be known. And turn to Allah all, O believers, so that you may be successful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And marry those among you who are single and those who are fit among your male slaves and your female slaves; if they are needy, Allah will make them free from want out of His grace; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And marry such of you as are solitary and the pious of your slaves and maid-servants. If they be poor, Allah will enrich them of His bounty. Allah is of ample means, Aware.

Muhammad Sarwar

Marry the single people among you and the righteous slaves and slave-girls. If you are poor, God will make you rich through His favor; He is Bountiful and All-knowing.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Marry those among you who are spouseless and the virtuous among your male and female slaves (thereby freeing them), if they are poor, Allah will enrichthem of His bounty; Allah is Embracing, Knowing.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And marry those among you who are single (Al-Ayama) and the pious of your servants and maidservants. If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent, All-Knowing.

Wahiduddin Khan

Marry those among you who are single, and those of your male and female slaves who are fit [for marriage]. If they are poor, God will provide for them from His bounty, for God's bounty is infinite and He is all knowing.

Talal Itani

And wed the singles among you, and those who are fit among your servants and maids. If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.

Tafsir jalalayn

And marry off the spouseless among you (aym is the plural form of ayyim, namely, a spouseless female, whether she be a virgin or one previously married, or a spouseless male), this [stipulation] relates to free men and free women, and the righteous ones, the believers, among your male slaves and your female slaves (`ibd is one plural form of `abd). If they, the free men, are poor, God will enrich them, through marriage, out of His bounty. God is Embracing, of [the needs of] His creatures, Knowing, of them.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Command to marry

These clear Ayat include a group of unambiguous rulings and firm commands.

وَأَنكِحُوا الاْأَيَامَى مِنكُمْ

And marry those among you who are single (Al-Ayama)....

This is a command to marry.

The Prophet said;

يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ

O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let him marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and protecting the private parts. Whoever cannot do that, then let him fast, for it is a protection for him.

This was recorded in the Two Sahihs from the Hadith of Ibn Mas`ud.

In the Sunan, it was recorded from more than one person that the Messenger of Allah said;

تَزَوَّجُوا تَوَالَدُوا تَنَاسَلُوا فَإِنِّي مُبَاهٍ بِكُمُ الاُْمَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ


Marry and have children, for I will be proud of you before the nations on the Day of Resurrection.

The word Al-Ayama, the plural form of Ayyim, is used to describe a woman who has no husband and a man who has no wife, regardless of whether they have been married and then separated, or have never been married at all. Al-Jawhari reported this from the scholars of the (Arabic) language, and the word is applied to men and women alike.

وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَايِكُمْ

and the pious of your servants and maidservants.

إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاء يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ

If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas;

"Allah encouraged them to get married, commanded both free men and servants to get married, and He promised to enrich them."

It was recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said;

"Seek the richness through marriage, for Allah says;
وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَايِكُمْ
(If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty)."

This was recorded by Ibn Jarir.

Al-Baghawi also recorded something similar from Umar.

وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ



And Allah is All-Sufficient, All-Knowing.

It was reported from Al-Layth from Muhammad bin Ajlan from Sa`id Al-Maqburi from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said;

ثَلَثَةٌ حَقٌّ عَلَى اللهِ عَوْنُهُمْ

النَّاكِحُ يُرِيدُ الْعَفَافَ

وَالْمُكَاتَبُ يُرِيدُ الاْاَدَاءَ

وَالْغَازِي فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ

There are three whom it is a right upon Allah to help;

one who gets married seeking chastity;

a slave who makes a contract with his master with the aim of buying his freedom; and

one who fights for the sake of Allah.

This was recorded by Imam Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah.

The Prophet performed the marriage of a man who owned nothing but his waist wrap, and could not even buy a ring made of iron, but he still married him to that woman, making the Mahr his promise to teach her whatever he knew of the Qur'an.

And it is known from the generosity and kindness of Allah that He provided him with whatever was sufficient for her and for him.
The Command to keep Oneself Chaste if One is not able to get Married

Allah's saying