Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 20

Mufti Taqi Usmani

If you want to take a wife in place of the one (you have), and you have given her plenty of wealth, then do not take any of it back. Would you take it through imputation and open sin?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

If you desire to replace a wife with another and you have given the former ˹even˺ a stack of gold ˹as a dowry˺, do not take any of it back. Would you ˹still˺ take it unjustly and very sinfully?

Ruwwad Translation Center

If you decide to replace one wife with another, and you have given her abundance of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it wrongfully and sinfully?

A. J. Arberry

And if you desire to exchange a wife in place of another, and you have given to one a hundredweight, take of it nothing. What, will you take it by way of calumny and manifest sin?

Abdul Haleem

If you wish to replace one wife with another, do not take any of her bride-gift back, even if you have given her a great amount of gold.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And if ye intend to replace a wife by anot her, and ye have given the one of them a talent, take not back aught therefrom. Would ye take it back by slander and manifest sin.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But if ye decide to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back; Would ye take it by slander and manifest wrong?

Abul Ala Maududi

And if you decide to dispense with a wife in order to take another, do not take away anything of what you might have given the first one, even if you had given her a heap of gold. Would you take it back by slandering her and committing a manifest wrong?

Ahmed Ali

If you want to take another wife in place of the one you are married to, then even if you have given her a talent of gold, do not take back a thing. Would you take it away by slandering and using unjust means?

Ahmed Raza Khan

And if you wish to change one wife for another and you have given her heaps of treasure, do not take back anything from it; will you take it back by slander and open sin?

Ali Quli Qarai

If you desire to take a wife in place of another, and you have given one of them a quintal [of gold], do not take anything away from it. Would you take it by way of calumny and flagrant sin?!

Ali Ünal

But if you still decide to dispense with a wife and marry another and you have given the former (even so much as amounts to) a treasure, do not take back anything thereof. Would you take it back by slandering (for the purpose of contriving the kind of divorce that allows you to take it back) and so committing a flagrant sin?

Amatul Rahman Omar

And if you desire to take one wife in place of (another) wife and you have given one of them a huge treasure, then take nothing from that which you have given. Would you take it by false accusation and by committing an open sin?

English Literal

And if you wanted exchanging (to exchange) a spouse (in) place (of a) spouse, and you (P) gave one of them (F) a ton , so do not take from it a thing, do you take it wrongfully/slanderfully, and an evident sin/crime?

Faridul Haque

And if you wish to change one wife for another and you have given her heaps of treasure, do not take back anything from it; will you take it back by slander and open sin?

Hamid S. Aziz

And do not marry women your fathers married - except what has already happened - for it is an abominable and hateful practice, and an evil way.

Hilali & Khan

But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Cantar (of gold i.e. a great amount) as Mahr, take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O you who believe, it is not lawful for you to take women as heritage against (their) will. Nor should you straiten them by taking part of what you have given them, unless they are guilty of manifest indecency. And treat them kindly. Then if you hate them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah has placed abundant good in it.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And if you wish to have (one) wife in place of another and you have given one of them a heap of gold, then take not from it anything; would you take it by slandering (her) and (doing her) manifest wrong?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And if ye wish to exchange one wife for another and ye have given unto one of them a sum of money (however great), take nothing from it. Would ye take it by the way of calumny and open wrong?

Muhammad Sarwar

If you want to divorce a woman so that you can marry another, do not take back the dowry which you had paid even if what you paid was a large amount of gold. To do this is a slanderous act and a manifest sin.

Qaribullah & Darwish

If you wish to take a wife in the place of another wife, and you have given to one a Qintar (98, 841. 6 lbs.) so do not take from it anything. What, will you take it by way of calumny and a clear sin!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintar, take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin

Wahiduddin Khan

If you desire to replace one wife with another, do not take any part of her dower back: even if you have given her a treasure. Would you take it by slandering her and with manifest sinfulness?

Talal Itani

If you wish to replace one wife with another, and you have given one of them a fortune, take nothing back from it. Would you take it back fraudulently and sinfully?

Tafsir jalalayn

And if you desire to exchange a wife in place of another, by divorcing the one, and you have given to one, of the spouses, a hundredweight, that is, a large sum as dowry, take of it nothing. Would you take it by way of calumny, injustice, and manifest sin? (buhtnan, `calumny', and ithman, `sin', end in the accusative because they are circumstantial qualifiers); the interrogative here is meant as a rebuke, and as a disavowal where He says;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

But if you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintar, take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin.

The Ayah commands;

When one of you wants to divorce a wife and marry another one, he must not take any portion of the dowry he gave to the first wife, even if it were a Qintar of money.

We mentioned the meaning of Qintar in the Tafsir of Surah Al Imran.

This Ayah is clear in its indication that the dowry could be substantial.

Umar bin Al-Khattab used to discourage giving a large dowry, but later on changed his view.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Al-Ajfa As-Sulami said that he heard Umar bin Al-Khattab saying,

"Do not exaggerate with the dowry of women, had this practice been an honor in this world or a part of Taqwa, then the Prophet would have had more right to practice it than you. The Messenger of Allah never gave any of his wives, nor did any of his daughters receive a dowry more than twelve Uwqiyah.

A man used to pay a substantial dowry and thus conceal enmity towards his wife!"

Ahmad and the collectors of Sunan collected this Hadith through various chains of narration, and At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih".

Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la recorded that Masruq said,

"Umar bin Al-Khattab stood up on the Minbar of the Messenger of Allah and said,

`O people! Why do you exaggerate concerning the dowry given to women! The Messenger of Allah and his Companions used to pay up to four hundred Dirhams for a dowry, or less than that. Had paying more for a dowry been a part of Taqwa or an honor, you would not have led them in this practice. Therefore, I do not want to hear about a man who pays more than four hundred Dirhams for a dowry.'

He then went down the Minbar, but a woman from Quraysh said to him, `O Leader of the Faithful! You prohibited people from paying more than four hundred Dirhams in a dowry for women!'

He said, `Yes.'

She said, `Have you not heard what Allah sent down in the Qur'an?'

He said, `Which part of it?'

She said, `Have you not heard Allah's statement,
وَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ قِنطَارًا
(And you have given one of them a Qintar).'

He said, `O Allah! Forgive me...'

He then went back and stood up on the Minbar saying, `I had prohibited you from paying more than four hundred Dirhams in a dowry for women. So, let everyone pay what he likes from his money."'

The chain of narration for this Hadith is strong.

Allah said