The Holy Quran 24:33 — Surah An-Nur

Arabic text

وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغْنِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا ۖ وَءَاتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۚ وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا۟ فَتَيَـٰتِكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْبِغَآءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ عَرَضَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَمَن يُكْرِههُّنَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِكْرَٰهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Translation

Those who are unable (who have no means) to marry (despite their desire and efforts) should preserve their chastity until Allaah grants them both independence through His grace (and then they are able to marry). You should enter into the contract of Kitaabah (a contract between slave and master by which the slave has to gradually pay the master a certain sum of money to secure his freedom) with those slaves of yours who desire to enter into it if you know of any good in them (if you feel that they are capable of earning). Give them from Allaah's wealth, which He has given to you (by either reducing the amount of Kitaabah or writing it off). And (as some Munaafiqeen were doing) do not force your slave women into prostitution when they wish to remain chaste, merely to seek the commodities (wealth) of this world. Whoever forces them (to be prostitutes), then, after his duress, Allaah is certainly Most Forgiving, Most Merciful (and will forgive the slave women who had no option but will severely punish such a tyrannical master).

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

Let them remain chaste until they marry: that is, those who at present lack the means even to take a woman in marriage should, until Almighty Allah grants them the means, keep their selves under control and strive to remain chaste.

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