Women's Rights in the Harem
September 20, 2014
Chapters from the
Koran.
Vol. 45, pp. 967-974 of
The Harvard Classics
The Koran defines
the powers of a husband over his wives. Thus a woman unfaithful to
her lord may be walled up alive.
(Mohammed arrives at
Kuba after "The Flight," Sept. 20, 622.)
Medina
Suras
The
Chapter of Women
IN the name
of the merciful and compassionate God.
O ye folk! fear
your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created therefrom its
mate, and diffused from them twain many men and women. And fear God,
in whose name ye beg of one another, and the wombs; verily, God over
you doth watch. 1
And give unto the
orphans their property, and give them not the vile in exchange for
the good, and devour not their property to your own property; verily,
that were a great sin. But if ye fear that ye cannot do justice
between orphans, then marry what seems good to you of women, by twos,
or threes, or fours; and if ye fear that ye cannot be equitable, then
only one, or what your right hands possess. 2 That
keeps you nearer to not being partial.
And give women
their dowries freely; and if they are good enough to remit any of it
of themselves, then devour it with good digestion and appetite. 3
But do not give up
to fools 4 their property which God has made you
to stand by; but maintain them from it, and clothe them, and speak to
them with a reasonable speech. Prove orphans until they reach a
marriageable age, and if ye perceive in them right management, then
hand over to them their property, and do not devour it extravagantly
in anticipation of their growing up. And he who is rich, let him
abstain; but he who is poor, let him devour in reason, and when ye
hand over to them their property, then take witnesses against them;
but God sufficeth for taking account.
Men should have a portion of what
their parents and kindred leave, and women should have a portion of
what their parents and kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a
determined portion. And when the next of kin and the orphans and the
poor are present at the division, then maintain them out of it, and
speak to them a reasonable speech. And let these fear lest they leave
behind them a weak seed, for whom they would be afraid; and let them
fear God, and speak a straightforward speech. Verily, those who
devour the property of orphans unjustly, only devour into their
bellies fire, and they shall broil in flames.
God instructs you concerning your
children; for a male the like of the portion of two females, and if
there be women above two, then let them have two-thirds of what (the
deceased) leaves; and if there be but one, then let her have a half;
and as to the parents, to each of them a sixth of what he leaves, if
he has a son; but if he have no son, and his parents inherit, then
let his mother have a third, and if he have brethren, let his mother
have a sixth after payment of the bequest he bequeaths and of his
debt.
Your parents or your children, ye know
not which of them is nearest to you in usefulness:—an ordinance
this from God; verily, God is knowing and wise! And ye shall have
half of what your wives leave, if they have no son; but if they have
a son, then ye shall have a fourth of what they leave, after payment
of the bequests they bequeath or of their debts. And they shall have
a fourth of what ye leave, if ye have no son; but if ye have a son,
then let them have an eighth of what ye leave, after payment of the
bequest ye bequeath and of your debts.
And if the man’s
or the woman’s (property) be inherited by a kinsman who is neither
parent nor child, and he have a brother or sister, then let each of
these two have a sixth; but if they are more than that, let them
share in a third after payment of the bequest he bequeaths and of his
debts, without prejudice, 5—an ordinance this from
God, and God is knowing and clement!
These be God’s bounds, and whoso
obeys God and the Apostle He will make him enter into gardens beneath
which rivers flow, and they shall dwell therein for aye;—that is
the mighty happiness.
But whoso rebels against God and His
Apostle, and transgresses His bounds, He will make him enter into
fire, and dwell therein for aye; and for him is shameful woe.
Against those of
your women who commit adultery, call witnesses four in number from
among yourselves; and if these bear witness, then keep the women in
houses 6 until death release them, or God shall
make for them a way.
And if two of you
commit it, then hurt them both 7; but if they turn
again and amend, leave them alone, verily, God is easily turned,
compassionate.
God is only bound to turn again
towards those who do evil through ignorance and then turn again.
Surely, these will God turn again to, for God is knowing, wise. His
turning again is not for those who do evil, until, when death comes
before one of them, he says, ‘Now I turn again;’ nor yet for
those who die in misbelief. For such as these have we prepared a
grievous woe.
O ye who believe!
it is not lawful for you to inherit women’s estates against their
will; nor to hinder them, 8 that ye may go off
with part of what ye brought them, unless they commit fornication
manifestly; but associate with them in reason, for if ye are averse
from them, it may be that ye are averse from something wherein God
has put much good for you.
But
if ye wish to exchange one wife for another, and have given one of
them a talent, 9then take not from it anything. What!
would you take it for a calumny and a manifest crime. 10?
How can ye take it when one of you has
gone in unto the other, and they have taken from you a rigid compact?
And do not marry women your fathers
married,—except bygones,—for it is abominable and hateful, and an
evil way; unlawful for you are your mothers, and your daughters, and
your sisters, and your paternal aunts and maternal aunts, and your
brother’s daughters, and your sister’s daughters, and your foster
mothers, and your foster sisters, and your wives’ mothers, and your
step daughters who are your wards, born of your wives to whom ye have
gone in; but if ye have not gone in unto them, then it is no crime in
you; and the lawful spouses of your sons from your own loins, and
that ye form a connexion between two sisters,—except
bygones,—verily, God is forgiving, merciful; and married women,
save such as your right hands possess,—God’s Book against
you!—but lawful for you is all besides this, for you to seek them
with your wealth, marrying them and not fornicating; but such of them
as ye have enjoyed, give them their hire as a lawful due; for there
is no crime in you about what ye agree between you after such lawful
due, verily, God is knowing and wise.
But whosoever of you cannot go the
length of marrying marriageable women who believe, then take of what
your right hands possess, of your maidens who believe;—though God
knows best about your faith. Ye come one from the other; then marry
them with the permission of their people, and give them their hire in
reason, they being chaste and not fornicating, and not receivers of
paramours.
But when they are married, if they
commit fornication, then inflict upon them half the penalty for
married women; that is for whomsoever of you fears wrong; but that ye
should have patience is better for you, and God is forgiving and
merciful.
God wishes to explain to you and to
guide you into the ordinances of those who were before you, and to
turn towards you, for God is knowing, wise. God wishes to turn
towards you, but those who follow their lusts wish that ye should
swerve with a mighty swerving! God wishes to make it light for you,
for man was created weak.
O ye who believe! devour not your
property amongst yourselves vainly, unless it be a merchandise by
mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves; verily, God is
compassionate unto you.
But whoso does that maliciously and
unjustly, we will broil him with fire; for that is easy with God.
If ye avoid great sins from which ye
are forbidden, we will cover your offences and make you enter with a
noble entrance.
And do not covet that by which God has
preferred one of you over another. The men shall have a portion of
what they earn, and the women a portion of what they earn; ask God
for His grace, verily, God knows all.
To every one have we appointed
kinsfolk as heirs of what parents and relatives and those with whom
ye have joined right hands leave; so give them their portion, for,
verily, God is over all a witness.
Men stand superior to women in that
God hath preferred some of them over others, and in that they expend
of their wealth: and the virtuous women, devoted, careful (in their
husbands’) absence, as God has cared for them. But those whose
perverseness ye fear, admonish them and remove them into bed-chambers
and beat them; but if they submit to you, then do not seek a way
against them; verily, God is high and great.
And if ye fear a
breach between the two, 11 then send a judge
from his people and a judge from her people. If they wish for
reconciliation, God will arrange between them; verily, God is knowing
and aware.
And serve God, and
do not associate aught with Him; and to your parents show kindness,
and to kindred, and orphans, and the poor, and the neighbour who is
akin, and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the companion who is
strange, and the son of the road, and what your right hands
possess, 12 verily, God loves not him who is
proud and boastful; who are miserly and bid men be miserly too, and
who hide what God has given them of His grace;—but we have prepared
for the misbelievers’ shameful woe.
And those who expend their wealth in
alms for appearance sake before men, and who believe not in God nor
in the last day;—but whosoever has Satan for his mate, an evil mate
has he.
What harm would it do them if they
believed in God and in the last day, and expended in alms of what God
has provided them with? but God knows about them.
Verily, God would not wrong by the
weight of an atom; and if it’s a good work, He will double it and
bring from Himself a mighty hire.
How then when we bring from every
nation a witness, and bring thee as a witness against these on the
day when those who misbelieve and rebel against the Apostle would
fain that the earth were levelled with them? but they cannot hide the
news from God.
O ye who believe! approach not prayer
while ye are drunk, until ye well know what ye say; nor yet while
polluted,—unless ye be passing by the way,—until ye have washed
yourselves. But if ye are sick, or on a journey, or one of you come
from the privy, or if ye have touched a woman, and ye cannot find
water, then use good surface sand and wipe your faces and your hands
therewith; verily, God pardons and forgives.
Do ye not see those who have been
given a portion of the Book? they buy error, and they wish that ye
may err from the way! But God knows best who your enemies are, and
God suffices as a patron, and sufficient is God as a help.
And those who are
Jews, and those who pervert the words from their places, and say, ‘We
hear but we rebel, and do thou listen without hearing,’ and (who
say) ‘râ’hinâ,’ 13distorting it with their
tongues and taunting about religion. But had they said, ‘We hear
and we obey, so listen and look upon us,’ it would have been better
for them and more upright;—but may God curse them in their
misbelief, for they will not believe except a few.
O ye who have been
given the Book! believe in what we have revealed, confirming what ye
had before; ere we deface your faces and turn them into hinder parts,
or curse you as we cursed the fellows of the Sabbath 14 when
God’s command was done.
Verily, God pardons not associating
aught with Him, but He pardons anything short of that to whomsoever
He pleases; but he who associates aught with God, he hath devised a
mighty sin.
Do ye not see
those who purify themselves? nay, God purifies whom He will, and they
shall not be wronged a straw. 15
Behold, how they devise against God a
lie, and that is manifest sin enough.
Do
ye not see those to whom a portion of the Book has been given? They
believe inGibt 16 and Tâghût, 17 and
they say of those who misbelieve, ‘These are better guided in the
way than those who believe.’ These are those whom God has cursed,
and whom God has cursed no helper shall he find.
Do they envy man for what God has
given of His grace? We have given to Abraham’s people the Book and
wisdom, and we have given them a mighty kingdom. And of them are some
who believe therein, and of them are some who turn from it, but Hell
is flaming enough for them.
Verily, those who disbelieve in our
signs, we will broil them with fire; whenever their skins are well
done, then we will change them for other skins, that they may taste
the torment. Verily, God is glorious and wise.
But those who believe and do aright,
we will make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, and they
shall dwell therein for ever and aye, for them therein are pure
wives, and we will make them enter into a shady shade. Verily, God
bids you pay your trusts to their owners, and when ye judge between
men to judge with justice. Verily, God, excellent is what He
admonishes you with; verily, God both hears and sees.
O ye who believe! obey God, and obey
the Apostle and those in authority amongst you; and if ye quarrel
about anything, refer to God and the Apostle, if ye believe in God
and the last day; that is better and fairer as a settlement.
Do ye not see those who pretend that
they believe in what has been revealed to them, and what was revealed
before thee; they wish to refer their judgment to Tâghût,
but they are bidden to disbelieve therein, and Satan wishes to lead
them into a remote error. And when it is said to them, ‘Come round
to what God has sent down and unto the Apostle,’ thou seest the
hypocrites turning from thee, turning away.
How then when there befalls them a
mischance through what their hands have sent on before? then will
they come to you, and swear by God, ‘We meant naught but good and
concord.’ These, God knows what is in their hearts. Turn thou away
from them and admonish them, and speak to them into their souls with
a searching word.
We have never sent an apostle save
that he should be obeyed by the permission of God; and if they, when
they have wronged themselves, come to thee and ask pardon of God, and
the Apostle asks pardon for them, then they will find God easy to be
turned, compassionate.
But no! by thy Lord! they will not
believe, until they have made thee judge of what they differ on; then
they will not find in themselves aught to hinder what thou hast
decreed, and they will submit with submission. But had we prescribed
for them, ‘Kill yourselves, or go ye forth out of your houses,’
they would not have done it, save only a few of them; but had they
done what they are admonished, then it would have been better for
them, and a more firm assurance.
And then we would surely have brought
them from ourselves a mighty hire, and would have guided them into a
right path.
Whoso obeys God and the Apostle, these
are with those God has been pleased with, of prophets and confessors
and martyrs and the righteous;—a fair company are they.
That is grace from God, and God knows
well enough.
Note
1. That is, fear
God, and pay respect to your mothers and wives.
Note
3. The Arabic
idiom for the enjoyment of property being to eat it up, Mohammed here
gives the men permission to enjoy such portion of their wives’
dowries as the latter might be pleased to remit, and adds, with a
sort of humour, the colloquial expression used by the Arabs when any
one is eating. The sentence might be paraphrased ‘and if they are
kind enough to remit any portion of it of their own accord, then
enjoy it, and much good may it do you!’
Note
7. The
commentators are not agreed as to the nature of the offence here
referred to. The text, however, speaks of two of the masculine
gender. The punishment to be inflicted is also the subject of
dispute, the original merely saying, as I have translated it, ‘hurt
them.’
Note
10. This question
is ironical, and intended as a warning against beinging a false
accusation of infidelity against a wife for the sake of keeping her
dowry when divorced.
Note
15. The word in
the original means a fibre in the cleft of a date stone, or the rush
wick of a candle.
Note
18. Literally, a
dent or cleft in a date stone.
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