Surah An-Nur, Ayah 34

The Command to marry

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

وَأَنْكِحُواْ الأَيَـمَى مِنْكُمْ

(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 ﷺ said:

Commentary

The scholars call this verse as the ` Verse of Radiance', because it describes in great detail the radiance of faith and the darkness of disbelief.

Islam clearly approves of married life for both men and women. In case certain persons remain unmarried, due to lack of resources, it is necessary that all the members of society unanimously view it as a common problem and do not rest content until it is solved. In the period when Islam came into existence, the system of owning slaves was prevalent in Arabia and, indeed, throughout the whole world. Islam, following its basic principles, started abolishing slavery in a very systematic though gradual manner. One of the methods followed was known as makatibah. The literal meaning of kitab or makatibah is ‘writing’. Here this term denotes a bond by which a male or female slave promises his or her owner to earn for him a specified amount within stipulated time, after which he or she will be free. Both male and female slaves were thus being set free either by makatibah or by other methods, so much so, that by the end of the period of early Islamic history (the period of the ‘four rightly guided caliphs’) the institution of slavery had been almost completely abolished. In pre-Islamic times and even in the very early period of Islam, there were people who used to make their slave girls work as prostitutes. Abdullah ibn Ubayy had many slave girls whom he forced into prostitution and thus earned a profit out of them. When one of these slave girls embraced Islam and wanted to give up prostitution, Abdullah ibn Ubayy started harassing her. Ultimately, at the behest of the Prophet Muhammad, she was freed from his clutches by paying for her freedom.