In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

The first passage of this sūrah dealt with the organisation of Muslim society and the eradication of all traces of pagan beliefs from its system by providing guarantees to orphans and protecting their wealth within their families and within the community. It has also dealt with the system of inheritance. All these guarantees work within the Islamic system outlined by God, the Lord of all people. He has created them all of a single soul, and He has established human society with the family as its basic unit, making mutual care its guiding principle. Moreover, all their affairs must be regulated within the bounds set by God on the basis of His perfect knowledge and infinite wisdom. They receive their reward or suffer their punishment according to whether they obey or disobey Him in all this.

In this second passage, the sūrah continues with its purpose of organising Muslim society, aiming at purifying it of all gross indecency. It provides for the isolation of those who commit such indecency, men and women, while at the same time opening the door for those of them who want to repent, purify themselves and lead a clean and chaste life. It also rescues women from what they used to suffer of humiliation and injustice under ignorant systems, so that the family could establish its firm and sound basis. That was the only way to build the society on firm foundations and within a clean atmosphere. It concludes with giving a list of the women whom a man is forbidden to marry under Islamic law. This constitutes a part of the organisation of family life.

As for those of your women who are guilty of gross immoral conduct, call upon four from among you to bear witness against them. If they so testify, then confine the guilty women to their houses until death takes them or God opens another way for them. (Verse 15) And the two from among you who are guilty of the same, punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, then leave them alone. God is the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful. (Verse 16)

Islam defines here its method, which aims at the cleansing and purification of society. In the first instance, it chooses to isolate those women who commit adultery from the rest of the community, once their guilt is proven. It also chooses to inflict physical punishment on those men who are sexually perverted, without specifying the type of punishment or its nature. At a later stage, Islam chose to mete out the same punishment to such men and women, which is flogging as explained in Sūrah 24, The Light, or Al-Nūr, and stoning to death as explained by the Sunnah. The ultimate aim of either punishment is to protect society and to guard its honour and morality.

In every situation and with every punishment, Islamic legislation provides guarantees which make it extremely difficult for injustice to take place and which make it almost impossible for punishment to be inflicted on the basis of suspicion or mistaken identity. This was especially important given that the punishment legislated could leave such a serious effect on people’s lives: “As for those of your women who are guilty of gross immoral conduct, call upon four from among you to bear witness against them. If they so testify, then confine the guilty women to their houses until death takes them or God opens another way for them.” (Verse 15)

Great care is being taken here. Firstly, the women on whom this punishment may be inflicted are defined as follows, “As for those of your women”, meaning Muslim women only. Furthermore, the men who are called in to testify to the occurrence of the offence are specified as follows, “Call upon four from among you”, meaning that they must also be Muslims. It is, then, a punishment for a certain kind of woman once the offence is proven by the testimony of certain men.

Islam does not allow non-Muslim men to testify against Muslim women, when they commit indecency. The four male witnesses must belong to the Islamic faith and the Muslim community, submit to its legislation, accept its leadership, care for its welfare and know what takes place within it. When it comes to the honour of a Muslim woman, the testimony of a non-Muslim is unacceptable, because we cannot be certain of his honesty and integrity. He has no interest in safeguarding the cleanliness and chastity of the community and he is not particularly interested in maintaining justice in that community. These safeguards have remained in effect even after the ruling in such cases was changed and the punishment for adultery was more clearly defined as flogging or stoning.

“If they so testify, then confine the guilty women to their houses.” (Verse 15) Thus they do not mix with or contaminate the Muslim society, nor are they allowed to marry or undertake any activity. This punishment continues “until death takes them” while they are confined in their houses, “or God opens another way for them”. This means that they themselves may change, or that their punishment may be changed. It also means that God may decide to do whatever He will with them. All this suggests that this is not a final ruling, but an interim verdict that takes into account certain circumstances in society. A different verdict which would be more permanent was, then, to be expected. This took place when the verdict and the punishment were changed to those outlined in Sūrah 24 and in the Sunnah. The strict guarantees which are provided here for the establishment of guilt have, however, remained the same.

Imām Aĥmad relates on the authority of `Ubādah ibn al-Şāmit that the Prophet used to be visibly affected every time revelations were bestowed on him from on high. His face changed and he looked ill at ease. One day, after he received revelations and he regained his colour, he said: “Learn this from me. God has opened another way for them, both in the case of a married man and a married woman and that of an unmarried man with an unmarried woman. For the married, one hundred lashes and stoning, and for the unmarried one hundred lashes and exile for a year.” This ĥadīth is also related by Imām Muslim and others but using different wording:

“Learn this from me; learn this from me. God has opened another way for them: For an unmarried man with an unmarried woman, one hundred lashes and exile for a year; and for a married man with a married woman, one hundred lashes and stoning.” The practice of the Prophet confirms this in the case of Mā`iz and the Ghāmidī woman. It is stated in the authentic compilation of ĥadīth by Muslim that the Prophet stoned them to death, and did not inflict on them the lesser punishment of flogging. The same occurred when the case of two Jewish adulterers was put to him for judgement. His verdict was stoning to death and not flogging. The Prophet’s practice, then, shows that this is the final and permanent verdict.

The next verse also prescribes an interim measure: “And the two from among you who are guilty of the same, punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, then leave them alone. God is the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful.” (Verse 16) It seems clear that the reference in the expression to “the two from among you who are guilty” of gross immoral conduct refers to two homosexual men. A number of scholars say that the punishment meant in the words `punish them both” is in the form of verbal rebuke and beating them with shoes.

“If they repent and mend their ways, then leave them alone.” Repentance and mending one’s ways indicate a fundamental change in character, method, action and behaviour. With this change, punishment should stop and the community should cease to inflict any harm on repenting homosexuals. In this context, leaving them alone means to cease punishing them.

This is followed by a profound concluding remark: “God is the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful.” (Verse 16) It is He who has ordered punishment, and it is He who orders that it must stop when the offender repents and mends his ways. People have no say in either the infliction of punishment or in its suspension. They only implement God’s laws and directives. He accepts repentance and turns in mercy to reformed offenders.

Another fine touch contained within this comment directs people to make mercy and compassion the basis of their dealings with one another. God accepts repentance and His grace is limitless. People, then, should be more tolerant of one another, overlook past mistakes and offences when they are followed by true repentance. This is not complacency in disguise. There is no mercy to hardened sinners. This is compassion extended only to repenters who want to reform themselves. They are accepted within the community. No one reminds or reproaches them again of their past offences, since they have mended their ways. The community is required to help them start a new, clean and pure life. It is also required to forget their past offences so that no ill-feeling is aroused which may tempt the repenting sinners to go back to their erring ways. Such a return will inevitably ensure their ruin in this life and in the life to come. Moreover, they will harbour grudges against the society as a whole.

This punishment, however, was later amended. In this respect, the Prophet is quoted as saying: “If you see anyone doing what the people of Lot used to do, kill both partners.”

These rulings show very clearly that Islam was intent, from its very early days, to eradicate immorality from Muslim society. It did not wait until it established its state in Madinah before it promulgated laws to be implemented by the ruling authority.

Instead, the prohibition of adultery was stated in Sūrah 17, The Night Journey, or Al- Isrā’, which was revealed in Makkah: “Do not come near to adultery: for it is an abomination and an evil way.’’ (17: 32) Again, in Sūrah 23, The Believers, or Al- Mu’minūn, successful believers are described as people “who are mindful of their chastity, [not seeking to satisfy their desires] except with their wives”. (23: 4-5) The same description is repeated in Sūrah 70, The Ascending Stairways, or Al-Ma`ārij.

All these sūrahs were revealed in Makkah when Islam enjoyed neither a state nor authority. Hence, no specific punishments were given for this offence, although its prohibition was established in Makkah. Only when a state that exercised power was established in Madinah, were punishments defined. Verbal directives and instructions were no longer sufficient to put an end to such crimes and protect society. Islam is a practical religion that appreciates that the power of the state is needed for the implementation of laws. According to Islam, religion is the system by which to regulate people’s practical life. It is not mere feelings and abstract values.

From the outset of the Islamic faith being accepted by some people in Makkah, it started to purify them. When Islam established its state in Madinah, which was backed by an authority able to implement a well defined legal code and able to shape the Islamic way of life in a practical form, it began to take practical steps to safeguard society against immoral conduct, adding to its directives the force of proper punishment. As we have already said, Islam is not merely general principles and abstract values. It adds to these a real authority to implement the principles in practice. Its structure cannot stand on one leg.

This applies to all Divine religions, even though some people wrongly claim that there were Divine religions that did not enjoin any law, system or governing authority. Every religion is a way of life, which is practical and down to earth. People submit themselves to God alone and receive their concept of faith, moral values, and practical legislation from Him only. Such legislation must be implemented by a government that can enforce such rules and punish those who violate them, and also protect society from any encroachment by the evils of ignorance. Thus, all submission is dedicated to God alone. This means that there are no deities, in any shape or form, who have the authority to legislate and establish values, standards, laws or regulations. The right to do all this belongs to God alone. Any creature that claims such a right is, in effect, claiming Godhead for himself. No religion revealed by God allows any man to be god or suffers him to make such a claim and put it into effect.

Hence, no Divine religion would limit itself to mere beliefs without supporting them by a law and a governing authority.

In Madinah, then, Islam started to make its real presence felt by purifying the society through legislation which was put into practice. It defined punishment for offences, as we have seen in the rulings included in this sūrah. Some of these were later amended to take their final forms as determined by God.

It should not come as a surprise to us that Islam takes a very serious view of immorality and works hard for its total eradication. The most important feature of Jāhili (ignorant) societies throughout all ages, as we see today across the globe, is permissiveness and the shedding of all moral and legal inhibitions. Thus, promiscuity becomes an aspect of personal freedom that is only opposed by intolerant prudes. People living in ignorant societies may agree to forgo, willingly or unwillingly, all their human freedom but not their “animal” freedom. They will also rise up in arms against anyone who opposes promiscuity and tries to regulate their moral standards.

In ignorant societies, all systems collaborate to destroy moral barriers, weaken natural controls within man, give an innocent appearance to permissiveness and allow excessive promiscuity to run without checks or controls. This inevitably leads to the weakening of family and social controls, to the ridicule of natural, healthy feelings which are disgusted by permissiveness, and to the glorification of both physical and emotional nudity and all its methods of expression.

Islam tries to purify human feelings and societies from all these characteristics of promiscuous ignorance. You have only to read the poetry of Imru’l-Qais, the renowned poet of pre-Islamic Arabia, to find close similarities with the poetry of ancient Greece and that of the Roman Empire. You will also find close similarities with the arts and literature of contemporary Jāhiliyyah (or state of ignorance), Arabian and non-Arabian. Moreover, if we examine social traditions, the status of women and permissiveness in all Jāhiliyyah societies, ancient and contemporary, we are bound to conclude that they all start from the same concept and adopt similar slogans.

Such permissiveness always leads to the destruction of civilisation and the collapse of the nation in which it spreads. This is exactly what happened to the ancient Greek, Roman and Persian civilisations. It is also happening today to European and American civilisations, which have started their decline despite all the appearances of great advances in the industrial field. This is something that has been worrying men of wisdom in the West, although they feel that they are too weak to be able to check this destructive trend. The total destruction of society and civilisation is the inevitable end, yet the people of Jāhiliyyah, in all ages and societies, push forward towards permissiveness at full speed. Indeed, they are willing to sacrifice all their freedoms, and live the life of slaves, provided that they have the freedom to enjoy their animal indulgences.

This is indeed neither indulgence nor freedom. It is total enslavement to carnal desires, which makes man sink far below the standards of animals. Animals follow the dictates of their nature in this connection. They have special seasons when they become sexually active. Moreover, their sexual function is strictly linked to the purpose of procreation. A female does not accept the male except in her season of fertility. The male, on the other hand, does not make any advance towards the female except when she is ready. But God has left man to his own reason and made faith the power to control that reason. If he breaks loose from faith, he will find himself weak, subjected to much pressure. He cannot check and control his desire. It is impossible, therefore, to provide any real social checks and to make society truly clean except through faith. Yet faith needs to be backed by an organised authority to punish those who violate the bounds set by God. In this way, faith saves man from the depths of animal desire and elevates him to a position of honour among the rest of His creation.

Humanity today lives a life that gives faith a very secondary position. It does not have the benefit of a ruling body that derives its authority from faith. Hence, wise individuals in Western societies call in vain for the establishment of checks and controls. They may well save themselves the trouble because no one responds to mere words that are not backed by an executive authority and deterrent punishments. The church and the clergy also make their contribution against promiscuity, but it all goes in vain. No one responds to a lost faith lacking the authority to undertake the implementation of its laws and directives. Thus, mankind moves headlong towards the abyss without any hope of salvation.

That this civilisation will ultimately be destroyed is absolutely certain, as is evident by all past human experience. This is true despite the apparent strength of this civilisation and its great foundation. Man is indeed the greatest of all these foundations. When man is destroyed, civilisation cannot remain in existence, supported only by factories and newly-implemented robotic production.

If we fully appreciated how profound this truth is, we would be able to recognise the greatness of Islam. For it has legislated its severe punishment for promiscuity and gross indecency in order to protect man from his own destruction. This is the only way for human life to be established on proper human foundations. We would also recognise the extent of the crime committed by those systems which collaborate to destroy the foundation of human life through the glorification of promiscuity and permissiveness, giving them such appealing names as “art”, “freedom” and “progress”. Every means that contributes to the destruction of man is a crime and it must be called as such. Moreover, it must be countered with sound advice as well as stern punishment. This is what Islam does because it is a religion with a perfect system.

God will indeed accept the repentance of only those who do evil out of ignorance, and then repent shortly afterwards. It is they to whom God turns in His mercy. God is All-Knowing, Wise. Repentance shall not be accepted from those who indulge in their evil deeds and, when death comes to any of them, he says: “I now repent”; nor from those who die as non-believers. For those We have prepared grievous suffering.

(Verses 17-18)

While Islam prescribes punishment, it does not slam the door in the face of sinners, should they want to return to society after having realised their guilt.

Indeed, Islam encourages them and opens the way for them to repent and purify themselves. The encouragement is so emphatic that God makes acceptance of repentance, once it is genuine and sincere, a duty which He in His glory imposes on Himself by His Own free will. In this, His grace is more than anyone can expect.

We have spoken about repentance and its acceptance in the past, when we commented on the verse which describes the true believers as those who “when they commit a gross indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and pray for the forgiveness of their sins”. (3: 135) All that we have stated on that occasion is relevant here.

Repentance is mentioned here, however, for a different purpose, and by which it seeks to explain its true essence.

True repentance which God, out of His Grace, has bound Himself to accept is the one which is deeply felt by the repenter and which indicates that he or she has undergone a total transformation. It means that past mistakes are sincerely regretted, and that regret has prompted a total change of attitude when the person concerned still enjoys good health, and still aspires to a brighter future. Such repentance is normally accompanied by a genuine desire for self-purification and a resolve to follow a different way of life.

“God will indeed accept the repentance of only those who do evil out of ignorance, and then repent shortly afterwards. It is they to whom God turns in His mercy. God is All-Knowing, Wise.” (Verse 17) What is meant by “those who do evil out of ignorance” is anyone who commits sin. Scholars are almost unanimous that “ignorance”, as it is used here, means deviation from Divine guidance, whether for a long or short period, as long as it does not continue until one is in the throes of death. Repenting “shortly afterwards” refers to repentance in good time, before death overtakes one and one’s life is felt to have reached its end. Such repentance reveals genuine regret and strong resolve to mend one’s ways. It indicates that one’s conscience is back at work. Hence, it is to those people that “God turns in His mercy.” For “God is All-Knowing, Wise.” Any action of His is based on His knowledge and wisdom and gives His servants the chance to return to the ranks of those who are good. He never chases them out when they have a genuine desire to seek refuge with Him and receive His mercy. We have to remember that God — limitless is He in His glory — has no need for His servants or their repentance. When they repent, they benefit only themselves. It is their lives and the life of the community in which they live that improve and become happy. Hence, the way is open for them to return to the true path at any time.

Repentance shall not be accepted from those who indulge in their evil deeds and, when death comes to any of them, he says: “I now repent”; nor from those who die as non- believers. For those We have prepared grievous suffering. (Verse 18)

This sort of repentance is that of one who is cornered. During his lifetime, he indulged in sin up to his ears. Now that death is overtaking him, he can no longer commit any more sins, for he has no time to do so. Hence, God rejects such repentance because it does not improve one’s heart or reform one’s style of life. Nor does it indicate any change in one’s erring ways. Genuine repentance is accepted because it is the door that is open for erring people to return to the camp of the good, thus regaining themselves from error. In fact, humanity regains them after they have been among those who have been lost to evil and Satan. They will be able, if they remain alive for sometime after their repentance, to do well. If, on the other hand, they are overtaken by death shortly afterwards, they have at least declared their triumph over error.

“Nor from those who die as non-believers.” (Verse 18) Those have severed all that could enable them to turn to God in sincere repentance and gain His forgiveness.

“For those We have prepared grievous suffering.” (Verse 18) It is waiting for them, ready to engulf them as just punishment.

The Divine constitution then prescribes severe punishments but it keeps the door open at all times for repentance. This gives it a unique balance, helping it to influence human life as no other constitution, ancient or modern, can ever do.

The next theme in this passage is women. Women were treated very badly in pre- Islamic Arabia, as they were treated badly in all surrounding ignorant societies.

Nowhere in that area were human rights extended to women. Indeed, women were given a position much inferior to that of men so much so that they were more akin to inanimate objects. They were, at the same time, used for entertainment and pleasure, treated as sexual objects in order to satisfy carnal desires. Moreover, women were used as subject matter for pornographic arts and literature. Islam came to purify women of all that filth, giving them back their natural position in order to play their role in the family and in human society. The position Islam gives to women is that which accords with the general principle stated at the outset of this sūrah: “Mankind, fear your Lord, who has created you from a single soul, and from it created its mate, and from the two of them spread abroad so many men and women.” (Verse 1) Islam also sought to raise the standard of feelings in marital relationships from the low animal level to their highest human level. It adds to them overtones of mutual respect, affection and care, and places them on a much more solid foundation so that they can withstand shocks and outbursts of temper.

Believers, it is unlawful for you to inherit women against their will, or to bar them from remarrying so that you may make off with part of what you have given them, except when they are guilty of a flagrant indecency. Consort with them in a goodly manner. Even if you are averse to them, it may well be that you are averse to something in which God has placed much good. (Verse 19)

This verse outlaws inheriting women altogether. Before Islam rescued the Arabs from the depths of ignorance into which they had sunk, some Arab clans used to consider that the relatives of a deceased man had an overriding claim to his widow.

They inherited her like they inherited his animals and property. Anyone of them could marry her if he so wanted. On the other hand, they could marry her to someone else and take her dowry for themselves. In other words, she was no more than an animal that could be sold at will. On the other hand, they could bar her from marrying anyone, leaving her at home until she bought her freedom from them.

Another tradition practised in Arabia, was one whereby if a woman became a widow, a relative of her deceased husband could throw his garment over her. This gesture was sufficient to assert his claim over her. It signified that she was now his, in the same way as if he had looted something. If she was pretty, he might marry her.

If she was ugly, he might confine her to his house until she died when he would inherit her, or else, she would buy her freedom by giving him money. If, on the other hand, she was quick to flee from her husband’s home, reaching her own family’s home before he could throw his garment over her, she was safe and free.

Some Arabs used to divorce women and stipulate that they could not marry anyone without the consent of their former husbands. The only way for a woman in such a position to regain her freedom was to refund her former husband part or all of the dowry she received from him when they were first married.

In other Arabian tribes, a widow was kept without marriage until a young boy became old enough to marry her. If one of them had an orphan girl under his charge, he would bar her from marriage until his young son grew up, when he would marry her, taking all her money.

There were many other similar practices that conflicted with the honourable view with which Islam looked at women, stating that both man and woman were two parts of a single soul. These practices degraded both women and men alike. For it transformed the relationship between the two sexes into a mercenary one.

It is from that low position that Islam raised the relationship between man and woman to such a high, honourable level befitting the dignity of man, whom God has honoured and placed higher than all His creatures. It is indeed the Islamic concept of man and human life that made the elevation of relations between men and women possible.

Islam outlawed any possibility of a woman being treated as part of a deceased man’s inheritance, like an animal or inanimate object. It also forbade the imposition of shackles and constraints on women that caused them harm, except in the case of their being manifestly guilty of gross immoral conduct. That, however, applied before the later punishment for adultery was prescribed. Moreover, Islam makes women free to choose their husbands. That freedom is enjoyed by every woman, virgin, widow or divorced. Moreover, kind treatment, which is expressed in the Qur’ān as “consorting with them in a goodly manner,” is a duty which applies to all, even when a man dislikes his wife. In this context, Islam raises the hope of what may come in the future, which is known only to God. This serves as a restraining factor, which makes man hesitate before severing a marital relationship in response to his initial feelings. It may be true that he is averse to his wife but it is also equally true that there is a great deal of good by which he may benefit if he restrains his feelings and continues to live with his wife: “Believers, it is unlawful for you to inherit women against their will, or to bar them from remarrying so that you may make off with part of what you have given them, except when they are guilty of a flagrant indecency. Consort with them in a goodly manner. Even if you are averse to them, it may well be that you are averse to something in which God has placed much good.” (Verse 19) The last part of this verse helps people to turn to God in hope. It restrains feelings of hatred until man has thought coolly about his situation. Thus, marital relationships are no longer like straw blown with the wind. Rather, they derive their strength from the permanent and strongest of all relationships, namely, the relationship between a believer and his Lord.

This Qur’ānic statement is indicative of the Islamic view of family relationships.

Islam views the family’s home as a place of peace, where every member of the family feels secure. The marital relationship from the Islamic standpoint, is a relationship based on affection and compassion. It must, therefore, come into existence on the basis of free choice, so that it spreads an atmosphere into which mutual feelings of love, sympathy and compassion can prosper. Bearing this in mind, it is most befitting that Islam should say to husbands that even if they should dislike their wives, it may well be that the very wives they dislike are of much good to them. The marriage bond is something to be treasured, not to be severed in response to a passing whim.

Marriage is a human institution of great importance. It must be viewed seriously. Its continued existence must not be subject to outbursts of temper or sudden changes of superficial sentiment.

A good, practical example of the seriousness with which Islam views marriage is provided by `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, the second Caliph, who was once approached by a man expressing his resolve to divorce his wife, simply because “he did not like her”. `Umar said to him: “Are families built only on love? Where would you, then, place loyalty and mutual care?” Compared with this, what some people say about “love”, when they actually refer to momentary whims and changeable feelings, sounds cheap and stupid. The worst part of it is that such love is glorified to the extent that its absence is considered to be enough justification for divorce. They even advocate what is worse than that, namely, infidelity. Such people justify adultery simply because a woman does not love her husband, or a man does not love his wife. Such petty-minded people have no consideration beyond momentary physical attraction. Their thoughts cannot turn to such ideals as loyalty, mutual care, fulfilment of one’s duty and responsibility towards one’s family. Moreover, their petty ideas keep them away from faith. They cannot appreciate what God says to his believing servants: “Even if you are averse to them, it may well be that you are averse to something in which God has placed much good.” (Verse 19)

It is only faith that elevates people and their concerns. It puts human life on a level far above wealth and carnal desires.

If you wish to take one wife in place of another and you have given the first one a large sum of money, do not take away anything of it. Would you take it away though that constitutes a gross injustice and a manifest sin? How can you take it away when each of you has been privy with the other, and they have received from you a most solemn pledge? Do not marry women whom your fathers have previously married, unless it be a thing of the past. Surely, that is an indecent, abominable and evil practice.

(Verses 20- 22)

When such human ideals are put into practice, and it is found, nevertheless, that life in the family home has become intolerable and that it may be better for both the man and his wife to separate, then a divorced woman takes all her dowry and whatever she has inherited. The husband cannot take away any part of it, plentiful as it may be. To take away any part of it is evidently sinful: “If you wish to take one wife in place of another and you have given the first one a large sum of money, do not take away anything of it. Would you take it away though that constitutes a gross injustice and a manifest sin?” (Verse 20)

This is followed by a fine touch inspired by the close intimacy which exists in family life: “How can you take it away when each of you has been privy with the other, and they have received from you a most solemn pledge?” (Verse 21) The Arabic expression used here and which we have rendered as “being privy with the other” has much wider and finer connotations. It is by no means limited to physical intimacy. It does not merely mean that a couple have given themselves to one another. It includes feelings, responses and the sharing of secrets, problems and concerns. When we reflect on this verse, numerous images of married life come to mind, depicting what happens between a man and his wife at every moment of the night and day. Past memories are recalled. They have been privy with one another in their expressions of love, in their happy moments, in what they had shared of hopes and problems, in their aspirations for a happier present and a brighter future, in their shared thoughts about their children.

Compared with all these associations and memories which are recalled by the expression “when each of you has been privy with the other,” the importance of physical love seems too small. Hence, the divorcing husband would be too shy to ask for a refund of part of the dowry he gave to his wife.

Another factor is introduced by the last part of this verse: “And they have received from you it most solemn pledge” (Verse 21) That pledge is the pledge of marriage.

Marriage which is given in the name of God and according to the method He has made lawful. It is a very solemn pledge that must be respected and cherished by every believer. Hence, the Qur’ān calls on believers to respect it.

The next verse forbids, most emphatically, a man’s marriage with a woman whom his father had married before him. Such a practice was allowed in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Moreover, it was one reason for barring women from marriage. If a man died, leaving behind a young son, the family could bar the young boy’s stepmother from marriage until he, himself, was old enough to marry her. Alternatively, if the son was old enough to marry, he could inherit his stepmother. Islam forbids all this most emphatically: “Do not marry women whom your fathers have previously married, unless it be a thing of the past. Surely, that is an indecent, abominable and evil practice.” (Verse 22)

Three easily identifiable considerations lie behind this prohibition. We, as human beings do not pretend to know every reason for Divine legislation. Nor do we make it a condition of obeying God’s legislation that we should know the wisdom behind it. It is sufficient that God has decreed something for us to obey and implement it.

We are certain that it serves our interests and that Divine wisdom is behind it.

The first consideration is that a father’s wife is in the same position as a mother.

Secondly, when a son marries a former wife of his father, he subconsciously feels himself to be his equal. Many people come to hate the former husbands of their wives. If a son is allowed to marry his father’s former wife, he may come to hate his father instead of loving him. Thirdly, there must never be any suspicion of inheriting one’s father’s wife, in the same way as it was practised in pre-Islamic days. As we have already said, such inheritance is an insult to the humanity of both man and woman. They have been created from a single soul, and their dignity and honour are the same.

For these reasons, and others as well, such action is considered to be very hateful.

It is described as indecent, abominable, i.e. generating hatred, and evil. Exemption is only made in the case of marriages contracted before Islam. These have been left for God’s decision.

Forbidden to you [in marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your aunts paternal and maternal, your brothers’ daughters and your sisters’ daughters, your mothers who have given suck to you, your suckling sisters, the mothers of your wives, your stepdaughters — who are your foster children — born to your wives with whom you have consummated your marriage; but if you have not consummated your marriage with them, you will incur no sin [by marrying their daughters], and the wives of your own begotten sons; and [you are forbidden] to have two sisters as your wives at one and the same time, unless it be a thing of the past. God is Much- Forgiving, Merciful. (Verse 23)

Now the sūrah mentions in detail the classes of women whom we may not marry.

This is one of the measures designed to organise the family and society as a whole.

All societies, primitive and sophisticated, ban marriage with certain women.

Different nations have different reasons for such prohibitions and different classes of women whom a man cannot marry. Primitive societies normally have a wide area of prohibition, while civilised societies narrow that area considerably.

In Islam, women who are unlawful for marriage are mentioned in three verses:

this one, the verse preceding it and the one following it. The prohibition in some cases is total and permanent, while in others it is temporary. There are three reasons behind prohibition of marriage with certain women, namely, lineage, suckling and relation through a previous marriage. Islam did, however, abrogate all other restrictions known in other human societies, such as those based on differences of race, colour and nationality, and those based on social class and position within the same race and the same nation.

Those whom a man is forbidden to marry because of lineage are divided into four groups:

Firstly, his parents and grandparents. A man is forbidden to marry his mother, his grandmothers, paternal or maternal, no matter how high their degree is. All these come under the statement: “Forbidden to you [in marriage] are your mothers.” Secondly, his own issue of any degree. A man is forbidden to marry his daughter or the daughters of his children, of whichever degree they may be. This is included under “your daughters.” Thirdly, the issue of his parents of any degree. A man is forbidden to marry his sister or the daughters of his own brothers and sisters, and the daughters of his nephews and nieces. All these are included under “your sisters... your brothers’ daughters and your sisters’ daughters.” Fourthly, the immediate issue of his grandparents. A man is forbidden to marry his paternal or maternal aunt, his father’s aunt or the aunt of his maternal or paternal grandfather, his mother’s aunt or the aunt of his paternal or maternal grandmother.

All these come under “your aunts, paternal and maternal.” Those who issue indirectly from grandparents, i.e. cousins, whether on the father’s side or the mother’s side, are permissible marriage partners.

Women forbidden in marriage through other marital relationships fall into five categories:

1. The parents of one’s wife, regardless of their degree. It is forbidden for a man to marry the mother of his wife or her grandmothers, maternal or paternal, no matter how high their degree is. This prohibition comes into effect once his marriage contract to his wife is made, whether the marriage is later consummated or not. This prohibition comes under the reference to “the mothers of your wives.” 2. The issue of one’s wife, regardless of their degree. A man is forbidden to marry the daughter of his wife, or the daughters of her sons or daughters, of any degree whatsoever. This prohibition, however, does not come into effect unless his marriage to his wife is consummated: “your stepdaughters — who are your foster children — born to your wives with whom you have consummated your marriage; but if you have not consummated your marriage with them, you will incur no sin [by marrying their daughters].” (Verse 23)

3. The former wives of one’s father or grandfathers of either side. A man is thus forbidden to marry his stepmother or the former wife of any of his grandfathers, of whichever degree they may be, whether on his father’s side or his mother’s side. This prohibition is stated in the verse preceding our present passage, which states: “Do not marry women whom your fathers have previously married, unless it be a thing of the past.” (Verse 22) In pre-Islamic days, the ignorant Arabians permitted such marriages.

4. Wives of one’s own children, or their children. Thus, a man is forbidden to marry the wife of his own begotten son, or the wife of his grandson or great grandson, of any degree. This prohibition comes under the reference to “the wives of your own begotten sons.” This prohibition abrogates the tradition of pre- Islamic Arabian society, which forbade marriage with the former wife of one’s adopted son. This prohibition is hereby restricted to the wife of one’s own son.

Furthermore, adoption was stopped by Islam, which demands that all children be called after their own fathers.

5. The sisters of one’s wife. The prohibition in this case is conditional on the wife being alive and the man remaining married to her. In other words, it is forbidden to marry two sisters at one and the same time: “[You are forbidden] to have two sisters as your wives at one and the same time, unless it be a thing of the past.” (Verse 23) Again, this sort of marriage was permitted in pre-Islamic Arabia.

The third cause of marriage prohibition is suckling. This includes all those categories one is forbidden to marry through lineage and marital relationships.

Hence, the women that men are forbidden to marry through suckling include nine groups:

1. One’s suckling mother and her mother and grandmothers, of any grade. This comes under “your mothers who have given suck to you”.

2. Daughters through suckling and their daughters and granddaughters, regardless of their grade. (A man’s daughter through suckling is a girl who was breast-fed by his wife when she was married to him.)

3. Sisters through suckling and their daughters and granddaughters of any grade. This prohibition comes under “your suckling sisters” 4. Paternal and maternal aunts through suckling. (A maternal suckling aunt is the sister of one’s suckling mother and a paternal aunt through suckling is the sister of that suckling mother’s husband.)

5. One’s wife’s suckling mother, i.e. the woman who breast-fed one’s wife when she was a child. The same applies to the mother and grandmothers of that woman, of any degree. Here, the same conditions as in prohibition through lineage apply, which means that the prohibition comes into effect the moment the marriage contract is made.

6. One’s wife’s suckling daughter, i.e. a girl who was breast-fed by one’s wife before she was married to him, and her granddaughters of any degree. This prohibition, however, does not come into effect until one’s marriage with one’s wife has been consummated.

7. The former wife of one’s father or grandfather, of any degree, through suckling. One’s father through suckling is the man who is married to one’s suckling mother. In other words, it is not only forbidden for a person who was breast-fed in his childhood by a woman other than his mother to marry that woman who is his suckling mother, it is also forbidden for him to marry any woman who his suckling father married.

8. The wife of one’s son or grandson, of whatever degree, through suckling.

9. To be married at one and the same time to one woman and her sister, or paternal or maternal aunt through suckling or indeed any other woman whose relationship to her through suckling is equivalent to a prohibiting relationship through lineage.

The prohibition of the first and third of these groups is mentioned specifically in this Qur’ānic verse. The prohibition of all the other groups is based on the ĥadīth in which the Prophet is quoted as saying: “Forbidden through suckling are all women whose relationships are equivalent to the blood relationships causing marriage prohibition.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

These are the women who are specified as unlawful for us to marry. The Qur’ānic text does not mention any reason, general or specific for this prohibition. This means that whatever the reasons given by scholars or other people are based on personal judgement and opinion. There may be a reason that is common to all these groups of women. There may, on the other hand, be reasons that particularly relate to any one of them. Other reasons may apply to some groups, but not to all of them. It may be said, for example, that marriage between close relatives produces weaker children, especially when it is repeated one generation after another. Hereditary weaknesses may be more pronounced in children of such marriages. Marriage of unrelated partners provides the chance to combine their stronger qualities, which, in turn, give strength to children and grandchildren.

It may also be said that in the case of mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces and their counterparts through suckling, and mothers- in-law and daughters-in-law, Islam wants a man’s relationship with them to be one of care and respect. It should not be subject to what may take place in any marriage of differences leading to divorce, with all its bitterness. These should not be allowed to replace the feelings of love and care that one naturally has towards such close relatives.

It may further be said that Islam wants to preserve the paternal or brotherly and sisterly feelings with some of these groups, such as in the case of stepdaughters, one’s wife’s sisters, one’s mother-in-law and stepmother. A mother who feels that her daughter may take her husband away from her cannot maintain intact her motherly feelings towards her own daughter. The same applies to sisters. Similarly, it is an unhealthy situation when a father feels that his own son may marry his wife. Again, when a son feels that his father who has died or who has divorced his wife is a hostile opponent, simply because the father was the former husband of the son’s wife, the situation becomes terrible indeed. The same applies to any marital relationship with one’s daughter-in-law. We have to remember that between every father and his son there is a tender and loving relationship that must be protected against anything which may adversely affect it.

We may add here that marriage is a cause for widening the circle of one’s family, taking it beyond the narrow relationship of lineage. This precludes any need for marriage between those who are already related. Hence, such marriages are forbidden, except in the case of distant relatives.

Whatever the reason for the prohibition, we recognise that there must be a good cause and a benefit behind whatever God has chosen for us. Whether or not we know the wisdom behind any legislation should not affect in any way our acceptance of it. We must always be ready to implement it. True faith does not establish its roots unless we accept God’s law and implement it without any hesitation.

Having explained this legislation in detail, we have to conclude with a few general remarks about the subject of forbidden marriages. Marriage with all these groups of women was forbidden in pre-Islamic Arabia, with the exception of two: former wives of parents or grandparents, and marriage with two sisters at the same time. These were permitted, albeit with reluctance. When Islam forbids these marriages, it does not endorse a prevalent tradition in Arabia. It initiates its own prohibition, based on its own authority. Hence, the prohibiting statement: “Forbidden to you [in marriage] are your mothers...” (Verse 23)

This is not a matter of technicalities or formalities. It is a matter of principle which pervades the Islamic faith and all its legislation. For the central issue in Islam is that Godhead belongs solely to God. Hence, permission and prohibition is the jurisdiction of God alone, because they are the most essential qualities of Godhead. He alone can make certain things lawful to mankind and can forbid them others. No one else can claim this authority or issue any legislation of this type, because that would be synonymous with claiming Godhead for himself.

When a non-Islamic society issues legislation permitting certain things and forbidding others, this legislation is invalid in part and in whole, and cannot be given validity in any way because its existence is not recognised. When Islam considers the legislation of any non-Islamic society, it initially rules that all this legislation is invalid and nonexistent, simply because it is issued by someone or some institution which has no authority to issue it. Islam goes on to initiate its own legislation. If in the process Islam permits something other societies also permit, or forbids what they forbid, its action is not an endorsement of what those societies have legislated. How could it endorse what it considers invalid?

This principle applies to everything in human life. No one other than God can issue any legislation, which permits or forbids anything, whether it relates to marriage, food, drink, appearance, action, contracts, transactions, values, traditions or any situation whatsoever. The authority for all this must derive from God, and any legislation issued must be based on God’s law.

This is how Islam has initiated its laws, established its systems and set its traditions in operation. In all this, it has operated its own authority. The Qur’ān emphasises this principle in all manner of ways, arguing with non-believers about everything that they have forbidden or permitted. Many a verse asks a rhetorical question, such as: “Say: who has forbidden the ornaments and the good provisions God has provided for his servants?” (7: 32) Many make emphatic statements concerning what is lawful and what is not, as in the case of the following two examples: “Say: Come and I will read to you what your Lord has forbidden you.” (6: 151) “Say: ‘I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden for anyone to eat, unless it be carrion, blood or pig meat...” (6: 145) Verses like these abound in the Qur’ān.

All these rhetorical questions aim at one and the same thing. They seek to emphasise the basic principle that the authority to give permissions and make prohibitions belongs to God alone. This is a right which cannot be claimed by human beings, whether an individual, a class, a nation or indeed mankind as a whole. The only way for them to enjoy such a right is to have permission from God and to exercise that right according to God’s law. To permit and forbid is to legislate, which is synonymous with faith. The one who permits and forbids is the one who establishes the faith and the one to whom people submit. If it is God who does that, then people submit to God and they follow His faith. If it is someone else, then people submit to that person to the exclusion of God’s faith.

When the matter is put in this light, we understand it as a question of the essence and qualities of Godhead. It is a question of faith and its limits and boundaries. Let Muslims throughout the world consider their position with regard to Islamic faith, if they truly want to be Muslims.

And (forbidden to you are) all married women, other than those whom your right hands possess. This is God’s ordinance, binding upon you. Lawful to you are all women other than these, provided that, offering them of your own possessions, you seek to take them in wedlock not in fornication. (Verse 24)

The first sentence in this verse makes it clear that married women are, as a result of their marriage, not lawful for other women to marry. This means that polyandry is forbidden in Islam. This is in line with the basic rule in Islamic society that makes the family its constituent unit. It must be protected against any confusion in relationships that may result from “sexual communism” or promiscuity.

The family, which comes into existence through a marriage made in public to unite one woman with one man in order to ensure the preservation of chastity, is the perfect system which fits in with human nature and meets the real needs of man. It is a system that serves the objectives of human life, which transcend man’s sexual needs, and helps achieve the goals of human society. It also ensures peace of mind for the individual, the family and the community.

Everyone knows that the human child needs a much longer period of upbringing than the progeny of any animal. Moreover, the education a child needs in order to comprehend the requirements of civilised human life takes a similarly long period.

In animals, the sexual desire has no further objectives than intercourse and procreation. In man, however, it has a much finer objective which establishes a permanent link between the male and the female in order to provide an environment suitable for bringing up children who are able to protect themselves and satisfy their needs. It also serves the more important purpose of educating the child and helping him to gain experience and acquire a good standard of knowledge. Thus, the child will be able to contribute to the life of his community and discharge his responsibility in advancing human civilisation.

Sexual desire, then, is not the paramount element in the life of the two human sexes. It is a means implanted in their nature so that their companionship lasts well beyond their sexual contact. It is not their inclination to each other that determines how long they remain together. It is their sense of duty towards their helpless offspring and towards their human society. It is society that assigns to parents the responsibility of taking good care of their offspring until such children are able to play their own part in the achievement of the goals of human existence.

All these considerations make the family the only proper platform for companionship between the two sexes. It also makes the system which assigns one woman to one man the only proper system which ensures the continuity of this companionship. Duty becomes the paramount consideration in the establishment and continuation of the family as well as in solving any problem it may encounter and, in extreme cases, at the time of its dissolution. Any attempt to devalue family ties or weaken the family’s foundation on duty or to substitute it for temporary passion and burning desire is wicked and criminal, not only because it helps spread promiscuity in human society but also because it destroys human society and pulls down its foundations.

When we remember this, we can appreciate the magnitude of the crime perpetrated by writers and the media who make it their task to weaken family ties and devalue marriage. They depict the same in a very bad light so as to glorify those built on burning, carnal desires and temporary passions. What a bad service they perform when they speak highly of these relationships while at the same time they ridicule marriage.

We can also appreciate the great wisdom of `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb when he said to a man who came to him expressing his desire to divorce his wife on the grounds that he no longer loved her: “Think properly, man! Are families built only on love? What room is then left for loyalty and mutual care?” `Umar based his argument on the Qur’ānic directive to God’s best servants: “Consort with them in a goodly manner. Even if you are averse to them, it may well be that you are averse to something in which God has placed much good.” (Verse 19) This directive helps a Muslim to place duty before personal desire. He, therefore, tries hard to solve his problems with his wife amicably. He does not sever the family relationship unless all attempts to achieve proper reconciliation have failed. This attitude gives priority to the care that needs to be taken of the young who should be spared the shocks of changing passions.

Compared with this noble view of marriage, the arguments of those who glorify all relationships except the one which gives priority to duty and which takes care of the primary task of bringing up future generations appear decidedly absurd. Yet we find immoral writers and wicked media encouraging every wife who experiences some coolness towards her husband to rush for a boyfriend. They describe her relationship with that boyfriend as “sacred”, whilst at the same time describing her relationship with her husband as one whereby she is “selling her body”.

In making His legislation clear, God says: “Forbidden to you are all married women.” This is what God says which is clearly opposite to what those immoral writers say. It is “God who says the truth, and it is He who guides to the right path.” (33: 4)

Organised efforts are being made in order to establish social values and standards and to create foundations for human relationships that are at variance with those established by God. They seek to determine a line for people and for human life altogether different from that determined by God. Those who are behind such efforts imagine that what they will ultimately achieve is the destruction of the foundations of Islamic society in Muslim countries. They believe that when the ideology and moral standards of these societies are destroyed, there will no longer be any barriers to prevent them from achieving their old ambitions in these countries. The catastrophe which they are perpetrating goes far beyond this. Their efforts will lead to the destruction of the foundation of all human societies in their endeavour to ruin the basis of human nature. They remove the very elements that enable man to discharge his task of building a civilised existence worthy of him. They deprive him of raising well-balanced and properly equipped children in a happy family atmosphere, who will take over the task of serving the interests of mankind. These considerations are totally different from the sort of sex and procreation practised by animals.

The curse of self-destruction will affect all mankind, as the present generation undermines the prospects of future generations through indulgence in carnal desires.

God’s judgement will come to pass against those who rebel against His decrees and directives and the nature He has given to man. All mankind will suffer as a result, unless they are rescued by a community of believers that establishes God’s system on earth and shows it clearly to others so that they too may adopt it. This is the only way to rescue them from the calamity that they themselves perpetrate while imagining that they are simply destroying Muslim societies. It is painful to see that these evil designs are also served by writers and the media in Muslim countries.

“[Forbidden to you are] all married women, other than those whom your right hands possess.” This exception is made in the case of women who fell captive to Muslims in their jihād campaigns. These might, prior to their captivity, have had husbands in their countries which remained at war with the Muslim society. Thus, the physical distance separating them severed their relationships with their unbelieving husbands. As they had no husbands in the land of Islam, they were in the same position as unmarried women. It was sufficient to ascertain that they were not pregnant by observing a waiting period consisting of one menstruation cycle.

Thereafter, it was legitimate for them to marry, if they became Muslims.

Alternatively, it was legitimate for a person to whom such a captive woman belonged to have sex with her as “one whom his right hand possessed”. This applied whether the woman became a Muslim or not.

We have already explained in detail the attitude of Islam towards slavery (Volume I, pp. 262-4). Further explanation will be given in the commentary on Sūrah 47, entitled Muĥammad. It is sufficient for our purpose here to explain that in the matter of imposing slavery on war captives, Islam adopted the rule of equal treatment with its enemies. Islam has always been superior to its enemies in its kind treatment of slaves as human beings. This was inevitable because the enslavement of war captives was an international institution that could not be unilaterally abolished by Islam.

Otherwise, Muslim captives would have been enslaved while unbelievers who fell captive to Muslims would remain free. This would have tilted the balance in favour of un-Islamic societies. They would no longer have had an incentive to attack the Muslim state, knowing that their captives would never be enslaved.

Therefore, it was inevitable that there would be unbelieving women falling captive to the Muslim society. But what to do with them? Their natural needs would not be totally satisfied with food and drink. There was another aspect which needed satisfying, and had this not been facilitated, promiscuity would have endangered the whole society. Muslims could not marry them as long as they remained unbelievers.

There was only one way out. That was to make an unbelieving captive woman lawful for her master only after making sure that she was not pregnant and after her relationship with her former unbelieving husband was totally and physically severed.

The verse goes on to explain which women are lawful to marry. Before it does so, however, it identifies the source of this legislation, namely God. Only God has the authority to forbid something and legitimise another and to issue legislation in all matters whatsoever: “This is God’s ordinance, binding upon you.” (Verse 24) It is, then, a directive from God, not a question of desire, tradition, or local institutions. People must observe what He legislates for them and abide by it. In turn, they are accountable for its implementation.

We have already pointed out that most of the women whom we are forbidden to marry according to the Qur’ān were also forbidden in the Arabian society in pre- Islamic days. The only ones that were not so forbidden were former wives of parents and marriage to two or more sisters at the same time. The Qur’ān does not simply endorse a practice followed in pre-Islamic days. Rather, we are told that this prohibition is a binding ordinance issued by God. This is a point which merits careful consideration as it relates to the essence of Islamic faith. Moreover, its effects are highly important to us in our practical lives.

Islam considers God’s commandment and permission as the only basis for legislation. The authority to legislate belongs to Him in the final resort. Whatever is not based on this principle is essentially invalid and cannot subsequently be legitimised. Hence, whatever prevails in ignorant society, which includes every human situation not based on the only true principle that acknowledges the authority to legislate solely to God, is invalid. This applies to concepts, values, standards, traditions, rules, regulations and laws. When Islam rules, it deals with life as a whole. It begins by abrogating all values, traditions and laws of ignorance in order to establish its own system. If, in the process, it approves a tradition that had prevailed in former, ignorant days, it does not accept it with its original foundation.

It establishes it anew and gives it its own authority with God’s permission. Thus, the practice of pre-Islamic days no longer exists, while a new practice is established in its stead under God’s authority.

Similarly, when Islamic jurisprudence refers to “tradition” in certain matters, it imparts to tradition a new authority based on God’s permission. Hence, tradition acquires in these particular questions the validity of Islamic law. It is no longer a case of society giving a tradition its authority. That authority is now imparted by God, the only Legislator who has approved of it as a source of judgement in certain cases.

This is a basic principle to which reference is made by the Qur’ānic statement:

“This is God’s ordinance, binding upon you.” It is further endorsed by other Qur’ānic statements. Every time an aspect of legislation is mentioned in the Qur’ān, reference is made to the source that gives it its essential validity. When the Qur’ān refers to the laws, traditions and concepts of non-Islamic societies, it very frequently follows that reference with a clear statement that these “have not been given any authority by God.” It thus emphasises their invalidity.

This principle is different from the other basic Islamic principle which states that all things and matters are initially permissible, unless they are made unlawful by a clear statement. The initial permissibility is granted by God. It enjoys God’s authority. What we are speaking about here concerns that which ignorant societies legislate for themselves. All of which is initially and essentially invalid. It only becomes valid when God’s law endorses any part of it, granting it proper legitimacy.

Now that the sūrah has defined the women with whom a Muslim may not be married, linking such prohibition of marriages to God’s decrees and ordinances, it goes on to define the area within which people may satisfy their natural desire through marriage. It sets out the way God approves of for the companionship between the two sexes, which leads to the establishment of families. In this way, the meeting between the two sexes provides enjoyment with purity. “Lawful to you are all women other than these, provided that, offering them of your own possessions, you seek to take them in wedlock not in fornication. To those with whom you seek to enjoy marriage, you shall give the dowers due to them; but you will incur no sin if you agree among yourselves on any voluntary arrangement even after what has been stipulated by way of duty. God is indeed All-Knowing, Wise.” (Verse 24)

This Qur’ānic verse states that marriage with any woman other than those listed as forbidden is legitimate. Anyone who wishes to have such a marriage may spend of his money, by way of dowry, not to buy enjoyment outside the marriage bond.

Hence, the verse states: “Provided that, offering them of your own possessions, you seek to take them in wedlock not in fornication.” This condition is stated perfectly clearly even before the sentence is finished. Moreover, the condition is stated first in a positive form, “you seek to take them in wedlock,” which is immediately followed by the negative form, “not in fornication.” Thus no ambiguity whatsoever overshadows this legislation. It describes without any equivocation the nature of the type of relationship Islam approves of, namely marriage, and the nature of the relationship it outlaws, that being promiscuity in any form. Promiscuous relationships, whether as fornication or prostitution, were practised and approved of in pre-Islamic Arabian society. This is clear in the following report given by `Ā’ishah, the Prophet’s wife:

There were four types of man-woman relationship in ignorant days. The first is the same as marriage today: A man makes his proposal to another man to marry a girl in his charge or his daughter, pays her dower and gets married to her.

The second type is that in which a man says to his wife after she has finished her menstruation period: “Contact this person [he names a certain man] and get pregnant by him.” Her husband then keeps away from her and does not sleep with her until her pregnancy by the other man becomes manifest. When it is clear that she is pregnant, her husband may take her to bed if he wants.

The reason behind this is that the husband wants to have a child of better blood. This relationship is known as having a child through another man.

A third form of relationship was that a number of men, less than 10, may share one woman, with each of them having intercourse with her. If she became pregnant, then a few nights after she gives birth, she calls them all for a meeting. None of them can absent himself. When they meet, she says to them: “You know what has passed between me and you. I have given birth to a child. I want you to know that it is the child of ...” She names any one of them and he becomes the father of the child. He cannot decline to acknowledge his parenthood.

The fourth form was that of many men frequenting the lodging of a certain woman who does not refuse anyone. These were prostitutes and they used to put a flag on their doors. Anyone who wanted them was welcome. When any such prostitute was pregnant, they collected money for her after she gave birth and called in an expert in physiognomy to trace resemblance of features and so determine the parenthood of that child. He would claim it without objection, and the child would be called after him. (Related by al-Bukhārī.)

The third and fourth types come under the umbrella of fornication, which is forbidden, whether in a private relationship or in a case of prostitution. The first type is that of honest wedlock which is encouraged. The second is something that we find ourselves at a loss in trying to furnish it with an appropriate name.

The Qur’ān describes the nature of the type of relationship God approves of: it is one of honesty, chastity and mutual care. It is wedlock, for both man and woman, which protects their chastity in a clean and straightforward manner. It is also a protection of the home, the family and of children. It provides the strong foundation for the healthy institution we call the family.

Any other form is rejected. It is worth noting that the Arabic term the Qur’ān uses to describe such a relationship is derived from a root which denotes pouring water over low ground. Therefore, it connotes the wasting by both man and woman of the fluid which brings life and which God has created in order to preserve our species and bring about progress through the participation of both man and woman in the upbringing and protection of children. It is wasted over a momentary pleasure. In other words, it is poured over low ground. It does not protect them against impurity, nor does it protect their children against waste.

In two short phrases, the Qur’ān delineates two images of two types of life.

Furthermore, it achieves its purpose of promoting the acceptable and of degrading the unacceptable, while stating at the same time the true nature of each type. In this and other features of word economy, the Qur’ānic style is unique.

Having stated the condition that money should be spent for marriage, an explanation of how this is to be conducted follows: “To those with whom you seek to enjoy marriage, you shall give the dowers due to them.” (Verse 24) The dowry, then, is something a woman may claim by right for what she gives her husband. A man who wants to fulfil his desire with a woman whom he can wed must seek her through marriage for the purpose of preserving his own and her own chastity. He must also pay her dowry as a stipulated duty. It is not something he gives her by way of charity. Nor can he inherit her without having to pay her dowry, as used to happen in ignorant, pre-Islamic days. Nor is it possible for him to enter into a trade-in relationship like that which once happened and still happens in ignorant societies.

That is, an exchange deal between two men, whereby each gave the other a woman in his charge to be his wife. Thus, the two girls or women were traded like animals or inanimate objects.

Having established this right of dowry, which is owed to the woman, the possibility is left open for the married couple to agree between them any arrangement which is suitable to their circumstances, according to their own wishes and feelings towards each other: “But you will incur no sin if you agree among yourselves on any voluntary arrangement even after what has been stipulated by way of duty. God is indeed All-Knowing, Wise.” (Verse 24) This means that the wife can forgo part or all of her dowry after it has been clearly stipulated. Her dowry belongs to her by right and she is free to do with it what she likes, without interference from anyone. Hence, it is permissible for her to forgo any part of it. Equally, it is permissible for her husband to give her more than her stipulated dowry. Such an increase is his own prerogative.

To make any such arrangement is open to them without restriction.

The concluding comment in this verse relates these legal provisions to their source, who has true knowledge and perfect wisdom: “God is indeed All-Knowing, Wise.” It is on the basis of His knowledge and wisdom that He has decreed these legal provisions. When a Muslim realises from what source he has received laws which affect every aspect of his life, especially his private relationship with his wife, he is reassured that such laws can only be the right ones, since they derive from God’s wisdom and knowledge.

When a Muslim finds himself in circumstances that make it practically impossible to marry a free woman who is likely to be more mindful of her chastity, he may use the concession to marry a slave woman so as to resist the temptation of sin.

Any of you who, owing to circumstances, is not in a position to marry a free believing woman may marry a believing maiden from among those whom your right hands possess. God knows all about your faith: you belong to one another. Marry them, then, with their people’s consent and give them their dowers in an equitable manner, as chaste women who give themselves in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as women who have secret love companions. If after their marriage, they are guilty of gross immoral conduct, they shall be liable to half the penalty to which free women are liable. This provision applies to those of you who fear to stumble into sin. Yet it is better for you to be patient. God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful. (Verse 25)

The religion of Islam deals with man within the limitations of his nature, abilities and practical life. It takes him by the hand, elevating him from the depths of ignorance to the sublime horizon of Islamic life. At the same time, it provides him with all that he needs. What takes place in an ignorant society is not inevitable.

Ignorant standards are low and Islam wants to elevate humanity to a higher standard.

Islam is aware that, by his nature, man is capable of reaching a high standard. It is true that man may sink in the mud of ignorance, but it is equally true that man is able to reach to the sublime. It is God alone who knows human nature fully, because He has created mankind and is aware of what thoughts work themselves into the human mind: “How could it be that He who has created all should not know all? He is indeed unfathomable in His wisdom, All-Aware.” (67: 14)

In the early Muslim society, slaves were a by-product of war. Their position needed to be sorted out by setting them free either for no return, or in a mutual exchange of prisoners, or for compensation, according to the different circumstances that prevailed between the Muslim community and its enemies. Islam handled that situation by granting permission to masters only to have sexual intercourse with slave women whom they owned. This arrangement took care of the natural needs of those women as was explained in our commentary on the preceding verse. Such a relationship could either be a marital one, if they were believers, or an extra-marital one provided that it was determined that they were not pregnant. A waiting period lasting until they had had one menstruation period was observed. No men other than their masters were allowed to have intercourse with them except through marriage. They were not permitted to sell themselves for money, nor were their masters allowed to make them prostitutes.

This verse regulates the methods and circumstances which permitted their marriage: “Any of you who, owing to circumstances, is not in a position to marry a free believing woman may marry a believing maiden from among those whom your right hands possess”. (Verse 25) Islam prefers for its followers to marry free women if they are able to do so. Freedom imparts dignity to a woman, which enables her to protect her chastity and safeguard her husband’s honour.

A free woman has a family and a reputation to protect. She is too proud to allow herself to sink into the depths of promiscuity. A slave woman does not have the same considerations. Even when she is married, traces from her bondage days remain with her. Hence, she does not have the same attitude towards chastity and personal dignity as a free woman. She does not have a family reputation to worry about. Moreover, her children were treated as a class lower than the children of free women.

All these considerations were present in the society to which this verse was first addressed. It is natural, in view of all this, that Islam should prefer marriage with free women. Marriage with a bondswoman was treated as a concession given to those who were of limited means and who found it difficult to stay away from sin. In such cases, when temptation is too strong and financial resources are not available, Islam does not deprive its followers of a chance to have a proper relationship through marriage with slave women.

This is followed by an explanation of the only acceptable method for the relationship between free men and non-free women. It is the same form of marriage as with free women. The first condition is that the women in question must be believers: “Any of you who, owing to circumstances, is not in a position to marry a free believing woman may marry a believing maiden from among those whom your right hands possess.” (Verse 25) The second condition is that they must be given their dowries, which is a right owing to them, and not to their masters.

No one else has a claim to any part of that dowry: “Marry them, then, with their people’s consent and give them their dowers in an equitable manner.” (Verse 25)

The third condition is that they should be paid their dues in the form of a dowry, and the enjoyment must be through marriage, not through fornication with one person or prostitution with many: “as chaste women who give themselves in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as women who have secret love companions”.

Arabian society at that time was familiar with all these sorts of sexual relationships with free women, as explained in the report quoted above from `Ā’ishah. Prostitution among slave women was also commonplace. A number of notables would send out their slave women to earn money for them in this abominable way. `Abdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl, the chief of the hypocrites in Madinah and the chief of his tribe prior to Islam, had four slave women whom he set to prostitution, taking their ill-gotten gains. Islam came to rescue and purify the Arabs, as all humanity, from such stinking filth.

We see clearly that Islam allowed only one sort of companionship between free men and those “maidens”, namely, marriage in which one woman is united with one man to form a family. There is no question of allowing the free satisfaction of desire without restraints. What men have to pay is a dowry, which they owe as a duty. It is not a payment given to a prostitute for a temporary acquaintance. Thus does Islam purify the man-woman relationship, even among slaves, of all the dirt of ignorance, into the depth of which humanity sinks every time it ignores Islam, including during our present times.

Before we turn to the next statement in this Qur’ānic verse, we need to reflect a little on the way the Qur’ān expresses the relationship which exists between free people and slaves in Islamic society and how Islam views this situation when it occurs in real life. The Qur’ānic verse does not use a term like slave or bondswoman.

Rather, it refers to them all as “maidens”. The expression runs as follows: “Any of you ... may marry a believing maiden from among those whom your right hands possess.” (Verse 25)

Moreover, no racial discrimination is entertained between free and unfree people, as was practised in all societies at that time, and which divided mankind into different classes. On the contrary, the Qur’ān reminds us all that we have the same origin and establishes our relationship on the ties of humanity and faith which we all share: “God knows all about your faith: you belong to one another.” It does not describe the people who “own” a slave woman as her “masters”, but instead refers to them as her “people” or family: “Marry them, then, with their people’s consent.” The dowry such a slave woman receives is not given to her master; she has full claim to it. This means that the dowry is not included in the rule that all earnings by a slave belong to the master. The dowry is not classified as “earning”; it is a right that accrues to the woman as a result of her becoming lawful to a certain man: “And give them their dowers in an equitable manner.” Furthermore, they are not looked down upon as women who sell themselves. Indeed, the reverse is true: they are “chaste women who give themselves in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as women who have secret love companions”. (Verse 25)

All these considerations give an honourable view of the humanity of those girls, even when they are in the situation of slavery brought about by temporary circumstances. This situation does not affect the fact that they are human beings who must be treated with respect. When we compare this honourable outlook with the view which prevailed all over the world and which deprived slaves of every claim to being human like their masters, and denied them all rights to which they were entitled by virtue of being human, we can appreciate the great gulf between the two.

Islam places the dignity and honour of man on a totally different level, and takes care of it in all circumstances, regardless of any temporary situation that may affect any group of people such as their slavery.

When we compare how Islam legislated for this emergency situation with what victorious armies in modern times do with the women of countries defeated in war, we appreciate just how large the gap is. We all know how soldiers “entertain” themselves. Enough has been heard of the filth in which victorious armies indulge themselves everywhere, leaving behind them a terrible legacy from which societies suffer for many years.

Islam provides for a reduced punishment for slave women who commit adultery after marriage. In this way, it takes into account the situation in which such a woman finds herself, understanding that this makes her more liable to sin and less able than a free woman to resist temptation. By its very nature, slavery reduces a woman’s dignity or family reputation. These are the two elements that make a free woman more able to protect her chastity. It also takes into consideration the social and economic differences between a free woman and a slave girl. All these considerations make a slave woman more complacent with regard to her honour and make it easier for her to yield to the temptation of money or position by her seducer. It is for this reason that the penalty for a slave woman who commits adultery after marriage is only half that of a free woman: “If after their marriage, they are guilty of gross immoral conduct, they shall be liable to half the penalty to which free women are liable.” (Verse 25)

It goes without saying that this represents the measurable penalty that can be halved, i.e. flogging. It does not apply to the penalty of stoning which cannot be divided. Hence, if a married believing slave commits adultery, she is given half the punishment of an unmarried free woman. If the slave who commits fornication is unmarried, her penalty is subject to different views among scholars. Some are of the opinion that it is the same, i.e. half the penalty of an unmarried free woman, and that the Imām or ruler administers it. Others are of the view that it is a reduced punishment, administered by her master. These views are argued in books of jurisprudence. We have no intention of delving into these details here. It is sufficient for our purposes to state that Islam takes into consideration all situations while at the same time helping people to maintain their purity and chastity.

This is an example of how Islam maintains a balanced view, taking into consideration all relevant factors. Knowing all that may be of influence in a slave’s life, it does not legislate the same penalty for her as that for a free woman. On the other hand, it does not give undue weight to her circumstances, so as to exempt her altogether from punishment. It strikes the perfect balance.

On the other hand, Islam does not exploit the low position of slaves so as to increase their punishment, in the same way as all man-made laws used to do. Those laws treat people of high position leniently, while administering cruel punishments to those of lower positions. In the celebrated law of the Roman Empire, punishment was increased for all lowly classes. It stated: “A person who seduces a virtuous widow or a virgin shall be punished by the confiscation of half his wealth if he belongs to a noble family, and by flogging and exile if he comes from a low class.” According to the Indian code known by the name of Manū Shāstra, a Brahman who commits a crime punishable by death may not be punished by the governor in any other way than by having his head shaved. Anyone else shall be executed. If an untouchable tries to hit a Brahman with his hand or with a stick, he shall have his hand chopped off. The Jews used to let a noble man who steals go without punishment, while the prescribed punishment was administered to ordinary thieves.

(This is according to a ĥadīth related by al-Bukhārī, Muslim and others.)

Islam on the other hand, sets the record straight. A criminal will always be punished, but only after taking all extenuating circumstances into account. Thus, for adultery committed by a slave woman after marriage, the prescribed punishment is half that administered to a free unmarried woman. Allowing her to go unpunished means that her own will is non-existent. To say that is wrong. At the same time, Islam does not overlook her situation.

Some societies today, such as those in America and South Africa, practise a repugnant system of racial discrimination. Crimes which are overlooked when committed by an “honourable” white man are never forgiven when committed by a coloured person.2 The same logic of Jāhiliyyah, or state of ignorance prevails wherever and whenever Divine faith is ignored. Islam implements its own philosophy in all places and throughout all generations.

The verse concludes with a statement which indicates clearly that to marry a slave woman is a concession given to a person who fears that he may yield to temptation and who finds it too hard to resist. A person who can remain patient, without afflicting himself, is better advised to do so, in view of what we have already outlined in connection with marriage with a slave girl: “This provision applies to those of you who fear to stumble into sin. Yet it is better for you to be patient.” (Verse 25)

God neither wants to afflict His servants nor let them fall victim to temptation. It is true that the faith He has chosen for them inspires them to try to reach the sublime, but it wants them to do so within the limitations of their human nature and their own potentials, as well as their real needs. Hence, it gives them a code of living which is easy to follow. It takes notice of their nature, acknowledges their needs and appreciates their motives. What it will never do, however, is to cheer those who have sunk low. It neither glorifies their surrender, nor exempts them from their responsibility to try to resist temptation.

In this instance, Islam encourages its followers to remain patient until they are able to marry free women who can maintain their chastity after marriage. They are the ones who can establish happy families, give birth to a new noble generation, take good care of young children and remain faithful to their husbands. When that represents affliction and the temptation is too great to resist, a concession is given, coupled with an attempt to raise the standard of slave women through the honour given them. They are our “maidens” and we are their “people”. All of us belong to one another, united in the tie of faith. God knows best who is of strong faith. They receive their dowries by way of right. Association with them may only be through marriage. They are liable to punishment if they err, albeit a reduced one in the circumstances: “God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful.” This is a concluding comment on having to marry a slave woman and on the reduction of punishment in the case of erring slave girls. It is a suitable comment in both cases. God’s forgiveness and mercy are needed in all situations and after every error.

God wants to make all this clear to you and to guide you in the [righteous] ways of life of those who have preceded you, and to turn to you in His mercy. God is All-Knowing, Wise. And God wants to turn to you in His mercy, while those who follow their lusts want you to go very far astray. God wants to lighten your burdens; for man has been created weak. (Verses 26- 28)

These verses provide a perfect and comprehensive comment on the detailed legislation provided by Islam for the family. It is through this legislation that Islamic society is elevated psychologically, morally and socially to a very high, clean and healthy summit. The comment given in these verses reveals to the Muslim community the truth of what God wants for it by His prescription of these laws and regulations. At the same time, the aims of those who follow their lusts are also revealed.

God treats His servants with grace and reveals to them what lies behind His legislation, explaining to them the benefits they will reap as a result of implementing it. It is a gesture of honour, which God does to His servants by speaking thus to them: “God wants to make all this clear to you.” He wants you to understand His wisdom and reflect on it with open eyes and minds. There is nothing enigmatic about His legislation. It is not made arbitrarily. Good servants of God as they Oil are, Muslims deserve to have this wisdom explained to them. This is an honour, which is appreciated only by those who understand the true nature of Godhead and what it means to be a servant of God.

“God wants to make all this clear to you and to guide you in the [righteous] ways of lift of those who have preceded you.” (Verse 26) This method of life is the one that God has decreed for all believers. Its principles, aims and objectives are the same. It is designed for believers in all generations. It is in this sense that they constitute a single nation. Hence, the Qur’ān groups together those who have received true guidance in all generations and localities. This statement helps every Muslim to recognise his roots, the nation to which he belongs and the method he is required to follow. He is one of the faithful who are joined together despite differences of time, place, race and nationality by the bond of faith and a distinctive way of life to which they all subscribe.

“And to turn to you in His mercy.” God, then, makes things clear and guides His servants in the traditions of those who have preceded them as a gesture of mercy that He extends to them. He takes them by the hand so that they can turn to Him in repentance. Thus, He facilitates their way for them and helps them proceed along that easy path.

“God is All-Knowing, Wise.” These directives and legal provisions are, then, derived from His knowledge and wisdom. He knows people’s hearts and souls, and knows what is suitable for them. He has exercised His wisdom in defining their constitution for them and shown them how to implement it.

“And God wants to turn to you in His mercy, while those who follow their lusts want you to go very far astray.” (Verse 27) This short verse reveals the truth of what God wants for people when He established the method of life that He wants them to follow and the truth of what those who follow their lusts, straying far away from God’s constitution, want for them. There is only one way of life that combines seriousness with commitment. All other methods merely follow passions and lusts, and constitute deviation and transgression.

What does God, then, want for people when He makes things clear for them and enacts His legislation for them? He simply wants to turn to them in His mercy. He wants to guide them so that they can avoid slips. He wants to help them elevate themselves to the high standards they are worthy of.

And what do those who follow their lusts and tempt people with methods and creeds that God has not sanctioned want for them? They indeed want them to go far astray from the straight path, the clear method and the route to elevation.

What about this particular area which the preceding passage regulates, namely, family relations, purity of society, and the only healthy and acceptable way through which men and women may be joined together, to the exclusion of all other methods? In this particular area, what does God want for people and what do those who follow their lusts want?

What God wants has been explained by the preceding verses which add purity and ease to a perfect system which assures the Muslim community of beneficial results. Those who follow their lusts want to shed all inhibitions so that desires are let loose, unrestricted by any religious, moral or social values. They want uninhibited promiscuity with all that it leads to of instability, spiritual disorder, family chaos and total disregard of honour. They want human beings to be like animals, so that males can have their females with nothing to check them. All this corruption and destruction is preached in the name of freedom. It is simply a false name given to lust and caprice.

It is against this evil that God warns the believers when He tells them that those who follow their lusts want them to go very far astray. Indeed, they spare no effort to achieve their purpose of forcing the Muslim community to sink back into the immorality of ignorance, after they have elevated themselves far above it through following the Islamic way of life. It is towards the same end that certain writers and institutions try hard to push our community when they concentrate their aims at removing all social barriers which stand in the way of total promiscuity. This is a dreadful end from which there can be no protection except through the implementation of the Divine way of life by those who truly believe in God.

The final word in this comment touches on man’s weakness and the mercy God shows him by giving him a perfect law which lightens his burden and which removes all causes of harm and affliction from him:

“God wants to lighten your burdens; for man has been created weak.” (Verse 28)

Within the area addressed by the preceding verses and regulated by the directives and legal provisions they contain, the Divine wish to lighten man’s burden is clearly apparent. Natural desires are recognised and given a proper, healthy and fruitful method of satisfaction. God neither charges His servants with an unreasonable suppression of these desires, nor does He allow them to run loose after their pleasure without checks and controls. More generally, God’s wish to make things easy for man appears very clearly in the constitution He has laid down for human life which takes into consideration man’s nature, ability and real needs. It taps all man’s constructive energy, protecting it against wasteful use.

Many people assume that adherence to the Divine method, especially in connection with the relationships between men and women, constitutes a heavy burden. They further claim that shedding all inhibitions to satisfy desires freely ensures ease and comfort. This is utter delusion. Seeking only one’s own pleasure in every pursuit and removing the element of duty altogether, confining the objective of human sexual relations to that of its equivalent in the animal world, and removing all moral checks and social duties which influence relations between men and women may appear to give man ease and comfort. In reality, however, they weigh heavily upon man and increase his burden. Their consequences on society, and indeed on every individual, are harmful, wasteful, and destructive. A glance at the situation which prevails in societies that have emancipated themselves and shed the constraints of religion, morality and modesty is enough to make hearts shudder.

Uncontrolled sexual relationships were the major factor that led to the collapse of ancient civilisations, including those of Athens, Rome, and Persia. The same factor is now working for the destruction of Western civilisation. Those effects have appeared first in France and they can be clearly seen now in America, Sweden, England and other Western civilised countries. France is foremost because she took the lead in shedding moral inhibitions. She succumbed in every war she fought since 1870. All indications are that France is moving fast towards total collapse.

In the first place, the French people’s sexual indulgence has gradually resulted in the loss of their physical strength. Ever-present emotional situations have broken down their power of resistance. Craze for sexual pleasures has left them with little or no forbearance, and the prevalence of venereal diseases has affected their national health fatally. Ever since the beginning of the 20th century, after every couple of years or so, the French military authorities have had to lower standards of physical fitness for new entrants, because young men coming up to the previous standards have day by day become rarer. This measure — with the accuracy of a thermometer — precisely indicates how fast has the French nation been losing its physical strength. 3 Venereal diseases are a major cause of its decline. During the first two years of World War I, the number of French soldiers who had to be hospitalised on account of syphilis was estimated at 75,000. In a garrison town of average importance, 242 soldiers were found suffering from this disease simultaneously. Imagine for a while the predicament in which the French nation was involved. On the one hand, it was facing a life and death situation and stood badly in need of the sincerest effort by every single soldier for its survival: each franc was precious, each second of time and each ounce of energy valuable, and all possible resources were called for in national defence. And on the other, thousands of young men lay useless for months together on account of sexual dissipation, and were thus becoming instrumental in squandering national wealth and resources on treatment at such a critical time.

According to Dr. Leredde, a French specialist, about 30,000 deaths are caused every year in France by syphilis and its immediate or ultimate results, which is the second biggest cause of death after tuberculosis. And syphilis is not the only venereal disease.4

The population of France has shown a serious downward tendency. Free sex and easy abortion have left little room for starting a family, and shouldering the responsibility for illegitimate children born after a brief temporary relationship.

Hence, the number of marriages decreases, fewer children are born and France moves fast into the abyss.

Hardly 7 or 8 per thousand in France enter wedlock annually. This low percentage clearly indicates that there are big chunks of French population that are unmarried.

3 The same is taking place in the United States where six out of every seven men at conscription age are found to be unfit for military service. God's laws never fail.

4 A.A. Mawdūdī, Purdah and the Status of Woman in Islam, Lahore, pp.51-2.

Among the few married ones there are even fewer who live chaste or marry with a view to living a morally clean life. Apart from this, they have all sorts of motives while entering matrimony, one common motive being to legitimise the child born or conceived before marriage. Paul Bureau writes that it has almost become a custom among the French working classes that a woman, before marriage, must have the assurance of her would-be husband to recognise a child who is not his. In 1917, a woman stated before a Civil Tribunal of the Seine:

By these present I declare to my husband that in our union I have only the object of legitimising the children born of our `free’ union, ... and not that of resuming our life together. I leave him on the day of our marriage at 5.30

p.m., in order to escape from conjugal duties which I have no intention of fulfilling. I give him by these present a deed of separation, to serve towards what is necessary in order to obtain a divorce.

The Principal of a great college in Paris told Paul Bureau:

At the present time, many young men see in marriage nothing but the means of securing a mistress at home... For ten or twelve years they have roved a little in all directions, tasting various forms of licentiousness in various degrees. A day comes when they tire of this restless and irregular life; they take a lawful wife, convinced that with her will be combined the advantages of safety and tranquillity with those of licentiousness modified indeed but still sufficient and refined, to suit a less exacting appetite. 5

These are the reasons for the decline of France and her defeat in every recent war.

These have been the seed of France’s eclipse and will be the reason for her further gradual decline. It may appear that God’s law works very slowly but it never fails.6

All this is part of what humanity, in our present day state of ignorance, has to bear as a result of its following the dictates of those who insist on following carnal desires and who adamantly refuse to follow the way of life God has chosen for mankind.

That is a way of life characterised by its easy implementation, reducing the human burden, protecting human society against immorality, leading man along a safe and secure course, that ensures purity, cleanliness and repentance of any slip into sin.

“God wants to lighten your burdens; for man has been created weak.” (Verse 28)