Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… Wed them with the permission of their own folk and give
them their mahr (dowry) according to what is reasonable; they
should be chaste, not adulterous, nor taking boyfriends…”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:25]
In his commentary on this aayah, Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said:
“Muhsanaat [translated as “chaste”] means that they should be
pure, not indulging in zinaa (unlawful sexual conduct), hence
they are described as not being musaafihaat, which means
promiscuous women who do not refuse anyone who wants to
commit immoral acts with them. Regarding the phrase wa laa
muttakhidhaati akhdaan (‘nor taking boyfriends’), Ibn ‘Abbaas
said: ‘al-musaafihaat means those who are known to commit
zinaa, meaning those who will not refuse anyone who wants to
commit immoral acts with them.’ Ibn ‘Abbaas also said:
‘muttakhidhaati akhdaan means lovers.’ A similar interpretation
was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Mujaahid, al-Sha’bi,
al-Dahhaak, ‘Ataa’ al-Khurasaani, Yahyaa ibn Abi Katheer,
Muqaatil ibn Hayyaan and al-Saddi. They said: (it means)
lovers. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: ‘It means a (male) friend.’
Al-Dahhaak also said: ‘wa laa muttakhidhaati akhdaan also
means a woman who has just one boyfriend or lover with
whom she is happy. Allaah has also forbidden this, meaning
marrying her so long as she is in that situation…’”
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Made lawful to you this day are al-tayyibaat [all kinds of halaal
(lawful) foods…]. The food of the People of the Scripture (Jews
and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them.
(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the
believers and chaste women from those who were given the
Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time, when you
have given their due mahr (bridal money given by the husband
to the wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e.,
taking them in legal wedlock), not committing illegal sexual
intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends. And whosoever
disbelieves in the Oneness of Allaah and in all the other Articles
of Faith, the fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be
among the losers.” [al-Maa’idah 5:5]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Muhsineen ghayr musaafiheen wa laa muttakhidhi akhdaan
(‘desiring chastity (i.e., taking them in legal wedlock), not
committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as
girlfriends’). Just as Allaah imposed the condition of chastity on
women, meaning that they refrain from zinaa, so it is also
imposed on men. The man must also be pure and chaste. So
they should be ghayr musaafiheen, meaning they should not be
adulterers who do not refrain from sin and do not refuse any
who come to them (for immoral purposes). Nor should they be
muttakhidhi akhdaan, meaning those who have girlfriends or
female lovers with whom they have an exclusive relationship, as
quoted above from Soorat al-Nisaa’. (The one with many lovers
or the one with just one lover) are both the same. For this
reason Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said that it is not right to marry a promiscuous woman
unless she has repented, or to arrange a marriage of such a
woman to a chaste man, so long as she is still conducting
herself in this manner. Similarly, he (Ahmad) says that it is not
right for a promiscuous man to marry a chaste woman unless
he repents and gives up his immoral conduct, because of this
aayah… We will discuss this matter in further detail after
quoting the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“Let no man guilty of fornication or adultery marry any but a
woman similarly guilty, or an unbeliever: nor let any but such a
man or an unbeliever marry such a woman: to the Believers
such a thing is forbidden.” [al-Noor 24:3]
Among the stories that show that it is forbidden to have
girlfriends or to marry them is the story of Marthad ibn Abi
Marthad, who used to smuggle Muslim prisoners-of-war from
Makkah to Madeenah. There was a prostitute in Makkah, called
‘Anaaq, who had been a friend of Marthad’s. Marthad had
promised to take one of the prisoners from Makkah to
Madeenah. He said: “I came to the shade of one of the gardens
of Makkah on a moonlit night, then ‘Anaaq came and saw my
shadow by the garden. When she reached me, she recognized
me and said: ‘Marthad?’ I said, ‘Marthad.’ She said: ‘Welcome!
Stay with us tonight.’ I said, ‘O ‘Anaaq, Allaah has forbidden
zinaa (unlawful sexual relations)’ … I came to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, should I marry ‘Anaaq?’ The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) remained silent and did not answer me at all, until the
aayah ‘Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry any
but a woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever; nor let any but
such a man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman; to the
Believers such a thing is forbidden’ [al-Noor 24:3 – Yusuf ‘Ali’s
translation] was revealed. Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘O Marthad,
Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry any but a
woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever; nor let any but such a
man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman, so do not marry
her.’”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3101; he said: it is a hasan ghareeb
hadeeth).
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Maghfal reported that there was a woman who
had been a prostitute during the days of ignorance (before
Islam). A man passed by her, or she passed by him, and he
touched her. She said: “Stop it! (Mah! A word connoting a
rebuke or denunciation). Allaah has done away with shirk and
had brought Islam.” So he left her alone and went away, still
looking at her, until he walked into a wall, hitting his face. He
came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and told him what had happened. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You are a man for
whom Allaah wishes good. When Allaah, may He be blessed
and exalted, wishes good for His slave, He hastens the
punishment for his sin, so that it is dealt with before the Day of
Resurrection.” (Reported by al-Haakim, 1/349, who said this hadeeth
is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, and al-Dhahabi agreed
with him. See Saheeh al-Jaami’, 308).
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