Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: << . . . . . . . .
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Now, Allah the Exalted says: [An-Nur 24:33] "Give them a command to the masters from the wealth of Allah that He has given you, so that they may use it to fulfill what they have undertaken for you. And in the meaning of giving is reducing some of what they have undertaken." "Give them from the wealth of Allah." The author says the command is to the masters, and it is permissible that the command be to other than the masters, or to the masters and others. It is permissible that the command be to all Muslims. "Give them from the wealth of Allah." If the command is directed to the masters, there are two forms of giving. The first form is if he contracts with him (for manumission), he gives him money to be the basis of his earnings. The second form is if he pays what is due from him, he reduces it from him. But does he reduce it from the first installment or from the last installment? Some of the Salaf chose to reduce it from the first installment because that is easier for him. And some of them chose to reduce it from the last installment, saying, "If I reduce it from the first installment or give him from the first installment, and then he fails and returns to me, my charity has returned to me. This is unlike if I give him from the last installment, because if he pays the last installment, what happens? He is set free. If I give him from the last installment, nothing of my charity returns to me." And this is the stronger opinion: that he gives him from the last installment. So, if the command is directed to the masters, there are two forms of giving. The first form is that he gives him from the very beginning, from his own wealth, from the very beginning. He gives him money. For what purpose, Ya Isma'il?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : So that it may be the basis of earnings in the contract of manumission. And the second form is if he pays what is due from him, he gives him from what he has paid. But we say that the correct view is that the command is to the masters in the manner mentioned, and also a command to other than the masters to assist the contracted slave in his contract. And for this reason, a share of zakah was allocated for him. It is permissible for a person to spend some of his zakah for contracted slaves. This is the correct view. So the correct view is that the command in the saying of Allah the Exalted[An-Nur 24:33] is comprehensive for the masters and for others. And if we say that zakah is spent for them, then zakah is the wealth of Allah. Now, His saying [An-Nur 24:33] Whether we say it is the legal wealth of Allah, which is zakah, if we say that the command is directed to the masters as well, or that the wealth which is the wealth of Allah is not legal wealth but is the wealth of Allah by His decree, which is the person's wealth in which he disposes as an owner disposes of his property, then in reality it is the wealth of Allah. And it seems that in the verse there is an indication that you have no merit. May Allah have mercy on you. Allah has given you wealth, so give these contracted slaves from the wealth of Allah that He has given you.
Now, the summary of the speech is that in this verse there is the prescription of the contract of manumission. When? When the slave requests it. And the command in this is obligatory according to the correct opinion. But it is conditioned by what? By knowledge of good. And good is righteousness in religion and in earnings.
And in the verse there is also evidence for the obligation of giving to the contracted slave from wealth, whether the address is directed to his master or directed to the general public. As for the general public, they give from zakah. And as for the master, he gives him from the wealth in his hand, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is the One who bestowed it upon him. Then he said:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, there is no zakah in it, because if he gives him from zakah, in reality it will certainly return to him.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He does not reduce it from his capital. He said:[An-Nur 24:33] A person might say, "Why do you prevent the master from giving from his zakah to his contracted slave, while you permit him to give to his debtor? That is, if a person owes someone dirhams and he gives him from his zakah, there is no harm." It is said: The difference between the two is that if you give to the debtor, he may benefit or he may not benefit, so he disposes of it as he wishes. But the contracted slave will benefit no matter what; either he benefits or he returns to being a slave and his wealth returns to him. This is the difference between them.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, if he becomes a contracted slave, you are not obligated to spend on him. He owns his earnings and everything.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And manumission begins from the beginning of the contract.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, but it is not completed except by paying what is in the contract. He said: "[An-Nur 24:33] your female slaves that is, fornication [An-Nur 24:33] out of chastity from it. And this intention is the place of coercion, so the condition has no implication." And do not compel your young women to prostitution. The young women, as the author said, are female slaves. And what is meant by "young women" here is not the young girls among women, meaning even free women, no, because this is not mentioned. Rather, what is meant by "young women" are female slaves. And prostitution is fornication. It is called prostitution because it is sought, meaning it is desired. And prostitution means seeking, and seeking means seeking. So the fornicators, may Allah protect us, and the fornicatresses seek this matter. And His saying [An-Nur 24:33]: And what does it mean? From fornication, that is, out of chastity from it and abstention from it. And this intention is the place of coercion, so the condition has no implication. If we read the noble verse, it contains that Allah the Exalted forbade us from compelling young women to prostitution, on the condition that they desire chastity. That is, if they do not desire chastity, the apparent meaning of the verse for us is that we may compel them. But the author says that the condition is the place of the prohibition, because coercion is not conceivable except if we desire chastity. And on this basis, the condition has no implication. This is what the author held, and there is consideration in it. The apparent meaning of the author, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "And this intention is the place of coercion," meaning that coercion is not conceivable except with the existence of this intention, so the condition has no implication. If coercion is not conceivable except with this intention, then the condition has no implication, because it is for clarifying the reality, which is the reality of coercion. This is what the author held, but there is consideration in it, because it is possible to compel her to prostitution while she does not desire chastity, but rather she is compelled by the one who compelled her. We say, for example, "You fornicate with this man," but she does not want this man; she wants another man. If she is compelled to fornicate with this man, is the coercion realized or not? Even though she does not desire chastity. So in reality, coercion can occur even if she does not desire chastity. As for their saying that the intention is the place of the prohibition because there is no coercion without the intention of chastity, we say: It is possible to have coercion without the intention of chastity, such as if at that time she has no desire for intercourse, or in a place where she does not desire to have intercourse, or at a time when she does not desire to have intercourse, or she does not want the one she was compelled to, or something similar to that. So coercion is not specific to fornication, so that we say this condition is for clarifying the reality, so it has no implication. So what is the opinion in this issue? What is the stronger opinion? We say: The scholars mentioned three aspects, other than what the author mentioned. One of them is that this is based on the majority, that they compel them while they desire chastity. And it is known that if a restriction is for clarifying the majority, it has no implication. That is, Allah forbids them from a matter in which they have fallen, which is that they compel their young women to fornication while they desire chastity from it. So this is based on the majority, so it has no implication. And this is what Ibn Kathir held, that this conditional restriction is for clarifying the majority, not for clarifying the reality.
And some of the scholars said that this condition means "when," and do not compel your young women to prostitution when they desire chastity, that is, because they desire chastity. And this opinion, in reality, may return to the opinion before it.
The student: وَلَقَدْ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ آيَاتٍ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَثَلًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ 34 اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 35 فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ 36 And We have certainly sent down to you clear verses and an example from those who passed on before you and an admonition for those who fear Allah. 34. Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within a glass; the glass is as if it were a shining star, lit from a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil almost glows even if it has not been touched by fire. Light upon Light; Allah guides to His Light whom He wills, and Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things. 35. In mosques where the name of Allah is to be remembered, where He is glorified in the morning and in the afternoon,
and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you
وآتوهم من مال الله الذي آتاكمThe student: ...
The Shaykh : So that it may be the basis of earnings in the contract of manumission. And the second form is if he pays what is due from him, he gives him from what he has paid. But we say that the correct view is that the command is to the masters in the manner mentioned, and also a command to other than the masters to assist the contracted slave in his contract. And for this reason, a share of zakah was allocated for him. It is permissible for a person to spend some of his zakah for contracted slaves. This is the correct view. So the correct view is that the command in the saying of Allah the Exalted
give them from the wealth of Allah
وآتوهم من مال اللهfrom the wealth of Allah which He has given you
من مال الله الذي آتاكمNow, the summary of the speech is that in this verse there is the prescription of the contract of manumission. When? When the slave requests it. And the command in this is obligatory according to the correct opinion. But it is conditioned by what? By knowledge of good. And good is righteousness in religion and in earnings.
And in the verse there is also evidence for the obligation of giving to the contracted slave from wealth, whether the address is directed to his master or directed to the general public. As for the general public, they give from zakah. And as for the master, he gives him from the wealth in his hand, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is the One who bestowed it upon him. Then he said:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, there is no zakah in it, because if he gives him from zakah, in reality it will certainly return to him.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He does not reduce it from his capital. He said:
And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution
ولا تكرهوا فتياتكم على البغاءThe student: ...
The Shaykh : No, if he becomes a contracted slave, you are not obligated to spend on him. He owns his earnings and everything.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And manumission begins from the beginning of the contract.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, but it is not completed except by paying what is in the contract. He said: "
And do not compel your slave girls
ولا تكرهوا فتياتكمto prostitution
على البغاءif they desire chastity
إن أردن تحصناif they desire chastity
إن أردن تحصناAnd some of the scholars said that this condition means "when," and do not compel your young women to prostitution when they desire chastity, that is, because they desire chastity. And this opinion, in reality, may return to the opinion before it.
The student: وَلَقَدْ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ آيَاتٍ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَثَلًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ 34 اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 35 فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ 36 And We have certainly sent down to you clear verses and an example from those who passed on before you and an admonition for those who fear Allah. 34. Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within a glass; the glass is as if it were a shining star, lit from a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil almost glows even if it has not been touched by fire. Light upon Light; Allah guides to His Light whom He wills, and Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things. 35. In mosques where the name of Allah is to be remembered, where He is glorified in the morning and in the afternoon,