explained this by saying: “Two of the sheep, two of the goats, two of the cattle, and two of the camels.” Thus, He described the two mates as two individuals of the same kind. This is also reflected in expressions such as “a pair of shoes” and “a pair of pigeons.” There is no doubt that Allah, glorified is He, has denied any equivalence or likeness between disbelievers and believers. He, Most High, said: “The people of the Fire and the people of Paradise are not equal” (59:20). Concerning believers and disbelievers among the People of the Book, He said: “They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book is an upright community” (3:113), to the end of the verse. He has also severed the ties between them in worldly rulings: they do not inherit from one another, marry one another, or take one another as allies. Just as their connection is severed in meaning, so too is it severed in designation.

Thus, in these cases He referred to the wife using imra’ah, a word denoting womanhood alone, rather than a term implying resemblance and likeness.

Reflect on this meaning, and you will find that it accords more closely with the Quran’s wording and meanings. This is why both the Muslim woman married to a disbeliever and the disbelieving woman married to a believer are designated by imra’ah (woman), rather than zawjah (spouse), affirming this meaning. And Allah knows best.

This is more fitting than the view that Abu Lahab’s wife was called his imra’ah rather than his zawjah because marriages between disbelievers are not deemed valid, unlike marriages between Muslims. That view is disproved by the use of imra’ah for the wives of Noah and Lot, despite the validity of their marriages.

Consider this meaning in the verse on inheritance, where Allah, glorified is He, links mutual inheritance to the designation “spouse” rather than “woman,” as in His words: “And you shall have half of what your wives leave” (4:12). This indicates that such inheritance arises only through the marital bond, which entails likeness and compatibility. Believers and disbelievers have neither likeness nor compatibility; hence, they do not inherit from one another. The mysteries of the Quran’s individual words and their combinations surpass the understanding of all creation.

[Surah al-Baqarah (2): verse 36]

“Then Satan caused them to slip from it and brought them out of the state they had been in. We said, ‘Go down, as enemies to one another. On earth you will have a place of settlement and provision for a time.’” (36)