Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/44)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

of the installments. (1) An invalid manumission contract, however, may be rescinded by the master before payment is made; even if he pays the sum (2) after the rescission, he does not become free. It is nullified by the master’s death, and the slave does not become free through remission of the installments. If the slave under contract becomes free by paying the sum, there is no restitution in the case of a valid manumission contract, whereas it does apply in an invalid one: the master may claim from him the value of his person, and he may claim from the master what he paid him, if it was property.

His saying, Exalted is He: “Do not compel your slave-girls to prostitution if they desire chastity”—the verse was revealed concerning Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the hypocrite. He had two slave-girls, Muadhah and Musaykah, whom he would compel to commit fornication for a levy which he took from them. This was also what people used to do in the Age of Ignorance: they would hire out their slave-girls. When Islam came, 40/b Muadhah said to Musaykah: “This matter in which we are involved can only be one of two things: if it is good, then we have already had more than enough of it; and if it is evil, then the time has come for us to abandon it.” So Allah revealed this verse. (3)

It is also related that one day one of the two slave-girls came with a cloak, while the other came with a dinar. He said to them, “Go back and commit fornication.” They replied, “By Allah, we will not do so. Islam has come and forbidden fornication.” So they came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and complained to him, whereupon this verse was revealed. (4)

“Do not compel your slave-girls,” that is, your female slaves, “to prostitution,” meaning fornication, “if they desire chastity,” that is, when they desire it. The expression does not indicate a condition, for it is not permissible to compel them to fornicate even if they do not desire chastity. This is like His saying, Exalted is He: “You will be superior if you are believers” (3:139)—that is, when you are believers. (5)

It was also said that the desire for chastity was mentioned because compulsion only occurs when there is a desire for chastity; if she does not desire chastity, she commits prostitution willingly. Chastity means abstaining from illicit sexual relations. Al-Hasan ibn al-Fadl said: There is an inversion in the verse, its intended order being: “Marry off those among you who are unmarried, if they desire chastity; and do not compel your slave-girls to prostitution.”

“In seeking the fleeting gains of worldly life,” that is, seeking worldly wealth through their earnings and through selling their children. “But whoever compels them, then surely Allah, after their compulsion, is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful”—meaning, toward the women who have been compelled; the sin rests upon the one who compelled them. Whenever al-Hasan recited this verse, he would say: “For them, by Allah—for them, by Allah.”

(1) The text within parentheses is omitted in manuscript "A." (2) The text within parentheses is omitted in manuscript "A." (3) In Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 377, al-Wahidi attributes this view to the exegetes. He also cites reports that the verse was revealed concerning Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, who would say to a slave girl of his, “Go and earn something for us...” This is recorded in Sahih Muslim. (4) This was stated by Muqatil. See al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, pp. 377-378. (5) The text within parentheses is omitted in manuscript "B."

عَنِ النُّجُومِ] (١) وَالْكِتَابَةُ الْفَاسِدَةُ يَمْلِكُ الْمَوْلَى فَسْخَهَا قَبْلَ أَدَاءِ الْمَالِ، [حَتَّى لَوْ أَدَّى الْمَالَ] (٢) بَعْدَ الْفَسْخِ لَا يَعْتِقُ وَيَبْطُلُ بِمَوْتِ الْمَوْلَى، وَلَا يَعْتِقُ بِالْإِبْرَاءِ عَنِ النُّجُومِ، وَإِذَا عَتَقَ الْمُكَاتَبُ بِأَدَاءِ الْمَالِ لَا يَثْبُتُ التَّرَاجُعُ فِي الْكِتَابَةِ الصَّحِيحَةِ، وَيَثْبُتُ فِي الْكِتَابَةِ الْفَاسِدَةِ، فَيَرْجِعُ الْمَوْلَى عَلَيْهِ بِقِيمَةِ رَقَبَتِهِ، وَهُوَ يَرْجِعُ عَلَى الْمَوْلَى بِمَا دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ كَانَ مَالًا. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا﴾ الْآيَةُ نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أُبَيٍّ بن سَلُولَ الْمُنَافِقِ، كَانَتْ لَهُ جَارِيَتَانِ: مُعَاذَةُ وَمُسَيْكَةُ، وَكَانَ يُكْرِهُهُمَا عَلَى الزِّنَا بِالضَّرِيبَةِ يَأْخُذُهَا مِنْهُمَا، وَكَذَلِكَ كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، يُؤَجِّرُونَ إِمَاءَهُمْ، فَلَمَّا جاء الإسلام ٤٠/ب قَالَتْ مُعَاذَةُ لِمُسَيْكَةَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ الَّذِي نَحْنُ فِيهِ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْ وَجْهَيْنِ، فَإِنْ يَكُ خَيْرًا فَقَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْنَا مِنْهُ، وَإِنْ يَكُ شَرًّا فَقَدْ آنَ لَنَا أَنْ نَدَعَهُ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (٣) . وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ جَاءَتْ إِحْدَى الْجَارِيَتَيْنِ يَوْمًا بِبُرْدٍ وَجَاءَتِ الْأُخْرَى بِدِينَارٍ، فَقَالَ لَهُمَا: ارْجِعَا فَازْنِيَا، قَالَتَا: وَاللَّهِ لَا نَفْعَلُ، قَدْ جَاءَ الْإِسْلَامُ وَحَرَّمَ الزِّنَا، فَأَتَيَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَشَكَتَا إِلَيْهِ، فَأَنْزَلَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (٤) ﴿وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ﴾ إِمَاءَكُمْ ﴿عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ﴾ أَيْ: الزِّنَا ﴿إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا﴾ أَيْ: إِذَا أَرَدْنَ، وَلَيْسَ مَعْنَاهُ الشَّرْطُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ إِكْرَاهُهُنَّ عَلَى الزِّنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ يُرِدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: "وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ" (آلِ عِمْرَانَ-١٣٩) ، [أَيْ: إِذَا كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ] (٥) وَقِيلَ: شَرَطَ إِرَادَةَ التَّحَصُّنِ لِأَنَّ الْإِكْرَاهَ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ عِنْدَ إِرَادَةِ التَّحَصُّنِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ تُرِدِ التَّحَصُّنَ بَغَتْ طَوْعًا، وَالتَّحَصُّنُ: التَّعَفُّفُ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ: فِي الْآيَةِ تَقْدِيمٌ وَتَأْخِيرٌ تَقْدِيرُهَا: وَأَنْكَحُوا الْأَيَامَى مِنْكُمْ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ. ﴿لِتَبْتَغُوا عَرَضَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا﴾ أَيْ: لِتَطْلُبُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ الدُّنْيَا، يُرِيدُ مِنْ كَسْبِهِنَّ وَبَيْعِ أَوْلَادِهِنَّ، ﴿وَمَنْ يُكْرِهُّنَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِكْرَاهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾ يَعْنِي لِلْمُكْرَهَاتِ، وَالْوِزْرُ عَلَى الْمُكْرِهِ. وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ إِذَا قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ قَالَ: لَهُنَّ وَاللَّهِ لَهُنَّ وَاللَّهِ.

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٣) عزاه الواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (٣٧٧) للمفسرين، وساق روايات أن الآية نزلت في عبد الله بن أبي كان يقول لجارية له: اذهبي فابغينا شيئا.. وهو في صحيح مسلم. (٤) قاله مقاتل: انظر: أسباب النزول للواحدي ص ٣٧٧-٣٧٨. (٥) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب".