to betray, corrupt the orphan’s property, and consume it unlawfully, as distinct from one who seeks to set it right. “Had Allah willed, He could have imposed hardship upon you” (2:220)—that is, He could have restricted you and not permitted you to intermingle with them. Ibn Abbas said: Had Allah willed, He could have made whatever you took from the property of orphans a cause of your ruin. The root meaning of hardship is severity and difficulty. That is, He could have obligated you in every matter to do what would be burdensome for you. “Indeed, Allah is Mighty” (2:220): the Mighty One is He who commands with might, whether He makes matters easy for His servants or difficult for them; “Wise” (2:220) in the arrangement He ordains and in not imposing hardship.
“And do not marry women who associate others with Allah until they believe. A believing slave woman is better than a woman who associates others with Allah, even if she pleases you. And do not give women in marriage to men who associate others with Allah until they believe. A believing slave is better than a man who associates others with Allah, even if he pleases you. Those call to the Fire, while Allah calls to Paradise and forgiveness by His permission. And He makes His verses clear to people, so that they may take heed” (2:221).
Allah Most High says: “And do not marry women who associate others with Allah until they believe.” The reason for the revelation of this verse was that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi to Mecca secretly to bring out some Muslims from there. When he arrived, a woman who associated others with Allah, called Anaq, heard of his arrival. She had been his lover in the pre-Islamic period. She came to him and said, “Abu Marthad, will you not be alone with me?” He replied, “Woe to you, Anaq! Islam has come between us and that.” She said, “Then would you marry me?” He said, “Yes, but I shall return to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and seek his instruction.” She said, “Do you refuse, then?” Then she cried out for help against him, and they beat him severely before letting him go.
After he had completed his task in Mecca and returned to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he informed him of what had happened between himself and Anaq, and of what he had suffered because of her. He said, “Messenger of Allah, is it lawful for me to marry her?” Thereupon Allah Most High revealed: “And do not marry women who associate others with Allah until they believe” (1).
It was also said that this verse was abrogated with respect to women from the People of the Scripture by His saying: “And chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you” (al-Ma'idah 5:5). If it is asked: How can you apply the term associationism to one who denies nothing but the prophethood of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace? Abu al-Hasan ibn Faris said: Because whoever says that the Quran is the speech of other than Allah has associated another with Allah. Qatadah and Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: By women who associate others with Allah, He meant idolatrous women. For Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, married Na'ilah bint al-Farafisah, who was a Christian; she embraced Islam while married to him. Talhah ibn Abd Allah married a Christian woman, and Hudhayfah married a Jewish woman. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to him: “Let her go.” He wrote back, “Do you maintain that she is forbidden?” He replied, “I do not maintain that she is forbidden, but I fear that you may take prostitutes from among them” (2).
Allah Most High says: “A believing slave woman is better than a woman who associates others with Allah, even if she pleases you”—because of her beauty and wealth. This was revealed concerning Khansa, a black slave girl belonging to Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman. Hudhayfah said, “Khansa, you have been mentioned in the Highest Assembly despite your dark complexion and plain appearance.”