Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/162)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

while he had ten wives, and the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said to him: “Keep four and part with the rest of them.” (1)

It is permissible for a free man to be married to four free women. As for a slave, according to the majority of the scholars, he may not marry more than two women. Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad al-Khatib informed us; Abd al-Aziz Ahmad al-Khallal informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm informed us; al-Rabi‘ informed us; al-Shafi‘i informed us; Sufyan informed us, from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, the client of Abu Talhah, from Sulayman ibn Yasar, from Abd Allah ibn Utbah, from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “A slave may marry two women and may divorce twice, and a slave woman observes a waiting period of two menstrual cycles. If she does not menstruate, then it is two months or one and a half months.” (2)

Rabi‘ah said: A slave may marry four women, just like a free man.

“If you fear”—that is, if you dread; and it is also said: if you know—“that you will not deal justly” between the four wives, “then one,” meaning: then marry one woman. Abu Ja‘far recited it in the nominative case: “then one.” “Or what your right hands possess” means slave concubines, for they are not owed the same rights as free women: no division of time is due to them, nor is there any limit on their number. The reference to “right hands” is merely explanatory; the meaning is: or those whom you own.

Some scholars of linguistic meanings said that “or what your right hands possess” means: that over which your oaths take effect. They understood it as deriving from the word for a sworn oath, not from the word denoting the hand. “That is more likely” means closer “to prevent you from committing injustice”—that is, from acting unjustly or inclining unfairly. One says, “A biased scale,” meaning, a scale that is unjust and tilted. This is the view of most exegetes.

Mujahid said: so that you do not go astray. Al-Farra’ said: so that you do not exceed what Allah has prescribed for you. The root meaning of excess is transgression beyond a limit; from it comes the proportional adjustment of fixed inheritance shares. Al-Shafi‘i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: so that your dependents do not become numerous. No one else has said this; rather, regarding a large number of dependents, one says a form meaning “he has many dependents.” Abu Hatim said: Al-Shafi‘i, may Allah be pleased with him, knew the language of the Arabs better than we do; perhaps it is a dialectal usage. It is said to be the dialect of Himyar. Talhah ibn Musarrif recited it with a form meaning, “that you may not have numerous dependents,” and this supports al-Shafi‘i’s view, may Allah be pleased with him.

“Give women their dowries graciously. But if they willingly give up to you anything of it, then consume it with pleasure and good cheer.” (4)

“Give women their dowries graciously.” Al-Kalbi and Mujahid said: This address is directed to the guardians, because a woman’s guardian

(1) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Nikah, chapter on the man who embraces Islam while having ten wives, 4:278. He said: “I heard Muhammad ibn Ismail say: This hadith is not preserved. What is correct is what Shuayb ibn Abi Hamzah and others narrated from al-Zuhri and Hamzah, who said: I was informed by Muhammad ibn Suwayd al-Thaqafi that Ghaylan...” It was also narrated by Ibn Majah in Kitab al-Nikah, chapter on a man who embraces Islam while having more than four wives, no. 1953, 1:628; by Malik in al-Muwatta as a balagh report, 2:586, in Kitab al-Talaq; by Ibn Hibban in Kitab al-Nikah, chapter on one who embraces Islam while having more than ten wives, no. 1277, p. 310 of Mawarid al-Zaman; by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, 2:192-193; by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan, 7:149, 181; and by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2:44. See also Talhis al-Habir, 3:168-169; Ibn Kathir, Tuhfat al-Talib, p. 340 ff.; Mukhtasar al-Mundhiri, 3:156-157; and al-Albani, Irwa al-Ghalil, 6:291-295. (2) Narrated by al-Shafii, 2:57 of Tartib Musnad al-Imam al-Shafii; al-Bayhaqi narrated it through his chain in al-Sunan, and its chain of transmission is authentic. It was also narrated by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 9:60.

وَعِنْدَهُ عَشْرُ نِسْوَةٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "أَمْسِكْ أَرْبَعًا وَفَارِقْ سَائِرَهُنَّ" (١) . وَإِذَا جَمَعَ الْحُرُّ بَيْنَ أَرْبَعِ نِسْوَةٍ حَرَائِرَ يَجُوزُ، فَأَمَّا الْعَبْدُ فَلَا يَجُوزُ لَهُ أَنْ يَنْكِحَ أَكْثَرَ مِنِ امْرَأَتَيْنِ عِنْدَ أَكْثَرِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْخَطِيبُ، أَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ أَحْمَدُ الْخَلَّالُ، أَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْأَصَمُّ، أَنَا الرَّبِيعُ، أَنَا الشَّافِعِيُّ، أَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مَوْلَى أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ﵁ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَنْكِحُ الْعَبْدُ امْرَأَتَيْنِ وَيُطَلِّقُ طَلْقَتَيْنِ وَتَعْتَدُّ الْأَمَةُ بِحَيْضَتَيْنِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَحِيضُ فَبِشَهْرَيْنِ أَوْ شَهْرٍ وَنِصْفٍ" (٢) وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ: يَجُوزُ لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَنْكِحَ أَرْبَعَ نِسْوَةٍ كَالْحُرِّ. ﴿فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ﴾ خَشِيتُمْ، وَقِيلَ: عَلِمْتُمْ، ﴿أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا﴾ بَيْنَ الْأَزْوَاجِ الْأَرْبَعِ، ﴿فَوَاحِدَةً﴾ أَيْ فَانْكِحُوا وَاحِدَةً. وَقَرَأَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ﴿فَوَاحِدَةٌ﴾ بِالرَّفْعِ، ﴿أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي السَّرَارِيَّ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَلْزَمُ فِيهِنَّ مِنَ الْحُقُوقِ مَا يَلْزَمُ فِي الْحَرَائِرِ، وَلَا قَسْمَ لَهُنَّ، وَلَا وَقْفَ فِي عَدَدِهِنَّ، وَذِكْرُ الْأَيْمَانِ بَيَانٌ، تَقْدِيرُهُ: أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُمْ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْمَعَانِي: أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ أَيْ: مَا يَنْفُذُ فِيهِ إِقْسَامُكُمْ، جَعَلَهُ مِنْ يَمِينِ الْحَلِفِ، لَا يَمِينَ الْجَارِحَةِ، ﴿ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى﴾ أَقْرَبُ، ﴿ألَّا تَعُولُوا﴾ أَيْ: لَا تَجُورَوا وَلَا تَمِيلُوا، يُقَالُ: مِيزَانٌ عَائِلٌ، أَيْ: جَائِرٌ مَائِلٌ، هَذَا قَوْلُ أَكْثَرِ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ، وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: أَنْ لَا تَضِلُّوا، وَقَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: أَنْ لَا تُجَاوِزُوا مَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَأَصْلُ الْعَوْلِ: الْمُجَاوَزَةُ، وَمِنْهُ عَوْلُ الْفَرَائِضِ، وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ ﵀: أَنْ لَا تَكْثُرَ عِيَالُكُمْ، وَمَا قَالَهُ أَحَدٌ، إِنَّمَا يُقَالُ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعِيَالِ: أَعَالَ يُعِيلُ إِعَالَةً، إِذَا كَثُرَ عِيَالُهُ. وَقَالَ أَبُو حَاتِمٍ: كَانَ الشَّافِعِيُّ ﵁ أَعْلَمَ بِلِسَانِ الْعَرَبِ مِنَّا وَلَعَلَّهُ لُغَةٌ، وَيُقَالُ: هِيَ لُغَةُ حِمْيَرَ، وَقَرَأَ طَلْحَةُ بْنُ مُصَرِّفٍ ﴿" أَنْ لَا تُعِيلُوا "﴾ وَهِيَ حُجَّةٌ لِقَوْلِ الشَّافِعِيِّ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ. ﴿وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً فَإِنْ طِبْنَ لَكُمْ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ نَفْسًا فَكُلُوهُ هَنِيئًا مَرِيئًا (٤) ﴾ ﴿وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً﴾ قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: هَذَا الْخِطَابُ لِلْأَوْلِيَاءِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ وَلِيَّ الْمَرْأَةِ

(١) أخرجه الترمذي في النكاح، باب ما جاء في الرجل يسلم وعنده عشر نسوة: ٤ / ٢٧٨، وقال: وسمعت محمد بن إسماعيل يقول: هذا حديث غير محفوظ، والصحيح ما روى شعيب بن أبي حمزة وغيره عن الزهري وحمزة قال: حدثت عن محمد بن سويد الثقفي: أن غيلان. . . وأخرجه ابن ماجه في النكاح، باب الرجل يسلم وعنده أكثر من أربع نسوة، برقم (١٩٥٣) : ١ / ٦٢٨، ومالك في الموطأ بلاغا: ٢ / ٥٨٦ في الطلا،، وابن حبان في كتاب النكاح، باب فيمن أسلم وتحته أكثر من عشر نسوة، برقم (١٢٧٧) ص (٣١٠) من موارد الظمآن، والحاكم في المستدرك: ٢ / ١٩٢ - ١٩٣، والبيهقي في السنن: ٧ / ١٤٩، ١٨١، وأحمد في المسند: ٢ / ٤٤. وانظر تلخيص الحبير: ٣ / ١٦٨ - ١٦٩، تحفة الطالب لابن كثير ص ٣٤٠ وما بعدها، ومختصر المنذري، ٣ / ١٥٦ - ١٥٧، ارواء الغليل للألباني: ٦ / ٢٩١ - ٢٩٥. (٢) أخرجه الشافعي: ٢ / ٥٧ من ترتب المسند للإمام الشافعي، ومن طريقه البيهقي في سننه، وإسناده صحيح. والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٩ / ٦٠.