The Holy Qor-aan 002:224
نِسَآؤُكُمۡ حَرۡثٌ لَّـكُمۡ فَاۡتُوۡا حَرۡثَكُمۡ اَنّٰى شِئۡتُمۡ وَقَدِّمُوۡا لِاَنۡفُسِكُمۡؕ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَاعۡلَمُوۡٓا اَنَّکُمۡ مُّلٰقُوۡهُ ؕ وَ بَشِّرِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
Ni-saa-o-koom-hur-thoon-la-koom Fau-too-hur-tha-koom-un-na-shay-toom. Wa-qud-day-moo-lay-un-fo-say-koom. Wut-ta-qool-laa-ha-wau-la-moo-un-na-koom-mo-laa-qoo-ho. Wa-baush-shay-ril-moe-may-nee-n.
Your women are like a precious crop for you. So you come to your precious crop that you like. And forward for yourself the best. And do your duty to Allah and know that you will meet Him. And congratulate the believers.
- نِسَآؤۡ — Ni-saa-o — Women (= Wives. Literal meanings include girls or females of the mankind; women folk)
- كُمۡ — Koom — Your (= pro., pl., 2nd person. You all men. The Holy Qor-aan has addressed men and women jointly this way)
- حَرۡثٌ — Hur-thoon — Crop (= n., Agriculturally cultivated and harvested edible plants and produce. Fruits. Vegetables. Also, cropland, fields, plantations, tillage, vineyards. In this context the word means a precious, prized and valuable person. A/t/a, ‘tilth for you to cultivate’ and ‘(produce and rear children)’
- لَ — La — For (= For the attention, benefit, purpose or reason of. With intent to. With the object of)
- كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2nd person. You. See كُمۡ above)
- فَ — Fa…(u) — Then (= Consequently; as a result; so; thus; therefore; yet)
- اۡتُوا — Aa-too — You come * (= Approach, come in, enter, seek or visit)
- حَرۡثَ — Hur-tha — Crop (= Precious and prized person. See حَرۡثٌ above)
- كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2nd person. You. See كُمۡ above)
- اَنّٰى — Un-na — Surely (= Absolutely; certainly definitely; doubtlessly; earnestly; indeed; positively; really; seriously; truly; verily)
- شِئۡ — Shay — Like * (= v., Decide; desire; like; plan; please; prefer; will. Many translators have used the words ‘when and how’ here)
- تُمۡ — Toom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2nd person. You. The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly)
- وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
- قَدّ مُوۡا — Qud-day-moo — Forward (= Act now and send ahead for your future and your souls; act to reap rewards in the Hereafter; invest and forward for tomorrow; store for future. A/t/a, ‘do some good act for your souls beforehand’)
- لِ — Lay — For (= For the attention, benefit, purpose or reason of. With intent to. With the object of)
- اَنۡفُسِ — Un-fo-say — Selves (= pl., Group of hearts; individuals; minds; persons; souls)
- كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2nd person. You. See كُمۡ above)
- وَ — Wa…(ut) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- اتَّقُوا — Tuq-qoo … (la) You love (= v., pres., m., 2nd person, Act piously and avoid angering Allah by being deeply in love with Him; be afraid, pious or righteous. See Commentary The Righteous. Also, fear Allah much; take Allah as the shield)
- ٱللَّهَ — Laa-ha — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
- وَ — Wa … (u) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- اعۡلَمُوۡٓا — Au-la-moo — Know (= Be aware; stand informed; keep in mind; remember)
- اَنّٰ — Un-na — Surely (= Absolutely; certainly definitely; doubtlessly; earnestly; indeed; positively; really; seriously; truly; verily)
- كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2nd person. You. See كُمۡ above)
- مُّلٰقُو — Mo-la-qoo — Meet (= v., Be with; confront; join; face. Refers to the Hereafter)
- هُ — Ho — Him (= pro., s., m., 3rd person. Refers to the Almighty God)
- وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- بَشِّر — Baush-shay-r(il) — Congratulate (= Announce, give, inform, make aware, proclaim, share, state or tell good and happy news or glad tiding)
- الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ — Mo-me-neen — Believers (= n,. Adherents of Islam; those who entered the Faith, believe and follow the Holy Qor-aan, the Islaam and became Moslems. Men of faith)
* Note 002:224. The following 3 words used in verse 002:224 need special attention.
حَرۡثٌ (Hur-thoon) means a piece of land, crop-land, field or tilth and convey its characteristics. Land grows crops, foods and fruits which can be harvested by the farmer year after year. It produces for the cultivator in proportion to the plowing, seeding and water it receives. It never asks its farmer anything whatever, never complains whether looked after or not. It just responds very quickly to its maltreatment with lesser, poorer and inferior produce. That is why it behooves a farmer to put in it more water, better seed and take out weeds. That is why land is an asset that does not diminish in value even if abused or maltreated. That is why man has continually killed man to own or control more of this precious asset. That is why all cultures recognize its value, some worshiping as Dhurti-Mata (Mother). That is why it deserves the utmost respect, tender care, looking after, and needs so little. That is why the Holy Qor-aan has put woman on such a high alter for man to cherish her. See the Commentary Woman’s Role in Evolution)
اۡتُوا (Aa-to) means you approach, come, enter or visit the land or fields you own, control or get. The concept is a straightforward visit by a cultivator who tills, seeds and water his land. The same way man is instructed to approach his wife with genuine love and tender care. Such pleasing mannerism invariably produces better responses conducive to procreation. The Creator who had created man and woman knew how He had created all His creation. He told man how to get the best results and correspondingly told woman how to react.
شِئۡتُمۡ (Shay-toom) means ‘as you wish’ or choose, decide, desire, like, plan, please, prefer or will. One extrapolation used the phraseology of ‘when and how’ [A Yusuf Ali, Ahmad Zidan]. Other descriptions may also have stated the concept similarly, honestly, and innocently. Yet some translators have printed words which are quite below the purity of a Scripture. Such authors let out their own perversions and prejudices in translating the original text. Dr Al-Hilali and Dr Khan used such words purporting to be translation of verse 002:223. N J Dawood employed similar language in his works pretending it to be the word of God. They have used the words [deliberately not reproduced here] which borderline vulgarity. In translating verses 002:223 to 002:240 many foul words and expressions are inserted. Those words depicting nudity really are no translation of any part of the Holy Qor-aan. We profess freedom of expression but do not extend it to mislead untrained minds by it. Quotations like “Gambling must be followed by giving alms” may be in some Hadeeth. But they insinuate very wrong impressions when added to a translation of Holy Qor-aan. This site gives simple translation of the Holy Qor-aan without additions or subtractions.
يَتَرَ بَّصۡنَ (Ya-ta-rub-bus-na) is used in the verse 002:229 and 002:235 and its derivate in 002:227. The word as explained in Note 002:229 shows what time-periods a women must observe.
002:225
The Holy Qor-aan 002:225
وَلَا تَجۡعَلُوا اللّٰهَ عُرۡضَةً لِّاَيۡمَانِکُمۡ اَنۡ تَبَرُّوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا وَتُصۡلِحُوۡا بَيۡنَ النَّاسِؕ وَاللّٰهُ سَمِيۡعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ
Wa-laa-tuj-aloo-oor-dza-toon-lay-aiy-maa-nay-koo, Un-ta-bur-roo-wa-tut-ta-qoo-toos-lay-hoo-bain-nun-aas. Wul-laa-ho-sa-mee-oon-alee-m.
And do not make Allah an excuse for your oaths That you be good and pious and make peace among people. And by God Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
* Note 002:225. The literal meanings of the word عُرۡضَةً [oor-dza-ton] are closer to an excuse or reason to do something by setting it up as a fulcrum, leverage. pivot or see-saw plank. The words اَنۡ تَبَرُّوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا وَتُصۡلِحُوۡا [that you be good and righteous and make peace] categorically prohibit using God’s name in vain to support and strengthen the stance to be good.
The straightforward meanings of the entire text لَا تَجۡعَلُوا اللّٰهَ عُرۡضَةً لِّاَيۡمَانِکُمۡ are ‘Do not make Allah an excuse for your Faiths that you be good …….’ The common sense also tells that one should do good things as a resident of human village without swearing by God to do so.
However, exactly the opposite meanings are insinuated with the words like ‘abstain from doing’ [Allamah Nooruddin],‘against’ [Ahmad Zidan, Dr Al-Hilali and Dr Khan], ‘hindrance to your being righteous’ [M Pickthall], ‘an excuse for refraining from doing good’ [Zafrulla Khan], and ‘you may thereby abstain from doing good and acting righteously’ [Malik Ghulam Farid).