وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغْنِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًۭا ۖ وَءَاتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۚ وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا۟ فَتَيَٰتِكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْبِغَآءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًۭا لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ عَرَضَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَمَن يُكْرِههُّنَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِكْرَٰهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.
Introduction
This is āyah 33 of Sūrat An-Noor (The Light), the 102nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 18. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 102 of 114
- Surah
- An-Noor (24)
(And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them�) [24:33]. This verse was revealed about a slave of Huwaytib ibn �Abd al-�Uzza who was called Subayh. The latter asked his master for a writing of emancipation but he refused. When Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse, Huwaytib agreed to write a letter of emancipation in exchange for a hundred pieces of gold. Out of this sum, he offered him twenty pieces of gold which he paid. But he was killed in war at the Battle of Hunayn. (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would preserve their chastity) [24:33]. Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Qadi informed us> the chamberlain of Ahmad al-Tusi> Muhammad ibn Hamdan> Abu Mu�awiyah> al-A�mash> Abu Sufyan> Jabir who said: ��Abd Allah ibn Ubayy used to say to a slave-girl of his: �Go and earn something for us from whoring�, and so Allah, glorious and majestic is He, revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to His words (Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful!)�. Narrated by Muslim from Abu Kurayb from Abu Mu�awiyah. Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Isma�il ibn Abi Uways> Malik> Ibn Shihab> �Umar ibn Thabit who related that the verse (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) was revealed about Mu�adhah, the slave-girl of �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. And through this chain of transmission> Muhammad ibn Yahya> �Ayyash ibn al-Walid> �Abd al-A�la> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> al-Zuhri> �Umar ibn Thabit who said: �Mu�adhah was Muslim as well as being the slave-girl of �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. The latter used to force her to whoredom, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to the end of the verse�. Sa�id ibn Muhammad al-Mu�adhdhin informed> Abu �Ali al-Faqih> Abu�l-Qasim al-Baghawi> Dawud ibn �Amr> Mansur ibn Abi al-Aswad> al-A�mash> Abu Nadrah> Jabir who said: ��Abd ibn Ubayy used to have a slave-girl by the name of Musaykah whom he forced to whoredom. And so, Allah, glorious and majestic is He, revealed (Force not your slave-girls to whoredom) up to the end of the verse�. The commentators of the Qur�an said: �This verse was revealed about Mu�adhah and Musaykah, two slave-girls of �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, whom he used to force to whoredom and tax them for it.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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