Quran 4:23 — An-Nisaa, verse 23
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
You are forbidden to take as wives your mothers, daughters, sisters, paternal and maternal aunts, the daughters of brothers and daughters of sisters, your milk-mothers and milk-sisters, your wives’ mothers, the stepdaughters in your care- those born of women with whom you have consummated marriage, if you have not consummated the marriage, then you will not be blamed- wives of your begotten sons, two sisters simultaneously- with the exception of what is past: God is most forgiving and merciful-
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ وَخَالَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَاتُكُمُ اللَّاتِي أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ وَرَبَائِبُكُمُ اللَّاتِي فِي حُجُورِكُمْ مِنْ نِسَائِكُمُ اللَّاتِي دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَائِلُ أَبْنَائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَابِكُمْ وَأَنْ تَجْمَعُوا بَيْنَ الْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
ḥurrimat ʿalaykum ummahātukum wabanātukum wa-akhawātukum waʿammātukum wakhālātukum wabanātu l-akhi wabanātu l-ukh'ti wa-ummahātukumu allātī arḍaʿnakum wa-akhawātukum mina l-raḍāʿati wa-ummahātu nisāikum warabāibukumu allātī fī ḥujūrikum min nisāikumu allātī dakhaltum bihinna fa-in lam takūnū dakhaltum bihinna falā junāḥa ʿalaykum waḥalāilu abnāikumu alladhīna min aṣlābikum wa-an tajmaʿū bayna l-ukh'tayni illā mā qad salafa inna l-laha kāna ghafūran raḥīman
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Forbidden to you are your mothers and daughters, your sisters, your aunts paternal and maternal, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your mothers who have given suck to you, your suckling sisters, your wives' mothers, your stepdaughters who are in your care being born of your wives you have been in to -- but if you have not yet been in to them it is no fault in you - and the spouses of your sons who are of your loins, and that you should take to you two sisters together, unless it be a thing of the past; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate;
- Muhammad Asad
- Forbidden to you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your aunts paternal and maternal, and a brother's daughters, and a sister's daughters; and your milk-mothers, and your milk-sisters; and the mothers of your wives; and your step-daughters - who are your foster children - born of your wives with whom you have consummated your marriage; but if you have not consummated your marriage, you will incur no sin [by marrying their daughters]; and [forbidden to you are] the spouses of the sons who have sprung from your loins; and [you are forbidden] to have two sisters [as your wives] at one and the same time - but what is past is past: for, behold, God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
- Sahih International
- Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allāh is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | حُرِّمَتْḥurrimat | Forbidden | حرم |
| 2 | عَلَيْكُمْʿalaykum | to you | — |
| 3 | أُمَّهَـٰتُكُمْummahātukum | (are) your mothers | أمم |
| 4 | وَبَنَاتُكُمْwabanātukum | and your daughters | بني |
| 5 | وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْwa-akhawātukum | and your sisters | أخو |
| 6 | وَعَمَّـٰتُكُمْwaʿammātukum | and your father's sisters | عمم |
| 7 | وَخَـٰلَـٰتُكُمْwakhālātukum | and your mother's sisters | خول |
| 8 | وَبَنَاتُwabanātu | and daughters | بني |
| 9 | ٱلْأَخِl-akhi | (of) brothers | أخو |
| 10 | وَبَنَاتُwabanātu | and daughters | بني |
| 11 | ٱلْأُخْتِl-ukh'ti | (of) sisters | أخو |
| 12 | وَأُمَّهَـٰتُكُمُwa-ummahātukumu | and (the) mothers | أمم |
| 13 | ٱلَّـٰتِىٓallātī | who | — |
| 14 | أَرْضَعْنَكُمْarḍaʿnakum | nursed you | رضع |
| 15 | وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمwa-akhawātukum | and your sisters | أخو |
| 16 | مِّنَmina | from | — |
| 17 | ٱلرَّضَـٰعَةِl-raḍāʿati | the nursing | رضع |
| 18 | وَأُمَّهَـٰتُwa-ummahātu | and mothers | أمم |
| 19 | نِسَآئِكُمْnisāikum | (of) your wives | نسو |
| 20 | وَرَبَـٰٓئِبُكُمُwarabāibukumu | and your step daughters | ربب |
| 21 | ٱلَّـٰتِىallātī | who | — |
| 22 | فِىfī | (are) in | — |
| 23 | حُجُورِكُمḥujūrikum | your guardianship | حجر |
| 24 | مِّنmin | of | — |
| 25 | نِّسَآئِكُمُnisāikumu | your women | نسو |
| 26 | ٱلَّـٰتِىallātī | whom | — |
| 27 | دَخَلْتُمdakhaltum | you had relations | دخل |
| 28 | بِهِنَّbihinna | with them | — |
| 29 | فَإِنfa-in | but if | — |
| 30 | لَّمْlam | not | — |
| 31 | تَكُونُوا۟takūnū | you had | كون |
| 32 | دَخَلْتُمdakhaltum | relations | دخل |
| 33 | بِهِنَّbihinna | with them | — |
| 34 | فَلَاfalā | then (there is) no | — |
| 35 | جُنَاحَjunāḥa | sin | جنح |
| 36 | عَلَيْكُمْʿalaykum | on you | — |
| 37 | وَحَلَـٰٓئِلُwaḥalāilu | And wives | حلل |
| 38 | أَبْنَآئِكُمُabnāikumu | (of) your sons | بني |
| 39 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those who | — |
| 40 | مِنْmin | (are) from | — |
| 41 | أَصْلَـٰبِكُمْaṣlābikum | your loins | صلب |
| 42 | وَأَنwa-an | and that | — |
| 43 | تَجْمَعُوا۟tajmaʿū | you gather together | جمع |
| 44 | بَيْنَbayna | [between] | بين |
| 45 | ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِl-ukh'tayni | two sisters | أخو |
| 46 | إِلَّاillā | except | — |
| 47 | مَاmā | what | — |
| 48 | قَدْqad | has | — |
| 49 | سَلَفَ ۗsalafa | passed before | سلف |
| 50 | إِنَّinna | Indeed | — |
| 51 | ٱللَّهَl-laha | Allah | أله |
| 52 | كَانَkāna | is | كون |
| 53 | غَفُورًۭاghafūran | Oft-Forgiving | غفر |
| 54 | رَّحِيمًۭاraḥīman | Most-Merciful | رحم |