Quote from: Fadiva on February 11, 2021, 07:07:26 PM
Salam everyone,
I haven't found a verse that "forbids" forced marriage. It doesn't mean automatically that forced is allowed.
I haven't read a verse in which forced marriage is allowed neither.
It seems to me that the future spouses are willing, not under compulsion ( I am more sure for the man) .
Maybe I have missed something.
The question is: Can a muslim stop a forced marriage using verses from al Quran ? ( which verses ? )
Salam Fadiva,
On top of what Wakas already mentioned, you might want to have a look at verse 24:33
Below is translation from sahih international:
[24:33] 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.
Let's analyze the part that I highlighted in bold:
(1) Prostitution is forbidden
(2) Being chaste is commanded
(3) If the girls desire chastity, then it is not OK to compel them into prostitution. Does it mean it is OK to compel the girls into prostitution if they don't desire chastity? Based on #1, then regardless whether the girls desire or don't desire chastity, compelling them into prostitution is not OK.
(4) Based on #2, being chaste is not something that believers have options to desire or not to desire. It is commanded so one must strive to maintain chastity.
Now that we have established that better translation is needed, let's try to come up with one.
- The word translated as prostitution is ٱلْبِغَآءِ
From PRL:
Root ب غ ي
Sought for or after, desired, endeavored to find and take and get (good or evil)Loving or affecting a thing
Acting wrongfully, injuriously or tyrannically
Seeking or endeavoring to act corruptingly, wrongly and/or unjustly, insolent/disobedient
Exceeding due bounds or just limits in any way
Not right, proper or fit
Prostitute or adulteress, unchaste [e.g. 19:20, 19:28, 24:33]
Seeking what one should not seek
Seeking game or prey
Place where a thing is sought, way or manner in which a thing is sought
- The word translated as chastity is تَحَصُّنًا
From PRL:
Root ح ص ن
To be guarded,
be inaccessible/unapproachable, be chaste, be strongly fortified, difficult to access, be preserved, be protected (against attack), abstain from what is not lawful nor decorous, preserve or guard a thing in places inaccessible/unapproachable, make or render a thing inaccessible or unapproachable or difficult to access, make/render a thing unattainable by reason of its height, to fortify oneself.
Proposed refined translation:
[24:33] And let those who are not able to marry continue to be chaste until God enriches them of His bounty. And if those whom your right hands possess desire Kitab/decree (blessings - given the context of seeking marriage, decree here is in the form of blessings), then decree (bless) them if you know goodness in them, and give them from the wealth of God which He has bestowed upon you. And do not force your young women against sought for if they have desired to be unapproachable, in order that you may make a gain in the goods of this worldly life. And if anyone has compelled them, then for their compulsion, God is Forgiving, Merciful.Some notes:
- In the beginning of the verse, we are commanded to remain chaste if not able to marry. So being chaste is not something we have options to desire or not to desire.
- The overall context is about marriage. The act of marriage itself is not forbidden. What makes it forbidden is if it is forced (against what the girls want).
- Arranged marriage itself is not forbidden as long as not against what the girls want. It is not uncommon that girls leave the choice to her parents.
Wassalam
