Al-Mu'minun · Makki · ayah 6 of 118

Al-Mu'minun 23:6

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ

“Except from their wives or those their right hands possess,[947] for indeed, they will not be blamed -”

Saheeh International

Essence

Within marriage the guarded door opens without blame; the quiet phrase 'not blamed' carries, in an early reading, Allah's approval rather than mere tolerance.

A reflection

'Not blamed' says more than it seems

This ayah repeats, word for word, an ayah in Surah al-Ma'arij (70:30), where its structure as an exception is explored in full. One early reading preserved here adds a note of its own.

On the surface, ghayru malūmīn is modest: they are not blamed. It sounds like permission granted with a shrug. But a report from one of the Companions, carried in one of the great early commentaries, explains the phrase differently. Allah, he said, was pleased on their behalf with their coming to their spouses.

That turns a negative into a positive. Arabic, like English, often says the most by saying it quietly. Someone who calls a fine meal 'not bad' may mean it was excellent. Here, 'not blamed' sits in a list describing the successful, between prayer and faithfulness. Intimacy within marriage is not a lapse the list reluctantly overlooks. It is part of the picture of a good life that Allah approves.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.