Al-Baqarah: (223) Your women are a tilth for you...

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: Reasons for Revelation

Several accounts are mentioned regarding the reason for the revelation of this verse:

1. It is narrated that the Jews claimed that intercourse with a woman through her anus would result in a cross-eyed, defective child, and they alleged this was in the Torah. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was informed, he said, "The Jews lied," and this verse was revealed.
2. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that 'Umar came to the Prophet (PBUH) saying, "Messenger of Allah, I am ruined," recounting an incident involving him. Then Allah revealed this verse.
3. The Ansar (Medinan helpers) disapproved of a man approaching his wife from the rear through her vagina, having adopted this view from the Jews. The Quraysh used to do this, and the Ansar objected to them, leading to the revelation of the verse.

Issue 2: The Meaning of {حرث لكم} (a tilth for you)

This means a place of sowing and growth for offspring. This is a simile: the woman's private part is like the earth, the semen is like the seed, and the child is like the resulting plant.

• Harth (tilth/plowing) is a masdar (verbal noun), which is why it is singular. The meaning is: "Your women are possessors of a tilth for you, in which you plow for offspring." The implied noun (the place) is omitted.
• Alternatively, the place of a thing is sometimes named after the thing itself as a form of hyperbole, like saying:

  "For it is only my coming and going."

• It is also said, "This is Allah's command," meaning what is commanded, or "This is so-and-so's desire," meaning what he desires. Similarly, a man's plowing (harth) can refer to the place of plowing (maharthah).

Issue 3: Permissibility of Anal Intercourse

The majority of scholars hold that the verse permits a man to approach his wife either through her front passage (vagina) or through her rear passage (anus) into the front passage. The phrase {أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ} (as you will) is interpreted in this context.

• Nafi' narrated from Ibn 'Umar that he used to say the verse permits approaching women in their anuses. Others refuted Nafi's narration.
• This view is held by Malik and is the chosen position of Al-Sayyid Al-Murtada among the Shi'a, who narrated it from Ja'far ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him).

Arguments for Prohibition (Anal Intercourse):

1. The Menstruation Verse: Allah says in the verse concerning menstruation: {قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ} (Say: It is a hurt, so keep away from women during menstruation) (2:222). Allah made the presence of adhā (hurt/filth) the reason for prohibiting approaching the place of adhā. There is no meaning for adhā other than what causes discomfort. This adhā (due to menstrual blood) is even more apparent in the case under dispute (the anus). If the cause exists, the prohibition must apply.
2. The Command Verse: Allah says: {فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ} (So approach them as Allah has ordained for you) (2:222). The apparent meaning of the command is obligation. It cannot mean an obligation to approach them, as that is not obligatory. Therefore, it must mean that whoever approaches a woman must approach her in the place Allah has commanded. This place is not the anus, as consensus holds that approaching the anus is not obligatory. Thus, it must refer to the vagina, which is the desired conclusion.
3. Hadith of Khuzaymah ibn Thabit: A man asked the Prophet (PBUH) about approaching women in their anuses. The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "It is permissible." When the man turned away, the Prophet (PBUH) called him back and asked, "What did you ask? In which of the two holes (kharbatayn), or the two openings (kharzatan), or the two stitches (khasfatayn)? If from the front passage into the front passage, yes. If from the rear passage into the front passage, yes. If from the rear passage into the rear passage, no. Indeed, Allah is not shy of the truth: {لَا تُؤْتُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي أَدْبَارِهِنَّ} (Do not approach women in their anuses)." He meant by kharbataha (its opening) the path of approach, and kharbah originally refers to the opening of a waterskin, likening the hole to it. Kharzah is what a leather-worker pierces. Khasfah is derived from khasaftu al-jilda (I stitched the leather).

Arguments for Permissibility (Anal Intercourse):

1. Interpretation of {حرث} (Tilth):
   • First Point: Allah made harth a name for the woman: {نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَكُمْ}. This indicates that harth is a name for the woman, not a specific location. Therefore, when He said {فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ}, it means "Approach your women as you will," implying permission for all modes of approach, thus including the disputed area.
   • Second Point: The word {أَنَّى} means "where" (as in location), as in Allah's saying: {أَنَّى لَكَ هَذَا قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ} (Whence is this for you? She said: It is from Allah) (7:37). The meaning becomes: "Approach your tilth where you will." The phrase "where you will" indicates multiplicity of places, like saying, "Sit where you will." This implies a choice between locations.
   • If this is established, we argue that the verse cannot be interpreted as only permitting approach through the front passage or approach through the anus into the front passage, because in that case, the location is singular, and the variation is only in the manner of approach. The appropriate wording would have been "how you will" ({كَيْفَ شِئْتُمْ}). Since the word used is {أَنَّى} (where), which implies a choice of location, the intended meaning must be what we stated, not what the opponents suggested.

2. Generality of {إلا على أزواجهم} (Except with their wives): They cite the generality of {إِلَّا عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ} (6:5) (except with their spouses or those whom their right hands possess). Since this general ruling is abandoned regarding males due to consensus, it must remain in effect regarding females.

3. Vow of Divorce: It is agreed that if a man says to his wife, "Your rear passage is forbidden (haram)," intending divorce, it counts as a divorce. This implies that her rear passage is permissible (halal) for him.

Rebuttal by the First Group (Prohibitors):

1. Rebuttal to Argument 1 (Interpretation of Harath):
   • Al-Harth (tilth) is the name for the place of plowing. It is known that not all parts of a woman are places for plowing, so it is impossible to apply the name harth to the woman's entire self.
   • We only allowed applying the name harth to the woman in {نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَكُمْ} because Allah explicitly used the term for the woman's person there. We interpreted that as a common metaphor where the whole is named after a part. This situation is absent in {فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ} (Approach your tilth). Therefore, harth here must be specifically interpreted as the place of plowing. Thus, the verse only indicates approach in the designated place (vagina).

2. Rebuttal to Argument 2 (Generality of Anni):
   • The preceding verses indicate prohibition (the adhā argument and {فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ}). If this verse implied permission, it would mean combining a prohibition and a permission regarding the same act in one place, which is generally not permissible.

3. Rebuttal to Argument 3 (Reason for Revelation):
   • The famous narrations state the reason for revelation was the dispute over whether approaching the anus into the vagina was permissible. The reason for revelation cannot be outside the scope of the verse. Therefore, the verse must address this specific scenario. If we interpret it this way, there is no need to extend it to the other scenario (anal intercourse). Thus, the correct interpretation is not what the permissibility proponents suggest.

Detailed Responses to Permissibility Arguments:

• Response to Argument 1 (Interpretation of Anni): We have established that {فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ} means "Approach the place of plowing." Since harth here refers to the specific place, {أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ} cannot mean choice of location. Instead, it implies an omission: the word min (from) is omitted, meaning "from where you will." It is preferable to assume this omission than to interpret harth metaphorically as the woman's entire self, which would require the omission we are trying to avoid. This is because the default ruling regarding sexual intercourse is prohibition.

• Response to Argument 2 (Generality): Our specific proofs take precedence over the general proof {إِلَّا عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِمْ}.

• Response to Argument 3 (Vow of Divorce): The phrase "Your rear passage is forbidden" is only valid as an allusion to divorce because it is a place associated with intimacy and cohabitation, similar to saying, "Your hand is divorced."

Issue 4: Interpretations of {أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ}

The exegetes differed on the meaning of {أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ}:

1. The Famous View (Majority): It is permissible for the husband to approach her through her vagina, whether from the front or the rear (i.e., anal intercourse leading to the vagina).
2. Time: It means "whenever you will" during permissible times (i.e., not when she is a non-spouse, in ihram, fasting, or menstruating).
3. Position: It means the man may approach her standing, lying down, or reclining, provided it is in the vagina.
4. Ejaculation: Ibn Abbas narrated that it means: if he wishes, he may ejaculate, and if he wishes, he may not ejaculate (i.e., regarding azl—coitus interruptus). This is also narrated from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab.
5. Time (Day/Night): Whenever you wish, day or night.

Which View is Preferred?

We conclude that the preferred interpretation aligns with the reason for revelation: the Jews claimed that approaching the woman from the rear into the vagina results in a cross-eyed child, and Allah revealed this verse to refute them. Therefore, the wording should be interpreted accordingly.

• The interpretations regarding time are irrelevant here, even though {أَنَّى} can sometimes mean {مَتَى} (when) or {كَيْفَ} (how).
• The issue of azl (coitus interruptus) does not fall under {أَنَّى} because the act of intercourse itself is not different based on whether ejaculation occurs or not. Thus, the interpretation must be what we previously discussed (location of approach).

Meaning of {وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُمْ} (And send forth for yourselves)

This means: Do deeds by which you earn Paradise and honor. It is similar to telling someone, "Prepare a righteous deed for yourself," and like the verse: {وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى} (And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is righteousness/piety) (2:197). A parallel usage of "sending forth" is mentioned concerning the people of Hellfire: {قَالُوا بَل لَّمْ تَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ * قَالَ أَأَنتُمْ قَدَّمْتُمُوهُ لَنَا فَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ} (They will say, "Nay, you yourselves were not believers. * [They will say], 'Rather, you were not believers. * [The disbelievers will say], 'Nay, you yourselves put it forth for us, and wretched is the settlement.'") (38:60).

Connection to Preceding Verses:

If one asks how this statement connects to what precedes it:

• Some narrations from Ibn Abbas suggest it means mentioning Allah's name during intercourse, which is very far-fetched.
• My view is that {نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَكُمْ} serves as a reminder of the reason for permitting intercourse: "The ruling permitting you to approach these women is because they are a tilth for you, meaning because offspring are generated from them." Then, {فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ} means: Since the reason for permitting intercourse is the generation of offspring (the tilth), approach your tilth (the designated place), and do not approach other than the place of the tilth. Thus, {فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ} indicates permission for that place and prohibition for other places.
• Since the verse contains permission for one place and prohibition for another, it is appropriate that He then says: {وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُمْ} (And send forth for yourselves), meaning: Do not remain confined to fulfilling desire, but rather be concerned with presenting obedience.
• Allah then emphasizes this with {وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ} (And fear Allah), and reinforces it a third time with {وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ} (And know that you will meet Him). These three successive warnings are only appropriate if preceded by a prohibition of something pleasurable and desired. Thus, it is established that the preceding verse indicates the prohibition of this act, and what follows also indicates its prohibition. Therefore, the correct interpretation of this verse is that held by the majority of jurists.

Meaning of {وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ} (And fear Allah and know that you will meet Him)

The discussion on piety (taqwa) has already passed, as has the discussion on meeting Allah, which was covered in the interpretation of {الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ} (2:46).

Allah mentioned these three matters:

1. {وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُمْ}: Meaning performing acts of obedience.
2. {وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ}: Meaning abandoning prohibitions.
3. {وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ}: This indicates that the reason I have tasked you with enduring hardship in performing obedience and abandoning prohibitions is for the Day of Resurrection, Reckoning, and Judgment. Were it not for that Day, enduring hardship in obedience and abandoning prohibitions would be futile. What excellent arrangement this is!

Then He said: {وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (And give good tidings to the believers). This maintains the established order in the Qur'an: pairing every threat with a promise. The meaning is: Give good tidings specifically to the believers of reward and honor, omitting the mention of reward and honor because they are understood (as if saying, "Give good tidings to the believers that they have great bounty from Allah").

The Ninth Ruling: Concerning Oaths