Tafsir of An-Nur 24:3

The corrupt, wicked person whose nature is adultery and prostitution does not desire to marry righteous women who are contrary to his character. Rather, he desires a corrupt, wicked woman of his own kind, or a polytheist. Likewise, the corrupt, wicked, promiscuous woman is not desired in marriage by righteous men; they recoil from her, and she is only desired by those of her own kind among the corrupt or the polytheists.

The marriage of a believer—who is praised by God—to an adulteress, and his desire for her, thereby joining the ranks of the corrupt who are branded by adultery, is forbidden and prohibited for him. This is because it involves imitating the corrupt, placing oneself in a position of suspicion, and becoming a cause for slander, backbiting, and various forms of corruption. If merely sitting with sinners exposes one to committing sins, how much more so is the marriage to adulteresses and prostitutes? God has alerted us to this by saying: "And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves" (An-Nur: 32).

It is said: There were wealthy female prostitutes among the polytheists in Medina, and the poor Emigrants (Muhajirun) desired to marry them. They asked the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) for permission, and this verse was revealed.

From Aisha (may God be pleased with her): If a man commits adultery with a woman, he is not permitted to marry her according to this verse, and if he has intercourse with her, he is an adulterer. However, Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) permitted it, likening it to someone who steals the fruit of a tree and then buys it.

From the Prophet (peace be upon him): When asked about this, he said: "Its beginning is illicit intercourse (sifah) and its end is marriage, and the forbidden does not make the lawful forbidden."

It is said: The meaning of "marriage" (nikah) here is "intercourse" (wat'). This is rejected for two reasons:

1. Wherever this word appears in the Quran, it only refers to the marriage contract.
2. It corrupts the meaning, leading to the statement: "The adulterer does not commit adultery except with an adulteress, and the adulteress is not committed adultery with except by an adulterer."

It is said: Marriage to an adulteress was forbidden in the early days of Islam and then abrogated. The abrogating text is: "And marry the unmarried among you." Others say it was abrogated by consensus (ijma'), which is reported from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib.

If you ask: What is the difference between the meaning of the first sentence and the second? I say: The meaning of the first is the description of the adulterer as someone who does not desire chaste women, but rather immoral ones. The meaning of the second is the description of the adulteress as someone who is not desired by chaste men, but rather by adulterers. These are two distinct meanings.

If you ask: Why was the adulteress mentioned before the adulterer in the first instance, and then the adulterer mentioned before her in the second? I say: The first verse (in the chapter) was driven by the punishment for their crime, and the woman is the source from which the crime originates; for if she had not tempted the man, signaled to him, and made herself available, he would not have desired or succeeded. Since she is the origin and the first in this, she is mentioned first. As for the second, it is driven by the mention of marriage, and the man is the origin in that, for he is the one who desires and proposes, and from him the request begins.

From 'Amr ibn 'Ubayd: "La yankihu" (does not marry) is read with a jazm (jussive), indicating a prohibition. The indicative (marfu') also carries the meaning of prohibition, but it is more eloquent and emphatic—just as "Rahimaka Allah" (May God have mercy on you) is more eloquent than "Li-yarhamka" (Let Him have mercy on you). It is also possible that it is a pure statement of fact, meaning: "This is their habitual practice, and the believer must not place himself under this habit and must protect himself from it." It has also been recited as "Hurrima" (was forbidden) with a fatha on the ha.