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Word Analysis & Comparison
24. Surah • 3. Verse
Word Analysis
لَا
lā
(will) not
إِلَّا
illā
except
أَوْ
aw
or
لَا
lā
(will) not
إِلَّا
illā
except
أَوْ
aw
or
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
عَلَى
ʿalā
to
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
The adulterer will end up marrying an adulteress or an idol worshiper, and the adulteress will end up marrying an adulterer or an idol worshiper. This is prohibited for the believers.
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
The adulterer will only marry an adulteress or she who is a polytheist. And the adulteress, she will only be married to an adulterer or he who is a polytheist. And such has been made forbidden for the believers.
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
The adulterer will only marry an adulteress or one who is an idolatress. The adulteress, she will only be married to an adulterer or an idolater. This has been forbidden for the acknowledgers.
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer-fornicator marries not but an adulteress-fornicatress or a Mushrikah, and the adulteress-fornicatress none marries her except an adulterer-fornicator or a Muskrik [and that means that the man who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan or idolatress) or a prostitute, then surely he is either an adulterer-fornicator, or a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater). And the woman who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater) or an adulterer-fornicator, then she is either a prostitute or a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan, or idolatress)]. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islâmic Monotheism).
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer is only [fit] to marry an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress is only [fit] to marry an adulterer or an idolater: such behaviour is forbidden to believers.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry and but a woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever: nor let any but such a man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman: to the Believers such a thing is forbidden.
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
A man who is fornicator does not (like to) marry but a woman who is a fornicator or a polytheist; and a woman who is a fornicator does not (like to) marry but a man who is a fornicator or a polytheist. And this (i.e. preferring to marry such spouses) has been prohibited for the believers.
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
Let the fornicator not marry any except a fornicatress or idolatress and let the fornicatress not marry any except a fornicator or an idolater. That is forbidden to the believers.[1]
1
That is, only an adulterous woman is a fit match for an adulterous man who has not repented or an idolatrous woman. No believing, virtuous woman can be a match for him. It is forbidden for the believers that they should give their daughters in marriage to such wicked people knowing them to be so. Similarly the fit match for adulterous women (who have not repented) can only be adulterous or idolatrous men; they are not fit for any righteous believer. It is forbidden for the believers that they should marry women who are known to possess immoral character. This thing applies to those men and women who persist in their evil ways, and not to those who repent and reform themselves, for after repentance and reformation they will no longer be regarded as adulterous.
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
A male fornicator would only marry a female fornicator or idolatress. And a female fornicator would only be married to a fornicator or idolater. This is ˹all˺ forbidden to the believers.[1]
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
A man who has fornicated may only marry a woman who has fornicated or a woman of the idolaters. A woman who has fornicated may only marry a man who has fornicated or a man of the idolaters. Doing such a thing is haram for the muminun.
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
It is prohibited for an adulterous man to marry with a believing (chaste) woman. It is also prohibited for an adulterous woman to marry with a believing man. The adulterous men or women should marry their own kind or (worse) to the idol worshippers.
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
The fornicator shall not marry anyone but a fornicatress or an idolatress, and the fornicatress shall be married by none except a fornicator or an idolater, and that is forbidden to the faithful.
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
The fornicator and adulterer cannot have sexual relations (without lawful marriage) except with a fornicatress and adulteress or polytheistic woman (of low morality), and the fornicatress and adulteress, none can have sexual relations with her except a fornicator and adulterer or a polytheistic man (of low morality). And this (adultery and fornication) is forbidden to the believers.
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
The whoremonger shall not marry any other than a harlot, or an idolatress. And a harlot shall no man take in marriage, except a whoremonger, or an idolater. And this kind of marriage is forbidden the true believers.
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
And the whoremonger shall marry none but a whore or an idolatress; and the whore shall none marry but an adulterer or an idolater; God has prohibited this to the believers;
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
The man and the woman guilty of adultery (fornication, whoring), scourge each of them with a hundred stripes, and let not compassion for them withhold you from obedience to Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day; and let a party of the believers witness their punishment.
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
The fornicator shall marry none but a fornicatress or an idolatress, and the fornicatress -- none shall marry her but a fornicator or an idolator; that is forbidden to the believers.
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
The fornicator shall marry none except a female fornicator or a female associator; (i. e., one who associates other with Allah) and the female fornicator, none shall marry her except a fornicator or a (male) associator; (i.e., one who associates other with Allah) and that is prohibited for the believers.
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer can marry no one but an adulteress or his partner (in the act), and the adulteress cannot marry any but an adulterer or her partner (in the act). This is forbidden the believers,
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
[Both are equally guilty:] the adulterer couples with none other than an adulteress - that is, a woman who accords [to her own lust] a place side by side with God; and with the adulteress couples none other than an adulterer - that is, a man who accords [to his own lust] a place side by side with God: and this is forbidden unto the believers.
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
Let not any man guilty of adultery (unlawful sexual relations) marry anybody except a woman similarly guilty, or a disbeliever (woman): Let not any such guilty woman marry anybody except a man similarly guilty or a disbeliever (man): But such a thing (marriage to the guilty or to the disbelievers) is forbidden to the believers (men and women).
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
The man stained by adultery -in conduct- does not approach or cohabit but with a woman similarly stained or an idolatress. And the woman stained by adultery -in conduct- does not approach or cohabit but with a man similarly stained or an idolater, This defiled union is absolutely forbidden unto the believers in whose hearts reigns piety.
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
The fornicator does not marry except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been made unlawful to the believers.
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer couples with none but an adulteress who worships her desire. And with the adulteress none couples but the adulterer who worships his desire. And it is forbidden to the believers. (24:26), (45:23).
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
The adulterer will only marry an adulteress or one who is an idolatress. And the adulteress, she will only be married to an adulterer or an idolater. And this has been forbidden for the believers.
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
The unchaste man shall not marry save an unchaste woman or an idolatress; and an unchaste woman shall not marry save an unchaste man or an idolater — and that is unlawful to the believers —