Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 50 - English Translation by Dr Munir Munshey
Surah Al-Ahzabيَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِنَّآ أَحۡلَلۡنَا لَكَ أَزۡوَٰجَكَ ٱلَّـٰتِيٓ ءَاتَيۡتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتۡ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّـٰتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَٰلَٰتِكَ ٱلَّـٰتِي هَاجَرۡنَ مَعَكَ وَٱمۡرَأَةٗ مُّؤۡمِنَةً إِن وَهَبَتۡ نَفۡسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنۡ أَرَادَ ٱلنَّبِيُّ أَن يَسۡتَنكِحَهَا خَالِصَةٗ لَّكَ مِن دُونِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَۗ قَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا مَا فَرَضۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ فِيٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ وَمَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ لِكَيۡلَا يَكُونَ عَلَيۡكَ حَرَجٞۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا
Oh prophet! We have made your wives lawful for you _ provided their agreed nuptial-dower has been paid _ and the slave women Allah has granted you. (Other women lawful for you to marry are): the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts _ those of them who migrated with you (from Makkah)_ and the believing woman who wants to enter the prophet´s household as his wife and he wants to espouse her. This (more than four wives) is an exemption especially for you, not for any other believer. We know what We have mandated for the believers concerning their wives, and the captive women. You are exempted so as to remove the difficulty you face! (The difficulty: the taboo, the culturally imposed restriction against marrying the former wives of the adopted sons, had to be broken by an actual example. It had to be done without divorcing any of the existing wives. The solution: suspend the limit of four wives for the prophet). Allah is the most Forgiving and the most Merciful. NB: Another taboo broken by this divinely ordained marriage was the restriction against cousin marriages. The woman was the prophet´s first cousin