سورة الاٴحزَاب
Surah Al-Ahzâb 33:4
The Confederates · Verse 4 of 73
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَاجَكُمُ اللَّائِي تُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَاءَكُمْ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِكُمْ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِي السَّبِيلَ
Abdul Mannan Omar
Allâh has not placed two hearts in the bosom of any man, nor does He regard as your mothers those of your wives whom you desert by (Zihâr) calling them as such, nor does He regard those whom you adopt as your children as your own (real) children. These are mere words that you speak; but Allâh declares the truth and He guides to the (straight) path.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: nor has He made your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.
Ahmed Ali
God has not provided two hearts in the breast of a man, nor made your wives, whom you pronounce "mothers" (in order to divorce them), your real mothers, nor has He made your adopted sons your real sons. This is only what your lips pronounce. God says what is just, and shows the right way.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
God has not made for any man two hearts within his body (one to be assigned for belief in and worship of Him and the other to belief in and worship of others). Nor has He made your wives whom you may declare to be (unlawful to you) as your mothers’ back (to mean you divorce them ) your mothers (in fact). Nor has He made your adopted sons your sons (in fact). Those are only expressions you utter with your mouths. Whereas God speaks the truth and He guides to the right way.
Daryabadi
Allah hath not placed unto any man two hearts in his inside, nor hath He made your spouses whom ye declare to be as your mother´s backs, your real mothers, nor hath He made your adopted sons your real sons. This is only your saying by your mouths, whereas Allah saith the truth and He guideth the way.
Faridul Haque
Allah has not kept two hearts in the body of any man; nor has He made them your mothers those wives of yours, whom you declare to be your mothers; nor has He made them your sons, whom you have adopted; this is the statement of your mouths; and Allah proclaims the truth and it is He Who shows the path.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Allah has not made for any man two hearts within him; nor has He made your wives whom you desert by Zihar, your mothers, nor has He made those whom you assert (to be your sons) your sons. These are the words of your mouths. And Allah speaks the truth and He shows the way.
Maulvi Sher Ali
ALLAH has not made for any man two hearts in his breast; nor has HE made those of your wives from whom you keep away by calling them mothers, your mothers in fact, nor has HE made those whom you adopt as sons, your sons in fact. These are merely the words of your mouths; but ALLAH declares the truth, and HE guides to the right path.
Muhammad Asad
NEVER has God endowed any man with two hearts in one body and [just as] He has never made your wives whom you may have declared to be "as unlawful to you as your mothers' bodies" [truly] your mothers, so, too, has He never made your adopted sons [truly] your sons these are but [figures of] speech uttered by your mouths - whereas God speaks the [absolute] truth and it is He alone who can show [you] the right path.
Muhammad Musin Khan
Allah has not put for any man two hearts inside his body. Neither has He made your wives whom you declare to be like your mothers' backs, your real mothers. [Az-Zihar is the saying of a husband to his wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother" i.e. You are unlawful for me to approach.], nor has He made your adopted sons your real sons. That is but your saying with your mouths. But Allah says the truth, and He guides to the (Right) Way.
Muhammad Pickthall
Allah hath not assigned unto any man two hearts within his body, nor hath He made your wives whom ye declare (to be your mothers) your mothers, nor hath He made those whom ye claim (to be your sons) your sons. This is but a saying of your mouths. But Allah saith the truth and He showeth the way.
Muhammad Sarwar
God has not created two hearts inside any one human being. God does not consider your wives whom you renounce by zihar as your mothers nor those whom you adopt as your sons. These are only words of your mouth. God tells the Truth and shows the right path.
Muhammed ali Shakir
Allah has not made for any man two hearts within him; nor has He made your wives whose backs you liken to the backs of your mothers as your mothers, nor has He made those whom you assert to be your sons your real sons; these are the words of your mouths; and Allah speaks the truth and He guides to the way.
Rashad Khalifa
GOD did not give any man two hearts in his chest. Nor did He turn your wives whom you estrange (according to your custom) into your mothers. Nor did He turn your adopted children into genetic offspring. All these are mere utterances that you have invented. GOD speaks the truth, and He guides in the (right) path.
Shabbir Ahmed
God did not give any man two hearts in his chest. (One cannot be a believer and a disbeliever at the same time.) And He never regards your wives as your mothers because of your senseless utterances, such as your declaring them as your mothers. Nor does He regard your adopted sons as your biological sons. These are mere words that you utter with your mouths, but God declares the truth and shows the way.
Commentary 33:4 Tuzâhirûnتُظَاهِرُونَ is derived from zaharظهرliterally meaning the back of a person. This is a reference to the two pre-Islamic customs called zihâr…
مَّا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَاجَكُمُ اللَّائِي تُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَاءَكُمْ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُم
33:4 Tuzâhirûnتُظَاهِرُونَ is derived from zaharظهرliterally meaning the back of a person. This is a reference to the two pre-Islamic customs called zihâr .ظِهارAn Arab in the so-called Days of Ignorance would say, anti ‘alayya ka zahri ummî أنت عليٌ كظهرأُمي- you are to me as the back of my mother.” If a husband pronounced these words, conjugal relations between husband and wife were ended immediately as through a divorce, but unlike a divorce, the woman could not remarry or even leave the household. Islam abolished this cruel pagan custom in the beginning of the 5th year of the Hijrah in chapter 58 of Al-Mujâdilah.
The verse also refers to specific rules of adoption and the perceived creation of blood relations, which resulted in marriage restrictions that should only apply to biological sons and daughters A wife cannot become the “mother” of the husband nor an adopted son, a real son. It is morally inadmissible to attribute to one and the same person two mutually incompatible roles within the framework of human relationships as the wordsقَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ mean to say (cf. 33:37). (Kashshaf).