سورة النِّسَاء
Surah Al-Nisâ’ 4:4
The Women · Verse 4 of 176
وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً ۚ فَإِنْ طِبْنَ لَكُمْ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ نَفْسًا فَكُلُوهُ هَنِيئًا مَرِيئًا
Abdul Mannan Omar
And give the women their dowers unasked, willingly and as agreed gift. But if they be pleased to remit you a portion thereof, of their own free will, then take it with grace and pleasure.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.
Ahmed Ali
Give to women their dowers willingly, but if they forego part of it themselves, then use it to your advantage.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
Give to the women (whom you marry) their bridal-due (mahr) willingly and for good (i.e. without expecting a return); however, if of their own accord they remit any part of it to you, then you are welcome to enjoy it gladly.
Daryabadi
And give unto women dowries as a gift, and if of themselves they give up aught thereof unto you, then eat it in pleasure and profit.
Faridul Haque
And give the women their bridal money willingly; then if they willingly give you a part of it, eat (use) it with joy and fruition.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
And give women their dowries as a free gift. But if they of themselves be pleased to give you a portion thereof, consume it with enjoyment and pleasure.
Maulvi Sher Ali
And give the women their dowries willingly. But if they, of their own pleasure, remit to you a part thereof, then enjoy it as something pleasant and wholesome.
Muhammad Asad
And give unto women their marriage portions in the spirit of a gift; but if they, of their own accord, give up unto you aught thereof, then enjoy it with pleasure and good cheer.
Muhammad Musin Khan
And give to the women (whom you marry) their Mahr (obligatory bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart, but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it, and enjoy it without fear of any harm (as Allah has made it lawful).
Muhammad Pickthall
And give unto the women (whom ye marry) free gift of their marriage portions; but if they of their own accord remit unto you a part thereof, then ye are welcome to absorb it (in your wealth).
Muhammad Sarwar
Pay the women their dowry as though it were a gift. However, if they allow you to keep a part of it as a favor to you, you may spend it with pleasure.
Muhammed ali Shakir
And give women their dowries as a free gift, but if they of themselves be pleased to give up to you a portion of it, then eat it with enjoyment and with wholesome result.
Rashad Khalifa
You shall give the women their due dowries, equitably. If they willingly forfeit anything, then you may accept it; it is rightfully yours.
Shabbir Ahmed
Upon marriage, give women their marital gifts, a generous portion of your property, unless they forgo it voluntarily. In that case you are welcome to accept it as rightfully yours.
Commentary 4:4 Saduqât صدقات - “dowers” is the plural of saduqa صَدُق called because these are a symbol of truthfulness and sincerity on the part of the husband. Sadaqah…
وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً ۚ فَإِن طِبْنَ لَكُمْ عَن شَيْءٍ مِّنْهُ نَفْسًا فَكُلُوهُ هَنِيئًا مَّرِيئًا
4:4 Saduqât صدقات - “dowers” is the plural of saduqa صَدُق called because these are a symbol of truthfulness and sincerity on the part of the husband. Sadaqah ثدقة means charity or alms. It is different from saduqât (Tâj). Nihlah نِحْلَةً means giving a thing willingly, cheerfully and without expecting a return (Râghib, Kashshaf). It is necessary that a dower should be given to every woman joined in marriage. Thus, every woman in Islam begins her married life as the full owner of some piece of property. The amount of the dower should be reasonable. It should also be within the means of the husband and proportionate to the socioeconomic circumstances of the couple.