Verse 4:18 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

14 وَمَن یَعۡصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَیَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَهُۥ یُدۡخِلۡهُ نَارًا خَـٰلِدࣰا فِیهَا وَلَهُۥ عَذَابࣱ مُّهِینࣱ ۝١٤ waman yaʿṣi l-laha warasūlahu wayataʿadda ḥudūdahu yud'khil'hu nāran khālidan fīhā walahu ʿadhābun muhīnu But those who disobey God and His Messenger and overstep His limits will be consigned by God to the Fire, and there they will stay- a humiliating torment awaits them 15 وَٱلَّـٰتِی یَأۡتِینَ ٱلۡفَـٰحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَاۤىِٕكُمۡ فَٱسۡتَشۡهِدُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِنَّ أَرۡبَعَةࣰ مِّنكُمۡۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَأَمۡسِكُوهُنَّ فِی ٱلۡبُیُوتِ حَتَّىٰ یَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ أَوۡ یَجۡعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِیلࣰا ۝١٥ wa-allātī yatīna l-fāḥishata min nisāikum fa-is'tashhidū ʿalayhinna arbaʿatan minkum fa-in shahidū fa-amsikūhunna fī l-buyūti ḥattā yatawaffāhunna l-mawtu aw yajʿala l-lahu lahunna sabīla If any of your women commit a lewd act, call four witnesses from among you, then, if they testify to their guilt, keep the women at home until death comes to them or until God shows them another way 16 وَٱلَّذَانِ یَأۡتِیَـٰنِهَا مِنكُمۡ فَءَاذُوهُمَاۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصۡلَحَا فَأَعۡرِضُوا۟ عَنۡهُمَاۤۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابࣰا رَّحِیمًا ۝١٦ wa-alladhāni yatiyānihā minkum faādhūhumā fa-in tābā wa-aṣlaḥā fa-aʿriḍū ʿanhumā inna l-laha kāna tawwāban raḥīma If two men commit a lewd act, punish them both; if they repent and mend their ways, leave them alone- God is always ready to accept repentance, He is full of mercy 17 إِنَّمَا ٱلتَّوۡبَةُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ لِلَّذِینَ یَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلسُّوۤءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةࣲ ثُمَّ یَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِیبࣲ فَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ یَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَیۡهِمۡۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِیمًا حَكِیمࣰا ۝١٧ innamā l-tawbatu ʿalā l-lahi lilladhīna yaʿmalūna l-sūa bijahālatin thumma yatūbūna min qarībin fa-ulāika yatūbu l-lahu ʿalayhim wakāna l-lahu ʿalīman ḥakīma But God only undertakes to accept repentance from those who do evil out of ignorance and soon afterwards repent: these are the ones God will forgive, He is all knowing, all wise

18 وَلَیۡسَتِ ٱلتَّوۡبَةُ لِلَّذِینَ یَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلسَّیِّءَاتِ حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ إِنِّی تُبۡتُ ٱلۡءَـٰنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِینَ یَمُوتُونَ وَهُمۡ كُفَّارٌۚ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ أَعۡتَدۡنَا لَهُمۡ عَذَابًا أَلِیمࣰا ۝١٨ walaysati l-tawbatu lilladhīna yaʿmalūna l-sayiāti ḥattā idhā ḥaḍara aḥadahumu l-mawtu qāla innī tub'tu l-āna walā alladhīna yamūtūna wahum kuffārun ulāika aʿtadnā lahum ʿadhāban alīma It is not true repentance when people continue to do evil until death confronts them and then say, ‘Now I repent,’ nor when they die defiant: We have prepared a painful torment for these

19 یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا یَحِلُّ لَكُمۡ أَن تَرِثُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَاۤءَ كَرۡهࣰاۖ وَلَا تَعۡضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذۡهَبُوا۟ بِبَعۡضِ مَاۤ ءَاتَیۡتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّاۤ أَن یَأۡتِینَ بِفَـٰحِشَةࣲ مُّبَیِّنَةࣲۚ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِۚ فَإِن كَرِهۡتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تَكۡرَهُوا۟ شَیۡءࣰا وَیَجۡعَلَ ٱللَّهُ فِیهِ خَیۡرࣰا كَثِیرࣰا ۝١٩ yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū lā yaḥillu lakum an tarithū l-nisāa karhan walā taʿḍulūhunna litadhhabū bibaʿḍi mā ātaytumūhunna illā an yatīna bifāḥishatin mubayyinatin waʿāshirūhunna bil-maʿrūfi fa-in karih'tumūhunna faʿasā an takrahū shayan wayajʿala l-lahu fīhi khayran kathīra You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor should you treat your wives harshly, hoping to take back some of the bride-gift you gave them, unless they are guilty of something clearly outrageous. Live with them in accordance with what is fair and kind: if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which God has put much good 20 وَإِنۡ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسۡتِبۡدَالَ زَوۡجࣲ مَّكَانَ زَوۡجࣲ وَءَاتَیۡتُمۡ إِحۡدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارࣰا فَلَا تَأۡخُذُوا۟ مِنۡهُ شَیۡءًاۚ أَتَأۡخُذُونَهُۥ بُهۡتَـٰنࣰا وَإِثۡمࣰا مُّبِینࣰا ۝٢٠ wa-in aradttumu is'tib'dāla zawjin makāna zawjin waātaytum iḥ'dāhunna qinṭāran falā takhudhū min'hu shayan atakhudhūnahu buh'tānan wa-ith'man mubīna If you wish to replace one wife with another, do not take any of her bride-gift back, even if you have given her a great amount of gold 21 وَكَیۡفَ تَأۡخُذُونَهُۥ وَقَدۡ أَفۡضَىٰ بَعۡضُكُمۡ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضࣲ وَأَخَذۡنَ مِنكُم مِّیثَـٰقًا غَلِیظࣰا ۝٢١ wakayfa takhudhūnahu waqad afḍā baʿḍukum ilā baʿḍin wa-akhadhna minkum mīthāqan ghalīẓa How could you take it when this is unjust and a blatant sin? How could you take it when you have lain with each other and they have taken a solemn pledge from you 22 وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ مَا نَكَحَ ءَابَاۤؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَاۤءِ إِلَّا مَا قَدۡ سَلَفَۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةࣰ وَمَقۡتࣰا وَسَاۤءَ سَبِیلًا ۝٢٢ walā tankiḥū mā nakaḥa ābāukum mina l-nisāi illā mā qad salafa innahu kāna fāḥishatan wamaqtan wasāa sabīla Do not marry women that your fathers married- with the exception of what is past- this is indeed a shameful thing to do, loathsome and leading to evil