QA-ID-0004
QUESTION
Can the Prophet ﷺ take anyone’s wife as a wife. This is what some Christians say as a result of the verse Qur’an 33:50:
“….and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet wishes to marry her; this is only for you, excluding the [other] believers.”
ANSWER
﷽
Nothing in this verse indicates that he ﷺ can take someone’s wife (who is still married to the man) if he wanted to or that he ever did such or ever intended such. None of the books of Qur’ānic exegesis (tafsīr) mention that this verse means such.
This verse is about the rules of marriage for the Prophet ﷺ and some exclusive permissions given to the him ﷺ in regards to marriage that are not afforded to the ummah. One of them is being able to take as a wife a woman who gives herself to the Prophet ﷺ without the formal process required for nikāh generally, such as dowry, witnesses etc.
It is mentioned that this verse was revealed in relation to Maymūnah Bint al-Hārith since she gave herself to the Prophet ﷺ.
In fact, al-Tabarī in his Tafsīr mentions categorically:
كان كل امرأة آتاها مهرا فقد أحلها الله له إلى أن وهب هؤلاء أنفسهن له، فأحللن له دون المؤمنين بغير مهر خالصة لك من دون المؤمنين إلا امرأة لها زوج…
Summary: … anyone except a woman that already has a spouse.
والله تعالى أعلم
And Allāh Knows Best
Muhammad Kalim Misbahi
