[24].Surah An-Nur [The Light]: Ayat 33

৩৩. যারা বিবাহে সামর্থ নয়, তারা যেন সংযম অবলম্বন করে যে পর্যন্ত না আল্লাহ নিজ অনুগ্রহে তাদেরকে অভাবমুক্ত করে দেন। তোমাদের অধিকারভুক্তদের মধ্যে যারা মুক্তির জন্য লিখিত চুক্তি করতে চায়, তাদের সাথে তোমরা লিখিত চুক্তি কর যদি জান যে, তাদের মধ্যে কল্যাণ আছে। আল্লাহ তোমাদেরকে যে, অর্থ-কড়ি দিয়েছেন, তা থেকে তাদেরকে দান কর। তোমাদের দাসীরা নিজেদের পবিত্রতা রক্ষা করতে চাইলে তোমরা পার্থিব জীবনের সম্পদের লালসায় তাদেরকে ব্যভিচারে বাধ্য কারো না। যদি কেহ তাদের উপর জোর-জবরদস্তি করে, তবে তাদের উপর জোর-জবরদস্তির পর আল্লাহ তাদের প্রতি ক্ষমাশীল, পরম দয়ালু।

Ayat 33. And let those who find not the financial means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah enriches them of His Bounty. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), give them such writing, if you know that they are good and trustworthy. And give them something yourselves out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids to prostitution, if they desire chastity, in order that you may make a gain in the (perishable) goods of this worldly life. But if anyone compels them (to prostitution), then after such compulsion, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to those women, i.e. He will forgive them because they have been forced to do this evil action unwillingly). 

[Tafseer] of ayat 33. Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum), give them such a deed if ye know any good in them: yea, give them something yourselves out of the means which Allah has given to you. But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is Allah, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them). A Muslim marriage requires man to be able to support his wife the man cannot afford that, he must wait and keep himself chaste. It is no excuse for him to say that he must satisfy his natural cravings within or outside marriage. It must be within marriage. The law of slavery in the legal sense of the term is now obsolete. While it had any meaning, Islam made the slave's lot as easy as possible. A slave, male or female, could ask for conditional manumission by a written deed fixing the amount required for manumission and allowing the slave meanwhile to earn money by lawful means and perhaps marry and bring up a family. Such a deed was not to be refused if the request was genuine and the slave had character. Not only that, but the master is directed to help with money out of his own resources in order to enable the slave to earn his or her own liberty. Where slavery was legal, what is now called the "white slave traffic" was carried on by wicked people like 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the Hypocrite leader at Madinah. This is absolutely condemned. While modern nations have abolished ordinary slavery, the "White Slave Traffic" is still a big social problem in individual States. Here it is absolutely condemned. No more despicable trade can be imagined. It's translated "in" (literally, "if) by "when" because this is not a conditional clause but an explanatory clause, explaining the meaning of "force". "Forcing" a person necessarily means that it is against the wish or inclination of the person forced. Even if they were to give a formal consent, it is not valid because the persons concerned are in (legal, or now) economic slavery. The poor unfortunate girls, who are victims of such a nefarious trade, will yet find mercy from Allah, whose bounties extend to the lowest of His creatures.

Hazrat Abu Atiyyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Masruq and I visited `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) and said: "O Mother of the Believers! There are two Companions of Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) and neither of them holds back from doing good acts; but one of them hastens to break Saum (fasting) and hastens to perform the Maghrib prayer, while the other delays breaking Saum and delays performing Salat (prayer).'' She asked, "Who is the one who hastens to break Saum and perform the Maghrib prayer?'' Masruq said, "It is `Abdullah (meaning `Abdullah bin Masud).'' She said, "The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) used to do so.''  [Muslim Book 06, Chapter 09, Hadith # 2420]. 

Lesson : This Hadith points out the practice of the Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) of breaking the Saum and performing the Maghrib prayer in the early moments of the prescribed time.