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wa-man lam yastaṭiʿ minkum ṭawlan ʾan yankiḥa l-muḥṣanāti l-muʾmināti fa-min mā malakat ʾaymānukum min fatayātikumu l-muʾmināti wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu bi-ʾīmānikum baʿḍukum min baʿḍin fa-nkiḥūhunna bi-ʾidhni ʾahlihinna wa-ʾātūhunna ʾujūrahunna bi-l-maʿrūfi muḥṣanātin ghayra musāfiḥātin wa-lā muttakhidhāti ʾakhdānin fa-ʾidhā ʾuḥṣinna fa-ʾin ʾatayna bi-fāḥishatin fa-ʿalayhinna niṣfu mā ʿalā l-muḥṣanāti mina l-ʿadhābi dhālika li-man khashiya l-ʿanata minkum wa-ʾan taṣbirū khayrun lakum wa-llāhu ghafūrun raḥīmun
As for those of you who cannot afford to marry faithful free women, then [let them marry] from what you own, from among your faithful slave-women. Your faith is best known [only] to Allah; you are all [on a] similar [footing]. So marry them with their masters’ permission, and give them their dowries in an honourable manner—[such of them] as are chaste women, not licentious ones or those who take paramours. But should they commit an indecent act on marrying, there shall be for them [only] half the punishment for free women. This is for those of you who fear falling into fornication; but it is better that you be continent, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nisa', Verse 25
25. "And whoever among you is not able to financially afford to marry free believing women, then (let him marry) of those (slaves or captives) whom your right hands possess from among your believing maidens; and Allah better knows your faith; you are (sprung) one from the other, so marry them with the permission of their masters, and give them their dowries in fairness, they being chaste, not committing lewdness, nor taking paramours. And if when they are married they commit lewdness, their punishment is half that for free women. This (kind of marriage) is for those among you who fear falling into evil. But to have patience would be better for you, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
Following the statements about marriage, this verse expresses the conditions of marrying she slaves whose dowries and expenses are usually lighter and easier. At first it says:
Then it adds that for recognizing their Faith, you are commissioned to hear their apparent expressions, and as for their innate thoughts and hidden secrets, it is so that Allah knows well of your faith.
And, in view of the fact that some men were not so willing to marry the slave maidens, in this verse the Qur'an remarks that all of you have come into being from only one couple, therefore, you must not dislike marrying them. It says:
Then, the Qur'an points to one of the conditions of this marriage. It is the permission of the concerning master, while without that permission the marriage is invalid. It says:
Next to this statement, it says:
It is understood from this sentence that an appropriate and worthy dowry should be assigned for them, and it must be given to them. It is also understood that their slaves can possess some wealth when they have lawfully obtained it. One of the other conditions that this marriage has is that these maidens should be taken from among those who are chaste, not from among those who commit manifest lewdness.
In agreement with the ordinances stated upon marriage with slave maidens and supporting their rights, the holy verse continues the words about their punishment when they divert from the path of piety and chastity. It says:
This part of the holy verse means that they must be beaten only fifty stripes. Then, it adds that this kind of marriage with such slave maidens is for those who are severely involved in the pressure of the sexual instinct and are not capable to marry free women. Therefore, it is not admissible for men other than them.
But, next to that, it says that being patient and avoiding such sort of marriage, from the point of some ethical and social interests, is of your gain as far as you are able to restrain yourself and you do not fall into committing sin.
At the end of the verse, it remarks that upon what you have done before this, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. It says: