KHUTAB IV: 21. THE TERMS ZAWJ AND MAR'AH IN THE QUR'AN

21. THE TERMS ZAWJ AND MAR'AH IN THE QUR'AN

(ANUMA, 30 April, 2010)

Brothers in Islam,

In one of the khuṭbah I talked about the eloquence of the language of the Qur'an. Here is another one:

          The term زَوْج   (zawj) in Arabic means: one of a pair; husband; wife; mate, partner; couple, pair. It can be used for a pair of something, such as shoes. According to commentators of the Qur'an the term zawj has three meaning:

a.     القَرِيْن (qarīn), companion, associate, fellow, such as the following verses:

احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ

  (الحشر:22) 

(It will be said to the angels): "Assemble those who did

  wrong, together with their companions (from the devils)

and what they used to worship." (Q. 37:22)

          The term أزْوَاجَهُمْ here means "their companions among the devils."  So, here Allah wanted the wrong-doers to be raised from death with their evil companions and with what they worship.

وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ (التكوير : ٧)

When the souls shall be joined together

[as companions].(Q. 81:7)

It means the souls of non-believers will be joined with those of the devils as companions, and the souls of believers will be joined with those of the inhabitants of paradise.

b.    الصِّنف (kind, specimen; genus, species, class, category; sex), as in the following verses:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ

وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

36)  (يس  : 

Glorified is He Who created all the pairs of which the 

earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind (male and

female), and of which they know not.(Q. 36:36)

قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ (هود  : ٤٠)

We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two

(male and female)…" (Q. 11:40)

Here the term zawj means "kind, pair" in the above verses. The verse deals with Allah's order to Prophet Noah to bring into his ark a pair of male and female of animals.

c.     الزوجة (wife), as in the following verses:

وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا أَزْوَاجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُون

 (البقرة  : 25) 

… and they shall have therein  purified wives

and they will abide therein forever. (Q. 2:25)

          This verse is dealing with believers and do good and

  righteous deeds, that they will enter Paradise forever and have purified wives.

وَلَكُمْ نِصْفُ مَا تَرَكَ أَزْوَاجُكُمْ  إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُنَّ وَلَدٌ (النساء: 12)

In that which your wives leave, your share 

is a half if they have no child…(Q. 4:12)

Here the term أَزْوَاج  means زَوْجَات (wives). The verse is dealing with inheritance where the husband gets half when there is no child.

The terim zawj indicates something as a pair of something else of the same species, kind. There has to be harmony, similarity, and integration between the two, such as between male and female of the same species.

وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى (النجم  : ٤٥)                     

And He created the pairs, male

and female…(Q. 53:45)

الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى(القيامة : 39)فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ 

And made of him two sexes, male

and female.(Q. 75:39)

Each of the zawj (pair) is in need of each other and makes each other complete, without which his or her humanness will not be completed. Both complement each other. The English proverb says, "A man without a wife is   half a man." Therefore, a woman without a husband is also half a woman.  This longing for each other and mutual desire for union can only be achieved Islamicly through legal binding called marriage.

There are two Arabic words for the term wife: a. زَوْج (zawj meaning "a pair, a spouse") and b. إمْرَأَة (imra’ah) meaning "a woman, a wife". The Qur'an makes distinction between the two terms in its verses. When it deals with a harmonious marriage where there is no religious, physical and spiritual difference, the husband or the wife is called zawj. For example:

  وَقُلْنَا يَا آَدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنْتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ 

(البقرة : ٣٥)

And we said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your

 wife in Paradise… (Q. 2:35)

وَمِنْ آَيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُموَ مِنْ

   مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ

مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُون (الروم: 21)

And among His Signs is that He created for

you wives from among yourselves, that you may

find repose in them, and He has put between you

 affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed

signs for a people who reflect. (Q. 30:35)

  وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا 

وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا 

 (الفرقان : ٧٤)

And those who say: "Our Lord! Bestow on us

from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our

eyes, and make us leaders of the pious." (Q. 25:74)

But if the marriage is not in full harmony because of the difference of belief, or any other problem, the term used for the wife is not zawj, but imra’ah. For example:

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اِمْرَأَةَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا

 صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ

(التحريم : ١٠)

Allah sets forth an example for those who disbelieve:

the wife of Nuh (Noah) and the wife of Lut (Lot). They were

 under two of Our righteous slaves, but they both betrayed

 them [by rejecting their doctrine]. So they availed them

 not against Allah and it was said: "Enter the Fire

 along withthose who enter (Q. 66:10)

We see here the use of ِامْرَأَةَ نُوْحٍ and إِمْرَأَةُ لُوْط where the term imra'ah is used. There was no harmony in these two marriages, although the husbands were prophets, because the wives rejected the faith. We also learn from this that there is no guarantee that a pious person would have a pious wife. Faith and piety are of Allah's blessing.

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اِمْرَأَةَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِنْدَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ

 وَنَجِّنِي مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (التحريم:11)  

And Allah has set forth an example for those who

believe: the wife of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), when she said:

"My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise,

 and save me from Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his

 work, and save me from the people who

  are wrong-doers." (Q. 66:11)

The term اِمْرَأَةَ فِرْعَوْنَ is used indicating the unharmonious marriage, as Pharaoh was a non-believer, while his wife was a believer. The term امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ is also used in surah al-Qasas [82]:9.

The most interesting episode is when Prophet Zakariyyā (Zechariah) prayed for a son, as his wife was barren, the term used for his wife is imra'ah as marriage without a child is incomplete. Prophet Zakariyyā prayed:

وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِنْ وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ 

 (مريم:5) لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا    

"And verily, I fear my relatives after me, and my wife is

 barren. So give me from Yourself an heir." (Q. 19:5)

When Allah promised him a child, he wondered and said:

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا

 وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا 

 (مريم  : ٨)

He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is

barren, and I have reached the extreme old age." (Q. 19:8)

However, when Allah blessed him with a son, Yahya (John the Baptist), the term imra'ah was no longer used, but it was zawj. Zakariyyā's marriage became harmonious and complete. Allah said:

وَزَكَرِيَّا إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثين. 

 فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ... (الأنبياء  : 89-90) 

And (remember) Zakariyya (Zechariah), when he

cried to his Lord" "O My Lord! Leave me not single

(childless), though You are the Best of inheritors."

So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon

him Yahya (John), and cured his wife (to bear

a child) for him… (Q. 21:89-90)

The expression وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ  "and We cured his wife for him" means Allah cured the barrenness of Zakariyyā's wife, where the word زَوْجَهُ  is used rather than اِمْرَأَته.

This is one of many peculiarities of the Arabic language of the Qur'an. The term of zawj for "wife" is used when the marriage is in full harmony and integration, whereas imra'ah is used when the marriage is not fully harmonious because of the difference of faith, physical and spiritual incompatibility and the like. As far as I know we do not make any distinction between the two terms in meaning. In formal style the word قَرِيْنَة  (qarinah) meaning "wife, spouse, consort" is used. In daily conversation the term imra’ah, with the definite article it becomes المَرْأَة  ( al-mar’ah) are commonly used, all become marah  and ­al-marah in our slang.