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Qur'an 2: 223

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Qur'an 2: 223
Verse's Information
SuraSura al-Baqara
Verse223
Juz'2
Page35
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicJurisprudential, Ethical
AboutAbsence of limitation in marital relations


Verse of Ḥarth (Arabic: آية الحَرْث) is part of Qur'an 2: 223, which refers to marital relations and procreation. In this verse, God likens women to a tilth (cultivation field) where men place their seeds.

Jurists have discussed this verse in the chapter of Marriage (Nikāḥ) in jurisprudential books. Based on the phrase "annā shiʾtum" (Arabic: أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ; however you wish), most jurists have issued fatwas stating that sexual intercourse with a wife through the anus is permissible, citing narrations in support of this. Some have interpreted "annā" as "whenever" and, relying on narrations prohibiting this act, have ruled that it is Makruh (reprehensible).

In the final part of the verse, God admonishes believers to prioritize righteous deeds, maintain Taqwa (God-wariness), and know that they will meet God in the Hereafter, where all their deeds will be reckoned.

Text and Translation

﴾ نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ ۖ وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُم مُّلَاقُوهُ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴿
Your women are a tilth for you, so go into your tilth however you like, and send ahead for your own souls, and be wary of Allah, and know that you shall meet Him, and give good news to the faithful.


Quran 2:223


Naming

Verse 223 of Sura al-Baqara is called the Verse of Harth because it mentions the word ḥarth (tilth/cultivation), referring to marital relations and procreation.[1] In this verse, God speaks of the special role of women in the production and propagation of the human generation by likening them to "ḥarth", meaning a farm or tilth.[2] The use of metaphorical and allusive expressions in the Qur'an regarding marital issues is considered an indication of the observance of ethics, chastity of speech, and divine politeness.[3]

Some consider the comparison of women to a tilth in the Verse of Harth as one of the best and most eloquent Quranic expressions to convey this meaning.[4] Others have stated that this comparison is because the male sperm is like a seed cultivated in the female womb.[5] Scholars differ on whether the description of women as a tilth is a simile, a metaphor, an allusion, or an allegorical metaphor.[6]

Occasion of Revelation

Based on a narration from Imam al-Rida (a) regarding the occasion of revelation of verse 223 of Sura al-Baqara, this verse was revealed to refute certain Jewish beliefs regarding intercourse with women. They believed that intercourse was only permissible from the front and thought that having intercourse in the vagina from behind would cause the child to be born cross-eyed (aḥwal). Therefore, this verse was revealed to declare this act permissible.[7] Other occasions of revelation have also been mentioned for this verse.[8]

Citation regarding the Method of Intercourse

Jurists have utilized this verse in the issue of "anal intercourse with a woman" (waṭy al-marʾa duburan), and Usulis (principles of jurisprudence scholars) have discussed it regarding the rule of "Command following Prohibition" (al-amr ʿaqīb al-ḥaẓr).[9]

Shi'a jurists have offered various opinions regarding the deduction of the ruling on intercourse from the Verse of Harth. Most of them interpreted the word "annā" (Arabic: أَنَّىٰ) as "wherever", "from wherever", "however", or "in whatever form", placing the Verse of Harth among the evidences for the permissibility of anal intercourse.[10] Confirmed by certain narrations, they considered this act permissible.[11]

In contrast, some jurists interpreted "annā" as "whenever", arguing that the Verse of Harth does not address the permissibility of anal intercourse.[12] Due to the conflicting nature of relevant narrations,[13] the abundance of narrations prohibiting it, and the fame of the opinion among jurists, they issued fatwas declaring it strongly Makruh (reprehensible). A group also conditioned its permissibility (while remaining Makruh) on the wife's consent.[14]

Some scholars have cited the phrase "and send ahead for your own souls" (Arabic: وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم) as evidence for the prohibition of anal intercourse. They argue that the Verse of Harth only permits intercourse that can lead to reproduction, and since reproduction is not possible through anal intercourse, this form is not permissible.[15] Some exegetes consider the address "send ahead for your own souls" as an allusion to a "righteous child",[16] arguing that the righteous deeds of such a child are counted for the parents as well.[17] Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, the author of al-Mizan, interpreted the recommendation for Divine Taqwa in the Verse of Harth as observing rights and duties in marital issues.[18]

Allegation of Insult in the Verse

Some have considered the description of women as a "tilth" in the Verse of Harth as an insult to the status of women and a license for a husband's aggression against his wife.[19] Certain narrations have been cited to support this view;[20] however, researchers, referring to other verses such as Qur'an 2: 187 or Qur'an 49: 13, which indicate the equality of men and women in human identity and status, argue that the Verse of Harth merely addresses the physical and biological differences between men and women for the purpose of procreation. They assert that these differences carry no value-judgment for men or anti-value for women.[21] It is also stated that a simile does not equate two things in all aspects but highlights a prominent similarity between them.[22]

Nasir Makarim Shirazi and Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, Shi'a exegetes, believe that the Verse of Harth only intends to express the necessity of women's existence in human society. They state that seeds alone have no value, and without a tilth, they would perish, endangering human survival; the same applies if women did not exist.[23]

Meeting God

The final part of Qur'an 2: 223 states: "and be wary of Allah, and know that you shall meet Him, and give good news to the faithful."[24] Two opinions have been transmitted regarding the referent of the pronoun in "meet Him" (mulāqūhu) and the nature of this meeting:[25]

  • The referent is God; meaning the meeting will be with God. The verse tells its audience to adopt Taqwa and know that they will meet God.[26] Meeting God will occur on the Day of Judgment.[27] The meaning of meeting is different from seeing with physical eyes.[28] In this section, God reminds them to prioritize righteous deeds, possess Divine Taqwa, and know that they will meet God in the Resurrection, where all their deeds will be reckoned.[29]
  • The referent is the reward and punishment of deeds. Some exegetes have interpreted this part of the verse to mean they will see the reward and punishment of their actions.[30]

Notes

  1. ↑ Khurāsānī, "Āyāt-i nāmdār", p. 381.
  2. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", p. 105.
  3. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", p. 106.
  4. ↑ Shaybānī, Nahj al-bayān, 1413 AH, vol. 1, p. 295; Sabziwārī, Al-Jadīd, 1406 AH, vol. 1, p. 269.
  5. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, 1420 AH, vol. 6, p. 421.
  6. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", pp. 115-117.
  7. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Istibṣār, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, vol. 3, pp. 244-245.
  8. ↑ Mawlawī, "Taḥlīl wa naqd-i maʿnā-yi wāzhay-i annā...", pp. 21-23.
  9. ↑ See: "Wuqūʿ-i amr waqaʿa ʿaqīb ḥaẓr...", Website-i Madrasa-yi Fiqāhat; "Tamāyul bi ḥukm-i ḥillīyat...", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Fiqh-i Ḥukūmatī; Ibn ʿĀshūr, Al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr, 1420 AH, vol. 2, p. 353.
  10. ↑ Mawlawī, "Taḥlīl wa naqd-i maʿnā-yi wāzhay-i annā...", p. 24.
  11. ↑ See: Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 2, pp. 223-224; Shahīd al-Thānī, Masālik al-afhām, 1416 AH, vol. 7, p. 61; Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 1414 AH, vol. 20, pp. 146-148.
  12. ↑ Mawlawī, "Taḥlīl wa naqd-i maʿnā-yi wāzhay-i annā...", p. 25.
  13. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 100, p. 288.
  14. ↑ "Tamāyul bi ḥukm-i ḥillīyat...", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Fiqh-i Ḥukūmatī.
  15. ↑ See: Mughniyya, Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 1, p. 337; Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1362 Sh, vol. 29, p. 106.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 2, p. 213.
  17. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 564.
  18. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 2, p. 214.
  19. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", p. 106.
  20. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", p. 106.
  21. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", p. 117.
  22. ↑ Ibrāhīmī, "Dilālat-hā-yi tashbīh-i zanān bi ḥarth", pp. 118-119.
  23. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 319; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 141.
  24. ↑ Sura al-Baqara, verse 223.
  25. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, 1378 Sh, vol. 2, p. 447.
  26. ↑ Qurashī, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1377 Sh, vol. 1, p. 412.
  27. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 37.
  28. ↑ Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihīn, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-karīm, 1366 Sh, vol. 3, p. 296.
  29. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 4, p. 260.
  30. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 565.

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