The Answer to the Misgiving of Female Bondage in the Hand of Man (Case Study: The Permissibility of Marital Relationship with Married Slave Women in Quran)

The focus of the Holy Quran is on the dignity and rights of women. However, it may be understood that the confirmation of a kind of tyrannical domination of man over woman from the appearance of some verses is understood and this point has raised doubts in this regard. The complete obedience of a woman to her husband, female bondage in the hand of man, superiority of man over woman (male chauvinism), and the permissibility of husband’s oppression to his wife are concepts that are raised in the form of misgiving (doubt) and criticisms of the Holy Quran in the context of women’s rights and dignity. The subject matter of the permissibility of marital relationship with married slave women and the complete authority of men in this field as an example of the mentioned totality is another misgiving in this regard. The necessity of discussion is that the mentioned misgivings, in addition to the unfair accusation against the Quran, have targeted the basis of the beliefs of Muslims, especially the younger generation, regarding the truth of the Quran. This article has answered the raised misgivings in a descriptive-analytical and library method. The findings of the research show that a woman’s obedience to the husband is only within the limits of the husband’s right and in return, the husband has a responsibility for his wife’s rights. The findings of the research show that a woman’s obedience to the husband is only within the limits of the husband’s right and in return, the husband has a responsibility for his wife’s rights. The “mutual rights of husband” and the duty of each other corresponds to the other. Men’s “superiority” over women is merely in greater bodily power, the dominance of intellect over emotions, and spiritual authority. The Quran has blocked the source of slave production in order to abolish slavery and provided ways for the gradual liberation of existing slaves and the regulation of human relations with slaves. As the enslavement of war prisoners is not supported by any strong reason. The verse: “And [marrying] married women is [forbidden to you], except [excepting your slave-women] for those whom your right hands possess [due to war with their unbelieving husbands through captivity] (Arabic: والمحصنات من النساء إلا ما ملکت ایمانکم, Sūra al-Nisāʾ 4:24)” from which the permissibility of marital relationship with a married slave woman is understood and it also means that annulment of marriage contract of a slave woman after the possession of the slave woman is her master’s discretion and he can create a relationship with her as a wife, or confirm and continue his marriage contract after ʿidda (Arabic: عده, period of waiting).