Surah An-Nur (النور) • The Light

Quran 24:3

24:3

ٱلزَّانِى لَا يَنكِحُ إِلَّا زَانِيَةً أَوْ مُشْرِكَةً وَٱلزَّانِيَةُ لَا يَنكِحُهَآ إِلَّا زَانٍ أَوْ مُشْرِكٌ ۚ وَحُرِّمَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

al-zānī lā yankiḥu illā zāniyatan aw mush'rikatan wal-zāniyatu lā yankiḥuhā illā zānin aw mush'rikun waḥurrima dhālika ʿalā l-mu'minīna

The fornicator does not marry except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that [i.e., marriage to such persons] has been made unlawful to the believers.

— Saheeh International

The adulterer is only [fit] to marry an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress is only [fit] to marry an adulterer or an idolater: such behaviour is forbidden to believers.

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

The adulterer-fornicator marries not but an adulteress-fornicatress or a Mushrikah, and the adulteress-fornicatress none marries her except an adulterer-fornicator or a Muskrik [and that means that the man who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan or idolatress) or a prostitute, then surely he is either an adulterer-fornicator, or a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater). And the woman who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater) or an adulterer-fornicator, then she is either a prostitute or a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan, or idolatress)]. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islâmic Monotheism).

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 18Page 350medinan

Word by Word

ٱلزَّانِىal-zānīThe fornicator
لَاlā(will) not
يَنكِحُyankiḥumarry
إِلَّاillāexcept
زَانِيَةًzāniyatana fornicatress
أَوْawor
مُشْرِكَةًۭmush'rikatana polytheist woman
وَٱلزَّانِيَةُwal-zāniyatuand the fornicatress
لَاlā(will) not
يَنكِحُهَآyankiḥuhāmarry her
إِلَّاillāexcept
زَانٍzānina fornicator
أَوْawor
مُشْرِكٌۭۚmush'rikuna polytheist man
وَحُرِّمَwaḥurrimaAnd is forbidden
ذَٰلِكَdhālikathat
عَلَىʿalāto
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَl-mu'minīnathe believers