Surah Baqarah Verse 223

Your wives are a place of sowing of seed for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth [righteousness] for yourselves. And fear Allāh and know that you will meet Him. And give good tidings to the believers.

I was pondering over this part of this glorious verse Your wives are a place of sowing of seed for you and it made me realize yet again the glory and honor Allah swt bestows on Women! , it made me feel so special and proud to be a Muslim Woman. However, sadly this has been one of the many verses of the Quran that have been misquoted and misunderstood. The solution being "read the Quran with an open mind and you will realize it is the ONLY solution for the problems of mankind"

The word that is used for women is "Harth"- field and not "Hadeeqah" which is a "garden" ,or any other similar word. Interestingly the word "hadeeqah"- is used for such a garden that has walls surrounding it, enclosed garden, a private, enclosed garden; such a garden that is luscious, has a lot of greenery, beautiful and colorful, garden that is fully watered. Such a garden is very "pleasurable" to look at, but the word that has been used here is "Harth"- a field, crop, cultivation- which is not only pleasurable But yields benefit, which needs to be fostered, taken care of ,nurtured. Similarly a wife is not merely an object to satiate ones 'pleasure' but she needs to be loved, taken care of, fostered. This word "Harth" really amazed me it shows the Love and care that Allah swt commands the husband to give to his wife. This verse is telling the men the importance of taking care of their wives- it is a beautiful metaphor telling the men how precious their wives are and that they should take care of her just like the farmer is with his land! And then the fruit that comes forth from this precious land is 'Pious offspring"

Land is the most valuable asset of this world. Innumerable battles have been fought for land. Real estate is of prime importance. In court Over 90% of the litigation is about Land disputes, family vendettas, feuds are mostly about Land. Land is something that generally men Love to acquire, the best real estate you own determines your position in society.

Allah swt in His infinite mercy has compared women to the most valuable asset in this world!

A good land lord is one who takes care of his land, cherishes his land, who protects it, who cultivates it,. Allah swt is telling the Muslim men to cherish their wives and not to abuse them, to encourage the potential within them to develop their talents. A bad land lord is one who neglects his land. Allah swt is commanding the Muslim man : Be good landlords, treat your prized possession with utmost love and care, so that you will yield the best produce- righteous offspring!

Farah Ahamed

Online Student
Taleem Al Quran 2009