Wife or Husband?

In a number of passages the author, or authors, has or have the word zawj, plural: azwaj when speaking of a wife or wives. where we might have expected zawjah, plural: zawjat. We shall look at some passages.

S 2:35 And we said: Adam, dwell, you and your husband, in the Jannah and eat of it carefree where you have willed. But do not approach this tree so you be of the wrongdoers.

S 2:102 And they followed what the devils read over the dominion of Sulayman. And Sulayman did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and what was sent down to the two angels in Babylon, Harut and Marut. And they do not teach anyone until they say: We are only fitnah, so do not disbelieve. But they learn from them what separates therewith man from his husband. And they do not harm therewith anyone but with Allah’s permission. And they learn what harms them and it does not profit them. And they knew whoever buys it, has no share in the hereafter. And miserable is what they sold themselves therewith, had they known.

S 4:1 People, fear your lord who created you from one soul and created from it its husband and broadcast from them many men--and women. And fear Allah whom you ask and the wombs. Allah was a watchman over you.

As the word 'soul' is of feminine grammatical gender we might see 'husband' as a reasonable choice of word, but the author probably had a wife in mind.

S 4:20 And if you want to replace a husband with a husband and you have given one of them a qintar, do not take anything from it. Would you take it by defamation and obvious sin?

S 7:19 And Adam, dwell, you and your husband, in the Jannah, and eat from where you will but do not approach this tree lest you be of the wrongdoers.

S 7:189 He is the one who created you from one soul and made from it its husband that he might dwell to her. But when he covers her she carried a light load and passed with it. But when she added weight they two invoked Allah, their lord: If you give us a righteous one, we will be of the grateful.

S 20:117 Then we said: Adam, this is an enemy to you and to your husband. So do not let him expel you two from the Jannah so you would be wretched.

S 21:90 So we responded to him and gave him Yahya and mended his husband for him. They would hasten in the good deeds and invoke us in desire and fright and were anxious towards us.

S 33:37 And when you say to the one whom Allah has graced and you have graced: Keep your husband to yourself and fear Allah. And you conceal in yourself what Allah is going to disclose. And you fear the people and Allah has more right that you fear him. So when Zaid had executed the necessary thing from her we married her to you so that there would be no difficulty upon the believers concerning the husbands of their adopted sons when they have executed the necessary thing from them. And Allah’s command was done.

S 39:6 He created you from one soul. Then he made from it its husband. And he sent down for you of the cattle eight pairs. He creates you in the bellies of your mothers, a creation after a creation, in three darknesses. That is Allah your lord. His is the rule. There is no god but him. So how are you turned away?

S 2:25 And give good news to those who have believed and have done the righteous deeds that theirs are jannat, rivers running beneath them. Every time they have been provided with therefrom from fruit as a provision they have said: This is the one we were provided with before. And they have been given similar to it. And theirs therein are purified husbands and they abide therein indefinitely.

S 2:234 And those who are caused to die among you and leave husbands, they lie in wait for themselves for four months and ten. Then when they have reached their term there is no misdemeanour upon you in what they have done concerning themselves with kindness. And Allah is an expert in what you do.

S 2:240 And those who are caused to die among you and leave husbands, a will for their husbands, property to the year without expulsion. But if they leave there is no misdemeanour upon you in what they have done concerning themselves from kindness. And Allah is mighty, wise.

S 3:15 Say: Shall I inform you of better than that? For those who have feared, with their lord are jannat, rivers running beneath them, abiding indefinitely therein, and purified husbands and pleasure from Allah. And Allah is a seer of the slaves.

S 4:12 And for you is half of what your husbands have left if they did not have a child. But if they have a child then for you is a quarter of what they have left after they make a bequest or a debt. And for them is a quarter of what you have left if you did not have a child. But if you do not have a child then for them is an eighth of what you have left after a bequest you make or a debt. And if a man who is inherited is a kalalah, or a woman, and he has a brother or sister, then for each of them a sixth. But if they are more than that, then they are partners in a third after a bequest is made or a debt without harming. Advice from Allah. And Allah is learned, clement.

S 4:57 And those who have believed and have done good deeds, we shall admit them to jannat, rivers running beneath them, abiding therein forever. Theirs therein are purified husbands and we admit them to shady shade.

S 6:139 And they have said: What is in the bellies of these cattle is exclusively for our males and forbidden for our husbands. And if it is a dead creature then they are partners therein. He will recompense them for their attribution. He is wise, learned.

S 9:24 Say: If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your husbands and your clan and monies you have committed and trade you fear a slump therein and dwellings you have taken pleasure in are more beloved to you than Allah and his messenger and jihad in his way, then lie in wait until Allah brings his command. And Allah does not guide the fasiq people.

S 13:23 Jannat of ‘Adn, entering them and those who were righteous among their fathers and their husbands and their offsprings. And the angels enter upon them from every gate.

S 13:38 And we sent messengers before you and made them husbands and offspring. And it was not for a messenger to bring a sign except with Allah’s permission. For every term a book.

S 16:72 And Allah has made for you from yourselves husbands and has made for you from your husbands sons and grandsons and has provided you from the good things. So in falsehood do they believe and in Allah’s grace they disbelieve?

S 23:6 Except from their husbands or what their right hands have possessed and they are not blamable.

S 24:6 And those who accuse their husbands but did not have witnesses except themselves, the testimony of each of them is four testimonies by Allah. He is of the truthful.

S 25:74 And those who say: Our lord, give us of our husbands and our offsprings, a scion of eyes, and make us an exemplar for the fearers.

S 26:166 And leave what your lord created for you of your husbands? Rather, you are a transgressing people.

S 30:21 And of his signs is that he created for you from yourselves husbands to dwell in. And he put between you affection and mercy. In that are signs for a people that ponders.

S 33:4 Allah has not made for a man two hearts in his abdomen nor has he made your husbands whom you pronounce zihar upon your mothers. Nor has he made your adopted sons your sons. That is your speech with your mouths but Allah tells the truth. And he guides to the way.

S 33:6 The prophet is closer to the believers than themselves and his husbands are their mothers. And the possessors of wombs are closer to one another in Allah’s book than the believers and the emigrants except that you do your protectors a kindness. That was mastur in the book.

S 33:28 Prophet, say to your husbands: If you are wanting the dunya life and its adornment, then come, I shall amuse you and release you with a beautiful release.

S 33:37 And when you say to the one whom Allah has graced and you have graced: Keep your husband to yourself and fear Allah. And you conceal in yourself what Allah is going to disclose. And you fear the people and Allah has more right that you fear him. So when Zaid had executed the necessary thing from her we married her to you so that there would be no difficulty upon the believers concerning the husbands of their adopted sons when they have executed the necessary thing from them. And Allah’s command was done.

S 33:50 Prophet, we have made lawful for you your husbands whom you have given their wages to and what your right hand possesses from what Allah has given you as booty and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman who has given herself to the prophet if the prophet wants to futter her--exclusively for you, excluding the believers. We knew what we made obligatory upon them concerning their husbands and what their right hands have possessed, that here should be no difficulty upon you. And Allah was a forgiver, merciful.

S 33:52 Women are not lawful to you after nor to exchange them for husbands even if their comeliness has appealed to you, except what your right hand has possessed. And Allah was a watchman over everything.

S 33:53 Those who have believed, do not enter the prophet’s houses except when permission is given you for food, without waiting for its preparation. But when you are invited, enter, and when you have tasted, disperse and do not seek to remain for hadith. That was harming the prophet and he is shy of you. And Allah is not shy of the truth. And when you ask them for gain, ask them from behind a screen. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. And it was not for you to harm Allah’s messenger nor to futter his husbands after him ever. That was a horrible thing with Allah.

S 33:59 Prophet, tell your husbands and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their jalabib over them. That is more appropriate that they should be known and not harmed. And Allah was a forgiver, merciful.

S 36:56 They and their husbands in shadows, reclining on couches.

S 40:8 Our lord. And admit them to Jannat of ‘Adn which you have promised them and him who was righteous of their fathers and their husbands and their offsprings. You, you are the mighty, the wise.

S 42:11 The splitter of the skies and the Earth. He has made for you from yourselves husbands and from the cattle husbands; he multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like him and he is the hearer, the seer.

S 43:70 Enter the Jannah, you and your husbands, gladdened.

S 60:11 And if a thing of your husbands has escaped from you to the kuffar and you have made an interchange then give those whose husbands have gone the like of what they have spent. And fear Allah whom you are believers in.

S 64:14 Those who have believed, of your husbands and your children is there an enemy for you so beware of them. But if you pardon and overlook and forgive then Allah is a forgiver, merciful.

S 66:1 Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has permitted for you, seeking to please your husbands? And Allah is a forgiver, merciful.

S 66:3 And when the prophet confided a hadith in some of his husbands and when she informed of it and Allah revealed it to him he told some of it and exposed some. Then when he informed her of it she said: Who informed you of this? He said: The learned, the expert has informed me.

S 66:5 Perhaps his lord if he divorced you would exchange for him husbands better than you, surrendering, believing, obedient, repentant, worshipping, fasting, matrons and virgins.

S 70:30 Except from their husbands and what their right hands have possessed. Then they are not blameworthy.