Marwan Boustany is the author of Guidance According to the Qur’an. The Qur’an states (an-Nahl 89): “And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for those who self-surrender to God.” People have sought guidance from the Qur’an in many ways. What is the best approach, and why?
Peace and Blessings to Kevin and Boustany for an interesting discussion on The Holly Quran.
I am far from being a scholar..and in my humble view I note that the arabic language is vtal to approach the Quran.
The study of the Life of the Prophet on whom there be peace is also very important.
Knowledge acquired externally is one source based on the scientific approach..and then there is knowledge that filters though a process of an internal .".touching our soull.".or through intuition..or through inspiration..or through real dreams..it requires a pure soul..free from egotistic and sensory clouding.
Then finally we need a historical context and collaborative information of the Past Scholars such as Imam Gazalli ra.
The Koran is a mishmash of Judaism, Monophysite heretical Christianity & local Arab religion. Muhammad is a false prophet & Dr Barrett should know better than to adhere to a false religion. There is only one true religion & that is traditional Catholicism, independent of apostate Rome since the Judeo-Masonic overthrow of the papacy in 1958, as whitesmoke1958.com gives abundant evidence of.
a welcome tonic. there are wonderful hadiths (the Prophet's musings on the apocalypse, djal were a focus at the recent Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Toronto) but many Muslims read the Quran just for tajweed and beauty of recitation, not bothering with wrestling with the meaning. And while I admire those who memorize the entire Quran, often without understanding 90%, I think in depth study of a part is more helpful.
Muhammad Asad's commentary (banned by Saudis) is much better for nonscholar readers than going straight to hadiths for understanding. He refers to hadiths but they are secondary.
There were some verses I wanted to mention from my book which give a strong statement in support of using only the Qur'an but I did not get a chance, so I will add these below. They can be found in section 7.4 of the book.
But how is it that they come to you for judgement while they have the Taurat, in which is the judgement of Allah? Then they turn away, [even] after that; but those are not [in fact] believers. [a]
Indeed, We sent down/revealed the Taurat, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers. [b]
And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. [b]
(5:43-45)
[a] The context here is of the Jews, with an example of them openly not judging by what they claim was sent down/revealed to them.
[i] We must note the context of the Jews ignoring some of what was sent down/revealed to them, throwing away a part and adding their own opinions with the Mishna (Talmud). So, they regularly did not judge by whatever they still had of the revelation.
[ii] In (5:43) we even have the contemporaneous evidence at the time of the messenger where they came to him for a judgement while they claimed they had the book.
[b] The Arabic (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) is perfectly general and acts as the general principle demonstrated by the specific example it follows.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Taurat; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Taurat as guidance and instruction for the righteous.
And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed therein. [a] And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. [b]
(5:46-47)
[a] The context here is the Christians. People that made up lies about Isa/Jesus and followed those instead of the revelation he came with.
[b] The Arabic (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) is perfectly general and acts as the general principle demonstrated by the specific example it follows.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
And We have sent down/revealed to you the Book with the truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a guardian over it [a]. So judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. [b]
To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.
And judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has sent down/revealed to you. [b] And if they turn away - then know that Allah only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
Then is it the judgement of ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in judgement for a people who are certain? [c]
(5:48-50)
[a] After the previous two people and revelations, Allah tells us that he has sent down/revealed the revelation that confirms and distinguishes the true and the false in what remains of the previous revelations. We have the link/continuity between what preceded and what came at the end.
[b] Now it switches back to all of the Jews and Christians (and any others) with “them” and tells the messenger to judge between them by the Qur’an alone.
[i] (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) from the previous ayaat changes to (احْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed). From a general law contrasted with a people that broke it (Jews and Christians) to a direct command to the messenger to only judge by what has been revealed.
[ii] Allah tells us ((وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَن بَعْضِ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْكَ) - beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has sent down/revealed to you). A key counterpart to the message of [b][i], judge only by what has been revealed and beware of those who try to get you to move away from the revelation to judge by some other source.
[c] Allah tells us that seeking judgement by other than what is sent down/revealed is to seek the judgement of ignorance.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
Summary
• (5:43-47) highlight the previous peoples not judging by what has been revealed to them and corrects them by saying that anyone who does not judge by what has been revealed has erred.
• (5:48-49) then brings it to the time of the final messenger and reiterates that he must judge them by what he was sent and he must never deviate from that.
• (5:50) culminates with telling us that to judge by other than what Allah has revealed is ignorance.
On the final topics of Slavery and Concubinage, I would refer the interested reader to section 9.5.22 of the freely available ebook on https://www.detailedquran.com/. I would recommend the whole section, but for just one reference and discussion i would put the following:
In the english translation you will find [a] etc and [43] etc, there refer to discussion below the verse.
And (you [pl.]) marry the unmarried among you (pl.) [42] and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves [43] [a]. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty [b], and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.
But let them who find not [the opportunity for] marriage abstain [c] [from marriage/marital relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract from among MMA* [d] - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness [46] [e] and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you (pl.) [47] [f]. And do not compel your slave girls to fornication [g], if they desire chastity/protection/marriage [h] [from/with you], to seek [thereby] the apparent of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to the women], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful. [i]
(24:32-33)
* what your ‘right hand’/’authority’/’oath’ already possesses or bound you to or put you in charge of.
[a] People should marry off the free and the indentured. With (4:24-26) indicating, as I understand it, the preference for each of these groups to marry within its own.
[i] There is no indication that sex outside of marriage with slaves/servants is allowable.
[b] See for example (9:60) as well as other verses like (2:177), (4:92), (5:89), (58:3) and (90:13) which indicate a focus on financially or otherwise facilitating indentured people transitioning from the (no longer allowed) slave state to freedom.
[i] Allah also indicates that the poor among the free should also be helped if possible.
[c] Indicates that in the case they cannot marry, they should abstain from the marital male/female relationship.
[i] [a][c] are clear indicators that sexual relations with servant/slave class is not acceptable outside of marriage.
[d] Slavery is abolished here, as it deals with the more general situation where someone is under your authority/responsibility and they ask for freedom/liberation then they are to be freed, subject to [e][f]. The contract being a statement that the one under authority/obligation has no obligation to the authority.
[e] For example, this could include those slaves that were enemy combatants, they could be a danger and keeping them in check might have been the wiser option for the Muslim community. Or perhaps some similar situation. Otherwise, there should be no barrier to the freeing of the slave/servant/bondsperson.
[f] Here the wealth to help such people from the situation they were in, being dependant and lacking resources, should come from the former master and/or the funds collected by the government (see [b])
[i] Giving them wealth, comes after already granting them their freedom. Hence payment of money to the former master is not a condition as the proponents of hadith interpretations imply.
[g] Some have translated [الْبِغَاءِ] as whoredom/prostitution [itself a derived meaning from a word that indicates excessive want]. I have translated this as fornication for 2 reasons:
[i] Prostitution/whoredom is sinful because it promotes a sin of sex outside of marriage. There is no context under which it can be allowed, and a woman agreeing to be a whore does not make it right. The traditional way this has been translated is [g][h] “do not compel your servant/slave to prostitution if they want chastity”. Implying that if they do not desire chastity, prostituting them is fine.
[ii] The Arabic fully allows it. Making a woman under your authority, that is not your wife, have sex with you is in fact making her a whore for you [if she willingly submits] or is rape. It is in any case, fornication.
[iii] Whoredom I believe could legitimately fall under causing corruption in the land and result in severe punishment.
[h] I understand this as: a man using a vulnerable woman’s want of the protection of the marital relationship, as a basis of exploiting them sexually.
[i] For example, if the woman desires marriage/protection/chastity and the man in authority makes it seem like she may get this if she first has sex with him for some time.
[i] In the case that a woman in a vulnerable position, and against her will, engages in fornication, then Allah is merciful to them. The one who compels them may not hope for such mercy.
For reference, Muhammad Asad commentary:
42: I.e., from among the free members of the community, as is evident from the subsequent juxtaposition with slaves. (As most of the classical commentators point out, this is not an injunction but a recommendation to the community as a whole: hence my interpolation of the words, "you ought to".) The term ayyim - of which ayama is the plural - signifies a person of either sex who has no spouse, irrespective of whether he or she has never been married or is divorced or widowed. Thus, the above verse expresses the idea - reiterated in many authentic sayings of the Prophet - that, from both the ethical and the social points of view, the married state is infinitely preferable to celibacy.
43: The term as-salihin connotes here both moral and physical fitness for marriage: i.e., the attainment of bodily and mental maturity as well as mutual affection between the man and the woman concerned. As in 4:25, the above verse rules out all forms of concubinage and postulates marriage as the only basis of lawful sexual relations between a man and his female slave.
46: The noun kitab is, in this context, an equivalent of kitabah or mukatabah (lit., "mutual agreement in writing"), a juridical term signifying a "deed of freedom" or "of manumission" executed on the basis of an agreement between a slave and his or her owner, to the effect that the slave undertakes to purchase his or her freedom for an equitable sum of money payable in instalments before or after the manumission, or, alternatively, by rendering a clearly specified service or services to his or her owner. With this end in view, the slave is legally entitled to engage in any legitimate, gainful work or to obtain the necessary sum of money by any other lawful means (e.g., through a loan or a gift from a third person). In view of the imperative form of the verb katibuhum ("write it out for them"), the deed of manumission cannot be refused by the owner, the only pre-condition being an evidence - to be established, if necessary, by an unbiased arbiter or arbiters - of the slave's good character and ability to fulfil his or her contractual obligations. The stipulation that such a deed of manumission may not he refused, and the establishment of precise juridical directives to this end, clearly indicates that Islamic Law has from its very beginning aimed at an abolition of slavery as a social institution, and that its prohibition in modern times constitutes no more than a final implementation of that aim. (See also next note, as well as note 146 on 2:177.)
47: According to all the authorities, this relates (a) to a moral obligation on the part of the owner to promote the slave's efforts to obtain the necessary revenues by helping him or her to achieve an independent economic status and/or by remitting part of the agreed-upon compensation, and (b) to the obligation of the state treasury (bayt al-mal) to finance the freeing of slaves in accordance with the Quranic principle - enunciated in 9:60 - that the revenues obtained through the obligatory tax called zakah are to be utilized, among other purposes, "for the freeing of human beings from bondage" (fi r-riqab, an expression explained in surah 2 note 146). Hence, Zamakhshari holds that the above clause is addressed not merely to persons owning slaves but to the community as a whole - The expression "the wealth of God" contains an allusion to the principle that "God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return" (9:111) - implying that all of man's possessions are vested in God, and that man is entitled to no more than their usufruct.
Peace and Blessings to Kevin and Boustany for an interesting discussion on The Holly Quran.
I am far from being a scholar..and in my humble view I note that the arabic language is vtal to approach the Quran.
The study of the Life of the Prophet on whom there be peace is also very important.
Knowledge acquired externally is one source based on the scientific approach..and then there is knowledge that filters though a process of an internal .".touching our soull.".or through intuition..or through inspiration..or through real dreams..it requires a pure soul..free from egotistic and sensory clouding.
Then finally we need a historical context and collaborative information of the Past Scholars such as Imam Gazalli ra.
And God Almighty Knows Best...thxu
Salaam all, this is Marwan. Thank you Kevin for being gracious and professional.
I'd like to share a couple of links and add some information I could not share with Kevin near the end as time was running out. First the links:
The 2nd edition of the book on amazon is:
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guidance-according-Quran-Returning-rightful-ebook/dp/B0C6L1G63X
USA: https://www.amazon.com/Guidance-according-Quran-Returning-rightful-ebook/dp/B0C6L1G63X
For some reason the 1st edition is still up there.
For free versions [PDF and Ebook]:
https://www.detailedquran.com/
The Koran is a mishmash of Judaism, Monophysite heretical Christianity & local Arab religion. Muhammad is a false prophet & Dr Barrett should know better than to adhere to a false religion. There is only one true religion & that is traditional Catholicism, independent of apostate Rome since the Judeo-Masonic overthrow of the papacy in 1958, as whitesmoke1958.com gives abundant evidence of.
a welcome tonic. there are wonderful hadiths (the Prophet's musings on the apocalypse, djal were a focus at the recent Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Toronto) but many Muslims read the Quran just for tajweed and beauty of recitation, not bothering with wrestling with the meaning. And while I admire those who memorize the entire Quran, often without understanding 90%, I think in depth study of a part is more helpful.
Muhammad Asad's commentary (banned by Saudis) is much better for nonscholar readers than going straight to hadiths for understanding. He refers to hadiths but they are secondary.
There were some verses I wanted to mention from my book which give a strong statement in support of using only the Qur'an but I did not get a chance, so I will add these below. They can be found in section 7.4 of the book.
وَكَيْفَ يُحَكِّمُونَكَ وَعِندَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَمَا أُولَـٰئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّـهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
وَكَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهَا أَنَّ النَّفْسَ بِالنَّفْسِ وَالْعَيْنَ بِالْعَيْنِ وَالْأَنفَ بِالْأَنفِ وَالْأُذُنَ بِالْأُذُنِ وَالسِّنَّ بِالسِّنِّ وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ فَمَن تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَّهُ وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ فَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
But how is it that they come to you for judgement while they have the Taurat, in which is the judgement of Allah? Then they turn away, [even] after that; but those are not [in fact] believers. [a]
Indeed, We sent down/revealed the Taurat, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers. [b]
And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. [b]
(5:43-45)
[a] The context here is of the Jews, with an example of them openly not judging by what they claim was sent down/revealed to them.
[i] We must note the context of the Jews ignoring some of what was sent down/revealed to them, throwing away a part and adding their own opinions with the Mishna (Talmud). So, they regularly did not judge by whatever they still had of the revelation.
[ii] In (5:43) we even have the contemporaneous evidence at the time of the messenger where they came to him for a judgement while they claimed they had the book.
[b] The Arabic (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) is perfectly general and acts as the general principle demonstrated by the specific example it follows.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
وَقَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الْإِنجِيلِ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ فِيهِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Taurat; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Taurat as guidance and instruction for the righteous.
And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed therein. [a] And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. [b]
(5:46-47)
[a] The context here is the Christians. People that made up lies about Isa/Jesus and followed those instead of the revelation he came with.
[b] The Arabic (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) is perfectly general and acts as the general principle demonstrated by the specific example it follows.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ
لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّـهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللَّـهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
وَأَنِ احْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَن بَعْضِ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ أَن يُصِيبَهُم بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ لَفَاسِقُونَ
أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
And We have sent down/revealed to you the Book with the truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a guardian over it [a]. So judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. [b]
To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.
And judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has sent down/revealed to you. [b] And if they turn away - then know that Allah only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
Then is it the judgement of ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in judgement for a people who are certain? [c]
(5:48-50)
[a] After the previous two people and revelations, Allah tells us that he has sent down/revealed the revelation that confirms and distinguishes the true and the false in what remains of the previous revelations. We have the link/continuity between what preceded and what came at the end.
[b] Now it switches back to all of the Jews and Christians (and any others) with “them” and tells the messenger to judge between them by the Qur’an alone.
[i] (وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down/revealed) from the previous ayaat changes to (احْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ - judge between them by what Allah has sent down/revealed). From a general law contrasted with a people that broke it (Jews and Christians) to a direct command to the messenger to only judge by what has been revealed.
[ii] Allah tells us ((وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَن بَعْضِ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْكَ) - beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has sent down/revealed to you). A key counterpart to the message of [b][i], judge only by what has been revealed and beware of those who try to get you to move away from the revelation to judge by some other source.
[c] Allah tells us that seeking judgement by other than what is sent down/revealed is to seek the judgement of ignorance.
[i] The term used is anzala (أَنزَلَ), this is used with the Qur’an and the previous books, but not with inspiration generally.
Summary
• (5:43-47) highlight the previous peoples not judging by what has been revealed to them and corrects them by saying that anyone who does not judge by what has been revealed has erred.
• (5:48-49) then brings it to the time of the final messenger and reiterates that he must judge them by what he was sent and he must never deviate from that.
• (5:50) culminates with telling us that to judge by other than what Allah has revealed is ignorance.
On the final topics of Slavery and Concubinage, I would refer the interested reader to section 9.5.22 of the freely available ebook on https://www.detailedquran.com/. I would recommend the whole section, but for just one reference and discussion i would put the following:
In the english translation you will find [a] etc and [43] etc, there refer to discussion below the verse.
وَأَنكِحُوا الْأَيَامَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّـهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّـهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا لِّتَبْتَغُوا عَرَضَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَن يُكْرِههُّنَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ مِن بَعْدِ إِكْرَاهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And (you [pl.]) marry the unmarried among you (pl.) [42] and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves [43] [a]. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty [b], and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.
But let them who find not [the opportunity for] marriage abstain [c] [from marriage/marital relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract from among MMA* [d] - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness [46] [e] and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you (pl.) [47] [f]. And do not compel your slave girls to fornication [g], if they desire chastity/protection/marriage [h] [from/with you], to seek [thereby] the apparent of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to the women], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful. [i]
(24:32-33)
* what your ‘right hand’/’authority’/’oath’ already possesses or bound you to or put you in charge of.
[a] People should marry off the free and the indentured. With (4:24-26) indicating, as I understand it, the preference for each of these groups to marry within its own.
[i] There is no indication that sex outside of marriage with slaves/servants is allowable.
[b] See for example (9:60) as well as other verses like (2:177), (4:92), (5:89), (58:3) and (90:13) which indicate a focus on financially or otherwise facilitating indentured people transitioning from the (no longer allowed) slave state to freedom.
[i] Allah also indicates that the poor among the free should also be helped if possible.
[c] Indicates that in the case they cannot marry, they should abstain from the marital male/female relationship.
[i] [a][c] are clear indicators that sexual relations with servant/slave class is not acceptable outside of marriage.
[d] Slavery is abolished here, as it deals with the more general situation where someone is under your authority/responsibility and they ask for freedom/liberation then they are to be freed, subject to [e][f]. The contract being a statement that the one under authority/obligation has no obligation to the authority.
[e] For example, this could include those slaves that were enemy combatants, they could be a danger and keeping them in check might have been the wiser option for the Muslim community. Or perhaps some similar situation. Otherwise, there should be no barrier to the freeing of the slave/servant/bondsperson.
[f] Here the wealth to help such people from the situation they were in, being dependant and lacking resources, should come from the former master and/or the funds collected by the government (see [b])
[i] Giving them wealth, comes after already granting them their freedom. Hence payment of money to the former master is not a condition as the proponents of hadith interpretations imply.
[g] Some have translated [الْبِغَاءِ] as whoredom/prostitution [itself a derived meaning from a word that indicates excessive want]. I have translated this as fornication for 2 reasons:
[i] Prostitution/whoredom is sinful because it promotes a sin of sex outside of marriage. There is no context under which it can be allowed, and a woman agreeing to be a whore does not make it right. The traditional way this has been translated is [g][h] “do not compel your servant/slave to prostitution if they want chastity”. Implying that if they do not desire chastity, prostituting them is fine.
[ii] The Arabic fully allows it. Making a woman under your authority, that is not your wife, have sex with you is in fact making her a whore for you [if she willingly submits] or is rape. It is in any case, fornication.
[iii] Whoredom I believe could legitimately fall under causing corruption in the land and result in severe punishment.
[h] I understand this as: a man using a vulnerable woman’s want of the protection of the marital relationship, as a basis of exploiting them sexually.
[i] For example, if the woman desires marriage/protection/chastity and the man in authority makes it seem like she may get this if she first has sex with him for some time.
[i] In the case that a woman in a vulnerable position, and against her will, engages in fornication, then Allah is merciful to them. The one who compels them may not hope for such mercy.
For reference, Muhammad Asad commentary:
42: I.e., from among the free members of the community, as is evident from the subsequent juxtaposition with slaves. (As most of the classical commentators point out, this is not an injunction but a recommendation to the community as a whole: hence my interpolation of the words, "you ought to".) The term ayyim - of which ayama is the plural - signifies a person of either sex who has no spouse, irrespective of whether he or she has never been married or is divorced or widowed. Thus, the above verse expresses the idea - reiterated in many authentic sayings of the Prophet - that, from both the ethical and the social points of view, the married state is infinitely preferable to celibacy.
43: The term as-salihin connotes here both moral and physical fitness for marriage: i.e., the attainment of bodily and mental maturity as well as mutual affection between the man and the woman concerned. As in 4:25, the above verse rules out all forms of concubinage and postulates marriage as the only basis of lawful sexual relations between a man and his female slave.
46: The noun kitab is, in this context, an equivalent of kitabah or mukatabah (lit., "mutual agreement in writing"), a juridical term signifying a "deed of freedom" or "of manumission" executed on the basis of an agreement between a slave and his or her owner, to the effect that the slave undertakes to purchase his or her freedom for an equitable sum of money payable in instalments before or after the manumission, or, alternatively, by rendering a clearly specified service or services to his or her owner. With this end in view, the slave is legally entitled to engage in any legitimate, gainful work or to obtain the necessary sum of money by any other lawful means (e.g., through a loan or a gift from a third person). In view of the imperative form of the verb katibuhum ("write it out for them"), the deed of manumission cannot be refused by the owner, the only pre-condition being an evidence - to be established, if necessary, by an unbiased arbiter or arbiters - of the slave's good character and ability to fulfil his or her contractual obligations. The stipulation that such a deed of manumission may not he refused, and the establishment of precise juridical directives to this end, clearly indicates that Islamic Law has from its very beginning aimed at an abolition of slavery as a social institution, and that its prohibition in modern times constitutes no more than a final implementation of that aim. (See also next note, as well as note 146 on 2:177.)
47: According to all the authorities, this relates (a) to a moral obligation on the part of the owner to promote the slave's efforts to obtain the necessary revenues by helping him or her to achieve an independent economic status and/or by remitting part of the agreed-upon compensation, and (b) to the obligation of the state treasury (bayt al-mal) to finance the freeing of slaves in accordance with the Quranic principle - enunciated in 9:60 - that the revenues obtained through the obligatory tax called zakah are to be utilized, among other purposes, "for the freeing of human beings from bondage" (fi r-riqab, an expression explained in surah 2 note 146). Hence, Zamakhshari holds that the above clause is addressed not merely to persons owning slaves but to the community as a whole - The expression "the wealth of God" contains an allusion to the principle that "God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return" (9:111) - implying that all of man's possessions are vested in God, and that man is entitled to no more than their usufruct.