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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: for then, behold, they are free of all blame
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
except with their wives or those ˹bondwomen˺ in their possession, for then they are free from blame,
Safi Kaskas   
except with their wives or with those whom their right hands held in trust, for which they will not be blamed.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
إِلَّا عَلَىٰۤ أَزۡوَ ٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَیۡمَـٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَیۡرُ مَلُومِینَ ۝٦
Transliteration (2021)   
illā ʿalā azwājihim aw mā malakat aymānuhum fa-innahum ghayru malūmīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Except from their spouses or what they possess rightfully then indeed, they (are) not blameworthy.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: for then, behold, they are free of all blame
M. M. Pickthall   
Save from their wives or the (slaves) that their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
except with their wives or those ˹bondwomen˺ in their possession, for then they are free from blame,
Safi Kaskas   
except with their wives or with those whom their right hands held in trust, for which they will not be blamed.
Wahiduddin Khan   
except with their wives, and what their right hands possess for then they are free from blame
Shakir   
Except before their mates or those whom their right hands possess, for they surely are not blameable
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
but from their spouses or from what their right hands possessed. Truly, they are ones who are irreproachable.
T.B.Irving   
except with their spouses and whomever their right hands may control, since then they are free from blame.
Abdul Hye   
except from their wives or what their right hands (legally) possess, verily they are free from blame
The Study Quran   
save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
Except with their spouses or dependents, for they aren’t to be blamed.
Talal Itani (2012)   
Except from their spouses, or their dependents—for then they are free from blame
Dr. Kamal Omar   
except in relation to their marital partners or those whom their right hands held in trust (as milk-e-yameen marital partner under a document of state) — then surely they are outside those who are under blame (of committing anything undesirable)
M. Farook Malik   
except with their spouses or those who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blame
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Except from their spouses and what their right hands possess, then surely they are not blameworthy. (literally: other than being blameworthy
Muhammad Sarwar   
except with their spouses and slave-girls. The practice of carnal relations is lawful with them
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
except from their wives or from those (bondwomen who are) owned by their hands, as they are not to be blamed
Shabbir Ahmed   
Not giving way to their desires with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they each other rightfully possess. Behold, they are free of all blame. (4:3), (4:24), (4:25), (24:32.
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Except with their wives and those their right hands possess. For that, they deserve no blame
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Except with those united to them by the bond of marriage, or (those) whom their right hands possess— For them, they are free from blame
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Except around their mates, or those who are their dependants, they are free from blame
Abdel Haleem   
except with their spouses or their slaves––with these they are not to blame
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Save in regard to their spouses and those whom their right hands own: so they are not blameworthy
Ahmed Ali   
Except from their wives and women slaves of old are free of blame
Aisha Bewley   
except from their wives or those they own as slaves, in which case they are not blameworthy;
Ali Ünal   
Save from their spouses or (as a permission for men) those (bondsmaids) whom their right hands possess, for with regard to them they are free from blame
Ali Quli Qara'i   
(except from their spouses or their slave women, for then they are not blameworthy
Hamid S. Aziz   
Except for with those joined with them in marriage or the captive whom their right hand possesses, for then, verily, they are free from blame
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
except with their spouses or what they own, then indeed they are blameless,
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Except with their mates, or those whom their right hands possess, for in their case they are free from blame
Musharraf Hussain   
except from their spouses or their slaves, in which case they are free from blame –
Maududi   
save from their wives, or those whom their right hands possess; for with regard to them they are free from blame "
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Except around their mates, or those who are maintained by their oaths, they are free from blame
Mohammad Shafi   
Except from their spouses or from those whom they rightfully possess. For indulging in sex with them, they are, of course, not to be blamed

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
But from their wives or lawful handmaids who are the property of their hand for (in their case) they are not to be blamed.
Rashad Khalifa   
Only with their spouses, or those who are rightfully theirs, do they have sexual relations; they are not to be blamed.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
except with their wives and what their right hand possess, and then they are not blamed
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Except in the presence of their mates or those whom their right hands possess, for such surely are not blameable
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
Except on (to) their spouses or what their rights/oaths owned/possessed (i.e. caregivers under contract), so they truly are not blameworthy/blamed
Bijan Moeinian   
The believers are those who have sex only with their own wives based upon divine laws
Faridul Haque   
Except from their wives or the legal bondwomen that they possess, for then there is no blame upon them
Sher Ali   
Except from their wives or what their right hands possess, for then they are not to be blamed
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
Except from their wives or those slave-girls who are the possessions of their hands. (If they go to them according to the Islamic injunctions,) there is surely no blame on them
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Except from their spouses, that is those whom they justly and rightfully own in proper wedlock, in that case they are not to be blamed
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
save from their wives and what their right hands own then being not blameworth
George Sale   
except their wives, or the captives which their right hands possess; -- for as to them they shall be blameless
Edward Henry Palmer   
except for their wives or what their right hands possess for then, verily, they are not to be blamed;
John Medows Rodwell   
(Save with their wives, or the slaves whom their right hands possess: for in that case they shall be free from blame
N J Dawood (2014)   
(except with their wives and slave-girls, for with them they are blameless

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
except with their marital conjoints or with that their right hands possess, for they truly are not susceptible to blame.
Munir Mezyed   
Except from their wives or those whom their right hands possess, for indeed, they won’t be held responsible for a fault or wrong-
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
Except with regard to their partners and those in their possession, for then they are not to blame.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
…except with their spouses or whom their right hands possess [after they are freed and married], and then indeed they are free from blame.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
except from their spouses or those whom they rightfully possess—for then they are free from blame.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
except with their spouses and whomever their right hands may control (slaves), since then they are free from blame.
Samy Mahdy   
Except upon their spouses, or what their right hands owned, so they are not being blamed.
Sayyid Qutb   
except with those joined to them in marriage, or those whom they rightfully possess for then, they are free of all blame,
Ahmed Hulusi   
Except from their spouses or what their right hands possess... For they are not condemned.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
Save from their wives or the (slaves) that their right hands possess, for then verily they are not blameworthy
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
But absolved are they to satisfy their instinctive sexual desire with those to whom they are matrimonially united or with those whom they choose to marry from those on hand -and there they incur no blame
Mir Aneesuddin   
and those who guard their private parts

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Except from their spouses or what they rightfully possess then indeed, they (are) not blameworthy
OLD Transliteration   
Illa AAala azwajihim aw ma malakat aymanuhum fa-innahum ghayru maloomeena