What does « Widow / Single » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Widow / Single (أيم) in the Quran, with 1 verse in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

أيم

Widow / Single

Root: ء - م

Creed (aqida) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of Widow / Single

Al-ayyim: the woman without a husband, whether virgin or widow.

Tâmat: she became without a husband.

Allah says: 'And marry the unmarried (ayâmâ) among you' (An-Nûr: 32).

This also applies to a man without a wife.

Widow / Single in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 0 Medinan: 1

Surah An-Nur : 32 Medinan

﴿وَأَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْأَيَٰمَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَآئِكُمْ إِن يَكُونُوا۟ فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾

And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.