Surah 4. An-Nisaa', Ayah 26

An allusion to the genuine religious teachings of the past, which aimed at bringing about a harmony between man's physical nature and the demands of his spirit - a harmony which is destroyed whenever asceticism is postulated as the only possible alternative to licentiousness (see also surah {2}, note [118]). This allusion arises from the discussion of sexual morality in the preceding passages devoted to marital relations.