4. An-Nisaa

And on his authority from Ibn 'Abbas on Allah's saying: (O mankind!) [he said:] 'This is an expression of general applicability, but it could also be of particular applicability. (Be careful of your duty to your Lord) obey your Lord (Who created you) by means of copulation (from a single soul) from the soul of Adam alone, for the soul of Eve was included in his (and from it) from the soul of Adam (created its mate) Eve (and from them twain has spread abroad) He created through the copulation of Adam and Eve (a multitude of men and women) scores of human beings: male and female. (Be careful of your duty towards Allah) obey Allah (in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one another) your stuff and rights by Allah's right, (and towards the wombs (that bare you)) and also by the right of kinship and filiation; or it could also mean: keep the ties of kinship and do not sever them. (Lo! Allah hath been a Watcher over you) He has been a Protector: He shall ask you about that which He has commanded you of acts of obedience and keeping ties of kinship.

(Give unto orphans their wealth) which is with you when they reach the legal age. (Exchange not the good for the bad (in your management)) do not consume their wealth which is prohibited for you while leaving your own wealth which is lawful for you (nor absorb their wealth into your own wealth) by mixing them. (Lo! That) wrongfully consuming the wealth of the orphan (would be a great sin) which will be met by Allah's punishment. This was revealed about a man from Ghatafan who had in his possession a great amount of wealth that belonged to his orphaned nephew. When this verse was revealed he decided to separate the wealth of his nephew from his own for fear of committing a sin. Allah then revealed the following:

(And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans) and if you fear that you will not preserve orphans' wealth, you should also fear not dealing fairly with women in relation to providing sustenance and apportionment. This was because they used to marry as many women as they liked, as many as nine or ten. Qays Ibn al-Harth for example had eight wives. Allah forbade them from doing so and prohibited them from marrying more than four wives, saying: (marry of the women, who seem good to you) marry that which Allah has made lawful for you, (two or three or four) marry one, two, three or four but do not marry more than four wives; (and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice) to four wives in relation to apportionment and providing sustenance (then one (only)) then marry only one free woman (or that your right hands possess) of captives, and in that case you do not owe them any apportionment, and they need not observe any waiting period. (Thus it) marrying just one woman (is more likely that ye will not do injustice) that you will not incline to some at the expense of others or that you transgress regarding the provision of sustenance and apportionment to four wives.

(And give unto the women, (whom ye marry) free gift) as an obligation from Allah upon you (of their marriage portions) their dowries; (but if they of their own accord remit unto you a part thereof) if they make lawful for you to take some of the dowry, (then ye are welcome to absorb it (in your wealth)) there is no blame or sin on you if you do so. Before Islam, men used to marry without giving any dowry to their wives.

(Give not unto the foolish) do not give to those who are ignorant of the rights of women and children (your wealth which Allah hath given you to maintain) as a means of living; (but feed and clothe them from it) be yourselves responsible for feeding and clothing them, for you know better than them the right thing to do concerning sustenance and alms giving, (and speak kindly unto them) if you do not have anything to give them, promise them that you will clothe them and give to them.

(Prove orphans) test the intelligence of orphans (till they reach the marriageable age) the age of puberty; (then, if ye find them of) if you see that they possess (sound judgement) righteousness in Religion and a tendency to protect their wealth, (deliver over unto them their fortune) then give their wealth which is with you; (and devour it not squandering) it in transgression and unlawfully (and in haste) in haste lest the orphan grows older and consumes it little by little (lest they should grow up) for fear that they grow older and stop you from devouring their wealth. (Whoso (of the guardians) is rich) and needs not the orphan's wealth, (let him abstain generously) because of his richness from taking of the property of orphans, nor should he diminish anything from their wealth; (and whoso is poor) and needy (let him take thereof in reason (for his guardianship)) in measure, such that he is not in need for the wealth of orphans; it is also said that this means: he should take from the wealth of orphans in proportion with the measure of his work regarding this wealth; and it is also said that this means: he can take from the wealth of orphans as a loan to be paid back. (And when ye deliver up their fortune unto orphans) when they reach the legal age, (have (the transaction) witnessed in their presence) when you deliver it to them. (Allah sufficeth as a Reckoner) Allah suffices as a witness. This verse was revealed about Thabit Ibn Rifa'ah al-Ansari.

(And when kinsfolk) who are not entitled to receive a share of the inheritance (and orphans) the orphans of believers before the division of the inheritance (and the needy) the needy among believers (are present at the division) of the heritage, (bestow on them there from) give them something of the inheritance before you proceed to divide it upon those who are entitled to receive it (and speak kindly unto them) if the inheritor has not yet reached the age of puberty, by promising them to speak to the inheritor about giving them something.

(And let those) who visit a sick person and enjoin him to bequeath more than a third of his inheritance (fear (in their behaviour toward orphans)) the ruin of the children of this sick person after he dies (who if they left behind them) after they die (weak offspring) unable to fend for themselves (would be afraid for them) to face ruin. Just as they would fear ruin for their own children, they ought to fear ruin for the children of any deceased person; it is also said that this means: enjoin the person who is on his deathbed that which you would enjoin yourself; and fear for the loss of his children if he were to die, as you would fear for the loss of your own children if you were to die. This is because they were in the habit of visiting people who were on their deathbeds and enjoining them to give their property to this and that person until nothing was left for their own children, so Allah prohibited them from so doing. Then Allah said: (So let them mind their duty to Allah) let them fear Allah regarding the bequeathing of more than a third of the inheritance to those who are not entitled to inheritance, (and speak) to the person who is sick [expecting to die] (justly) about his will.

(Lo! Those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully) extortionately, (they do but swallow fire into their bellies) i.e. that which is unlawful; it is also said that this means: Allah will place fire in their bellies on the Day of Judgement (and they will be exposed to burning flame) a blazing fire in the Hereafter. This verse was revealed about Hanzalah Ibn Shamardal.