Transliteration:( Wa yastaftoonaka finnisaaa'i qulil laahu yufteekum feehinna wa maa yutlaa 'alaikum fil Kitaabi fee yataaman nisaaa'il laatee laa tu'toonahunna maa kutiba lahunnna wa targhaboona an tankihoohunna wal mustad'a feena minal wildaani wa an taqoomoo lilyataamaa bilqist; wa maa taf'aloo min khairin fa innal laaha kaana bihee 'Aleemaa )
“And they request from you (O Muhammad) your verdict [378] concerning women. Please declare: ‘Allah gives verdict [379] to you concerning them and that which is recited to you in the Book (Qur’an) concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is prescribed for them [380] and (yet) turn your faces from marrying them [381]. And concerning the oppressed children, He has instructed you that you maintain justice [382] towards the orphans. And whatever good you do, Allah is aware of your doings [383].’”
This verse was revealed in response to pre-Islamic Arab customs where widows and orphaned daughters were denied inheritance.
If the orphan girl was beautiful, the heirs would marry her for a meagre dowry.
If she was ugly but wealthy, they would neither marry her nor let anyone else marry her, keeping control over her wealth.
This verse condemns and repudiates such pagan practices, affirming that:
Depriving girls of inheritance is a grave injustice, rooted in ignorance.
Even seeking repentance will not suffice unless human rights are restored, as it involves oppression against others.
Also, from this verse we learn that a minor girl can also be regarded as a woman in certain legal contexts.
This verse shows the importance of inheritance laws, as no other issue is explained in such detail in the Qur’an.
Hence, Allah declares: “He gives the verdict”—indicating that while many rulings are derived by scholars, the laws of inheritance are given directly by Allah Himself.
Here, Allah addresses the Muslims, reminding them of the unjust practices they were indulging in prior to Islam.
Moving forward, such acts must be abandoned completely.
Also, non-Muslims’ inheritance is to be distributed according to their religious traditions, and Islamic judges will issue rulings accordingly.
This refers to the situation where men avoided marrying orphan girls because of their lack of beauty or wealth.
Such behavior is condemned, as it reflects a materialistic mindset rather than a moral and just approach to marriage.
This includes multiple responsibilities:
Giving orphans their full rights
Not exploiting their wealth under any pretext
Avoiding cruelty or harsh treatment
Providing proper education and nurturing
In short, orphans must be treated with the same care and concern one would show their own children.
Here, “good” refers to any extra care and kindness shown to orphans beyond what is obligatory.
From this, we learn that while fulfilling obligations is essential, going above and beyond in kindness to orphans earns divine reward.
Allah is fully aware of every act of sincere goodness, even if unnoticed by others.
127. They ask your legal instruction concerning women. Say: “Allah instructs you about them, and about what is recited unto you in the Book concerning the orphan girls whom you give not what they deserve and yet whom you desire to marry, and the children who are weak and oppressed, and that you stand firm for justice to orphans. And whatever good you do, Allah is Ever All-Aware of it.
Al-Bukhari recorded that `A’ishah said about the Ayah,
(They ask your instruction concerning women. Say, “Allah instructs you about them…) until,
(whom you desire to marry…) “It is about the man who is taking care of a female orphan, being her caretaker and inheritor. Her money is joined with his money to such an extent, that she shares with him even the branch of a date that he has. So he likes (for material gain) to marry her himself, and hates to marry her to another man who would have a share in his money, on account of her share in his money. Therefore, he refuses to let her marry anyone else. So, this Ayah was revealed.” Muslim also recorded it. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `A’ishah said, “The people asked Allah’s Messenger (about orphan girls), so Allah revealed,
(They ask your instruction concerning women. Say, “Allah instructs you about them and about what is recited unto you in the Book…”) What is meant by Allah’s saying, `And about what is recited unto you in the Book’ is the former verse which said,
(If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry (other) women of your choice.)” `A’ishah said, “Allah’s statement,
(whom you desire to marry…) also refers to the desire of the guardian not to marry an orphan girl under his supervision when she lacks property or beauty. The guardians were forbidden to marry their orphan girls possessing property and beauty without being just to them, as they generally refrain from marrying them (when they are neither beautiful nor wealthy).” The basis of this is recorded in Two Sahihs. Consequently, when a man is the caretaker of a female orphan, he might like to marry her himself. In this case, Allah commands him to give her a suitable dowry that other women of her status get. If he does not want to do that, then let him marry other women, for Allah has made this matter easy for Muslims. Sometimes, the caretaker does not desire to marry the orphan under his care, because she is not attractive to his eye. In this case, Allah forbids the caretaker from preventing the female orphan from marrying another man for fear that her husband would share in the money that is mutually shared between the caretaker and the girl. `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said, “During the time of Jahiliyyah, the caretaker of a female orphan would cover her with his rope, and when he did that, no man would marry her. If she was beautiful and he desired to marry her, he married her and took control of her wealth. If she was not beautiful, he did not allow her to marry until she died, and when she died he inherited her money. Allah prohibited and outlawed this practice. ” He also said about Allah’s statement,
(and the children who are weak and oppressed,) that during the time of Jahiliyyah, they used to deny young children and females a share of inheritance. So Allah’s statement,
(you give not what they deserve) thus prohibiting this practice and designating a fixed share for each,
(To the male, a portion equal to that of two females..) whether they were young or old, as Sa`id bin Jubayr and others stated. Sa`id bin Jubayr said about Allah’s statement,
(and that you stand firm for justice to orphans.) “Just as when she is beautiful and wealthy you would want to marry her and have her for yourself, so when she is not wealthy or beautiful, marry her and have her for yourself.” Allah’s statement,
r(And whatever good you do, Allah is Ever All-Aware of it.) encourages performing the good deeds and fulfilling the commandments, and states that Allah is knowledgeable of all of this and He will reward for it in the best and most perfect manner.
(4:127) They ask you to pronounce laws concerning women,[152] say: Allah pronounces to you concerning them,[153] and reminds you of the injunctions which were recited to you in the Book about female orphans whom you do not give what has been ordained for them[154] and whom you wish to marry (out of greed)’,[155] and the commandments relating to the children who are weak and helpless.[156] Allah directs you to treat the orphans with justice. Allah is well aware of whatever good you do.
152. The actual query about women is not spelled out directly. The judgement pronounced a little later on in response to that query, however, makes it abundantly clear what the query was.
153. This is not a response to the query itself. Before attending to this, God once again emphasizes that people should implement His directives regarding orphans in general, and orphan girls in particular, as mentioned at the beginning of this surah see (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 2). above). This shows the importance of the rights of orphans in the sight of God. The protection of their rights, as we have pointed out, had already been stressed forcefully – see beginning of the surah, (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 1-14). But that was not deemed sufficient. Hence, when problems of family life came up for discussion, the question of the well-being of orphans automatically arose even before answering the questions people raised.
154. This alludes to (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 3): ‘And if you fear that you might not treat the orphans justly, then marry the women that seem good to you. ‘
155. The words of the text may be interpreted as: ‘Whom you wish to marry (out of greed)’ and also as ‘Whom you do not wish to marry.’ In explanation of this verse ‘A’ishah states that, in those days, guardians of orphan girls who had any significant inheritance from their parents used to perpetrate many wrongs on their wards. If the girl was both rich and good looking, the guardian desired to marry her and exploit both her attractiveness and wealth without either having to make the bridal-due (mahr) or even having to undertake her maintenance. If the girl was ugly, the guardian would neither marry her nor allow her to get married, for she might thus get a husband who would support her claim to her legitimate rights. See the commentary of Ibn Kathir on this verse. The tradition is quoted by Ibn Kathir from Bukhari. See also (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 3) note 4.
156. The reference here is to the injunctions regarding the protection of the rights of orphans at the beginning of the surah see (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 1-14).
[219]- i.e., their rights, in general, and their mahr, specifically.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics