Surah 4. An-Nisa'
(Women)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1. O
mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single
person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered
(like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through
whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That
bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.
2. To orphans restore
their property (When they reach their age), nor substitute (your)
worthless things for (their) good ones; and devour not their substance
(by mixing it up) with your own. For this is indeed a great sin.
3. If ye fear that ye
shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of
your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall
not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive)
that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent
you from doing injustice.
4. And give the women
(on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their
own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy
it with right good cheer.
5. To those weak of understanding
Make not over your property, which Allah hath made a means of support
for you, but feed and clothe them therewith, and speak to them words
of kindness and justice.
6. Make trial of orphans
until they reach the age of marriage; if then ye find sound judgment
in them, release their property to them; but consume it not wastefully,
nor in haste against their growing up. If the guardian is well-off,
Let him claim no remuneration, but if he is poor, let him have for
himself what is just and reasonable. When ye release their property
to them, take witnesses in their presence: But all-sufficient is
Allah in taking account.
7. From what is left
by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and
a share for women, whether the property be small or large,-a determinate
share.
8. But if at the time
of division other relatives, or orphans or poor, are present, feed
them out of the (property), and speak to them words of kindness
and justice.
9. Let those (disposing
of an estate) have the same fear in their minds as they would have
for their own if they had left a helpless family behind: Let them
fear Allah, and speak words of appropriate (comfort).
10. Those who unjustly
eat up the property of orphans, eat up a Fire into their own bodies:
They will soon be enduring a Blazing Fire!
11. Allah (thus) directs
you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion
equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their
share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is
a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if
the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are
the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers
(or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases
('s) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether
your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These
are settled portions ordained by Allah. and Allah is All-knowing,
All-wise.
12. In what your wives
leave, your share is a half, if they leave no child; but if they
leave a child, ye get a fourth; after payment of legacies and debts.
In what ye leave, their share is a fourth, if ye leave no child;
but if ye leave a child, they get an eighth; after payment of legacies
and debts. If the man or woman whose inheritance is in question,
has left neither ascendants nor descendants, but has left a brother
or a sister, each one of the two gets a sixth; but if more than
two, they share in a third; after payment of legacies and debts;
so that no loss is caused (to any one). Thus is it ordained by Allah.
and Allah is All-knowing, Most Forbearing.
13. Those are limits
set by Allah. those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted
to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever)
and that will be the supreme achievement.
14. But those who disobey
Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted
to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.
15. If any of your women
are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses
from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them
to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some
(other) way.
16. If two men among
you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and
amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.
17. Allah accept the
repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards;
to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge
and wisdom.
18. Of no effect is
the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces
one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those
who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment
most grievous.
19. O ye who believe!
Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should
ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the
dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of
open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness
and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike
a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.
20. But if ye decide
to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter
a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back: Would
ye take it by slander and manifest wrong?
21. And how could ye
take it when ye have gone in unto each other, and they have Taken
from you a solemn covenant?
22. And marry not women
whom your fathers married,- except what is past: It was shameful
and odious,- an abominable custom indeed.
23. Prohibited to you
(For marriage) are:- Your mothers, daughters, sisters; father's
sisters, Mother's sisters; brother's daughters, sister's daughters;
foster-mothers (Who gave you suck), foster-sisters; your wives'
mothers; your step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your
wives to whom ye have gone in,- no prohibition if ye have not gone
in;- (Those who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your
loins; and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except
for what is past; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful;-
24. Also (prohibited
are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess:
Thus hath Allah ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for
these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage)
with gifts from your property,- desiring chastity, not lust, seeing
that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least)
as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually
(to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-knowing,
All-wise.
25. If any of you have
not the means wherewith to wed free believing women, they may wed
believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess:
And Allah hath full knowledge about your faith. Ye are one from
another: Wed them with the leave of their owners, and give them
their dowers, according to what is reasonable: They should be chaste,
not lustful, nor taking paramours: when they are taken in wedlock,
if they fall into shame, their punishment is half that for free
women. This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin; but
it is better for you that ye practise self-restraint. And Allah
is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
26. Allah doth wish
to make clear to you and to show you the ordinances of those before
you; and (He doth wish to) turn to you (In Mercy): And Allah is
All-knowing, All-wise.
27. Allah doth wish
to Turn to you, but the wish of those who follow their lusts is
that ye should turn away (from Him),- far, far away.
28. Allah doth wish
to lighten your (difficulties): For man was created Weak (in flesh).
29. O ye who believe!
Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there
be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or
destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!
30. If any do that in
rancour and injustice,- soon shall We cast them into the Fire: And
easy it is for Allah.
31. If ye (but) eschew
the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, We
shall expel out of you all the evil in you, and admit you to a gate
of great honour.
32. And in no wise covet
those things in which Allah Hath bestowed His gifts More freely
on some of you than on others: To men is allotted what they earn,
and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah
hath full knowledge of all things.
33. To (benefit) every
one, We have appointed shares and heirs to property left by parents
and relatives. To those, also, to whom your right hand was pledged,
give their due portion. For truly Allah is witness to all things.
34. Men are the protectors
and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength)
than the other, and because they support them from their means.
Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in
(the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to
those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish
them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat
them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against
them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above
you all).
35. If ye fear a breach
between them twain, appoint (two) arbiters, one from his family,
and the other from hers; if they wish for peace, Allah will cause
their reconciliation: For Allah hath full knowledge, and is acquainted
with all things.
36. Serve Allah, and
join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk,
orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who
are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet),
and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant,
the vainglorious;-
37. (Nor) those who
are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others, or hide the bounties
which Allah hath bestowed on them; for We have prepared, for those
who resist Faith, a punishment that steeps them in contempt;-
38. Not those who spend
of their substance, to be seen of men, but have no faith in Allah
and the Last Day: If any take the Evil One for their intimate, what
a dreadful intimate he is!
39. And what burden
Were it on them if they had faith in Allah and in the Last Day,
and they spent out of what Allah hath given them for sustenance?
For Allah hath full knowledge of them.
40. Allah is never unjust
in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it,
and giveth from His own presence a great reward.
41. How then if We brought
from each people a witness, and We brought thee as a witness against
these people!
42. On that day those
who reject Faith and disobey the apostle will wish that the earth
Were made one with them: But never will they hide a single fact
from Allah.
43. O ye who believe!
Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand
all that ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (Except
when travelling on the road), until after washing your whole body.
If ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices
of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no
water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith
your faces and hands. For Allah doth blot out sins and forgive again
and again.
44. Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to those who were given a portion of the Book? they traffic
in error, and wish that ye should lose the right path.
45. But Allah hath full
knowledge of your enemies: Allah is enough for a protector, and
Allah is enough for a Helper.
46. Of the Jews there
are those who displace words from their (right) places, and say:
"We hear and we disobey"; and "Hear what is not Heard"; and "Ra'ina";
with a twist of their tongues and a slander to Faith. If only they
had said: "What hear and we obey"; and "Do hear"; and "Do look at
us"; it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah
hath cursed them for their Unbelief; and but few of them will believe.
47. O ye People of the
Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed, confirming what was
(already) with you, before We change the face and fame of some (of
you) beyond all recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them
as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of Allah Must
be carried out.
48. Allah forgiveth
not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything
else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise
a sin Most heinous indeed.
49. Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to those who claim sanctity for themselves? Nay-but Allah
Doth sanctify whom He pleaseth. But never will they fail to receive
justice in the least little thing.
50. Behold! how they
invent a lie against Allah. but that by itself is a manifest sin!