Understanding
the 1-6 verses of the 4th Chapter ‘the women’ in the Quran.
A whole
chapter in the Quran is dedicated to ‘women’. The title of the 4th
chapter in the Quran is ‘the women’, which is called ‘An Nisaa’ in Arabic. Women should feel good about this. Allah has
given them special reference so that the rights of women are protected and they
are given the respect that they deserve. There is no chapter in the Quran with
the title “the men”.
Apart from
women, this verse mentions the orphans in its verses from 1to 6.
Let us try
to understand what these six verses teach us.
VERSE 1
Primarily
Allah addresses the whole of mankind as He states, “O people, who fear your
Creator.” This is clear enough to understand that Allah is addressing the whole
of mankind.
Then Allah
tells us that He has made all of the mankind from one single human being, i.e.
Adam alayhissalaam and from him he has scattered many men and women on the
earth.
This
explains that we all are from human race and not from the apes as
presented in the theory of evolution.
Moreover, we
all are from a single pair of parents, hence are related to each other.
The family units today are an extension of the family of Adam and Eve who
were originally created.
This further
clarifies that the natural marriage is of a male and female and not the
so called same-sex marriages that have ruined the sanctity of this pure and
healthy relationship.
Allah tells
us that we must fear Him as He is the One Whom we take oath upon in our dealings
and relations and He is very close to us, watching us.
This first
verse is preparing us to understand who we are, how all of us are related
to each other and that Allah is the one who has created us and is ever
watching.
This verse is also a part of sermons especially the sermon of Nikah.
VERSE 2
Now before
talking about women in particular, the next verse talks about orphans.
This verse
talks about giving the orphans their property and not to change bad with good
things. The guardian is being told to hand over the wealth or property or
anything that he took under his care to the orphans when they reach the age of
maturity.
The guardian
of the orphan is warned not to usurp their belongings by cleverly mixing them
up with their own as this is a heinous sin.
VERSE 3
In this
verse the guardian is told to do justice with the orphan girls. If he wishes to
marry then it should not be with the intention of taking over their
property or gaining some benefit from them rather this marriage should be based
on mutual love and agreement. If this is not the case then the guardian should
choose some other woman to marry. If he is able to do justice he can take 1-4
wives but if he fears that he cannot do justice then only one wife should be
taken in marriage.
The notion of polygamy is not to be misunderstood as an obligation or ruling rather it should be based on the need and should be conditional. Otherwise, in normal circumstances men are advised to take only one wife in marriage as there is a fear of injustice.
The notion of polygamy is not to be misunderstood as an obligation or ruling rather it should be based on the need and should be conditional. Otherwise, in normal circumstances men are advised to take only one wife in marriage as there is a fear of injustice.
VERSE 4
In this
verse the men are ordered to give the dower (Mahr) to their wives wholeheartedly.
If the wife gifts her husband anything from that money he is told to take it
happily. This is so that both of them live with mutual compatibility and
understanding and give each other’s rights consciously and dutifully.
VERSE 5
Here the
wisdom of handing over the wealth or property to the one who is capable and
sensible is highlighted. Allah asks the guardians not to give the money or
property to the one whom you think is not worthy in the sense of taking care of
it properly and wisely because money is something which you earn for your
sustenance and living. One should not be careless about it. In continuation,
though, Allah mentions that one must feed them and clothe them according to
their need and talk to them nicely. Given that they are not intelligent or wise
one is not supposed to behave in the same foolish manner rather should be good-natured in dealing with them.
VERSE 6
This is so
practical to see if the one you are taking care of has reached the stage where
you can now depend on him for certain tasks. This verse sheds light on such a
situation in the case of orphans. Since they are under the care of a guardian
and he is being asked to do justice to them and their property, Allah asks the
guardian to keep testing if they have reached the level at which you can now
hand them over their assets or property. You can be sure that now they can take
care of it themselves. The guardian is told to watch them and test them till
they reach the age of marriage. He is also warned not to usurp their wealth and
spend it in a hurry before they reach puberty.
The
guardians can be either wealthy or poor and needy. According to their state
Allah has asked them to deal with the orphans and their property. If the
guardian is himself needy and has no extra money to take care of the orphan he
can take from the orphan’s money as per the need.
All this
care and consideration is only possible if the person has fear of Allah.
Moreover Allah
asks the guardian to make witness over the handing over of the property so that
in future there is no confusion about the matter.
The ayah
(verse) end with the fact that Allah is enough to take account of whatever we
do. All the matters related to women and family life and guardian ship of
orphans calls for justice and good treatment and giving the rights due to the
concerned persons. This is only possible if we have the fear of Allah and we realize
that Allah is Watchful and enough to take account of our dealing.