Women (Al-Nesaa)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ O mankind! Fear your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its spouse and from them both has spread the multitude of men and women; fear Allah in Whose name you claim (your rights from one another) and be mindful of your blood relations; indeed Allah is always seeing you. 1 And give unto the orphans their substance, and substitute not the bad for the good; and devour not their substance by adding it to your substance; verily that is a great crime. 2 If you fear that you might not treat the orphans justly, then marry the women that seem good to you: two, or three, or four. If you fear that you will not be able to treat them justly, then marry (only) one, or marry from among those whom your right hands possess. This will make it more likely that you will avoid injustice. 3 And give the women their dowers willingly, but if they, of their own accord, remit any part of it to you, you may make use of it with pleasure and goodwill. 4 Do not entrust your properties - which Allah has made a means of support for you - to the weak of understanding, but maintain and clothe them out of it, and say to them a kind word of admonition. 5 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. 6 unto males shall be a portion of that which their parents and others near of kin may leave; and unto females shall be a portion of that which their parents and other near of kin may leave, whether it be small or large, a portion allotted. 7 If other near of kin orphans and needy are pre sent at the time of division of inheritance give them some thing of it and speak to them kindly. 8 And let those [executors and guardians] fear [injustice] as if they [themselves] had left weak offspring behind and feared for them. So let them fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. 9 Lo! Those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully, they do but swallow fire into their bellies, and they will be exposed to burning flame. 10