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Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

An-Nisa 4:127

Word by word

وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِى ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ فِى يَتَـٰمَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ ٱلَّـٰتِى لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ وَٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ وَأَن تَقُومُوا۟ لِلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمًا

And they request from you, [O Muḥammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, "Allāh gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them - and [yet] you desire to marry them - and concerning the oppressed among children and that you maintain for orphans [their rights] in justice." And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing of it.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Ruling Concerning Female Orphans

Al-Bukhari recorded that `A'ishah said about the Ayah,وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِى النِّسَآءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ(They ask your instruction concerning women. Say, "Allah instructs you about them...) until,وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ(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 ﷺ (about orphan girls), so Allah revealed,وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِى النِّسَآءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِى الْكِتَـبِ(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,وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلاَّ تُقْسِطُواْ فِى الْيَتَـمَى فَانكِحُواْ مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ النِّسَآءِ(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,وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ(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,وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَنِ(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,لاَ تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ(you give not what they deserve) thus prohibiting this practice and designating a fixed share for each,لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الاٍّنْثَيَيْنِ(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,وَأَن تَقُومُواْ لِلْيَتَـمَى بِالْقِسْطِ(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,وَمَا تَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِ عَلِيماًr(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.وَإِنِ امْرَأَةٌ خَـفَتْ مِن بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزاً أَوْ إِعْرَاضاً فَلاَ جُنَاْحَ عَلَيْهِمَآ أَن يُصْلِحَا بَيْنَهُمَا صُلْحاً وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ وَأُحْضِرَتِ الأنفُسُ الشُّحَّ وَإِن تُحْسِنُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيراً

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

1. The Qur'anic words وَتَرْ‌غَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ admit two possible translations: First, and tend to marry them," which refers to the people who, attracted to the beauty of the orphan girls, used to marry them without giving them the due rights- of a wife. The second possible translation is: and you avoid marrying them". It refers to the people who did not marry the orphan girls because of their unattractive features, but at the same time did not let them marry others, because they wanted that their wealth should remain in their hands.

At the beginning of this Surah, particular injunctions relating to orphans and women were mentioned. Also stressed there was the mandatory nature of the need to fulfill their rights. The reason was that, during the days of Jahiliyyah, some people would simply refuse to give any part of the inheritance to them, others would unlawfully eat up what they got in inheritance or through any other alternate source, still others would marry them but avoided paying full dower they were entitled to; these were practices prohibited as stated earlier. This caused different situations to arise. There were those who thought that women and children are not entitled to inherit as a matter of right - may be, this injunction had come as an expedient measure for some people only and it was likely that it will be abrogated later. Some of them even waited for this to happen. But, when there was no abrogation, they decided among themselves that they should go directly to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and ask him. This they did.

According to Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir, this very question was the reason behind the revelation of this verse and the verses which followed carried additional rulings relating to women (Bayan al-Qur'an).

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

يطلب الناس منك -أيها النبي- أن تبين لهم ما أشكل عليهم فَهْمُه من قضايا النساء وأحكامهن، قل الله تعالى يبيِّن لكم أمورهن، وما يتلى عليكم في الكتاب في يتامى النساء اللاتي لا تعطونهن ما فرض الله تعالى لهن من المهر والميراث وغير ذلك من الحقوق، وتحبون نكاحهن أو ترغبون عن نكاحهن، ويبيِّن الله لكم أمر الضعفاء من الصغار، ووجوب القيام لليتامى -وهم الذين مات آباؤهم وهم دون سن البلوغ- بالعدل وترك الجور عليهم في حقوقهم. وما تفعلوا من خير فإن الله تعالى كان به عليمًا، لا يخفى عليه شيء منه ولا من غيره.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

قال البخاري : حدثنا عبيد بن إسماعيل ، حدثنا أبو أسامة قال : حدثنا هشام بن عروة ، أخبرني أبي عن عائشة : ( ويستفتونك في النساء قل الله يفتيكم فيهن ) إلى قوله : ( وترغبون أن تنكحوهن ) قالت : هو الرجل تكون عنده اليتيمة ، هو وليها ووارثها قد شركته في ماله ، حتى في العذق ، فيرغب أن ينكحها ، ويكره أن يزوجها رجلا فيشركه في ماله بما شركته فيعضلها ، فنزلت هذه الآية .وكذلك رواه مسلم ، عن أبي كريب ، وعن أبي بكر بن أبي شيبة ، كلاهما عن أبي أسامة .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : قرأت على محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد الحكم ، أخبرنا ابن وهب ، أخبرني يونس ، عن ابن شهاب ، أخبرني عروة بن الزبير ، قالت عائشة : ثم إن الناس استفتوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بعد هذه الآية فيهن ، فأنزل الله : ( ويستفتونك في النساء قل الله يفتيكم فيهن وما يتلى عليكم في الكتاب ) الآية ، قالت : والذي ذكر الله أنه يتلى عليهم في الكتاب الآية الأولى التي قال الله [ تعالى ] ( وإن خفتم ألا تقسطوا في اليتامى فانكحوا ما طاب لكم من النساء ) [ النساء : 3 ] .وبهذا الإسناد ، عن عائشة قالت : وقول الله عز وجل : ( وترغبون أن تنكحوهن ) رغبة أحدكم عن يتيمته التي تكون في حجره حين تكون قليلة المال والجمال ، فنهوا أن ينكحوا ما رغبوا في مالها وجمالها من يتامى النساء إلا بالقسط ، من أجل رغبتهم عنهن .وأصله ثابت في الصحيحين ، من طريق يونس بن يزيد الأيلي ، به .والمقصود أن الرجل إذا كان في حجره يتيمة يحل له تزويجها ، فتارة يرغب في أن يتزوجها ، فأمره الله عز وجل أن يمهرها أسوة أمثالها من النساء ، فإن لم يفعل فليعدل إلى غيرها من النساء ، فقد وسع الله عز وجل .

وهذا المعنى في الآية الأولى التي في أول السورة . وتارة لا يكون للرجل فيها رغبة لدمامتها عنده ، أو في نفس الأمر ، فنهاه الله عز وجل أن يعضلها عن الأزواج خشية أن يشركوه في ماله الذي بينه وبينها ، كما قال علي بن أبي طلحة ، عن ابن عباس في قوله : ( في يتامى النساء [ اللاتي لا تؤتونهن ما كتب لهن وترغبون أن تنكحوهن ] ) الآية ، فكان الرجل في الجاهلية تكون عنده اليتيمة ، فيلقي عليها ثوبه ، فإذا فعل ذلك [ بها ] لم يقدر أحد أن يتزوجها أبدا ، فإن كانت جميلة وهويها تزوجها وأكل مالها ، وإن كانت دميمة منعها الرجال أبدا حتى تموت ، فإذا ماتت ورثها .

فحرم الله ذلك ونهى عنه .وقال في قوله : ( والمستضعفين من الولدان ) كانوا في الجاهلية لا يورثون الصغار ولا البنات ، وذلك قوله : ( لا تؤتونهن ما كتب لهن ) فنهى الله عن ذلك ، وبين لكل ذي سهم سهمه ، فقال : ( للذكر مثل حظ الأنثيين ) [ النساء : 11 ] صغيرا أو كبيرا .وكذا قال سعيد بن جبير وغيره ، قال سعيد بن جبير في قوله : ( وأن تقوموا لليتامى بالقسط ) كما إذا كانت ذات جمال ومال نكحتها واستأثرت بها ، كذلك إذا لم تكن ذات جمال ولا مال فانكحها واستأثر بها .وقوله : ( وما تفعلوا من خير فإن الله كان به عليما ) تهييج على فعل الخيرات وامتثال الأمر وأن الله عز وجل عالم بجميع ذلك ، وسيجزي عليه أوفر الجزاء وأتمه .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.