An-Nisa
4th chapter of the Qur'an
An-Nisa' (Arabic: ٱلنِّسَاء, An-Nisāʾ; meaning: The Women) is the fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses (āyāt). The title derives from the references to women throughout the chapter, including verse 34 and verses 4:127-130.
In the timing and contextual background of the surah in tradition, it is thought to have been revealed around the fourth year of the Hijrah, although some verses may have come from other times. This would make it a Medinan surah, which came after the flight to Medina.
Summary
1 Man and his Creator
2 Orphans, the duty of guardians to such
3–6 Treat your wives and those your right hands possess fairly
7–13 The law of inheritance
14–15 The punishment of adulteresses
16–18 Repentance enjoined
19 Women's rights
20–27 Forbidden and lawful degrees in marriage
28–30 Gambling, rapine, and suicide forbidden
31–33 Men and women will be rewarded according to their deeds
34 Reconcilement of man and wife
35–36 Parents, orphans, the poor etc. to be kindly treated
37–41 Hypocrisy in almsgiving condemned
42-43 Prayer forbidden to the drunken and polluted
44–45 Jewish mockers denounced
46–53 Idolatry the unpardonable sin
54–55 The rewards of faith and unbelief
56 Trusts to be faithfully paid back
57–68 Disputes to be settled by God and his Apostle
69–74 Precautions etc., in warring for the faith
75–84 The disobedient and cowardly reproved
85 Salutations to be returned
86–90 Treatment of hypocrites and apostates
91–93 Believers not to be slain or plundered
94–99 Believers in heathen countries to fly to Muslim lands
100–102 Special order for prayer in time of war
103 Exhortation to zeal for Islam
104–114 Fraud denounced
115–125 Idolatry and Islam compared
126 Equity in dealing with women and orphans enjoined
127–129 Men are protectors of women
130–132 God to be feared
133 Fraud denounced
134–138 Muslims exhorted to steadfastness
139–143 Hypocrites to be shunned
144–151 The reward of hypocrisy and belief compared
152–154 Presumptuous and disobedient Jews destroyed
155–158 The Jews defame Mary and Jesus
159–160 Certain kinds of food forbidden to Jews as punishment
161–168 Muhammad’s inspiration like that of other prophets
169–174 Christians reproved for their faith in Jesus as the Son of God and in the doctrine of the Trinity
175–176 The law of inheritance for distant relatives
This Medinan surah aims at protecting the newly formed Muslim community by outlining acceptable behavior for Muslims. It illustrates the Quran's role as an authoritative legal source and its ability to shape the community. The surah aims to eradicate the earlier practices of pagan, Arab communities that are no longer considered moral in the Muslim society. For example, the section of this surah about dealing fairly with orphan girls (4:2-4) addresses the pre-Islamic Arabic practice of marrying orphan girls to take their property.
Shirk (refer 4:48 and 4:116) is held to be the worst form of disbelief, and it is identified in the Quran as the only sin that God will not pardon.
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