Surah 4: An-Nisa (The Women)
A Medinan sura on women, family, law, and faith.
Surah 4, titled An-Nisa (The Women), is a Medinan sura that addresses a wide range of legal, social, and theological matters, with a strong emphasis on the rights and treatment of women, family law, and communal obligations. The opening passage calls all mankind to fear their Lord, who created humanity from a single soul and from it its mate (Surah 4:1). It establishes inheritance shares for both men and women (Surah 4:7), prohibits inheriting women by compulsion, and commands kind treatment of wives (Surah 4:19).
Quick Facts
- Themes addressed
- creation, inheritance, marriage, prayer, purification, hypocrisy, disbelief, prophecy
Lore & Background
The sura opens with a universal address to mankind, grounding human origin in a single soul and its mate (Surah 4:1), and immediately moves to legal prescriptions for inheritance, ensuring women receive an obligatory share (Surah 4:7). It then prohibits the pre-Islamic practice of inheriting women by compulsion and commands husbands to live with their wives in kindness, even if they dislike them (Surah 4:19). The sura also provides a graded allowance for marrying believing slave girls when free women are unattainable, with specific conditions and a reduced punishment for adultery (Surah 4:25).
Reader's Guide
The sampled passages portray Surah 4 as a legislative and theological text that balances divine authority with human responsibility. God is presented as the ultimate observer (Surah 4:1), the one who sets limits (Surah 4:13), and the source of all good (Surah 4:79). Overall, the sura presents a comprehensive system of belief and practice, with clear consequences for obedience and disobedience.
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