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sura an - nisa,
(the women)
section one
responsibilities of the guardians of orphans
respect for the ties of relationship ö care of orphans' property
conditional polygamy permitted ö warning against embezzlement of orphans' property.
in the name of allah, the beneficent, the merciful
1. " o' people! be in awe of your lord, who created you from a single soul and
from it created its mate and spread from them (the couple) many
men and women.
and be in awe of allah through whom you demand one of another,
as well as any ties of kinship;
surely allah is watching over you."
commentary:
challenge against unjust discrimination.
the first verse of this sura addresses all human beings. the content
of this verse is a message to mankind as a whole. it invites them to piety
and being in awe of allah. it says:
" o' people! be in awe of your lord, ..."
then, to introduce the lord who is aware of all deeds of human
beings, it points to one of his attributes which is the origin of the unity of
human race. it says:
"... who created you from a single soul ..."
the phrase ` a single soul ' refers to the first human being whom the
qur'an introduces as ` 'adam ', the father of all human beings. the
application of the term /bani'adam/ `the children of 'adam' in the qur'an
refers to this meaning, too.
then, in the next sentence, it says:
"... and from it created its mate ..."
this means that he created adam's wife from his nature, not from
the limbs of his body. basing on a tradition from imam baqir (a.s.), the
creation of eve from one of the ribs of adam has intensely been rejected,
and it has been stipulated that eve was created from the rest of adam's
clay.
in the next verse, it continues saying:
"... and spread from them (the couple) many men and women. ..."
this idea leads to the comprehension that the multiplying of the race
of the children of adam has been performed only through adam and his
wife, and no other creature has had any hand in it.
then, for the sake of the importance that piety has in the structure
of the foundation of a safe and sound society, again it invites people to
observing piety. it advises people to be in awe of allah, the one who is
great in their view, so that when they want to demand something from
others, they apply his name. it says:
"... and be in awe of allah through whom you demand one of another, ..."
and it adds that:
"... as well as any ties of kinship, ..."
mentioning this subject here is a sign of an extraordinary importance
that the qur'an maintains for strengthening blood-kinship.
at the end of the verse, it says:
"... surely allah is watching over you."
that is, he sees all your deeds and intentions and, by the way, he
protects you against unpleasant adventures.
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