THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between 610 and 632 AD. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary by
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
O mankind! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul. He created its mate from it and from the two of them spread countless men and women [throughout the earth]. Fear God, in whose name you appeal to one another, and be mindful of your obligations in respect of ties of kinship. God is always watching over you. (4: 1)
All human beings are one and the same by birth. Ultimately, everyone can trace his origin to the same man and woman as father and mother. It is, therefore, necessary that all human beings should have a feeling of affinity with each other and live with fairness and goodwill like the members of one extended family. This racial unity becomes more compact in family relationships and the importance of decent behaviour among kinsfolk becomes further heightened. Good behaviour between fellow human beings is important, not merely from the moral point of view, but rather as a matter of personal concern to man himself. This is so, because everyone is governed by the Great, Almighty God, who as the Reckoner for one and all, will decide the eternal future of all human beings in the Hereafter, requiting them according to their actions in this world. Man should, therefore, not consider his dealings with others as a matter between man and man, but as a matter between man and God. He should fear the grip of God and should adhere to the bounds set by God so as to save himself from His wrath.
According to a Hadith, God proclaimed, ‘I shall associate Myself with one who strengthens the ties of kinship and detach Myself from one who severs them.’ This shows that man’s attachment to God is being tested by the criterion of his relations with other human beings. One who goes in fear of God while dealing with the rights of others, is one who truly venerates Him; one who loves other human beings, is one who really loves his Creator. The virtues of fair dealing and compassion are general requirements of human society, but so vital are they to maintaining good family relations that in importance they stand second only to God.
Give the orphans the possessions that belong to them, do not exchange good things with bad and do not consume their property, adding it to your own. Surely, this is a great crime. If you fear that you cannot deal fairly with orphan girls, you may marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then only one—or [from among] those whom you rightfully possess. That is more likely to keep you from committing an injustice. 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: 2-4)
Orphan boys and girls are the weakest members of a family or society and, therefore, dealing with them appropriately is the toughest test of one’s being imbued with the fear of God.
Orphans deserve to be treated in a manner which is just and compassionate and whereby their rights are ensured the maximum protection. It is a major sin for a joint property to be divided in such a way that some are given valuable shares, while others are given worthless shares, only for the purpose of tallying the listed items.