Surah An-Nisaa
Chapter 4 · Verse 9 · Revealed in Madinah
“And let those [executors and guardians] fear [injustice] as if they [themselves] had left weak offspring behind and feared for them. So let them fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
The Necessity of Surrendering the Inheritance According to the Portions that Allah Ordained
Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said, "The idolators used to give adult men a share of inheritance and deprive women and children of it. Allah revealed;
لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصيِبٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ الْوَلِدَنِ وَالاٌّقْرَبُونَ
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
Fear Allah while distributing inheritance
The third verse (9) addresses Muslims in general exhorting them to make it certain that the inheritance of the deceased reaches his children fully and fairly. They must abstain from any mode of action which may affect the share of the children adversely. The general sense of the verse covers the eventuality when one sees a Muslim making a will or disposing property off in a manner which could cause damage or loss to his children and other inheritors. If so, one must stop him from such bequeathal or such disposal, very much like what the Holy Prophet ﷺ did when he stopped the blessed Companion, Sayyidna Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas ؓ ، from giving the whole, or half, of his property in charity (Sadaqah), allowing him to give only one-third of his property as such (Mishkat, Bab al-Wasaya, p. 265), because, 'If the whole, or half of the property was given in charity, the share of the inheritors would have either been all consumed, or curtailed.
What does this verse bring up for you today?