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yā-ʾayyuhā n-nāsu ttaqū rabbakumu lladhī khalaqakum min nafsin wāḥidatin wa-khalaqa minhā zawjahā wa-baththa minhumā rijālan kathīran wa-nisāʾan wa-ttaqū llāha lladhī tasāʾalūna bihī wa-l-ʾarḥāma ʾinna llāha kāna ʿalaykum raqīban
O mankind! Be wary of your Lord who created you from a single soul, and created its mate from it, and from the two of them scattered numerous men and women. Be wary of Allah, in whose Name you adjure one another and [of severing ties with] blood relations. Indeed Allah is watchful over you.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nisa',Verse 1
Respect for the ties of relationship -Care of orphans' property
Conditional Polygamy Permitted -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."
Challenge against Unjust Discrimination
The first verse of this Surah 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:
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:
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:
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 (as) 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:
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 it adds that:
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:
That is, He sees all your deeds and intentions and, by the way, He protects you against unpleasant adventures.