Texts of Islam

004

Summary only - full text stays on its own separately-gated source. Read the full text at the source »

This is an excerpt from Surah 4 (An-Nisa, "The Women") of the Quran, rendered here in a 19th-century English translation notable for its archaic register. The passage is Medinan — revealed during the period of early Islamic community-building in Medina — and functions primarily as divine legislation rather than narrative or theological argument. Its content is densely prescriptive, covering inheritance shares for sons, daughters, parents, spouses, and distant kin; rules on marriage (including prohibited degrees of relation, polygamy capped at four wives conditional on equitable treatment, and dowry obligations); and the treatment of orphans' property. It also addresses adultery and its punishment, ritual purity before prayer, and obligations toward the poor, neighbors, and those under one's household authority. Among its most distinctive claims: men are declared "superior" to women and granted authority to admonish, confine, and strike disobedient wives; male heirs receive double the inheritance share of females; and non-Muslims — specifically Jews accused of distorting scripture — are condemned as cursed and misguided. A reader coming to this passage should expect detailed legal material embedded within theological framing, not devotional reflection.

004

Related pages View as graph →