1. O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward God in Whom ye claim your rights of one another, and toward the wombs that bare you. Lo! God hath been a watcher over you.

2. Give unto orphans their wealth. Exchange not the good for the bad in your management thereof nor absorb their wealth into your own wealth. Lo! that would be a great sin.

3. And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice to so many then one only or the captives that your right hands possess. Thus it is more likely that ye will not do injustice.

4. And give unto the women whom ye marry free gift of their marriage portions; but if they of their own accord remit unto you a part thereof, then ye are welcome to absorb it in your wealth.

5. Give not unto the foolish what is in your keeping of their wealth, which God hath given you to maintain; but feed and clothe them from it, and speak kindly unto them.

6. Prove orphans till they reach the marriageable age; then, if ye find them of sound judgment, deliver over unto them their fortune; and devour it not by squandering and in haste lest they should grow up Whoso of the guardians is rich, let him abstain generously from taking of the property of orphans; and whoso is poor let him take thereof in reason for his guardianship. And when ye deliver up their fortune unto orphans, have the transaction witnessed in their presence. God sufficeth as a Reckoner.

7. Unto the men of a family belongeth a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much - a legal share.

8. And when kinsfolk and orphans and the needy are present at the division of the heritage, bestow on them therefrom and speak kindly unto them.

9. And let those fear in their behaviour toward orphans who if they left behind them weak offspring would be afraid for them. So let them mind their duty to God, and speak justly.

10. Lo! Those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully, they do but swallow fire into their bellies, and they will be exposed to burning flame.

11. God chargeth you concerning the provision for your children: to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females, and if there be women more than two, then theirs is two-thirds of the inheritance, and if there be one only then the half. And to each of his parents a sixth of the inheritance, if he have a son; and if he have no son and his parents are his heirs, then to his mother appertaineth the third; and if he have brethren, then to his mother appertaineth the sixth, after any legacy he may have bequeathed, or debt hath been paid. Your parents and your children: Ye know not which of them is nearer unto you in usefulness. It is an injunction from God. Lo! God is Knower, Wise.

12. And unto you belongeth a half of that which your wives leave, if they have no child; but if they have a child then unto you the fourth of that which they leave, afte r any legacy they may have bequeathed, or debt they ma y have contracted, hath been paid. And unto them belon geth the fourth of that which ye leave if ye have no ch ild, but if ye have a child then the eighth of that whi ch ye leave, after any legacy ye may have bequeathed, o r debt ye may have contracted, hath been paid. And if a man or a woman have a distant heir having left neit her parent nor child, and he or she have a brother o r a sister only on the mother's side then to each of them twain the brother and the sister the sixth, and if they be more than two, then they shall be sharers in the third, after any legacy that may have been bequeat hed or debt contracted not injuring the heirs by wil ling away more than a third of the heritage hath been

13. These are the limits imposed by God. Whoso obeyeth God and His messenger, He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow, where such will dwell for ever. That will be the great success.

14. And whoso disobeyeth God and His messenger and transgresseth His limits, He will make him enter Fire, where he will dwell for ever; his will be a shameful doom.

15. As for those of your women who are guilty of lewdness, call to witness four of you against them. And if they testify to the truth of the allegation then confine them to the houses until death take them or until God appoint for them a way through new legislation.

16. And as for the two of you who are guilty thereof, punish them both. And if they repent and improve, then let them be. Lo! God is ever relenting, Merciful.

17. Forgiveness is only incumbent on God toward those who do evil in ignorance and then turn quickly in repentance to God. These are they toward whom God relenteth. God is ever Knower, Wise.

18. The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom.

19. O ye who believe! It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit the women of your deceased kinsmen, nor that ye should put constraint upon them that ye may take away a part of that which ye have given them, unless they be guilty of flagrant lewdness. But consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein God hath placed much good.

20. And if ye wish to exchange one wife for another and ye have given unto one of them a sum of money however great, take nothing from it. Would ye take it by the way of calumny and open wrong?

21. How can ye take it back after one of you hath gone in unto the other, and they have taken a strong pledge from you?

22. And marry not those women whom your fathers married, except what hath already happened of that nature in the past. Lo! it was ever lewdness and abomination, and an evil way.

23. Forbidden unto you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your father's sisters, and your mother's sisters, and your brother's daughters and your sister's daughters, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters, and your mothers-in-law, and your step-daughters who are under your protection born of your women unto whom ye have gone in - but if ye have not gone in unto them, then it is no sin for you to marry their daughters - and the wives of your sons who spring from your own loins. And it is forbidden unto you that ye should have two sisters together, except what hath already happened of that nature in the past. Lo! God is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

24. And all married women are forbidden unto you save those captives whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of God for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content by marrying them, give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty hath been done. Lo! God is ever Knower, Wise.

25. And whoso is not able to afford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the believing maids whom your right hands possess. God knoweth best concerning your faith. Ye proceed one from another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness, they being honest, not debauched nor of loose conduct. And if when they are honourably married they commit lewdness they shall incur the half of the punishment prescribed for free women in that case. This is for him among you who feareth to commit sin. But to have patience would be better for you. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

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