of Nekounam (May His Soul Rest in Peace) Session 941
The Holy Quran, akin to a pristine spring, serves as humanitys guide along the path of felicity and perfection. Verses five and six of Surah An-Nisa, employing profound and sagacious expression, address the principles of wealth management and social responsibilities towards vulnerable groups, establishing a robust framework for the preservation of order and justice within society. These verses, relying upon concepts such as lifes sustenance, trusteeship, and support for the needy, steer humanity toward a balance between safeguarding personal assets and attending to the dignity of others. In this treatise, with an analytical approach grounded in historical and social context, these verses are elucidated and their meanings conveyed in clear and dignified language for the discerning audience.
In the Quranic verses, folly refers to irrational and inappropriate behaviours that lead to the wastage of resources and disruption of both individual and societal order. A fool (safh) is one who, due to incapacity in managing possessions or disproportionate conduct, causes assets to be squandered. From a jurisprudential perspective, this term denotes a person incapable of administering their own wealth, while from an ethical viewpoint, it emphasises the necessity of prudence in financial interactions.
And do not give the foolish your property, which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you, but provide for them from it and clothe them and speak to them kindly. (Surah An-Nisa 4:5)
This verse explicitly forbids the transfer of wealth to fools, emphasising the protection of assets as the foundation of lifes stability. Wealth, akin to a steadfast pillar, guarantees the firmness and sustainability of individual and social existence. Careless allocation of possessions to those lacking rational maturity leads to resource depletion, social strife, and economic instability. From a sociological perspective, this prohibition aims to prevent tensions arising from mismanagement of assets.
The phrase which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you defines wealth as the fundamental basis for lifes endurance and steadiness. This expression, analogous to a flourishing tree, regards wealth as the root of human stability and growth. Economically, assets are tools for maintaining the resilience and order of life, and their wastefulness results in the disintegration of individual and collective structures. This concept serves as a warning against ideologies promoting poverty, rejecting instability and frailty of human foundations.
Assigning wealth to fools results in the ruin of assets and the emergence of social conflicts. For instance, financial guarantees for irresponsible individuals resemble sowing seeds in barren soil, culminating in loss and regret. Experiences where guaranteeing an untrustworthy person led to financial and social troubles attest to this reality. Legally, such actions impose irreparable obligations upon the guarantor, and ethically, they cause remorse and disruption in relationships.
Alongside prohibiting the transfer of wealth, the verse instructs to support fools: but provide for them from it and clothe them and speak to them kindly. This command, akin to a call for nurturing fragile saplings, urges society to fulfil the basic needs of fools and preserve their dignity. Providing sustenance, clothing, and courteous speech helps maintain self-respect and prevents poverty and crime. Jurisprudentially, such support is a moral and social duty that ensures societal order.
The Holy Quran, with unparalleled subtlety, establishes a balance between safeguarding assets and supporting the needy. This equilibrium, like a precise scale, simultaneously protects personal wealth and prevents social poverty and degeneration. Accumulation of wealth without attention to the needy results in increased inequality, crime, and theft. Economically, equitable wealth distribution contributes to social stability and reduces class disparities.
The addressees of this verse are not only the believers but the entire human society. This universality, comparable to a sun shining upon all, manifests the wisdom of the Holy Quran for all humanity. Quranic sciences regard this generality as an indication of the comprehensiveness of divine rulings and their applicability across all times and places.
The verse refers to personal wealth, not public or governmental assets. This emphasis, like a clear line, defines the individuals responsibility to preserve their property while supporting the needy. Jurisprudentially, this responsibility highlights a balance between individual and social rights.
The fools addressed in the verse are often close relations such as neighbours, relatives, or friends. This proximity, akin to a network of relationships, intensifies the responsibility to provide support and exercise caution in transferring wealth. Sociologically, close ties offer both opportunities for support and risks of exploitation.
Folly, if unsupported, leads to poverty and dependency. Irrational behaviours, such as excessive spending, resemble destructive winds destabilising the foundations of life. Psychologically, such actions result in financial and familial instability.
Verse five of Surah An-Nisa, by clarifying the concept of folly and emphasising the preservation of wealth as lifes foundation, provides a framework for financial management and social support. By forbidding the entrustment of wealth to fools and recommending the provision of their essential needs, this verse balances asset preservation with social justice. This balance aids in preventing inequality, crime, and social tensions, highlighting collective responsibility towards the needy.
And test the orphans until they reach marriageable age; then if you perceive sound judgement in them, release their property to them. Do not consume it wastefully or hastily before they reach maturity. And whoever is wealthy, let him be chaste, and whoever is poor, let him consume reasonably. And when you deliver their property to them, take witnesses on their behalf. And sufficient is Allah as a Reckoner. (Surah An-Nisa 4:6)
This verse commands testing orphans until they reach the age of marriage, emphasising rational maturity as the criterion for asset delivery. An orphan is one who has lost his father, while a full orphan (latm) is one who has lost both parents. This distinction, like branches of a tree, indicates varying levels of need. Jurisprudentially, the age of marriage marks physical and intellectual capability to assume responsibility.
The command release their property to them refers to the full transfer of wealth to mature orphans. This delivery, like releasing the bond of a grown bird, signifies the end of guardianship and full ownership transfer. Jurisprudentially, it underscores trusteeship and respect for orphans rights.
The phrase do not consume it wastefully or hastily forbids excessive and hasty expenditure of orphans assets. This prohibition, like a warning to a treasure guardian, highlights trusteeship as a divine duty. Ethically, wastefulness constitutes injustice towards orphans and violation of justice.
The verse invites the affluent guardian to exercise chastity (let him be chaste) and the indigent guardian to consume moderately (let him consume reasonably). This instruction, like a just scale, balances trusteeship and compensation for the guardians efforts. Jurisprudentially, this balance safeguards orphans rights and appreciates guardians endeavours.
The command take witnesses on their behalf emphasises documenting the delivery in the presence of witnesses. This act, like
