سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 2
وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰٓ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تَتَبَدَّلُوا۟ ٱلْخَبِيثَ بِٱلطَّيِّبِ ۖ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حُوبًا كَبِيرًا ﴿2﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And give unto orphans their property and do not exchange (your) bad things for (their) good ones; and devour not their substance (by adding it) to your substance. Surely, this is a great sin.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَءَاتُوا۟
waātū
And give
ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰٓ
l-yatāmā
(to) the orphans
أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ ۖ
amwālahum
their wealth
وَلَا
walā
and (do) not
تَتَبَدَّلُوا۟
tatabaddalū
exchange
ٱلْخَبِيثَ
l-khabītha
the bad
بِٱلطَّيِّبِ ۖ
bil-ṭayibi
with the good
وَلَا
walā
and (do) not
تَأْكُلُوٓا۟
takulū
consume
أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ
amwālahum
their wealth
إِلَىٰٓ
ilā
with
أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ ۚ
amwālikum
your wealth
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, it
كَانَ
kāna
is
حُوبًۭا
ḥūban
a sin
كَبِيرًۭا
kabīran
great
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
2. And return the wealth of orphans to them. Do not exchange the good for the bad, nor consume their wealth by mixing it with your own. Surely, this is a great sin [4].
[4]
Guardianship and Well-Wishing for the Orphan:
Among the social evils, Allah Almighty first drew attention to the rights of orphans. Raising an orphan is a great virtue. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: "I and the guardian of an orphan will be in Paradise like this." Then he indicated by slightly separating his index and middle fingers.
[بخاری۔ کتاب الادب۔ باب فضل من یعول یتیما]
However, in Arabia, the rights of orphans were being violated in various ways. The violations of these rights are mentioned here in order. For example, when things were entrusted to a guardian, at the time of returning them, he would try to substitute an old and inferior item in place of a good one just to fulfill the formality. Another situation was that food and drink items would be mixed together, in which an attempt was made to reduce the orphan's share and keep one's own benefit in view. Both of these actions are prohibited, and a fundamental principle has been stated: in whatever way you consume the wealth of an orphan, it is, in any case, a great sin. It should be noted that previously it was commanded not to mix the orphan's food and drink items with your own. In this way, sometimes the orphan would suffer a loss, for example, if more food was cooked or he could not eat as much as was prepared. Therefore, permission was given to mix such food and drink items, but with the caution that the orphan should not be harmed in any way.
[4]
Guardianship and Well-Wishing for the Orphan:
Among the social evils, Allah Almighty first drew attention to the rights of orphans. Raising an orphan is a great virtue. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: "I and the guardian of an orphan will be in Paradise like this." Then he indicated by slightly separating his index and middle fingers.
[بخاری۔ کتاب الادب۔ باب فضل من یعول یتیما]
However, in Arabia, the rights of orphans were being violated in various ways. The violations of these rights are mentioned here in order. For example, when things were entrusted to a guardian, at the time of returning them, he would try to substitute an old and inferior item in place of a good one just to fulfill the formality. Another situation was that food and drink items would be mixed together, in which an attempt was made to reduce the orphan's share and keep one's own benefit in view. Both of these actions are prohibited, and a fundamental principle has been stated: in whatever way you consume the wealth of an orphan, it is, in any case, a great sin. It should be noted that previously it was commanded not to mix the orphan's food and drink items with your own. In this way, sometimes the orphan would suffer a loss, for example, if more food was cooked or he could not eat as much as was prepared. Therefore, permission was given to mix such food and drink items, but with the caution that the orphan should not be harmed in any way.
