Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

Building on the broad principles laid down earlier in Sūrat al-Baqarah, this foundational Madinan surah establishes comprehensive social legislation for a just society. It champions the rights of the vulnerable, especially women and orphans, detailing laws of marriage and inheritance. It also lays down rules for political authority, justice, and community life, binding obedience and judgment to revelation. It further addresses how to deal with hypocrites and Jews in Madinah, and sets out rulings on jihād and emigration to repel the threat of the polytheists and protect the oppressed.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Madinan. Time: Revealed gradually after Sūrat al-Baqarah and Āl ʿImrān, beginning around 7 AH before the Conquest of Makkah, while there were still oppressed believers in Makkah [75]. Some verses such as the command to render trusts [58] were revealed after the Conquest of Makkah in 8 AH, while the ayahs concerning dry ablution (tayammum) were likely revealed earlier in 5 or 6 AH and then incorporated into the surah. Some scholars said that its final verse [176] was the last verse of the Quran to be revealed.

Context: Revealed when the Muslim polity in Madinah had become firmly established, this surah elaborates in detail many of the legal directives especially those concerning orphans, women, and inheritance that were outlined more concisely in Sūrat al-Baqarah. Its treatment of idolatry is relatively brief, reflecting the waning power of the Makkan polytheists and the growing strength of the Muslims. On the other hand, extensive passages are devoted to disputation with the Jews, exposing the hypocrites, and there is also a significant address to Christians, as Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula toward the frontier of Byzantine Syria.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: "Sūrat al-Nisā’" (The Women). It is named for the extensive and detailed laws concerning women that feature throughout the surah. It is sometimes known as "Sūrat al-Nisā’ al-Kubrā" (The Greater Chapter of Women) to distinguish it from Sūrat al-Ṭalāq (Q 65, sometimes known as The Lesser Chapter of Women).

Ayah Count: 175 (Madīnah/Makkah/Baṣrah), 176 (Kūfah), or 177 (Shām).

Surah Overview:

• Establishing the common origin of mankind and the rights of relatives, and upholding kinship ties near and far. [1, 36]
• Legislating justice and compassion for the vulnerable, especially orphans. [2-10, 127]
• Detailing the rights of women, including marriage, dowry, and laws for marital harmony and discord. [3-4, 19-25, 34-35, 128-130]
• Outlining the comprehensive laws of inheritance. [7-14, 176]
• Establishing community laws for finance and crime, including the rulings for intentional and accidental killing. [29-30, 92-93]
• Commanding the establishment of absolute justice without favoritism. [58, 135]
• Commanding the fulfilment of trusts and grounding the system of obedience to those in authority. [58–59]
• Providing rulings for worship in the context of hardship: purification and tayammum, prayer in travel, and the Prayer of Fear. [43, 101–103]
• Addressing the state of the Jews in Madinah and exposing the scandals of the hypocrites. [e.g., 44-55, 60-91, 137-161]
• Detailing rulings on jihād and the obligation of emigration for those able to leave lands of oppression. [71-77, 94-100]
• Prohibiting envy and coveting what others have been allotted, and encouraging charity, mutual assistance, mediation, reconciliation, and the spreading of love and solidarity among Muslims. [32, 114, 128]