how to memorise the

Last week’s question was concerning the order of the pronouns ‘you’ and ‘them’ in the following two similar verses from the Qur’aan:

وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ

“….kill not your children because of poverty – We provide sustenance for you and for them….”(al-An’aam, 6:151)

وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلاقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُم

And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you… (Al-Israa 17:31)

The answer to the question is: In the second aayah, Allaah says not to kill the offspring out of fear of poverty, thus letting us know that poverty is feared but they are not yet in that situation and nor are the children present. Therefore, because it is the unborn offspring that is bringing about the fear of poverty, it is befitting that they are mentioned first. So Allaah says not to fear being in poverty because of them as He is the one who will provide for them and also you.

In the second verse, the word fear is not mentioned. So this indicates that this is a situation where the children are present and poverty is a reality for the family. So the parents fear for their own lives and their inability to provide for themselves and the offspring that rely on them, so here Allaah reassures them that He will provide for them and their offspring and so the pronoun ‘you’ is mentioned first.

This week’s question

In soorat an-Nisaa, Allaah discusses in several aayaat, the laws of inheritance in Islaam. We’re going to look at two verses from this soorah:

يُوصِيكُمُ اللّهُ فِي أَوْلاَدِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الأُنثَيَيْنِ فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاء فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ وَإِن كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ وَلأَبَوَيْهِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا السُّدُسُ مِمَّا تَرَكَ إِن كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ فَإِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلَدٌ وَوَرِثَهُ أَبَوَاهُ فَلأُمِّهِ الثُّلُثُ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُ إِخْوَةٌ فَلأُمِّهِ السُّدُسُ مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِي بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ آبَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبناؤُكُمْ لاَ تَدْرُونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ لَكُمْ نَفْعاً فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلِيما حَكِيمًا