Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:9

"And let those fear who, if..."

The particle law (if), along with what is in its scope, is a relative clause for "those" (alladhīna). The intended meaning is the guardians, who are commanded to fear God regarding those under their care—the orphans—and to show them the same compassion they would feel for their own offspring if they were to leave them behind as weaklings. They are to imagine this state within themselves and visualize it, so that they do not dare to act contrary to compassion and mercy.

It is also possible that the meaning is: "Let them fear for the orphans regarding their being lost."

It has been said that they are those who sit with a sick person and say, "Your offspring will not avail you anything against God, so give away your wealth," causing him to exhaust it through bequests. Thus, they were commanded to fear their Lord, or to fear for the children of the sick person, and to show them the same compassion they would show their own children if they were in that position.

It is also possible that it connects to what precedes it, being a command for the heirs to show compassion to those present at the division of the estate—the weak among their relatives, the orphans, and the needy—and to imagine that if those people were their own children, they would be left behind lost and in need.

Would they not fear for them deprivation and disappointment? If you ask: "What is the meaning of the occurrence of 'if they were to leave'?" I say: It is a relative clause for "those." The meaning is: "Let those fear whose attribute and state is that if they were on the verge of leaving behind weak offspring—this being at the time of their death—they would fear for them being lost after them due to the departure of their provider and earner," as the poet said:

It is recited as ḍuʿafāʾ, ḍiʿāf, and ḍuʿāf, similar to sukārā and sukārā.

"And let them speak a word of justice"

For the guardians, this means not to harm the orphans, but to speak to them as they would speak to their own children—with good manners and welcoming words, calling them "O my son" or "O my child."

For those sitting with the sick person, it means saying to him when he intends to make a bequest: "Do not be excessive in your bequest, lest you harm your children," similar to the saying of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) to Saʿd: "That you leave your children wealthy is better than that you leave them dependent, begging from people."

The Companions (may God be pleased with them) used to prefer that a bequest not reach a third, and that a fifth is better than a fourth, and a fourth is better than a third.

For those dividing the inheritance, it means to speak kindly and beautifully to those present.

"Indeed, those who consume the wealth of orphans unjustly only consume into their bellies fire; and they will be burned in a Blaze."