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The question

What is the interpretation and grammatical analysis (إعراب) of "يتامى النساء" (orphans of women) in verse 127 of Surat An-Nisa, and is it permissible for the meaning to be "the young orphans raised by women," and to whom does "هن" (them) refer in "تؤتوهن" (that you give them)?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The intended meaning of "female orphans" in the noble verse, "whom you do not give what is ordained for them, and you desire to marry them," refers to orphaned women. This is indicated by the Quranic context and the feminine plural pronoun. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, clarified that the verse was revealed concerning the orphan girl who is under the care of her guardian. If her guardian is pleased with her wealth and beauty, and desires to marry her without giving her a just dowry, then they were forbidden from marrying them unless with fairness. As for male orphans, Allah mentions them in His saying: "and the weak among children," and "and that you stand firm for justice to orphans." The grammatical analysis of "يتامى النساء" (female orphans) is: "يتامى" (orphans) is genitive due to the preposition "في" (in), and "النساء" (women) is a genitive annex (mudaf ilayh).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy