فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۗ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ ۖ قُلْ إِصْلَاحٌۭ لَّهُمْ خَيْرٌۭ ۖ وَإِن تُخَالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
To this world and the Hereafter. And they ask you about orphans. Say, "Improvement for them is best. And if you mix your affairs with theirs - they are your brothers. And Allah knows the corrupter from the amender. And if Allah had willed, He could have put you in difficulty. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
Introduction
This is āyah 220 of Sūrat Al-Baqara (The Cow), the 87th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 2. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 87 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Baqara (2)
(And they question thee concerning orphans�) [2:220]. Abu Mansur �Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir informed us> Abu�l-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Sarraj> al-Hasan ibn al-Muthanna ibn Mu�adh> Abu Hudhayfah Musa ibn Mas�ud> Sufyan al-Thawri> Salim al-Aftas> Sa�id ibn Jubayr who said: �When the verse (Lo! Those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully, they do but swallow fire into their bellies�) [4:10] people rushed to separate their own wealth from the wealth of orphans they were in charge of. Then Allah revealed (And if ye mingle your affairs with theirs, then (they are) your brothers) upon which they mixed their own wealth with the wealth of orphans�. Sa�id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Zahid informed us> Abu �Ali al-Faqih> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Baghawi> �Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah> Jarir> �Ata� ibn al-Sa�ib> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed the verse (And approach not the wealth of the orphan save with that which is better�), whoever had an orphan�s wealth with him proceeded to isolate his food and drink from the orphan�s food and drink, and whatever remained of the orphan�s food was kept aside until the orphan would use it or it gets bad; and this was a source of anguish for people. They went and mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and as a response, Allah, glorified and exalted, revealed (And they question thee concerning orphans. Say: To improve their lot is best), by mixing their food and drink with their food and drink�.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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