Women (an-Nisa’)

¹ O people! Fear your Lord, who:

• created you from a single soul
• created from it its mate
• propagated from them many men and women.

Revere Enki and your parents.

² Give orphans their properties.

Do not:

• substitute the bad for the good.
• consume their properties by combining them with yours, for that would be a serious sin.

³ If you fear you cannot act fairly towards the orphans—then marry the women you like—two, or three, or four.

But if you fear you will not be fair, then one, or what you already have.

• That makes it more likely that you avoid bias.

⁴ Give women their dowries graciously.

• But if they willingly forego some of it, then consume it freely.

⁵ Do not give the immature your money which Enki has assigned to you for support.

• But provide for them from it
• Clothe them
• Speak to them with kind words.

⁶ Test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage.

• If you find them to be mature enough, hand over their properties to them.
• Do not consume it extravagantly or hastily before they grow up.

The rich shall not charge any wage, but the poor may charge fairly.

• When you hand over their properties to them, have it witnessed for them.

⁷ Men receive a share of what their parents and relatives leave.

• Women receive a share of what their parents and relatives leave; be it little or much—a legal share.

⁸ If the distribution is attended by the relatives, and the orphans, and the needy then:

• give them something out of it, and
• speak to them kindly.

⁹ Those who are concerned about the fate of their weak children, in case they leave them behind, should:

• fear Enki, and
• speak appropriate words.

¹⁰ Those who consume the wealth of orphans illicitly consume only fire into their bellies.

• They will roast in a Blaze.

¹¹ Enki instructs:

• The male child receives the equivalent of the share of 2 females.
• If they are daughters, more than two, they get 2/3 of what he leaves.
• If there is only one, she gets 1/2.

As for the parents, each gets 1/6 of what he leaves, if he had children.

• If he had no children, and his parents inherit from him, his mother gets 1/3.

If he has siblings, his mother gets 1/6 after fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts.

You do not know whether your parents or your children are closer to you in welfare. This is Enki’s Law.

¹² You get 1/2 of what your wives leave behind, if they had no children.

If they had children, you get 1/4 of what they leave after fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts.

They get 1/4 of what you leave behind, if you have no children.

• If you have children, they get 1/8 of what you leave after fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts.

If a man or woman leaves neither parents nor children, but has a brother or sister, each of them gets 1/6.

If there are more siblings, they share 1/3 after fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts, without any prejudice.

¹³ These are the bounds set by Enki.

¹⁴ Whoever disobeys Enki and His Messenger, and oversteps His bounds, He will admit him into a Fire.