regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And do not give the foolish your wealth…”
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The questioner : regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:5]?
The Shaykh : The first verse is general; if a man is forty years old, he is not to be given [his wealth] as long as he has foolishness, meaning: do not give the foolish their wealth because of their foolishness. The second verse is not about the foolish; the second verse is about orphans. The orphan is tested, but the woman is not tested in the same way by the Shari'ah, because she is not of that category. She is tested by the needs of the house. If she knows the needs of the house, she is of sound mind. If it is known that she is foolish—for example, if she kneads the dough and gives it to the cow, or if she makes the tea and pours it on the floor—she is not considered of sound mind.
And do not give the weak-minded your property
ولا تؤتوا السفهاء أموالكم ...The Shaykh : The first verse is general; if a man is forty years old, he is not to be given [his wealth] as long as he has foolishness, meaning: do not give the foolish their wealth because of their foolishness. The second verse is not about the foolish; the second verse is about orphans. The orphan is tested, but the woman is not tested in the same way by the Shari'ah, because she is not of that category. She is tested by the needs of the house. If she knows the needs of the house, she is of sound mind. If it is known that she is foolish—for example, if she kneads the dough and gives it to the cow, or if she makes the tea and pours it on the floor—she is not considered of sound mind.