83
Those Who Defraud
al-Muṭaffifīn
Al-Muṭaffifīn is a late Makkan or early Madinan sūrah, or a combination of the two. The first four verses were reportedly revealed just after the Prophet’s arrival in Madinah (Bg, IK, Ṭ); vv. 5–28 are then considered to have been revealed in Madinah; and the last eight verses were most likely the last verses of the Quran to be revealed in Makkah. Others maintain that all of the verses except the first four were revealed in Makkah.
The sūrah takes its name from the reference to the defrauders in v. 1. Defrauders renders al-muṭaffifīn, which is based upon the word ṭafīf, deriving from ṭaff, meaning “the very edge” of something. Something that is slight or insufficient is called ṭafīf; the term also indicates a measure that is not completely full, not up to the edge. Muṭaffifīn thus implies those who “skim” a tiny bit off the top and in this way shortchange others. More broadly, it indicates those who ask that their own rights be observed, but are not willing to recognize the rights of others, or those who see faults in others, but do not see them in themselves (Qu, R). Beginning with a condemnation of those who shortchange others (vv. 1–6), the sūrah then provides a contrast between the fate of the profligate (vv. 7–17) and the rewards of the pious (vv. 18–28) and concludes with a discussion of the fate of the sinners who mocked the Prophet and his followers (vv. 29–36).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
¡ Woe unto the defrauders, * who, when they take measure from people, demand [it] in full, + and when they measure for them or weigh for them, they stint. J Do they not think that they will be resurrected Z unto a tremendous day— j a day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds? z Nay! Truly the book of the profligate is in Sijjīn. { And what will apprise thee of Sijjīn? | A book inscribed. Ċ Woe that Day to the deniers, Ě who deny the Day of Judgment, Ī which none deny save every sinful transgressor. ĺ When Our signs are recited unto him, he says, “Fables of those of old!” Ŋ Nay! But that which they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust. Ś Nay! Surely on that Day they will be veiled from their Lord. Ū Then they will burn in Hellfire. ź Then it is said unto them, “This is that which you used to deny.” Ɗ Nay, truly the book of the pious is in ʿIlliyyūn. ƚ And what will apprise thee of ʿIlliyyūn? Ȋ A book inscribed, ! witnessed by those brought nigh. " Truly the pious shall be in bliss, # upon couches, gazing. $ Thou dost recognize in their faces the splendor of bliss. % They are given to drink of pure wine sealed, & whose seal is musk—so for that let the strivers strive— ' and whose mixture is of Tasnīm, ( a spring whence drink those brought nigh. ) Truly those who sinned did laugh at those who believed. Ð When they passed them, they would wink at one another. Ñ And when they returned to their people, they would return blithely. Ò And when they saw them, they said, “Truly these are astray!” Ó Though they were not sent as guardians over them. Ô So that Day those who believe shall laugh at those who disbelieve, Õ upon couches, gazing. Ö Have the disbelievers been requited for that which they used to do?
Commentary
¡ Woe unto the defrauders,
* who, when they take measure from people, demand [it] in full,
+ and when they measure for them or weigh for them, they stint.
J Do they not think that they will be resurrected
Z unto a tremendous day—
1–5 Ibn ʿAbbās said, “When the Prophet first moved to Madinah, its inhabitants were the worst kind of defrauders, and so God revealed, Woe unto the defrauders, who, when they take measure from people, demand [it] in full. After the revelation of this verse, they became honest in their weighing” (Q, Ṭ, W). According to Abū Hurayrah, these verses refer directly to a man who had two scales, one that he used when buying and another for selling (Q, Ṭs). It is reported that when these verses were revealed, the Prophet recited them to the citizens of Madinah and said, “Five for five.” He was asked, “What is ‘Five for five’?” He answered, “No people broke their covenant, but that God set their enemies over them. None judged by other than what God sent down, but that poverty spread among them. None fornicated, but that death spread among them. None defrauded, but that their crops failed and they were plagued by famine. No community refused to pay alms, but that God withheld rain from them” (Q, R). These verses can also be extended beyond their immediate context to imply that shame and suffering will befall anyone who intentionally falls short in any matter according to what has been ordained by God. With regard to prayer, it is reported that Ibn Masʿūd, a Companion of the Prophet and early Quranic commentator, said, “Prayer is a measure. Whosoever completes [its measure] God will complete [his reward] for him. And whosoever lightens (ṭaffafa) [its measure], you have heard what God has said regarding al-muṭaffifīn [the defrauders, lit. “those who lighten”]” (Ṭs).
In a non-canonical variant reading, both instances of “them” (hum) in v. 3 can be read as an affirmation of the subject rather than as a direct object; “And when they measure, or they weigh, they stint.”
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j a day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds?
6 Several aḥādīth indicate the nature of standing before God. According to one, “The people will be submerged in perspiration according to their deeds, some up to their knees, some up to the waist, and some will have a bridle of perspiration,” at which point the Prophet pointed toward his mouth (Q, Ṭs). Other narrations say, “People will stand in their perspiration up to the middle of their ears” (Bg, Q, R, Ṭ). Some say that this day is fifty thousand years; others that it is a thousand years; others say three hundred, one hundred, or forty (Q, R, Ṭ); see 22:47c.
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z Nay! Truly the book of the profligate is in Sijjīn.
{ And what will apprise thee of Sijjīn?
7–8 Sijjīn is derived from sijn, meaning “prison” (R, Z). Some interpret Sijjīn as a reference to a place where disbelievers are held until the Day of Judgment; most say it refers to the lowest depths of Hellfire and relate the ḥadīth: “Sijjīn is the lowest of the seven earths” (IK, Q, R, Ṭ). Some relate it to the lowest of the low (95:5), unto which God is said to have cast man, and to the narrow place (25:13) into which the disbelievers are to be cast (IK). Others interpret it as a characterization of the book in which evil deeds are indelibly recorded (Q, Qu, R, Ṭs, Z).
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| A book inscribed.
9 Inscribed here means “sealed” (Q, R), as what is written cannot be decreased or erased (IK, Q, R). Others say it refers to the fact that good and bad deeds are written in the book (Qu). Marqūm, translated inscribed, derives from raqm, meaning “large, bold writing.” It may thus imply clear, unambiguous, decisive inscriptions. Some say that this verse describes Sijjīn (R), but most agree that it describes the book of the profligate, not Sijjīn itself (Q, R, Ṭs, Z).
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Ċ Woe that Day to the deniers,
10 This verse is a refrain found throughout Sūrah 77 and in 52:11.
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Ě who deny the Day of Judgment,
Ī which none deny save every sinful transgressor.
ĺ When Our signs are recited unto him, he says, “Fables of those of old!”
13 Cf. 68:15. Fables of those of old (cf. 6:25; 8:31; 16:24; 23:83; 25:5; 27:68; 46:17; 68:15) is an expression used in the Quran by disbelievers to deny its veracity.
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Ŋ Nay! But that which they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust.
14 Regarding this verse, a ḥadīth states, “Verily, when the servant commits a sin, a black spot appears in his heart. If he repents from it, his heart is polished clean. But if he increases [in sin], the spot will continue to increase. That is the statement of God, Nay! But that which they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust” (IK, Q). Some commentators say that this verse refers to inveterate sinners for whom sin upon sin has sealed their hearts from realizing the truth (Q, R), like one surrounded by his sins (2:81). According to the Prophet, the heart covered with rust must be “polished.” As he says in a famous ḥadīth, “For everything there is a polish, and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of God. There is nothing more potent in saving a person from the Punishment of God than the remembrance of God.” It was asked, “Not even striving (jihād) in the path of God?” Then he replied, “Not even if you were to continue striking with your sword until it breaks.”
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Ś Nay! Surely on that Day they will be veiled from their Lord.
15 This verse may mean that they are veiled from God’s Mercy and Magnanimity (karāmah; Q, R, Ṭ, Ṭs, Z) or that they are forbidden from seeing their Lord, for in Arabic one can say that one who is barred from seeing the king is “veiled” from him (R, Z). Many relate this to the belief that after the gathering of all human beings and jinn before God (see, e.g., 3:25; 4:87; 6:38, 128; 42:7; 64:9), the believers will see God, but the disbelievers will not (R). In this vein, the famous Persian Sufi poet Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī writes, “Everyone sees the Unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more—more Unseen forms become manifest to him”(Mathnawī, 4:2909–10).
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Ū Then they will burn in Hellfire.
ź Then it is said unto them, “This is that which you used to deny.”
17 Cf. 52:14.
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Ɗ Nay, truly the book of the pious is in ʿIlliyyūn.
ƚ And what will apprise thee of ʿIlliyyūn?
18–19 ʿIlliyyūn is an unusual plural whose singular form is disputed. It indicates high places, persons who sit in high places, or those who dwell in the high parts of mountains. Here it refers to something exalted by many degrees. Contrasted with Sijjīn in v. 7, it appears to refer to a place in Heaven in which good deeds are indelibly recorded. The fifth Shiite Imam, Muhammad al-Bāqir, is reported to have said, “Sijjīn is the seventh earth, and ʿIlliyyūn is the seventh heaven.” Opinions differ. ʿIlliyyūn is either in the seventh heaven below the Divine Throne or beyond the seven heavens to the right of the Throne (Q); it indicates heights without limit (Q) or refers to the lote tree of the boundary (53:14).
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Ȋ A book inscribed,
20 Most agree that this verse describes the book of the righteous (Q, R, Ṭs, Z). Some, however, say that it could describe ʿIlliyyūn itself, in which case kitāb, or “book,” would mean “writing” (kitābah), indicating that the writing of the deeds of the pious is in ʿIlliyyūn and that it is a “writing inscribed” (R).
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! witnessed by those brought nigh.
21 Some say that those brought nigh refers to the archangels, as in 4:172, in which case it refers to the angels who bear witness to the book of the pious (Q, R, Ṭs). Others say that those brought nigh refers to the elect among the pious, who are the foremost of the foremost (56:10–11). It could also refer to the archangels and the foremost, as both are brought nigh.
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" Truly the pious shall be in bliss,
22 Cf. 82:13. Elsewhere the reverent and those who believe and perform righteous deeds are described as being in Gardens of bliss (see 5:65; 10:9; 22:56; 37:43; 52:17; 56:12); see also 9:21; 26:85; 31:8; 56:89; 68:34. Regarding the meaning of the pious (al-abrār) and piety (birr), see 2:44c.
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# upon couches, gazing.
23 Cf. 75:23; 88:13. The couches represent the state of the soul at peace (89:27), content with God, while God is content with it. The pious are gazing at the delights they are given in the Garden (Q, R, Ṭs), or at God Himself (Q, R), as in 75:22–23: Faces that Day shall be radiant, gazing upon their Lord. Some commentators say they gaze upon the punishment endured by their enemies (Q, R, Ṭs; see vv. 34–35), though this interpretation is not consonant with the sayings of the Prophet or with other passages of the Quran.
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$ Thou dost recognize in their faces the splendor of bliss.
24 Thou can be read in a general sense as an address to any reader or listener or as a specific reference to the Prophet Muhammad. The verse is read by some in the passive voice, “The splendor of bliss can be recognized in their faces” (Q, R).
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% They are given to drink of pure wine sealed,
25 Those in Paradise drink the pure wine sanctioned by God. It may be the same as the wine in 37:46–47: White, delicious to those who drink thereof. No headiness lies therein; nor are they intoxicated by it; and 56:19: Wherefrom they suffer neither headache nor stupefaction. Some say that this pure wine is superior to the rivers of wine referred to in 47:15 (R).
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& whose seal is musk—so for that let the strivers strive—
26 Seal refers to either an actual seal of musk upon the wine (Ṭ, Ṭs) or the scent of musk, which appears when the end of the wine is reached (Q, R, Ṭ).
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' and whose mixture is of Tasnīm,
( a spring whence drink those brought nigh.
27–28 Most commentators agree that Tasnīm is the purest and noblest drink of Heaven (Ṭ). Some say that it flows from the Divine Throne into Paradise. Tasnīm is understood by some as a proper name with no specific meaning (R, Ṭ). Others propose that it derives from the verb sannama, “to raise,” indicating that it raises or ennobles those who drink it (R). According to Ibn ʿAbbās, Tasnīm is what is alluded to in 32:17: No soul knows what comfort is kept hidden for it as a recompense for that which they used to do (R). Some say that Tasnīm is a spring whose waters are mixed with the pure wine sealed for the companions of the right (56:8, 27, 38, 90–91; 74:39; 90:18), but from which those brought nigh drink in its purest form (Ṭ). Similarly, others say those brought nigh drink of it unmixed, while all the other inhabitants of Paradise drink of it mixed (Ṭ). According to al-Rāzī, Tasnīm “is the knowledge of God and the delight of gazing upon the Face of God.” So those brought nigh drink from none but Tasnīm, for they gaze upon none but God, whereas the companions of the right sometimes gaze upon the delights of the created (though paradisal) world and sometimes upon the Face of God, and thus drink a mixture (R). Some Sufi commentators have identified Tasnīm with the highest level of spiritual love (maḥabbah).
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) Truly those who sinned did laugh at those who believed.
Ð When they passed them, they would wink at one another.
29–30 According to some, those who sinned refers to the leaders of the Quraysh, who used to laugh at and mock several of the more impoverished Muslims (Q, R); see also 23:109–10.
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Ñ And when they returned to their people, they would return blithely.
31 Blithely translates fākihīn, as it is read in most schools of Quranic recitation, though the most widespread school of recitation, Ḥafṣ, reads it as fakihīn, which translates as “conceited” or “proud.”
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Ò And when they saw them, they said, “Truly these are astray!”
32 The disbelievers deem the believers to be astray for following the Prophet.
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Ó Though they were not sent as guardians over them.
33 This verse implies that the disbelievers are not fit to judge the actions of the believers (Ṭs). Some gloss guardians (ḥāfiẓīn) as “witnesses” (shāhidīn), meaning that they arrogate to themselves the ability to bear witness against the believers, but in the Hereafter it is the believers who will bear witness against them (Ṭs).
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Ô So that Day those who believe shall laugh at those who disbelieve,
34 That Day is the Day of Resurrection.
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Õ upon couches, gazing.
35 In this context, the implication is that the believers are gazing upon the disbelievers and witnessing the punishment the disbelievers receive for having mocked them (Aj). It can thus be viewed as a contrast to v. 23, or alternatively as a reassertion of the same paradisal state. See 83:23c.
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Ö Have the disbelievers been requited for that which they used to do?
36 The answer to the question posed by this verse is yes and no. On the one hand, the disbelievers have been requited with punishment for the evil deeds they committed. On the other hand, they have not been requited for what only appear to be good deeds, since they are those whose deeds have come to naught in this world and in the Hereafter (3:22; see also 7:147; 18:104; 47:8–9). From a Quranic perspective, only those deeds that are accompanied by belief in God, His prophets, His revelations, and His angels can truly be called good or righteous. Thus the phrase perform righteous deeds, which occurs over fifty times in the Quran, is always accompanied by some mention of belief in God.