Surah Al-Ma'un 107:1-7 - Quran Translation Commentary

1.That is: Did you consider the condition of that person who has no belief in the final requital, as to how low is his character and how unreal are his rituals of worship! Whoever will ponder over their condition will definitely feel that for a healthy character and true faith the belief in the Hereafter is absolutely necessary.

2.That is: The reflection of the defects of character and conduct which are created in the denier of the Hereafter can be seen in his behaviour.

3.In the meaning of pushing away the orphan are included misappropriating his property, usurping his rights, repulsing him insulting and disgracing him and removing him by pushing him away from the door.

Quran has not only urged to give their rights to the orphans but has also directed to give them respect. Accordingly in the Surah Fajr it is mentioned:

“No! but you do not respect the orphans. (Al- Fajr-17). That is: Showing of disrespect to the orphans is the tendency of these persons who have no idea or belief in appearing before God for accounting for their deeds.

4.Its explanation has been given in Surah Fajr Note No.23.

It may be noted that to feed the needy in itself is a virtuous deed, irrespective of the fact whether the needy person is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and to push an orphan is an act of sin in all conditions, to whatever religion or community he may belong.

At the time when this Surah was revealed the number of Muslims in Makkah was so small that they could be counted on fingers. The command to feed the poor and needy is the proof that Islam wants to create in its followers that feeling of human sympathy whose sphere of influence is vast enough to cover the whole humanity, and on basis of which every deserving person is helped.

5.Here worship and prayer means that form of worship which the citizens of Makka had adopted. At another place Quran has described the form and reality of this prayer in these words:

“Their prayer near the House of Allah is nothing else but whistling and hand-clapping.” -(Al-Anfal-35).

This was their formal prayer, and that too in a distorted form. So far as the reality of the prayer (salat) is concerned. Prophet Ibrahim had established it in its real form and had settled his descendents near the House of Allah for the sole purpose of establishing prayer:

“O our Lord! So that they may establish prayers”(Surah Ibrahim - 37).

And Prophet Ismail had been urging his family members for the same:

“And he used to give to his family people commands for prayers and Zakat”-(Surah Maryam-55).

But subsequently the distorters of religion changed its form, so much so that at the time of the revelation of Quran prayer had become the name of whistling and hand-clapping. Even today its example can be seen in the temples, where idolaters offer puja by singing bhajans, playing on cymbals and hand-clapping, and think this pleases God as well as the idols.

Here this prayer of the polytheists has been declared the cause of their ruin, because this is not the prayer about which Allah had given command. If people call non-serious acts as Salat or worship, what relation has it with the real salat or worship’? This is not worshipping God, but ridiculing Him. Some commentators have considered this Surah to have been revealed in , Madina, and have taken the prayer to mean the prayer of the hypocrites. But from the reference to context it is seen that the prayer which has been mentioned here is the prayer of the deniers of the Hereafter, the examples of whose moral defects have been described here. Besides in the previous Surah the Quraish have been commanded to worship the. One God and immediately after that Surah to place the Surah Ma’oon shows that in the background are the

Sardars (leaders) of Quraish, who were polytheists and also deniers of the Hereafter. Thereafter, the prayer which has been mentioned in this verse is the prayer of the polytheists of Makkah and especially the Trustees of the House Ka’ba. However, in its wider sense the prayer of the hypocrites is also included in it, because their prayer was also a prayer in name only. Of the real prayer they were also neglectful. And it is not only applicable to the hypocrites of that time but to the hypocrites of all ages and times.

6.That is: They are neglectful of their real prayer. The real prayer is that in which a man avoids polytheism and prays purely for Allah. A man is attentive to Him only and keeps in his mind the idea of answering before Allah. He should offer prayer in the same form that Allah has fixed for it. The form of prayer which Prophet Ibrahim left behind him had all these characteristics and it had items like Qiyam standing) Ruku (bending), and Sajda (prostration) but the polytheists lost all its external and internal characteristics and turned into a sort of play and amusement. And now when the Prophet is trying to revive the prayer of Ibrahim, these people are not prepared to listen to him and are content with having their own so-called salat.

It may be noted that in the verse it is stated that they are neglectful of their prayer and not neglectful in their prayer, because in the prayer errors are committed even by the faithful people, but to be neglectful of the prayer is the tendency of only those who are free of the anxiety of the Hereafter.

7.That is: their prayer is only for show, entirely bereft of sincerity and merely a prayer of hypocrisy, in order that people may think of them as religious.

Allah’s worship should be performed thinking it to be the dues of our being His slaves and for achieving His pleasure, but the worship of the hypocrites is merely for exhibition and it is offered to get people’s appreciation. Therefore such worshippers will not only deserve to get any rewards but on account of this sin will deserve to get very harsh punishment. In connection with hypocrisy the statements of Prophet Eesa are very effective which are quoted in the Bible. Accordingly in the Injeel of Matthew it is stated:

“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them;

‘Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. And when you pray, you must not be like hypocrites; for they loved to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the, street corner, that they may be seen by men, Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.’ (Matthew.6)

And the learned men and the theologians of Bani Israel, who had adopted exhibitionism in connection with the religion, and who were indulging in the worst type of hypocrisy, were severely shaken by the Christ:

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows houses and for a pretence you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.’

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity’.

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ (Matthew 23)

8.That is: These are great misers. The wealth which should have been utilized in helping the poor and needy persons is blocked by them. In fact, they have no love for God nor have sympathy for His slaves, but they are in love with their wealth, and they are anxious only for building their own material world. By putting on religious clothes they show themselves to be religious people, but their unsympathetic treatment of the poor and needy persons is a proof of the fact that they are not true in their claim of God-worshippers, because real Godworship makes a man kind, generous and of excellent moral character.

In the text the word ‘Ma’oon, has been used, whose literal meaning is a useful thing. It also means a thing of daily use, and also wealth. Commentators have generally taken it to mean things of ordinary and common use, or needs, which a person lends to his neighbour, and not giving it is considered a very mean thing. There is no doubt that not to give such things when asked is morally disgraceful. But here the warning of punishment indicates that it should be in connection with non-payment of some big dues or commitment of some big sin. Moreover the subject matter of the Surah also deals with the rights of the poor and the needy, and therefore it would be proper to take the meaning of Ma’oon as ‘dues of wealth.’ It is supported by the statement of Zohri that in the language of Quraish Ma’oon means wealth or property. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer Vol. IV P.556), and some persons have taken it to mean Zakat. But the statement of Ibn Umar is the best explanation.

When he was asked about Ma’oon, he said:

“The wealth of which dues are not given “. He was told that Ibn Masood says that it means those things of use which people give to one another. In his reply he said that the meaning of Ma’oon is the same which he was telling him. (Fathul Bari, Vol. VIII,P.594, with ref. to Tabri). Therefore, we have translated

‘Yam naoonal Ma’oon’ as ‘who withhold dues of wealth’. this thing has been described in Quran in another form also, e.g.

‘Man-nail Lil-Khair.’(Surah Qalam)., i.e. one who withholds wealth, i.e. miser. It may be noted that the word Khair’ is used in Arabic for wealth also and Mana’ means one who with holds or acts miserly.