Surah 83. Al-Mutaffifin

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Verses [Section]: 1-36[1]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-3683. Al-Mutaffifinبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِوَیْلٌWoeلِّلْمُطَفِّفِیْنَۙto those who give less الَّذِیْنَThose whoاِذَاwhenاكْتَالُوْاthey take a measureعَلَیfromالنَّاسِthe peopleیَسْتَوْفُوْنَؗۖthey take in full وَ اِذَاBut whenكَالُوْهُمْthey give by measure (to) themاَوْorوَّ زَنُوْهُمْthey weigh (for) themیُخْسِرُوْنَؕthey give less اَلَاDo notیَظُنُّthinkاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseاَنَّهُمْthat theyمَّبْعُوْثُوْنَۙ(will be) resurrected لِیَوْمٍFor a DayعَظِیْمٍۙGreat یَّوْمَ(The) Dayیَقُوْمُwill standالنَّاسُmankindلِرَبِّbefore (the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَؕ(of) the worlds 83. Al-Mutaffifin Page 588كَلَّاۤNay!اِنَّIndeedكِتٰبَ(the) recordالْفُجَّارِ(of) the wickedلَفِیْ(is) surely inسِجِّیْنٍؕSijjin وَ مَاۤAnd whatاَدْرٰىكَcan make you knowمَاwhatسِجِّیْنٌؕ(is) Sijjin كِتٰبٌA bookمَّرْقُوْمٌؕwritten وَیْلٌWoeیَّوْمَىِٕذٍthat Dayلِّلْمُكَذِّبِیْنَۙto the deniers الَّذِیْنَThose whoیُكَذِّبُوْنَdenyبِیَوْمِ(the) Dayالدِّیْنِؕ(of) the Judgment وَ مَاAnd notیُكَذِّبُcan denyبِهٖۤ[of] itاِلَّاexceptكُلُّeveryمُعْتَدٍtransgressorاَثِیْمٍۙsinful اِذَاWhenتُتْلٰیare recitedعَلَیْهِto himاٰیٰتُنَاOur Versesقَالَhe saysاَسَاطِیْرُStoriesالْاَوَّلِیْنَؕ(of) the former (people) كَلَّاNay!بَلْ ٚButرَانَ(the) stain has coveredعَلٰی[over]قُلُوْبِهِمْtheir heartsمَّا(for) whatكَانُوْاthey wereیَكْسِبُوْنَ earning كَلَّاۤNay!اِنَّهُمْIndeed theyعَنْfromرَّبِّهِمْtheir Lordیَوْمَىِٕذٍthat Dayلَّمَحْجُوْبُوْنَؕsurely will be partitioned ثُمَّThenاِنَّهُمْindeed theyلَصَالُوا(surely) will burnالْجَحِیْمِؕ(in) the Hellfire ثُمَّThenیُقَالُit will be saidهٰذَاThisالَّذِیْ(is) whatكُنْتُمْyou used (to)بِهٖ[of it]تُكَذِّبُوْنَؕdeny كَلَّاۤNay!اِنَّIndeedكِتٰبَ(the) recordالْاَبْرَارِ(of) the righteousلَفِیْ(will be) surely inعِلِّیِّیْنَؕIlliyin وَ مَاۤAnd whatاَدْرٰىكَcan make you knowمَاwhatعِلِّیُّوْنَؕ(is) Illiyun كِتٰبٌA bookمَّرْقُوْمٌۙwritten یَّشْهَدُهُWitness itالْمُقَرَّبُوْنَۙthose brought near اِنَّIndeedالْاَبْرَارَthe righteousلَفِیْ(will be) surely inنَعِیْمٍۙbliss عَلَیOnالْاَرَآىِٕكِthronesیَنْظُرُوْنَۙobserving تَعْرِفُYou will recognizeفِیْinوُجُوْهِهِمْtheir facesنَضْرَةَ(the) radianceالنَّعِیْمِۚ(of) bliss یُسْقَوْنَThey will be given to drinkمِنْofرَّحِیْقٍa pure wineمَّخْتُوْمٍۙsealed خِتٰمُهٗIts sealمِسْكٌ ؕ(will be of) muskوَ فِیْAnd forذٰلِكَthatفَلْیَتَنَافَسِlet aspireالْمُتَنَافِسُوْنَؕthe aspirers وَ مِزَاجُهٗAnd its mixtureمِنْ(is) ofتَسْنِیْمٍۙTasnim عَیْنًاA springیَّشْرَبُwill drinkبِهَاfrom itالْمُقَرَّبُوْنَؕthose brought near اِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whoاَجْرَمُوْاcommitted crimesكَانُوْاused (to)مِنَatالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedیَضْحَكُوْنَؗۖlaugh وَ اِذَاAnd whenمَرُّوْاthey passedبِهِمْby themیَتَغَامَزُوْنَؗۖthey winked at one another وَ اِذَاAnd whenانْقَلَبُوْۤاthey returnedاِلٰۤیtoاَهْلِهِمُtheir peopleانْقَلَبُوْاthey would returnفَكِهِیْنَؗۖjesting وَ اِذَاAnd whenرَاَوْهُمْthey saw themقَالُوْۤاthey saidاِنَّIndeedهٰۤؤُلَآءِtheseلَضَآلُّوْنَۙsurely have gone astray وَ مَاۤBut notاُرْسِلُوْاthey had been sentعَلَیْهِمْover themحٰفِظِیْنَؕ(as) guardians فَالْیَوْمَSo todayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedمِنَatالْكُفَّارِthe disbelieversیَضْحَكُوْنَۙthey will laugh 83. Al-Mutaffifin Page 589عَلَیOnالْاَرَآىِٕكِ ۙthe thronesیَنْظُرُوْنَؕobserving هَلْHave (not)ثُوِّبَbeen paidالْكُفَّارُthe disbelieversمَا(for) whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)یَفْعَلُوْنَ۠do

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Translation of Verse 1-36In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(83:1) Woe to the stinters; ¹

(83:2) those who, when they take from others by measure, take their full share; ²

(83:3) but who, when they measure or weigh for others, give less than their due.

(83:4) Do they not realise that they will be raised to life

(83:5) on a Great Day, ³

(83:6) a Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the Universe?

(83:7) No indeed!⁴ Verily the deeds of the wicked are in the Record locked up in the prison-house!⁵

(83:8) And how would you know what the Record of the prison-house is?

(83:9) It is a Book inscribed.

(83:10) Woe, then, to those that give the lie,

(83:11) those that give the lie to the Day of Recompense.

(83:12) Yet none gives the lie to it except the transgressor immersed in sin;

(83:13) who, when Our verses are recited to him,⁶ says: “Mere tales of olden times!”

(83:14) No indeed! The truth is that their hearts have become rusted on account of their evil deeds.⁷

(83:15) No indeed! On that Day they will be screened off from seeing their Lord,⁸

(83:16) and then they shall enter Hell,

(83:17) whereafter they will be told: “This is what you used to give the lie to.”

(83:18) No indeed!⁹ Verily, the deeds of the virtuous shall be in the record of the exalted ones.

(83:19) And what do you know what the Record of the exalted ones is?

(83:20) It is a Book inscribed,

(83:21) which the angels placed near Allah to safeguard.

(83:22) Verily the virtuous shall be in Bliss;

(83:23) resting on couches, looking around.

(83:24) You shall see upon their faces the glow of bliss.

(83:25) They will be served a drink of the finest sealed wine,¹⁰

(83:26) whose seal is musk – so let all aspirants aspire after that –

(83:27) a wine whose mixture is Tasnim,¹¹

(83:28) a fountain at which the chosen ones shall drink.

(83:29) Behold, the wicked were wont to laugh at the believers:

(83:30) when they passed by them they winked,

(83:31) and when they went back to their families, they went back jesting,¹²

(83:32) and when they saw the believers, they said: “Lo! These are the erring ones”;¹³

(83:33) (they said so although) they had not been appointed watchers over them.¹⁴

(83:34) But today the believers are laughing at the unbelievers;

(83:35) seated upon their couches, they are looking around.

(83:36) Have the unbelievers been duly rewarded for their deeds?¹⁵

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Commentary

1. al-mutaffifin is a derivative of tatfif which means stinting on a small scale. While measuring or weighing, these dishonest traders deprived every customer of only a little of his due. These unsuspecting customers did not realize that they had been cheated.

2. Throughout, the Qur’an denounces stinters and urges fairness and honesty while measuring and weighing. Take these Quranic verses as illustrative: “And give full measures, and weight with justice. We do not burden anyone beyond his capacity,” (al- An‘am 6: 152). “Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with even scales,” (Bani Isra’il 17: 35). “You may not transgress in the balance. But weigh things equitably and skimp not in the balance,” (al-Rahman 55: 8-9). It is worth mentioning that the Prophet Shu‘ayb’s community incurred divine punishment for their crime of stinting; they had disregarded their Messenger’ s repeated exhortations to refrain from it.

3. The Day of Resurrection has been called a “Great Day” because on that Day all humans and jinn will be called to account and God Himself will judge them all. Furthermore, on that Day hugely important decisions will be made about whom to reward and whom to punish.

4. Those who believe that they will not be held to account after they have engaged in evil during their worldly lives are certainly mistaken.

5. Sijjin, a derivative of sijn, represents a prison-house. However, it is fairly clear from its usage in this Surah that it is used in the sense of a record, containing details of the evil-doers’ misdeeds.

6. “Our verses” here refers to the verses that contain information about the Day of Recompense.

7. There was no good reason for anyone to say that the notions regarding reward and punishment in the Next Life were simply “tales of olden times” (Verse 13). What makes people say so, however, is that their hearts have become rusted on account of the _ sins they have committed: Hence, an idea that is wholly reasonable _appears to them as merely fanciful “tales of olden times”. This ~ rusting is explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as follows: “When one commits a sin, a black stain appears on one’s heart. If one repents, that stain vanishes. However, if he persists in sinning, - the black stain extends to one’s heart in full.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Tafsir, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir, Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hibban.) a

8. These culprits will be denied the sight of the Lord. (See also -al-Qiyamah 75: 0.17.)

9. This is said to contradict those who believe that no one will be rewarded or punished in the Life-to-Come.

10. The words khitamuhu misk signify that these wine containers will be sealed with musk, rather than with ordinary clay. Taken in — this sense, it stands for the finest quality wine, served to the dwellers of Paradise in containers with a seal of musk. Alternatively, it might mean that after drinking this wine they will taste the flavor of musk. On this count this wine differs vastly from wines found in this world which are notorious for their foul smell. Those drinking it instantly feel its bitter, pungent taste, as one gathers from the facial expression of drunkards.

11. The word tasnim contains the nuance of “height”. To call a spring tasnim carries the connotation of a spring that flows down from a great height.

12. These unbelievers rejoiced in publicly taunting and humiliating the poor, helpless Muslims.

13. These unbelieving Makkans took the believers as the erring ones. For they had denied to themselves all worldly joys and exposed themselves to all sorts of dangers and threats on account of their allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him). They thought that these Muslims had been deluded into believing in Paradise and Hell. They abandon the pleasures of the flesh in the fond hope of receiving the bounties of Paradise at some unknown point in time. Likewise, they fear the imaginary Hell. and its punishments.

14. Those mocking the Muslims are given an important lesson in this verse. Even if Muslims are wholly misguided in their beliefs, it should not affect these unbelievers. The Muslims have been leading their lives in a particular way, in line with their moral worldview. Allah has not appointed them watchers over the Muslims. They should not harm those who do not offend them in any way.

15. These words have a subtle, ironic note about them. The unbelievers looked upon their persecution of the believers as an act of virtue. In this context, it is stated that in the Life-to-Come the believers will be enjoying the delights of Paradise and will observe the woeful state of the unbelievers, wallowing in Hell. This will certainly make them say to themselves: “Have the unbelievers been duly rewarded for their deeds?”