Home

Download Quran

Download Books

Download Hadith

Contact Us

 
 
 

Surah 83. Al-Mutaffifin

 

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ﴿83:1﴾ 
(83:1) Woe to those who give short weight, *1
*1 In the original the word mutaffifin has been used, which is derived from tatfif, a word used for an inferior and base thing in Arabic. Terminologically, tatfif is used for giving short weight and short measure fraudulently, for the person who acts thus while measuring or weighing, does not defraud another by any substantial amount, but skimps small amounts from what is due to every customer cleverly, and the poor customer dces not know of what and of how much he is being deprived by the seller.
 
الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُواْ عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ﴿83:2﴾ 
(83:2) who, when they take by measure from others, take it fully,

 
وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ﴿83:3﴾ 
(83:3) and when they measure or weigh for them, they give them less than what is due *2 .
*2 At several places in the Qur'an giving of short measure and weight has been condemned and measuring fully and weighing rightly has been stressed. In Surah AI-An'am, it has been enjoined: "You should use a full measure and a just balance. We charge one only with that much responsibility that one can bear." (v. 152). In Surah Bani Isra'il it has been said: "Give full measure when you measure and weigh with even scales." (v. 35). In Surah Ar-Rehman it has been stressed: Do not upset the balance: weigh with equity and do not give short weight." (vv. 8-9). The people of the Prophet Shu`aib were punished for the reason that the evil of giving short measure and weight had become widespread among them and in spite of his counsel and advice they did not refrain from it.
 
أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ﴿83:4﴾ 
(83:4) Do they not think that they will be raised up again

 
لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ﴿83:5﴾ 
(83:5) on a Great Day? *3 --
*3 "A Great Day": the Day of Resurrection when all men and jinn will be called to account together in the Divine Court and decisions of vital importance will be made pertaining to rewards and punishments.
 
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴿83:6﴾ 
(83:6) the Day when all mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.

 
كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّينٍ﴿83:7﴾ 
(83:7) Indeed not! *4 Surely the records of the wicked are in the Prison Register *5
*4 That is, "These people are wrong in thinking that they will be let off without being called to account when they have committed such and such crimes in the world. "
*5 The word sijjin in the original is derived from sijn (a prison) and the explanation of it that follows shows that it implies the general Register in which the actions and deeds of the people worthy of punishment are being recorded.
 
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ﴿83:8﴾ 
(83:8) and what do you know what the Prison Register is?

 
كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ﴿83:9﴾ 
(83:9) It is a written book.

 
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ﴿83:10﴾ 
(83:10) Woe on that Day to the beliers who belie

 
الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴿83:11﴾ 
(83:11) the Day of Recompense,

 
وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ﴿83:12﴾ 
(83:12) and none belies it but every sinful transgressor.

 
إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ﴿83:13﴾ 
(83:13) When Our Revelations are recited to him, *6 he says: "These are tales of the ancient times."
*6 "Our Revelations": those verses in which news of the Day of Recompense has been given.
 
كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ﴿83:14﴾ 
(83:14) By no means! But the fact is that their evil deeds have stained their hearts. *7
*7 That is, they have no good reason for regarding the meting out of rewards and punishments as unreal. What has made them say this, is that their hearts have become rusty because of their sins; therefore, a thing which is thoroughly reasonable appears unreal and unreasonable to them. The explanation of this rust as given by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) is as follows: "When a servant commits a sin, it marks a black stain on his heart. If he offers repentance, the stain is washed off, but if he persists in wrongdoing. it spreads over the whole heart." (Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir, Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hibban and others).
 
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ﴿83:15﴾ 
(83:15) By no means! Surely on that Day they shall be debarred from their Lord's vision *8
*8 That is, these people will remain deprived of the vision of Allah with which the righteous will be blessed. (For further explanation, see E.N. 17 of Al - Qiyamah).
 
ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُوا الْجَحِيمِ﴿83:16﴾ 
(83:16) Then they shall enter Hell.

 
ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ﴿83:17﴾ 
(83:17) Then it will be said to them, "This is the very thing you used to belie."

 
كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ﴿83:18﴾ 
(83:18) Indeed not! *9 Surely the record of the righteous is in the Register of the exalted ones.
*9 That is, they are wrong in thinking that there is going to be no meting out of rewards and punishments.
 
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ﴿83:19﴾ 
(83:19) And what do you know what is the Register of the ,exalted ones.

 
كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ﴿83:20﴾ 
(83:20) It is a written book,

 
يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ﴿83:21﴾ 
(83:21) guarded by the angels nearest to Allah.

 
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ﴿83:22﴾ 
(83:22) Surely the righteous shall be in bliss;

 
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ﴿83:23﴾ 
(83:23) seated on high couches they shall be looking around.

 
تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ﴿83:24﴾ 
(83:24) In their faces you shall mark the glow of bliss.

 
يُسْقَوْنَ مِن رَّحِيقٍ مَّخْتُومٍ﴿83:25﴾ 
(83:25) They shall be given to drink the choicest, sealed wine whose seal shall be musk. *10
*10 One meaning of the words khltamu-hu misk is that the vessels containing the wine will carry the seal of musk instead of clay or wax. Accordingly the verse means: This will be the choicest kind of wine, which will be superior to the wine flowing in the canals, and it will be served by the attendants of Paradise in vessels sealed with musk to the dwellers of Paradise. Another meaning also can be: When that wine will pass down the throat, its final effect will be of the flavour of musk. This state is contrary to the wines of the world which give out an offensive smell as soon as the bottle opens and one feels its horrid smell even while drinking and also when it passes down the throat.
 
خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ﴿83:26﴾ 
(83:26) Those who wish to excel others, let them endeavour to excel in this.

 
وَمِزَاجُهُ مِن تَسْنِيمٍ﴿83:27﴾ 
(83:27) That wine shall have the mixture of Tasnim; *11
*11 "Tasnim ".: height. Thus, Tasnim will be a fountain flowing down from a height.
 
عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ﴿83:28﴾ 
(83:28) this is a fountain with the waters of which those nearest to Allah shall drink wine.

 
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ﴿83:29﴾ 
(83:29) The culprits used to laugh at the believers in the world.

 
وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ﴿83:30﴾ 
(83:30) They would wink at one another when they passed by them.

 
وَإِذَا انقَلَبُواْ إِلَى أَهْلِهِمُ انقَلَبُواْ فَكِهِينَ﴿83:31﴾ 
(83:31) When they returned to their kinsfolk they returned jesting, *12
*12 That is, they returned home rejoicing, thinking that they had made fun of such and such a Muslim, had passed evil remarks against him and subjected him to ridicule among the people.
 
وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَؤُلَاء لَضَالُّونَ﴿83:32﴾ 
(83:32) and when they saw them, they would say, "These are the people gone astray", *13
*13 That is, they have lost their reason: they have deprived themselves of the gains and enjoyments of the world and have experienced dangers and undergone hardships only for the reason that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) has deluded them with the Hereafter, Heaven and Hell. They are giving up whatever is present and here on the false hope that the promise of some Paradise has been held out to them after death, and they are enduring the hardships in the present life only for the reason that they have been threatened with some Hell in the next world.
 
وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ﴿83:33﴾ 
(83:33) although they had not been sent to be guardians over them. *14
*14 In this brief sentence the mockers and jesters have been given an instructive warning to the effect: "Even if what the Muslims have believed in, is false, they are not harming you at all They regard something as we and are accordingly adopting a certain moral attitude for themselves, for their own good. AIIah has not appointed you to be keepers over them so that you may be free to criticise and persecute those who are not harming you in any way."
 
فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ﴿83:34﴾ 
(83:34) Today the believers are laughing at the disbelievers,

 
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ﴿83:35﴾ 
(83:35) as they recline on couches and gaze at them.

 
هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ﴿83:36﴾ 
(83:36) Have not the disbelievers been duly rewarded for what they used to do? *15
*15 There is a subtle satire in this sentence. In the world, the disbelievers used to persecute the believers, thinking it was an act of virtue. In the Hereafter, the believers will be enjoying life in Paradise, and watching the disbelievers being punished in Hell, will say to themselves what a reward they have earned for their acts of virtue!
   

 

For your Comments Feel Free to Contact Us