Good Deed: #283 Stop defrauding – Read Surah Al-Mutaffifin , or The Stinters
SURA 83. Al-Muţaffifīn , or Stinters
1. Woe to those that deal in fraud,-
2. Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure,
3. But when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due.
4. Do they not think that they will be called to account?-
5. On a Mighty Day,
6. A Day when [all] mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds?
7. Nay! Surely the record of the wicked is [preserved] in Sijjin.
8. And what will explain to thee what Sijjin is?
9. [There is] a Register [fully] inscribed.
10. Woe, that Day, to those that deny-
11. Those that deny the Day of Judgment.
12. And none can deny it but the Transgressor beyond bounds the Sinner!
13. When Our Signs are rehearsed to him, he says, “Tales of the ancients!”
14. By no means! but on their hearts is the stain of the [ill] which they do!
15. Verily, from [the Light of] their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled.
16. Further, they will enter the Fire of Hell.
17. Further, it will be said to them: “This is the [reality] which ye rejected
as false!
18. Day, verily the record of the Righteous is [preserved] in ‘Illiyin.
19. And what will explain to thee what ‘Illiyun is?
20. [There is] a Register [fully] inscribed,
21. To which bear witness those Nearest [to Allah].
22. Truly the Righteous will be in Bliss:
23. On Thrones [of Dignity] will they command a sight [of all things]:
24. Thou wilt recognise in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss.
25. Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed:
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26. The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let those aspire, who have
aspirations:
27. With it will be [given] a mixture of Tasnim:
28. A spring, from [the waters] whereof drink those Nearest to Allah.
29. Those in sin used to laugh at those who believed,
30. And whenever they passed by them, used to wink at each other [in mockery];
31. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
32. And whenever they saw them, they would say, “Behold! These are the people
truly astray!”
33. But they had not been sent as keepers over them!
34. But on this Day the Believers will laugh at the Unbelievers:
35. On Thrones [of Dignity] they will command [a sight] [of all things].
36. Will not the Unbelievers have been paid back for what they did?
Reflect
1. The surah opens with God’s declaration of war against the stinters/defrauders
2. They are those who want their merchandise complete and intact when they buy, but who do not give the right amount when they sell.
3. This surah was revealed in Makkah.Tackling of a specific issue of morality, such as the stinting of weights and measures, or business dealings in general, is a later concern; it is more characteristic of Madinan revelations, which regulate the life of the community in an Islamic state. The fact that this Makkan sūrah makes the issue of stinting its focal point therefore deserves careful consideration.
4. In Makkah the nobility were very rich, but totally unscrupulous. They exercised a complete monopoly of trade in their business concerns.
5. The text suggests that the defrauders against whom war was declared belonged to the nobility and wielded much power and influence, enabling them to force others to succumb to their wishes.
6. ndeed this warning, coming so early in the Makkan period, gives an idea of the nature of the religion of Islam. It demonstrates that Islam embraces all sides of life and aims to establish a firm moral code which accords with the basic principles of divine teachings.
7. It declared its uncompromising stand against the injustices suffered by the masses whom it has never sought to lull into a state of lethargy and apathy.
8. The sūrah proceeds to describe this group as transgressors and the standing of this group with God, their situation in this life, and what awaits them on the great day. The transgressor, are those who indulge excessively in sin.
9. Indeed the hearts of those who indulge in sin become dull, as if they are veiled by a thick curtain which keeps them in total darkness, unable to see the light. Thus they gradually lose their sensitivity and become lifeless.
10. The surah then describes the fate of the righteous – In their bliss, the righteous live in mental and physical comfort. Their faces are radiant with unmistakable joy, while they are being mocked in this life, they will have the upperhand in the Hereafter.
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