Al-Ma'un

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

See ayat 7 for tafseer.

In this sūrah, the discourse addresses the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny and sets forth the harmful consequences of denying the Day of Recompense as manifested in the conduct of the deniers. It begins by stating: “Have you seen the one who denies the Day of Recompense?” (أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ). Then, without waiting for any response, it continues: “That is the one who drives the orphan away harshly” (فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ), and “does not encourage the feeding of the poor.” Here, the term “dīn” refers to recompense or the Day of Recompense. Denial of this great tribunal produces wide and serious repercussions in a person’s behavior, five aspects of which are indicated in this sūrah. Among them are harshly repelling orphans and the complete absence of encouragement—either personal or social—to feed the needy. That is, such a person neither gives in charity himself nor urges others to do so. Some have suggested that “dīn” here refers to the Qur’an or the entirety of the Islamic religion, but the first meaning is more appropriate. Parallels to this usage appear in Sūrat al‑Infiṭār, verse 9 (كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ), and in Sūrat al‑Tīn, verse 7 (فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِالدِّينِ), where, based on contextual indications, “dīn” likewise denotes the Day of Recompense. The verb “يَدُعُّ,” derived from the root “دَعّ,” signifies driving away forcefully and angrily, while “يَحُضُّ,” from the root “حَضّ,” means to urge or encourage others toward something. As noted by al‑Rāghib in al‑Mufradāt, “حَثّ” denotes encouraging movement or action, whereas “حَضّ” does not carry exactly the same nuance. Because “يَدُعُّ” and “يَحُضُّ” appear in the present tense, they indicate that such behavior toward orphans and the poor was habitual and ongoing. Another noteworthy point is that the issue of kindness and compassion toward orphans is even more fundamental than merely providing them with food, because the orphan’s deepest pain arises from the loss of affection and emotional care, which constitutes spiritual nourishment; physical sustenance comes afterward. The sūrah then turns to the matter of feeding the poor, one of the most important acts of charity, and emphasizes that even if one cannot do so personally, one should at least encourage others to perform this act. The expression “فَذَٰلِكَ” (with the causal sense of “fa”) points to the fact that disbelief in the Hereafter is the cause of these moral failings. Indeed, one who truly believes in that Great Day, in divine justice and accountability, will display positive effects of that belief in all of his actions. Conversely, those who do not believe in it demonstrate boldness in committing sins and crimes of various kinds. The sūrah then proceeds to a third characteristic of such people, stating: “So woe to those who pray” (فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ), “who are heedless of their prayer” (الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ). They attach no real value to prayer, give no importance to its times, and observe neither its pillars, conditions, nor etiquettes. The term “سَاهُونَ,” derived from “سهو,” denotes an error arising from heedlessness. When such heedlessness accompanies negligence, it is blameworthy, as is intended here. Notably, the verse does not say “they are heedless in their prayer,” since momentary distraction can occur to anyone; rather, it refers to heedlessness from prayer itself, meaning that prayer is altogether neglected or forgotten. Occasional forgetfulness might occur due to negligence, but persistent neglect indicates that a person assigns prayer no importance or does not truly believe in it at all. If such a person prays at times, it is only out of fear of public opinion or similar considerations. Various interpretations of “سَاهُونَ” have been offered, including delaying the prayer beyond its preferred time, referring to hypocrites who believe neither in the reward of prayer nor the punishment for abandoning it, or referring to those who perform prayer ostentatiously. While these meanings can be combined, the first interpretation remains the most fitting in context. In any case, if those who forget prayer are deserving of ruin, then the state of those who abandon it entirely is even more severe. In the fourth stage, the sūrah points to another grave action, stating: “Those who show off” (الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ). In the final stage, it adds: “and withhold common assistance” (وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ). Undoubtedly, the root of ostentation lies in disbelief in the Day of Resurrection and in divine recompense; otherwise, how could a person abandon God‑centered intention and seek the pleasure of created beings? The term “مَاعُون,” from the root “مَعْن,” denotes something small or of little quantity. Many exegetes have held that it refers here to minor, everyday items that people—especially neighbors—customarily lend to one another, such as salt, water, fire, or household utensils. One who withholds even such minor items is exceptionally miserly and bereft of faith, despite the fact that small things can sometimes meet significant needs, and their denial can cause major hardship. Some have interpreted “مَاعُون” as referring to zakāt, since it constitutes a small portion of one’s property. Indeed, failure to give zakāt is among the gravest wrongs, as zakāt resolves many economic problems of society. A report from Imam Jaʿfar al‑Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) explains “مَاعُون” as loans, borrowed household items, and acts of kindness; another narration adds that if borrowed items are consistently damaged, there is no blame in withholding them. Numerous other interpretations have been offered—over a dozen are cited in Tafsīr al‑Qurṭubī—many of which can be reconciled with one another. Most significant, however, are the interpretations mentioned above. The pairing of ostentation with withholding assistance indicates that such people perform acts meant for God with the intention of impressing others, yet fail to perform acts meant for others at all, thus denying every right to its rightful claimant. We conclude with a saying of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny: “Whoever withholds common assistance from his neighbor, God will withhold His goodness from him on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever is left to himself by God—how wretched his state will be.”

In this brief sūrah, a collection of reprehensible moral traits is presented such that, when found together in any individual, they constitute a clear sign of disbelief, moral baseness, and utter contemptibility. What is particularly noteworthy is that all of these traits are treated as consequences of denial of the dīn, that is, denial of recompense or the Day of Judgment. Belittling orphans, failing to feed the hungry, neglecting prayer, practicing ostentation, and refusing to show consideration toward others—even to the extent of withholding the most basic necessities of life—together form the composite of these reprehensible attributes. In this manner, the sūrah exposes miserly, self‑centered, and ostentatious individuals who maintain no genuine relationship with the “creation of God”, nor any true connection with the Creator Himself. Such people possess neither the light of faith within their being nor a sense of moral responsibility. They neither reflect upon divine reward nor fear divine punishment.

The value and worth of every action are inseparably connected to its underlying cause; in other words, in the Islamic perspective, the foundation of every action lies in its intention, and specifically in sincere intention. Islam examines intention before anything else. Accordingly, a well‑known hadith transmitted from the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny states: "إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَلِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى", meaning that actions are judged only by intentions, and every person’s share of an act corresponds to the intention they held while performing it. In the continuation of this hadith it is stated that whoever strives in combat for the sake of God, his reward lies with God the Exalted; but whoever fights for worldly gain—even for something as insignificant as an ʿiqāl, the small rope used to bind a camel’s leg—his share is limited solely to that objective. This is because action itself comes into being through intention. One who acts for God establishes a firm foundation for that action, and all of his effort is directed toward ensuring that people benefit from it as much as possible. By contrast, one who acts for display and ostentation is concerned only with outward appearance and superficial splendor, showing no regard for depth, substance, or the benefit of those in need. A society that becomes habituated to ostentation is not only distanced from God, virtuous ethics, and noble moral qualities, but all of its social programs are stripped of meaning and substance, leaving behind nothing but a handful of empty outward forms. How painful and tragic is the destiny of such individuals and such a society. Numerous narrations condemn ostentation, to the extent that it has been described as a form of polytheism. Here, it suffices to mention three deeply striking traditions. 1. One narration from the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny states: "سَيَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ تَخْبُثُ فِيهِ سَرَائِرُهُمْ وَتَحْسُنُ فِيهِ عَلَانِيَتُهُمْ طَمَعًا فِي الدُّنْيَا، لَا يُرِيدُونَ بِهِ مَا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ، يَكُونُ دِينُهُمْ رِيَاءً وَلَا يُخَالِطُهُمْ خَوْفٌ، فَيَعُمُّهُمُ اللَّهُ بِعِقَابٍ فَيَدْعُونَهُ دُعَاءَ الْغَرِيقِ فَلَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُمْ!". The narration describes a time when people’s inner states become corrupt while their outward appearances seem attractive, when worldly greed dominates and divine reward is not sought, when religion becomes mere ostentation devoid of fear of God, and when divine punishment engulfs them so completely that even their desperate supplications are not answered. 2. In another narration, Imam Jaʿfar al‑Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said to his companion Zurārah: "مَنْ عَمِلَ لِلنَّاسِ كَانَ ثَوَابُهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ، يَا زُرَارَةُ، كُلُّ رِيَاءٍ شِرْكٌ", meaning that whoever acts for people will have his reward from people, and that every form of ostentation constitutes polytheism. 3. In a third narration, the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny stated: "إِنَّ الْمُرَائِيَ يُدْعَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ أَسْمَاءٍ: يَا كَافِرُ، يَا فَاجِرُ، يَا غَادِرُ، يَا خَاسِرُ، حَبِطَ عَمَلُكَ وَبَطَلَ أَجْرُكَ، فَلَا خَلَاصَ لَكَ الْيَوْمَ، فَالْتَمِسْ أَجْرَكَ مِمَّنْ كُنْتَ تَعْمَلُ لَهُ!". On the Day of Resurrection, the ostentatious person will be called by four names—disbeliever, transgressor, deceiver, and loser—and will be told that his deeds have perished, his reward has been nullified, and that he should seek recompense from those for whom he acted. O God, sincerity of intention is difficult; help us Yourself upon this path. Our Lord, grant us such faith that we seek nothing but Your reward and fear nothing but Your punishment, and that the pleasure and displeasure of people become equal to us in Your path. O God, forgive the errors and shortcomings we have committed upon this path until now. Āmīn, O Lord of all the worlds.