83
اَلْمُطَفِّفِيْنَ
The Cheats
(or Cheating)

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ۔

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِيْنَ۔ الَّذِيْنَ اِذَا اكْتَالُوْا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُوْنَ۔ وَ اِذَا كَالُوْهُمْ اَوْ وَّ زَنُوْهُمْ يُخْسِرُوْنَ۔ؕ اَلَا يَظُنُّ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ اَنَّهُمْ مَّبْعُوْثُوْنَ۔ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيْمٍ۔ يَّوْمَ يَقُوْمُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ۔ؕ كَلَّآ اِنَّ كِتٰبَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِيْ سِجِّيْنٍ۔ؕ وَ مَآ اَدْرٰىكَ مَا سِجِّيْنٌ۔ؕ كِتٰبٌ مَّرْقُوْمٌ۔ؕ وَيْلٌ يَّوْمَىِٕذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِيْنَ۔ الَّذِيْنَ يُكَذِّبُوْنَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ۔ؕ وَ مَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهٖٓ اِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ اَثِيْمٍ۔ اِذَا تُتْلٰى عَلَيْهِ اٰيٰتُنَا قَالَ اَسَاطِيْرُ الْاَوَّلِيْنَ۔ؕ كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلٰى قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ۔ كَلَّآ اِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَىِٕذٍ لَّمَحْجُوْبُوْنَ۔ؕ ثُمَّ اِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُوا الْجَحِيْمِ۔ؕ ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هٰذَا الَّذِيْ كُنْتُمْ بِهٖ تُكَذِّبُوْنَ۔ؕ كَلَّآ اِنَّ كِتٰبَ الْاَبْرَارِ لَفِيْ عِلِّيِّيْنَ۔ؕ وَ مَآ اَدْرٰىكَ مَا عِلِّيُّوْنَ۔ؕ كِتٰبٌ مَّرْقُوْمٌ۔ يَّشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُوْنَ۔ؕ اِنَّ الْاَبْرَارَ لَفِيْ نَعِيْمٍ۔ عَلَى الْاَرَآىِٕكِ يَنْظُرُوْنَ۔ تَعْرِفُ فِيْ وُجُوْهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيْمِ۔ يُسْقَوْنَ مِنْ رَّحِيْقٍ مَّخْتُوْمٍ۔ خِتٰمُهُ مِسْكٌ ؕ وَ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُوْنَ۔ؕ وَ مِزَاجُهُ مِنْ تَسْنِيْمٍ۔ عَيْنًا يَّشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُوْنَ۔ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اَجْرَمُوْا كَانُوْا مِنَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا يَضْحَكُوْنَ۔ وَ اِذَا مَرُّوْا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُوْنَ۔ وَ اِذَا انْقَلَبُوْٓا اِلٰٓى اَهْلِهِمُ انْقَلَبُوْا فَكِهِيْنَ۔ وَ اِذَا رَاَوْهُمْ قَالُوْٓا اِنَّ هٰٓؤُلَآءِ لَضَآلُّوْنَ۔ وَ مَآ اُرْسِلُوْا عَلَيْهِمْ حٰفِظِيْنَ۔ؕ فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُوْنَ۔ عَلَى الْاَرَآىِٕكِ يَنْظُرُوْنَ۔ؕ هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوْا يَفْعَلُوْنَ۔

In the name of God—the most compassionate, the most merciful.

It will be too bad for cheats who insist on receiving everything when they have people measure something out for them; yet whenever they measure or weigh things for others, they give (them) less than their due. Do not such persons suppose they will be raised up again [to render accounts] on a tremendous day, a day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the Universe?

Indeed not, the loose-livers’ book will be [kept] in a vault. What will make you realize what such a dungeon is like? An annotated book! It will be too bad for rejecters on that day, those who deny the Day for Repayment! Each vicious transgressor will plainly reject it; when Our signs are recited to him, he will say: “[These are] legends by primitive men!”

Of course not; rather whatever they used to do lies like rust on their hearts. Indeed they will be screened off from their Lord on that day; next they will roast in Hades. Then someone will say: “This is what you have been rejecting.”

Of course the book for the virtuous will rest in the Highest [Heavens]. What will make you realize what the Highest [Heavens] are? An annotated book which those closest [to God] will bear witness to. The virtuous will [dwell] in Bliss, on couches watching. You will recognize a blissful splendor on their faces. They will be offered a scaled potion to drink whose seal will be musk. For that let rivals compete! It will be blended with a beverage from a spring where those close [to God] will drink.

Those who commit crimes used to laugh at those who believe. Whenever they pass by them, they nod to one another. Then when they go back to their own people, they return exultant. Whenever they see them, they say: “Those (men) are far astray!”

They have not been sent as overseers (to be) set up over them, so today those who believe will laugh at disbelievers, from couches where they [lie] watching. Are not disbelievers being compensated for just what they have been doing?

This chapter gives us a hint as to our future life and its rewards. Again it is rhymed throughout. The beginning is a condemnation of fraudulent practices.

Literally ‘when they give by measure to others, or weigh out to them’.

Every human being wants to have his dues paid in full. But it is only right and proper that, if he is a man of character, he should also take care to give to others their full and rightful dues. He should want for others whatever he wants for himself. Those who take full measure for themselves and give less to others, will reach the Hereafter in such an ill state of grace that they will be doomed to eternal perdition.

One who tries to ensure full measure for himself knows that everyone should receive his just deserts. In this context, if he gives less while giving to others, he lessens his realization of or sensitivity to the rights of others. If a man repeats this sort of misdeed again and again, a time will finally come when he will completely lose his sensitivity to others’ rights. His heart will be completely corroded by his sinful actions.

In the present world many people are not at all keen to respect the rights of others or to give them their full dues. They are interested solely in recovering in full what is due to them from others. Such people will remain in a state of deprivation in the Hereafter. Wise are those who are eager to discharge others’ rights and dues fully, because they are the ones who will be entitled to the great bounties of God in the Hereafter.

Literally ‘A prison’. It means a certain place in which the record of the deeds of the wicked is preserved.

Duly registered and inscribed, with no possibility of error or effacement.

One who disregards his worldly considerations for the sake of the Hereafter is regarded as a fool and becomes diminished in the eyes of the worldly wise. But when the Hereafter comes, it will appear that the really wise ones were those who were considered foolish in the present world.