SURAH (107) AL-MA'UN (AYA 1 to 7)
Sura (107) AL-MA’UN (Alms) Aya 1 to 7 verses in 1 Section
Revealed at Makka
SECTION
1
He who
cares not for Prayer and Alms
Woe unto those praying ones who pray but
care npt for the prayer, do good to show to others---and refuse alms to the
poor.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ {107:1}
[Q107:1] Ara-aital lazee yu kazzibu bid deen
[Q107:1] Have you seen him who denies the Recompense?
[Q107:1] Have you seen him who denies the Recompense?
Din
means religion. Here it means the Day of Judgment as
in Fatihah
1:3. Those who deny the principles of right
and wrong and man's accountability, in the moral and spiritual sense, of actions done by him treat the helpless with contempt and lead arrogant selfish lives which,
as a consequence, disturbs and upsets peace and harmony in the society. As the noble virtue of loving and taking care of the
helpless among the society is beyond the reach of the callous disbelievers, they
discourage or forbid or look down upon the virtue of charity or kindness in
others.
TRUE WORSHIP DOES
NOT CONSIST IN THE MERE FORM OF PRAYER, WITHOUT THE HEART AND MIND BEING EARNESTLY
APPLIED
TO SEEK THE PLEASURE OF ALLAH (SWT).
IN ISLAM PRAYER IS NOT A RITUAL.
Verse 4:142 of Nisa says: "When they
stand up for prayer they stand without sincerity, to be seen by men (only for
show), but little do they (pay attention) to ALLAH (SwT) in remembrance." Hypocrites make a great show of insincere acts of goodness, devotion
and charity. See commentary of Baqarah 2:3, 43, 45
and Ta
Ha 20:132 for salat.
·
The Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) said: "He
who gives salt to a needy person earns the reward of setting free 60 slaves;
and he who gives water to a needy person earns the reward of saving a man from
death and destruction."
Little acts of **neighbouring
kindnesses, **courtesies and **supply of needs to the needy cost little but mean
much. The first three verses are about the disbelievers who rejected the belief in the Day of Judgment and behave
arrogantly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:1)
Did you see him *1 who
gives the lie to the Reward and Punishment *2 of
the Hereafter? *3
*1 The words "have you seen", apparently, are
directed to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace), but the Qur'anic style is
that on such occasions it generally addresses every intelligent and thinking
person. And "seeing" means seeing with the eyes, for what has been
described in the succeeding verses can be seen by every seer with his eyes, as
well as knowing, understanding and considering something deeply. If the word
ara'aita is taken in the second meaning, the verse would mean: "Do you
know the kind of man who belies the rewards and punishments." Or:
"Have you considered the state of the person who belies the
Judgment?
*2 The word ad-din as Qur'anic term is used for the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter as well as for the religion of Islam. But the theme that follows is more relevant to the first meaning, although the second meaning also is not out of the context: Ibn 'Abbas has preferred the second meaning, while a majority of the commentators have preferred the first. In case the first meaning is taken, the theme of the Surah would mean that denial of the Hereafter produces such and such a character in man; in case the second meaning is taken, the object of the Surah would be to highlight the moral importance of Islam, to stress that Islam aims at producing an altogether different character in its adherents from that found in its deniers.
*3 The style shows that the object of asking this question at the outset is not to ask whether he has seen the person or not, but to invite the listener to consider as to what kind of character is' produced in man when he denies the judgement of the Hereafter, and to urge him to know the kind of the people who belie this creed so that he tries to understand the moral significance of belief in the Hereafter.
*2 The word ad-din as Qur'anic term is used for the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter as well as for the religion of Islam. But the theme that follows is more relevant to the first meaning, although the second meaning also is not out of the context: Ibn 'Abbas has preferred the second meaning, while a majority of the commentators have preferred the first. In case the first meaning is taken, the theme of the Surah would mean that denial of the Hereafter produces such and such a character in man; in case the second meaning is taken, the object of the Surah would be to highlight the moral importance of Islam, to stress that Islam aims at producing an altogether different character in its adherents from that found in its deniers.
*3 The style shows that the object of asking this question at the outset is not to ask whether he has seen the person or not, but to invite the listener to consider as to what kind of character is' produced in man when he denies the judgement of the Hereafter, and to urge him to know the kind of the people who belie this creed so that he tries to understand the moral significance of belief in the Hereafter.
فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ {107:2}
[Q107:2] Fa zaalikal lazi yadu'ul-yateem,
[Q107:2] That is he who repulses the orphan (harshly),
[Q107:2] That is he who repulses the orphan (harshly),
Ü Those who disbelieve in
the Day of Judgment rebuke and keep away the helpless orphans repulsing their
approach.
It is said, Abu
Sofyan and Walid bin Moghaira and Abu Jehl and Aas bin Wail used to do
this and the reference applies directly to those who at the time of the
revelation of these verses were the disbelievers who did not believe in the Day
of Judgment and behave arrogantly, BUT
ITS APPLICATION is ever current to everyone who
qualifies for it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:2)
Such is *4 the
one who repulses the orphans away, *5
*4 The letter fa in the sentence fa-dhalika-alladhi expresses the meaning of a whole
sentence, which is to this effect: "If you do not know, then know that it
is indeed he who..." Or, it gives the meaning: "Because of his this
very denial of the Hereafter he is the kind of man who... "
*5 The sentence yadu `ul yatim as used in the original, has several meanings: (1) That he deprives the orphan of his rights and evicting him from his father's heritage thrusts him away; (2) that if an orphan comes to ask him for help, he repulses him instead of showing him any compassion, and if he still persists in his entreaties in the hope for mercy, he drives him away and out of sight; (3) that he ill-treats the orphan. For example, if in his own house there is a closely related orphan, it is the orphans lot to serve the whole house, to receive rebuffs and suffer humiliation for trivial things. Besides, this sentence also contains the meaning that - the person does not behave unjustly and tyrannically only occasionally put this is his habit and settled practice. He does not have the feeling that it is an evil which he must give up, but he persists in it with full satisfaction, thinking that the orphan is a helpless, powerless creature; therefore, there is no harm if his rights are taken away wcongfitlly, or he is made the target of tyranny and injustice, or he is repulsed and driven away whenever he asks for help.
In this connection, Qadi Abul Hasan al-Mawardi has related a strange incident in his Alam an-Nubuwwat. Abu Jahl was the testator of an orphan. The child one day came to him in the condition that he had no shred of a garment on his body and he implored him to be .given something out of his father's heritage. But the cruel man paid no attention to him and the poor child had to go back disappointed. The Quraish chiefs said to him out of fun: "Go to Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and put your complaint before him. He will recommend your case before Abu Jahl and get you your property." The child not knowing any background of the nature of relationship between Abu Jahl and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and not understanding the motive of the mischief-mongers, went straight to the Holy Prophet and apprised him of his misfortune. The Holy Prophet immediately arose and accompanied the child to the house of Abu Jahl, his bitterest enemy. Abu Jahl received him well and when the latter told him to restore to the child his right, he yielded and brought out whatever he owed to him. The Quraish chiefs were watching all this earnestly m the hope that an interesting altercation would take place between them. But when they saw what actually happened they were astounded and went to Abu Jahl and taunted him saying that he too perhaps had abandoned his religion. He said: "By God, I have not abandoned my religion, but I so felt that on the right and left of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) there was a spear which would enter my -body if I acted against what he desired." This incident not only shows what was the attitude and conduct of the principal chiefs of the most civilized and noble tribe of Arabia towards the orphans and other helpless people in those days but it also shows what sublime character the Holy Prophet possessed and what impact it had even on his bitterest enemies. A similar incident we have already related in E.N. 5 of Surah Al-Anbiya' above, which points to the great moral superiority of the Holy Prophet because of which the disbelieving Quraish branded him as a sorcerer.
*5 The sentence yadu `ul yatim as used in the original, has several meanings: (1) That he deprives the orphan of his rights and evicting him from his father's heritage thrusts him away; (2) that if an orphan comes to ask him for help, he repulses him instead of showing him any compassion, and if he still persists in his entreaties in the hope for mercy, he drives him away and out of sight; (3) that he ill-treats the orphan. For example, if in his own house there is a closely related orphan, it is the orphans lot to serve the whole house, to receive rebuffs and suffer humiliation for trivial things. Besides, this sentence also contains the meaning that - the person does not behave unjustly and tyrannically only occasionally put this is his habit and settled practice. He does not have the feeling that it is an evil which he must give up, but he persists in it with full satisfaction, thinking that the orphan is a helpless, powerless creature; therefore, there is no harm if his rights are taken away wcongfitlly, or he is made the target of tyranny and injustice, or he is repulsed and driven away whenever he asks for help.
In this connection, Qadi Abul Hasan al-Mawardi has related a strange incident in his Alam an-Nubuwwat. Abu Jahl was the testator of an orphan. The child one day came to him in the condition that he had no shred of a garment on his body and he implored him to be .given something out of his father's heritage. But the cruel man paid no attention to him and the poor child had to go back disappointed. The Quraish chiefs said to him out of fun: "Go to Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and put your complaint before him. He will recommend your case before Abu Jahl and get you your property." The child not knowing any background of the nature of relationship between Abu Jahl and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and not understanding the motive of the mischief-mongers, went straight to the Holy Prophet and apprised him of his misfortune. The Holy Prophet immediately arose and accompanied the child to the house of Abu Jahl, his bitterest enemy. Abu Jahl received him well and when the latter told him to restore to the child his right, he yielded and brought out whatever he owed to him. The Quraish chiefs were watching all this earnestly m the hope that an interesting altercation would take place between them. But when they saw what actually happened they were astounded and went to Abu Jahl and taunted him saying that he too perhaps had abandoned his religion. He said: "By God, I have not abandoned my religion, but I so felt that on the right and left of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) there was a spear which would enter my -body if I acted against what he desired." This incident not only shows what was the attitude and conduct of the principal chiefs of the most civilized and noble tribe of Arabia towards the orphans and other helpless people in those days but it also shows what sublime character the Holy Prophet possessed and what impact it had even on his bitterest enemies. A similar incident we have already related in E.N. 5 of Surah Al-Anbiya' above, which points to the great moral superiority of the Holy Prophet because of which the disbelieving Quraish branded him as a sorcerer.
وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ {107:3}
[Q107:3] Wa la ya huddu 'alaa ta'amil miskeen.
[Q107:3] And urges not the feeding of AlMiskin (the poor),
[Q107:3] And urges not the feeding of AlMiskin (the poor),
They
neither themselves feed the poor NOR DO they encourage the others to do it. This is as well a warning to the
true believers against the conduct.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:3)
and urges *6 not
the feeding of the needy. *7
*6 La yahuddu means that the person neither
persuades his own self, nor tells the people of his household, to provide the
poor man with his food, nor does he urge others to recognize the rights of the
poor and needy people of society who are starving and do something to satisfy
their hunger. Here, by giving only two conspicuous examples, Allah has pointed
out what kind of evils are produced in the people who deny the Hereafter: The
real object is not to point out only these two evils-that the people drive away
the orphans and do not urge giving away the food of the poor as a result of the
denial of the Hereafter. But of the countless evils which are thus produced,
two evils have been presented as an example, which every noble and
sound-natured person will regard as hateful. Besides, another thing meant to be
impressed is that if this very man had believed at he would have to go before
God to render an account of his deeds, he would not have committed such evils
as to deprive the orphan of his rights, tyrannize him, repulse him, neither
feed the poor man himself nor urge others to give him his food. The
characteristics of the believers in the Hereafter which have been described in
Surah Al-`Asr and Surah Al-Balad are that they exhort one another to mercy, and
they exhort one another to the truth and to render the rights of others.
*7 The words used are to `am-il-miskIn and not it am-il-miskin If to am-il-miskin were the words, the meaning would be that he does not urge (others) to feed the poor. But ta'am -il-miskin means that he does not urge (others) to give away the food of the poor. In other words, the food that is given to the poor man is not the food of the giver but of the poor man himself; it is his right which is enjoined on the giver, and the giver is not doing him any favour but rendering him his right. This same thing had been said in Surah Adh-Dhariyat above: "And in their possessions is a due share of him who asks and of him who is needy" (v. 19).
*7 The words used are to `am-il-miskIn and not it am-il-miskin If to am-il-miskin were the words, the meaning would be that he does not urge (others) to feed the poor. But ta'am -il-miskin means that he does not urge (others) to give away the food of the poor. In other words, the food that is given to the poor man is not the food of the giver but of the poor man himself; it is his right which is enjoined on the giver, and the giver is not doing him any favour but rendering him his right. This same thing had been said in Surah Adh-Dhariyat above: "And in their possessions is a due share of him who asks and of him who is needy" (v. 19).
فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ {107:4}
[Q107:4] Fa wai lul-lil mu salleen
[Q107:4] So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites),
[Q107:4] So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites),
VERSES 4 & 5 OF THIS SURAH.
[1] Those
of the worshippers who are careless about the prescribed daily canonical
prayers. [2] Those who sometimes pray
and sometimes do not. [3] Those who do not
offer the prescribed daily prayers punctually and allow the exact time for the prayers to pass away in
idleness or in the worldly business and enjoyments. [4] Those
who pray to
show their prayerfulness and piety to the public and do not do it when they are alone.
µ The
Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) said
that the PRAYER IS THE CENTRAL PILLAR OF
THE FAITH, HE WHO NEGLECTED IT HAS DESTROYED THE FAITH, and in another
place he said: “If
prayer is accepted all other
deeds of righteousness of the individual will also be accepted, and if the prayer is rejected all the
other deeds of goodness, be they of any degree and of any quality, will be
rejected.”
µ The
first Holy Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib
said: “Hypocrites
are those who carelessly allow the prayer-time to pass away.”
¤
“I do not pray or serve ALLAH (SWT) for fear of His
chastisement, for it will be the
prayer of the slave,
¤
Nor do I pray or serve ALLAH (SWT) to get the bliss in
heaven which ALLAH (SWT) promises, for
it will be a trade;
¤
BUT I pray to Him and serve Him for it is due to Him and HE ALONE DESERVES TO BE PRAYED TO, AND TO BE SERVED.”
Negligent of the prayers----This
applies to the [*]
negligence in the observation of the time AND [*] attention during prayer---to attribute such a condition to the Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) amounts
to blasphemy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:4)
Woe, then, to those who pray, *8
*8 The
fa in fa-wail-ul
-lil-musallin signifies that such was the condition ofthe open
deniers of the Hereafter. One may then consider the condition of the hypocrites
who are included among the praying ones (i e. Muslims). Since, despite being
Muslims they regard the Hereafter as a falsehood, one may note what path of
ruin they are following. Though "musallin" means "the praying ones",
in view of the context in which this word has been used and the characteristics
of these people that follow, this word, in fact, does not have the meaning of
"the praying ones" but of "the people of salat", i.e. of
those included among Muslims.
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ {107:5}
[Q107:5] Al lazeena hum 'an salaatihim sahoon
[Q107:5] Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times,
[Q107:5] Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times,
(see commentary for verse 4)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:5)
but are heedless in their Prayers, *9
*9 The words used are an-salat-i him sahun and not fi
salat-i-him lahum.
In case the words fi salat-i him had
been used, the meaning would be that they forget in the course of their
Prayer.' But forgetting in the course of the Prayer is no sin in the eyes of
the Shari`ah, nothing to say of its being hypocrisy, nor is it a fault or
anything blameworthy. The Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) himself
sometimes forgot in the Prayer a nd to compensate for it he prescribed the
method of sajdah
sahv.
On the contrary, `an salat-i-him sahum means that they are neglectful of
their Prayer. Whether they perform the Prayer, or do not perform it, it is of
little importance to them. **They are not regular at the Prayers. **When they
perform it, they do not observe the prescribed times, but offer it carelessly
at the eleventh hour. Or, **when they rise up for the Prayer, they rise up
soullessly and perform it with an unwilling heart, as if it were a calamity
imposed on them. They play with their garments, yawn and betray absence of
every trace of Allah's remembrance in their hearts. Throughout the Prayer they
show no feeling at all that they are performing the Prayer, **nor of what they
are reciting; their minds wander and they perform articles of the Prayer
without due attention; they somehow perform a semblance of the Prayer and try
to be rid of it as soon as possible. And there are many people who would
perform the Prayer only when they must, otherwise the Prayer has no place in
their lives. The Prayer time comes but they show no concern that it is the Praver
time; they hear the call to the Prayer but do not understand what the caller is
calling to, whom he is calling and for what purpose. These in fact are the signs of absence of faith in the Hereafter.
The claimants to Islam believe thus only because they do not believe that they
would be rewarded for performing the Prayer, nor have the faith that they would
be punished for not performing it. On this very basis, Hadrat Anas bin Malik
and `Ata bin Dinar say: "Thanks to
God that he said 'an salat-i-him and not fi salat-i -him. That is, we do forget in the course of the Prayer
but we are not forgetful and neglectful of it; therefore, we shall not be
counted among the hypocrites."
The Qur'an at another place has described this state of the hypocrites, thus: "They come to offer their Prayer but reluctantly, and they expend in the way of Allah with unwilling hearts." (At-Taubah: 54). The Holy Messenger of Allah has said: "This is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite! He watches the sun at the `Asr time until when it reaches between the two horns of Satan (i.e. when the time of sunset 'approaches), he gets up and performs the Prayer carelessly, in which he remembers Allah but little." (Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad) Mus'ab bin Sa`d has related from his father, Hadrat Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas: "When I asked the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) about the people who are neglectful of their Prayer, he said: "These are the people who perform their Prayers when the prescribed time for it has passed." (Ibn Jarir, Abu Ya'la, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn abI Hatim, Tabarani in Ausat; Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan. This tradition has been related as a statement of Hadrat Sa`d himself also as a mauquf hadith and its sanad is stronger. Its being a marfu' narration of the saying of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been regarded as weak by Baihaqi and Hakim). Another tradition from Hadrat Mus'ab is that he asked his father: "Have you considered this verse? Does it mean giving up the Prayer, or wandering of one's attention in the course of the Prayer?-Who among us has not his attention divided? He replied: No, it implies wasting the prescribed time of the Prayer and performing it when its time has elapsed." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Shaibah, Abu Ya`la, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan): Here, one should understand that coming of other thoughts in the mind in the course of the. Prayer is one thing and bring unmindful of the Prayer and thinking other things during it quite another. The first state is a natural human weakness. Other thoughts do interfere without intention, and as soon as a believer 'feels that his attention is wandering from the Prayer he gathers it and brings it back to the Prayer. The other state is of being neglectful of the Prayer, for in it man only goes through an exercise of the Prayer mechanically, he has no intention of the remembrance of God in his heart. From the commencement of the Prayer till its completion his heart is not turned towards God even for a moment, and he remains engrossed in the thoughts with which he entered the Prayer.
The Qur'an at another place has described this state of the hypocrites, thus: "They come to offer their Prayer but reluctantly, and they expend in the way of Allah with unwilling hearts." (At-Taubah: 54). The Holy Messenger of Allah has said: "This is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite! He watches the sun at the `Asr time until when it reaches between the two horns of Satan (i.e. when the time of sunset 'approaches), he gets up and performs the Prayer carelessly, in which he remembers Allah but little." (Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad) Mus'ab bin Sa`d has related from his father, Hadrat Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas: "When I asked the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) about the people who are neglectful of their Prayer, he said: "These are the people who perform their Prayers when the prescribed time for it has passed." (Ibn Jarir, Abu Ya'la, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn abI Hatim, Tabarani in Ausat; Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan. This tradition has been related as a statement of Hadrat Sa`d himself also as a mauquf hadith and its sanad is stronger. Its being a marfu' narration of the saying of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been regarded as weak by Baihaqi and Hakim). Another tradition from Hadrat Mus'ab is that he asked his father: "Have you considered this verse? Does it mean giving up the Prayer, or wandering of one's attention in the course of the Prayer?-Who among us has not his attention divided? He replied: No, it implies wasting the prescribed time of the Prayer and performing it when its time has elapsed." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Shaibah, Abu Ya`la, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan): Here, one should understand that coming of other thoughts in the mind in the course of the. Prayer is one thing and bring unmindful of the Prayer and thinking other things during it quite another. The first state is a natural human weakness. Other thoughts do interfere without intention, and as soon as a believer 'feels that his attention is wandering from the Prayer he gathers it and brings it back to the Prayer. The other state is of being neglectful of the Prayer, for in it man only goes through an exercise of the Prayer mechanically, he has no intention of the remembrance of God in his heart. From the commencement of the Prayer till its completion his heart is not turned towards God even for a moment, and he remains engrossed in the thoughts with which he entered the Prayer.
الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ {107:6}
[Q107:6] Al lazeena hum yuraa-oun
[Q107:6] Those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men),
[Q107:6] Those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men),
Those who offer prayers OR do good deeds ONLY TO BE SEEN and KNOWN AS GOOD MEN among the people, i.e., the hypocrites.
This is a warning to all believers to see that WHATEVER
GOOD THEY DO, IS EXCLUSIVELY TO PLEASE THE LORD AND NOT to earn any name or fame.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:6)
those who do good (in order) to be seen, *10
*10 This can be an independent sentence
as well as one relating to the preceding sentence. In
the first case,
it would mean that they do not
perform any act of goodness with a pure intention for the sake of God, but
whatever they do, they do to be seen of others so that they are praised, are
considered righteous, their good act is publicised and its advantage and
benefit accrues to them here in the world. In the second case, the meaning would be that they pray
to be seen. The commentators generally have preferred the second meaning, for
at first sight it appears that it relates to the preceding sentence. Ibn `Abbas
says: "It implies the hypocrites who prayed to be seen. They performed the
Prayer if there was somebody to see them, but did not perform it if there was nobody
to see them." In another tradition his words are to the effect: "If
they were alone they did not pray; but if there were others, they prayed."
(Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi, in Ash-Shu
ab). In the Qur'an too the hypocrites have been described thus: "When they
rise up for the salat, they go reluctantly to it, merely to be seen of people
and they remember Allah but little." (An-Nisa': 142).
وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ {107:7}
[Q107:7] Wa yamna'oonal ma'oon.
[Q107:7] And refuse Al-Ma'un (small kindnesses e.g. salt, sugar, water, etc.).
[Q107:7] And refuse Al-Ma'un (small kindnesses e.g. salt, sugar, water, etc.).
‘Ma’oun’---The
poor-rate---Arms--- but actually means things of insignificant price like water, fire, and salt
which are the necessities of life.
According to Ibne Abbas,
Syeed bin Jubair and ibne Mas’ood they
are the things of domestic use including even the vessel of daily use.
Ë The
Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) said: “He who gave salt to anyone who needed it, it will
be equal to liberating sixty miserable slaves and he who gave water to one who
needed it, will be equal to giving life to a dead man.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(107:7)
and deny people the articles of common necessity. *11
*11 The word used is ma'un. The
view held by Hadrat `Ali, Ibn `Umar, Sa`id bin Jubair, Qatadah, Hasan Basri,
Muhammad bin Hanafiyyah, Dahhak, Ibn Zaid, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, `Ata' and Zuhri
(may Allah show them mercy) is that it implies the zakat while Ibn `Abbas, Ibn
Mas`ud, Ibrahim Nakha`i, Abu Malik and many other scholars have expressed the
opinion that it implies items of common use; for example, cooking-pot, bucket,
hatchet, balance, salt, water, fire, flint (now its successor, the
match-stick), etc. which the people generally borrow from each other. A
statement of Sa'id bin Jubair and Mujahid also supports it. Another view of
Hadrat 'Ali also is that it implies the zakat as well as the little courtesies
and kindnesses of daily Iife. Ibn Abi Hatim has related from `Ikrimah that ma'un of the highest form is zakat and of the lowest lending
of a sieve, bucket, or needle to a barrrower. Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas`ud says:
"We, the Companions of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace), used to say
(and according to other traditions, in the time of the Holy Prophet, used to
say) that ma`un implies lending of the cooking pot, hatchet, bucket, balance,
and such other things." (Ibn Jarir. Ibn Abi Shaibah, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i,
Bazzar, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Tabarani in AI-Ausat, Ibn Marduyah,
Baihaqi in As-Sunan). Sa`d bin 'Iyad without specifying any names has related
almost the same view from the Companions of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace),
which shows that he had heard this from several Companions. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi
Shaibah). Dailami, Ibn `Asakir, and Abu Nu`aim have related a tradition from
Hadrat Abu Hurairah in which he says that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
himself explained this verse saying that it implies the hatchet, bucket and
other such things. If this tradition is genuine it probably did not come to the
notice of other scholars; otherwise it was not possible that other people
should have given any other commentary of this verse.
Ma`un in fact is a small, little thing useful to the people. Accordingly, zakat also is ma`un, for it is a little amount out of much wealth, which one has to give away in order to help the poor, and the other small items of common use also are ma 'un as mentioned by Hadrat `Abdullah.Ibn Mas`ud and the scholars who share his viewpoint. The majority of the commentators say that ma `un applies to all those small things which the neighbours usually ask each other for, and asking for these is not in any way blameworthy, for the rich and the poor, all stand in need of these at one time or another. However, to show stinginess in lending these is regarded as mean behaviour morally. Generally these things by themselves last and the neighbour returns them in the original form after he has used them. It would also be maim if a neighbour asks the other for a bed or bedding items on the arrival of guests, or asks the neighbour's permission to have loaves baked in his, oven, or wants to leave some valuables in the neighbour's custody when going out of his house for some days. Thus, the verse means to impress that denial of the Hereafter renders a man so narrow-minded and niggardly that he is not even prepared to make a most minor sacrifice for the sake of others.
Ma`un in fact is a small, little thing useful to the people. Accordingly, zakat also is ma`un, for it is a little amount out of much wealth, which one has to give away in order to help the poor, and the other small items of common use also are ma 'un as mentioned by Hadrat `Abdullah.Ibn Mas`ud and the scholars who share his viewpoint. The majority of the commentators say that ma `un applies to all those small things which the neighbours usually ask each other for, and asking for these is not in any way blameworthy, for the rich and the poor, all stand in need of these at one time or another. However, to show stinginess in lending these is regarded as mean behaviour morally. Generally these things by themselves last and the neighbour returns them in the original form after he has used them. It would also be maim if a neighbour asks the other for a bed or bedding items on the arrival of guests, or asks the neighbour's permission to have loaves baked in his, oven, or wants to leave some valuables in the neighbour's custody when going out of his house for some days. Thus, the verse means to impress that denial of the Hereafter renders a man so narrow-minded and niggardly that he is not even prepared to make a most minor sacrifice for the sake of others.
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