Al-Mā'ūn (The Small Kindness): Verse 7

After explaining the matter of prayer, He followed it by mentioning the withholding of al-mā'ūn.

There are several opinions regarding this:

The First Opinion: This is the view of Abu Bakr, Ali, Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, Ibn Umar, Al-Hasan, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, Qatadah, and Al-Dahhak: It refers to Zakat (obligatory charity).

• Evidence cited is a narration from Ubayy: "Whoever recites Surah {Ar'a-ayta} (Al-Takathur), may Allah forgive him if he was one who paid the Zakat." This suggests that al-mā'ūn is Zakat.
• Furthermore, since Allah mentioned it immediately after prayer, the apparent meaning is that it refers to Zakat.

The Second Opinion: This is the view of the majority of commentators: Al-Mā'ūn is the name for things that are not usually withheld when requested, which the poor and the rich might ask for. Withholding them is attributed to bad character and base nature.

• Examples include an axe, a cooking pot (qidr), a bucket, a flint/striker (miqdaha), a sieve, or an adze.
• It also includes salt, water, and fire. It is narrated: "Three things are not permissible to withhold: water, fire, and salt."
• This also includes lending a neighbor your oven for baking, or allowing them to store their belongings with you for a day or half a day.
• Proponents of this view say that al-mā'ūn is derived from al-ma'n, meaning a small amount. From this root is the saying: "He has no ma'nah" (meaning he has no small amount, or little wealth).
• Zakat is also called mā'ūn because a quarter of a tenth is taken from wealth, making it a small amount from a large one.
• What is customarily borrowed (like an axe or a blade) is also called mā'ūn.
• Under this interpretation, the meaning of the verse is a stern warning against stinginess regarding these small items, as being stingy about them indicates the utmost baseness and weakness. The hypocrites were characterized by this, as Allah says: {Those who are stingy and enjoin stinginess upon the people} and {A preventer of good, an aggressor, a sinner}.
• The scholars stated that among the virtues is for a man to keep in his house what his neighbors need, so he may lend it to them, not limiting himself only to what is obligatory.

The Third Opinion: Al-Farrā' said: I heard some Arabs say that al-mā'ūn is water. He cited the poetry:

He poured out the water (al-mā'ūn) from his camel's skin.

• Perhaps water was singled out because it is the most cherished thing when absent and the cheapest when present. Water is the first thing the inhabitants of Hell will ask for, as Allah says: {Pour out on us some water}. Water is also the first pleasure the inhabitants of Paradise will find, as Allah says: {And their Lord gave them to drink}.

The Fourth Opinion: Al-Mā'ūn means good obedience/compliance. It is said: "Urge your camel until it gives you al-mā'ūn," meaning until it gives you obedience.

It is best to interpret this term to encompass every easy act of obedience, as this yields the greatest benefit.

The scholars then discussed the connection (mulā'amah) between His statement: {They show off (yurā'ūn)} and His statement: {And they refuse al-mā'ūn}.

It is as if Allah is saying: Prayer is for Me, and al-mā'ūn is for the creation. So, what is due to Me, they display to the creation, and what is the right of the creation, they conceal from them. It is as if they deal with the creation and the Lord in the exact opposite manner.

If it is asked: Why did Allah not mention the specific name of the disbeliever?

• If the answer is to conceal his identity, then why did He not conceal Adam’s identity when He said: {And Adam disobeyed his Lord}?
• The answer is that Allah mentioned Adam's slip after his death, coupled with his repentance, to serve as a lesson for his descendants: If he was expelled from Paradise due to a minor error, how can they expect entry with major sins? Moreover, describing that slip elevates his status, as he only committed that single error and then repented with such a sincere repentance.

We conclude the exegesis of this Surah with a supplication: Our God, this Surah mentions the hypocrites, and the Surah that follows it describes the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Although we may not reach the level of obedience of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions, we certainly do not reach the level of ugly deeds of these hypocrites. Therefore, forgive us by Your grace, O Most Merciful of the merciful. And may Allah bless our Master Muhammad, his family, and his companions, and grant them peace.