Tafsir of Al-Muddathir 74:6

Surah Al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One): Verse 6

{وَلَا تَمْنُنْ تَسْتَكْثِرُ} (And do not confer favor [to others] expecting to receive more in return.)

Issue 1: The Reading of Tastakthir

The famous reading is with the vowel sign (raising) on the rā’ (تَسْتَكْثِرُ). There are three interpretations for this grammatical form:

1. The implied structure is: "Do not confer favor so that you may seek more" (لِتَسْتَكْثِرَ), and the lām (for/in order to) is omitted, resulting in the verb being in the indicative mood (raised).
2. The implied structure is: "Do not confer favor that you seek more" (أَنْ تَسْتَكْثِرَ), and the accusative an (that) is omitted, leaving the word free from both the accusative and jussive moods, thus it remains in the indicative mood. The meaning is: "Do not give because you seek more."
3. It functions as an anticipated circumstantial clause (Hāl Muwaqqa‘ah). Al-Fārisī states it is like saying, "I passed by a man who had a falcon, intending to hunt with it tomorrow" (صَائِدًا بِهِ غَدًا), meaning, anticipating the hunt. Similarly here, the meaning is "anticipating seeking more." He adds that it can also describe an impending state.

Interpretations of the Verse:

Given the grammatical understanding above, scholars have offered several interpretations for the meaning of the verse:

1. Not boasting to God: The preceding verses commanded four things: warning the people, magnifying the Lord, purifying garments, and abandoning idols/profanity. This verse means: Do not confer favor upon your Lord for these arduous deeds, as if you are seeking much in return for what you do. Rather, be patient in all of this for the sake of your Lord, drawing near to Him without boasting of it to Him. Al-Hasan said: "Do not confer favor upon your Lord with your good deeds, thinking them to be great."
2. Not boasting to people: Do not confer favor upon people by teaching them the religion and the revelation, as if you consider that favor to be great. You only did that by God's command, so you have no claim of favor upon them. This is supported by the following verse: {And for your Lord, be patient} (77:7).
3. Not seeking recompense for Prophethood: Do not confer favor upon them due to your Prophethood, seeking to gain much wealth from them in return.
4. Not weakening/faltering: Tamanun (from mann) means to weaken. A rope is called manīn if it is weak. The meaning is: Do not weaken in performing these four acts of obedience commanded before this verse, while anticipating seeking much reward. Those who hold this view cite {Is it other than God you order me to worship?} (39:64) as an example where an is omitted. Al-Farrā’ mentioned that ‘Abdullāh’s recitation was {And do not tamtan (weaken) expecting to seek more}, which supports this interpretation. This view is preferred by Mujāhid.
5. Not giving in order to receive more (Majority View): This is the view of most commentators. Mann means to give. It is said: Mannantu fulānan kadhā (I conferred such-and-such upon so-and-so), meaning I gave him. (Example: {This is Our provision, so bestow favor or withhold} (38:39), meaning give or withhold). The root concept is that whoever gives has conferred a favor (mann), so the gift itself is metaphorically called a mann. Thus, the meaning is: Do not give your wealth with the intention of taking more in return.

Questions Arising from Interpretation 5:

• Question 1: What is the wisdom behind God prohibiting this action?
  • Answer 1: So that his giving is for God's sake, not for seeking worldly gain. God forbade seeking the world in {And do not extend your eyes toward that which We have given certain groups of them to enjoy} (15:88). This is because whoever seeks the world must hold it in high esteem, and one who does so is unfit to carry the Message.
  • Answer 2: Whoever gives a little of the world to receive much must humble himself and supplicate to the recipient. This is unbecoming of the station of Prophethood, as it degrades the one receiving the favor. This is why charity is forbidden for the Prophet, and it alienates the giver. This is why God said: {Or do you ask them for a wage? Then they are burdened by debt} (52:40).

• Question 2: Is this prohibition specific to the Prophet (PBUH) or does it include the Ummah (community)?
  • Answer: The apparent wording does not imply generality, nor does the context necessitate it. The Prophet (PBUH) was prohibited from this to preserve the dignity of the Prophetic office, a consideration not present in the Ummah. Some scholars argue that for the Ummah, this concept translates to Riyā’ (showing off), which God has forbidden for everyone.

• Question 3: Assuming this prohibition is specific to the Prophet (PBUH), is it a prohibition of Tahrīm (absolute prohibition) or Tanzīh (disapproval/exaltation)?
  • Answer: The apparent meaning of the prohibition suggests Tahrīm.

Further Interpretations (6th, 7th, 8th):

• The Sixth View (Al-Qaffāl): The intent is to forbid the Prophet (PBUH) from giving anything in expectation of any compensation, whether more, less, or equal. Tastakthir here means seeking abundance, being averse to the wealth decreasing due to giving. Thus, seeking more is a metaphor for seeking any compensation, as the reward is usually greater than the gift (a common scenario is named after its most frequent occurrence). The reason for this is to ensure the Prophet's giving is purely for God's sake, free from expectation of return or people's attention.
• The Seventh View: Do not confer favor upon people for what you bestow upon them, seeking to magnify that gift in your own estimation. Rather, you should consider it small, insignificant, and feel indebted to the one who accepted your gift, as the entire world is little, let alone that small portion of it. (These last three views are ranked: 6 addresses seeking excess compensation; 7 addresses seeking any compensation; 8 addresses viewing the gift as insignificant).
• The Eighth View: If you give something, you should not boast about it because you consider the gift great. Boasting nullifies the reward of the deed, as God says: {O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities by boasting and causing injury, like one who spends his wealth to be seen by the people...} (2:264).

Issue 2: The Reading with Sukūn (Jussive) on Tastakthir

Al-Hasan read it with sukūn (تَسْتَكْثِرْ). Most rigorous scholars rejected this reading, though some accepted it based on three possible justifications:

1. It is like saying: "Do not confer favor; do not seek more" (لَا تَمْنُنْ لَا تَسْتَكْثِرْ).
2. The rā’ was vocalized with sukūn due to the heaviness of the ḍammah combined with many short vowels, similar to what Abū Zayd narrated regarding {بَلَى وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيْهِمْ يَكْتُبُونَ} where the lām is silenced.
3. It is considered based on the pause form (waqf).

Al-A‘mash read it with fatḥ (تَسْتَكْثِرَ) by implying an (as in the first grammatical interpretation). This is supported by Ibn Mas‘ūd’s recitation: {And do not confer favor that you seek more} (وَلَا تَمْنُنْ أَنْ تَسْتَكْثِرَ).

{وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ} (And for your Lord, be patient.)