Surah Al-Mutaffifin (The Defrauding)

30 verses, Meccan

Tafsir Notes (Drawing upon the methodology of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi):

1. The Meaning of Wayl (Woe):
   • Wayl signifies severe destruction, ruin, or a grievous state. It is a strong warning directed at a specific group.

2. The Definition of Al-Mutaffifīn (The Defrauding/Those who give less than due measure):
   • Linguistically, Tafīf means taking something in excess or giving something deficient.
   • In this context, it specifically refers to those who cheat in weights and measures (commercial fraud).

3. The Nature of Their Transgression (The Two Sides of the Transaction):
   • When taking from others (Iktālū ‘alā an-nās): They demand and take their full, rightful due (yastawfūn). They are meticulous and exacting when they are the recipients.
   • When giving to others (Kālūhum aw wazanūhum): When they are the ones measuring or weighing out goods to others, they deliberately shortchange them (yakhsarūn). They fail to give the full measure or weight they owe.

4. The Severity of the Sin:
   • This verse highlights the hypocrisy and injustice inherent in their actions: they demand perfect justice for themselves while practicing injustice against others. This behavior undermines social trust and economic fairness, making it a major sin deserving of the severe warning of Wayl.

Al-Mutaffifin (The Defrauders): (1) Woe to the Defrauders

Connection to the Previous Surah: The connection between the beginning of this Surah and the end of the preceding Surah is clear. Allah (Exalted is He) explained at the end of that Surah that the Day of Resurrection is a day characterized by the fact that no soul will have power over another soul, and all authority belongs to Allah. This implies a great warning for the disobedient. Therefore, it is followed by His statement: {Woe to the defrauders}.

The purpose here is to forbid Tafīf (defrauding in measure/weight), which is the deficiency in the measure (mikyāl) and the scale (mīzān) by a small amount, done secretly. This is because a large deficiency would be obvious and thus prevented. If that small amount were also obvious, it would be prevented. Thus, we know that Tafīf is the deficiency in the measure and scale by a small amount done secretly.

Herein lie several issues:

1. First Opinion: That ṭaffa (طَفَّ) something refers to its edge or brim. It is said: ṭaffa al-wādī (the valley reached its brim) or ṭaffa al-inā’ (the vessel reached its brim). If something reaches the brim but is not completely full, it is called ṭafāfuhu or ṭafāfuhu or ṭaffafu. It is said: "This is the brim of the measure" (ṭaff al-mikyāl) if it nearly reaches fullness but is not yet full. For this reason, the one who measures poorly and does not give full measure is called a mutaffif, meaning he only reaches the brim (al-ṭaffāf).
2. Second Opinion (That of Al-Zajjāj): That the one who shortens the measure and the scale is called mutaffif because what is stolen in measures and scales is usually only a small, insignificant amount (ṭafīf).

Here arise several sub-questions:

Question 1: Measuring (iktiyāl) is taking by measure, just as weighing (ittizān) is taking by weight. The usual linguistic usage is to say: "I took a measure from so-and-so" (iktaltu min fulān), not "I took a measure upon so-and-so" (iktaltu 'alā fulān). What is the reason for using the preposition 'alā (upon) here?

Answer: There are two perspectives:

1. Since their measuring from people involved harm and oppression against them, the preposition 'alā is used to signify that oppression.
2. Al-Farra’ said that the meaning is "they measured from the people" (iktālū min an-nās), and the prepositions min (from) and 'alā (upon) are interchangeable in this context because it concerns a right due to them. If one says, "I took a measure upon you" (iktaltu 'alayka), it is as if he says, "I took what was due from you." If he says, "I took a measure from you" (iktaltu minka), it is like saying, "I took my due from you" (istawfaytu minka).

Question 2: The usual linguistic usage is to say: "They measured for them" (kālū lahum) or "They weighed for them" (wazanū lahum), not "I measured them" (kaltuhum) or "I weighed them" (wazantuhum). What is the reason for the Almighty’s statement: {And when they measure out to them or weigh for them} (wa idhā kālūhum aw wazanūhum)?

Answer: There are several perspectives:

1. The meaning of {kālūhum aw wazanūhum} is "they measured for them" (kālū lahum aw wazanū lahum), where the preposition is omitted and the verb is made transitive. Al-Kisa'i and Al-Farra’ said this is characteristic of the speech of the people of Hijaz and those near them. They say things like zanā kadhā (he committed adultery [directly] so-and-so), kalā kadhā (he measured [directly] so-and-so), ṣadataka wa ṣadatalaka (he turned you away and turned away for you), and kasabataka wa kasabat laka (he earned for you and earned for you). Under this view, the pronoun in kālūhum and wazanūhum is in the accusative case (object).
2. It is due to the omission of the direct object (muḍāf) and the promotion of the object of the omitted word (muḍāf ilayhi) to its place. The intended meaning is: "And when they measured their measure" (idhā kālū mīzānahum) or "weighed their weight" (wazanū mawzūnahum).
3. It is narrated from 'Isa ibn 'Umar and Hamza that they treated the two pronouns as emphasis for what was implied in kālū (they measured) and paused after the two wāws, using the pause to clarify their intent. Al-Farra’ and Al-Zajjāj deemed this impermissible, arguing that if it meant "they measured them" (kālūhum), the alif would have been written explicitly before the hā' in the Uthmanic script. The author of Al-Kashshāf objected to this argument, stating that the script of the Mus'haf did not adhere to the established rules of orthography in many places. The response is that if writing this alif was not customary in the time of the Companions, it should have been omitted in all eras, as we know their meticulousness regarding such matters. Therefore, it is established that writing this alif was customary in the time of the Companions, so it should have been included here.

Question 3: Why did He say: {Woe to the defrauders * Those who, when they take a measure} (Alladhīna idhā iktālū) and not "when they weigh," and then later say: {And when they measure out to them or weigh for them}, combining both?

Answer: Measuring and weighing are the means by which buying and selling occur, so one implies the other.

Question 4: The usual linguistic usage is to say "he caused loss" (khassartuhu). What is the reason for saying {akhsarahum} (they caused loss)?

Answer: Al-Zajjāj said: "To make the scale deficient" (akhsarta al-mīzān) and "to cause loss" (khassartuhu) are equivalent, meaning you diminished it. Al-Mu'arrij narrated that yakhsarūn (they cause loss) means "they diminish" in the dialect of Quraysh.

The response to this argument is what has been previously mentioned many times. A corollary to this issue is that this threat encompasses both the one who commits the act and the one who resolves to commit it, as resolving to commit it is also considered a major sin.

Know that the matter of measure and weight is grave because the majority of creation relies on transactions, which are built upon measure and weight. For this reason, Allah magnified its importance, saying: {And He raised the heaven and imposed the Balance * That you may not transgress the Balance * So establish weight with justice and do not make the balance deficient} (Ar-Raḥmān: 7-9). He also said: {We have certainly sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance that mankind may uphold justice} (Al-Hadid: 25).

Qatadah said: "Give full measure, O son of Adam, as you would like to receive full measure, and be just as you would like justice to be done to you." Al-Fuḍayl said: "Defrauding the scale results in a darkened face on the Day of Resurrection." An Arab man said to 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān: "I have heard what Allah the Almighty said concerning the defrauders. By that, he meant that the defrauder faces a great threat for taking a small amount; what do you think of yourself when you take the large amounts, and you take the wealth of the Muslims without measure or weight?"