Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:181

"Give full measure, and do not..."

Measurement is of three types: full (wāfin), deficient (taṭfīf), and excessive (zāʾid).

God commanded the obligatory, which is the full measure, and forbade the prohibited, which is the deficient measure. He did not mention the excessive measure; its omission from the command and prohibition indicates that if one performs it, they have done well, and if they do not, there is no blame upon them.

It is recited as al-qisṭās (with a ḍamma on the qāf) and al-qisṭās (with a kasra), meaning the balance. It is also said to be the qarasṭūn (steelyard). If it is derived from al-qisṭ (justice) and the ʿayn is considered doubled, its measure is faʿlās; otherwise, it is a quadriliteral root. It is also said that it is the word for "justice" in the Roman language.

It is said: "I bakhastu him his right," meaning I diminished it for him. From this, the tax (maks) is called bakhs. This applies generally to every right established for someone—that it should not be diminished—and to every property, that its owner should not be wronged regarding it, nor should anything be taken from it, nor should it be disposed of without his permission in a legal manner.

It is said: ʿathā in the land, ʿathā, and ʿātha, referring to highway robbery, raiding, and the destruction of crops. They used to do this alongside various types of corruption, so they were forbidden from it.

It is recited as al-jibillah (with the weight of al-abillah) and al-jiblah (with the weight of al-khilqah). Their meanings are the same, meaning: "those of the creation," similar to saying: "and the former generations (al-khalq al-awwalīn)."

"They said: 'You are only one of those bewitched. You are but a human being like us, and we think you are indeed one of the liars.'"