Tafsir of Al Imran 3:180

"And let not those who..."

"And let not [you] think..."

Regarding the one who reads it with a ta (i.e., la taḥsabanna): He estimates an omitted addition, meaning: "And do not let the stinginess of those who are stingy be thought of as better for them."

Likewise, for the one who reads it with a ya (i.e., la yaḥsabanna):

• If the subject of yaḥsabanna is the Messenger of Allah or any person [in general].
• If the subject is "those who are stingy," then the first object is considered omitted, estimated as: "And let not those who are stingy think their stinginess is better for them."

The justification for this omission is the indication provided by the word "they are stingy" (yabkhalūn). Al-A‘mash read it without the word "it" (huwa).

"They will be encircled..."

This is an explanation of His saying: "It is worse for them."

Meaning: They will be bound to the consequence of what they were stingy with, like the binding of a collar (ṭawq). In their proverbs, it is said: "He wore it like the collar of a dove," used when someone brings upon himself something for which he is reviled and blamed.

It is said: What he was stingy with regarding Zakat will be made into a serpent that will be coiled around his neck on the Day of Resurrection, biting him from his crown to his feet, pecking at his head and saying, "I am your wealth."

From the Prophet (ﷺ) regarding the one who withholds Zakat: "He will be encircled by a bald-headed serpent (shujā‘ aqra‘)." It is also narrated: "A black serpent." An-Nakha‘i said: "They will be encircled by a collar of fire."

"And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth."

Meaning: To Him belongs all that is within them—of wealth and other things—which the inhabitants inherit from one another. So why are they stingy with what belongs to Him, and why do they not spend it in His path?

Similar to this is His saying: "And spend out of that in which He has made you successors" (Al-Hadid: 7).

"And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do."

It is read both with a ta (ta‘malūn) and a ya (ya‘malūn). The ta follows the style of iltifāt (shifting address), which is more eloquent in warning, while the ya follows the apparent [third-person] context.