Introduction,Arabic verses translated in Urdu & English, foot notes

Name: The name is taken from the very first verse, “Wayl-ul-lil-Mutaffifin” (Woe to those who give short measure).

Period of Revelation: The style and subject matter clearly show that this surah was revealed in the early Meccan period, when successive surahs were being revealed to establish belief in the Hereafter in the minds of the people of Makkah, and at a time when the Meccans had begun taunting, mocking, and humiliating the Muslims in the streets, marketplaces, and gatherings — though the era of persecution and physical violence had not yet begun. Some commentators have classified this surah as Madinan. This misunderstanding actually stems from a report from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah, the practice of giving short measure and short weight was widespread among its people. Then Allah revealed “Wayl-ul-lil-Mutaffifin,” after which people began measuring and weighing very properly (Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Marduyah, Ibn Jarir, Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman). However, as explained in the introduction to Surah Ad-Dahr, it was the common practice among the Companions and their successors that whenever a verse applied to a particular situation, they would simply say “this was revealed regarding such-and-such matter.” So what Ibn ‘Abbas’s report actually establishes is only this: that after the migration, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) found this bad habit prevalent among the people of Madinah, he recited this surah to them by Allah’s command, and their practices were corrected as a result.

Subject and Themes: The subject of this surah is also the Hereafter.

The first six verses take to task the widespread dishonesty common among businesspeople — that when receiving from others, they would take full measure and full weight, but when giving to others, they would shortchange everyone in measure and weight. By taking this one flaw out of society’s countless flaws — one whose wrongness no one could deny — as an example, the surah shows that this is the inevitable result of heedlessness toward the Hereafter. Until people realize that they must one day stand before God and account for even the smallest thing, it is simply not possible for them to maintain complete honesty in their dealings. A person may treat honesty as merely “good policy” and practice it in small matters, but he will never remain honest in situations where dishonesty proves to be the “more profitable policy.” True and lasting honesty within a person can arise only from fear of God and belief in the Hereafter — because in that case honesty becomes a duty (farīḍah), not a policy, and a person’s adherence to it no longer depends on whether it is profitable or unprofitable in worldly terms.

Having thus established, in a highly effective and moving manner, the connection between morality and belief in the Hereafter, verses 7–17 explain that the deeds of wrongdoers are already being recorded in the register of criminals (a “black list”), and that in the Hereafter they will face a severe reckoning. Then verses 18–28 describe the excellent end awaiting righteous people, explaining that their deeds are recorded in the register of the exalted, which is overseen by angels close to Allah.

Finally, the believers are given comfort, while the disbelievers are warned that those who today mock and humiliate the believers will, on the Day of Judgment, witness the terrible outcome of their own conduct — and it is the believers who, seeing the disbelievers’ fate, will find their eyes soothed and comforted.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

وَیۡلٌ لِّلۡمُطَفِّفِیۡنَ ۙ﴿۱﴾ الَّذِیۡنَ اِذَا اکۡتَالُوۡا عَلَی النَّاسِ یَسۡتَوۡفُوۡنَ ۫﴿ۖ۲﴾ وَ اِذَا کَالُوۡہُمۡ اَوۡ وَّزَنُوۡہُمۡ یُخۡسِرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳﴾ اَلَا یَظُنُّ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَنَّہُمۡ مَّبۡعُوۡثُوۡنَ ۙ﴿۴﴾ لِیَوۡمٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ۙ﴿۵﴾ یَّوۡمَ یَقُوۡمُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ؕ﴿۶﴾ کَلَّاۤ اِنَّ کِتٰبَ الۡفُجَّارِ لَفِیۡ سِجِّیۡنٍ ؕ﴿۷﴾ وَ مَاۤ اَدۡرٰىکَ مَا سِجِّیۡنٌ ؕ﴿۸﴾ کِتٰبٌ مَّرۡقُوۡمٌ ؕ﴿۹﴾ وَیۡلٌ یَّوۡمَئِذٍ لِّلۡمُکَذِّبِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾ الَّذِیۡنَ یُکَذِّبُوۡنَ بِیَوۡمِ الدِّیۡنِ ﴿ؕ۱۱﴾ وَ مَا یُکَذِّبُ بِہٖۤ اِلَّا کُلُّ مُعۡتَدٍ اَثِیۡمٍ ﴿ۙ۱۲﴾ اِذَا تُتۡلٰی عَلَیۡہِ اٰیٰتُنَا قَالَ اَسَاطِیۡرُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾ کَلَّا بَلۡ ٜ رَانَ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ مَّا کَانُوۡا یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾ کَلَّاۤ اِنَّہُمۡ عَنۡ رَّبِّہِمۡ یَوۡمَئِذٍ لَّمَحۡجُوۡبُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۱۵﴾ ثُمَّ اِنَّہُمۡ لَصَالُوا الۡجَحِیۡمِ ﴿ؕ۱۶﴾ ثُمَّ یُقَالُ ہٰذَا الَّذِیۡ کُنۡتُمۡ بِہٖ تُکَذِّبُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۱۷﴾ کَلَّاۤ اِنَّ کِتٰبَ الۡاَبۡرَارِ لَفِیۡ عِلِّیِّیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۱۸﴾ وَ مَاۤ اَدۡرٰىکَ مَا عِلِّیُّوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۱۹﴾ کِتٰبٌ مَّرۡقُوۡمٌ ﴿ۙ۲۰﴾ یَّشۡہَدُہُ الۡمُقَرَّبُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۲۱﴾ اِنَّ الۡاَبۡرَارَ لَفِیۡ نَعِیۡمٍ ﴿ۙ۲۲﴾ عَلَی الۡاَرَآئِکِ یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۲۳﴾ تَعۡرِفُ فِیۡ وُجُوۡہِہِمۡ نَضۡرَۃَ النَّعِیۡمِ ﴿ۚ۲۴﴾ یُسۡقَوۡنَ مِنۡ رَّحِیۡقٍ مَّخۡتُوۡمٍ ﴿ۙ۲۵﴾ خِتٰمُہٗ مِسۡکٌ ؕ وَ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ فَلۡیَتَنَافَسِ الۡمُتَنَافِسُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۲۶﴾ وَ مِزَاجُہٗ مِنۡ تَسۡنِیۡمٍ ﴿ۙ۲۷﴾ عَیۡنًا یَّشۡرَبُ بِہَا الۡمُقَرَّبُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۲۸﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اَجۡرَمُوۡا کَانُوۡا مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا یَضۡحَکُوۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۲۹﴾ وَ اِذَا مَرُّوۡا بِہِمۡ یَتَغَامَزُوۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۳۰﴾ وَ اِذَا انۡقَلَبُوۡۤا اِلٰۤی اَہۡلِہِمُ انۡقَلَبُوۡا فَکِہِیۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۳۱﴾ وَ اِذَا رَاَوۡہُمۡ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ لَضَآلُّوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۲﴾ وَ مَاۤ اُرۡسِلُوۡا عَلَیۡہِمۡ حٰفِظِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۳﴾ فَالۡیَوۡمَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنَ الۡکُفَّارِ یَضۡحَکُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۴﴾ عَلَی الۡاَرَآئِکِ ۙ یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۵﴾ ہَلۡ ثُوِّبَ الۡکُفَّارُ مَا کَانُوۡا یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۶﴾

اللہ کے نام سے جو رحمان و رحیم ہے۔

تباہی ہے ڈنڈی مارنے والوں¹ کے لیے۔ جن کا حال یہ ہے کہ جب لوگوں سے لیتے ہیں تو پورا پورا لیتے ہیں، اور جب ان کو ناپ کو یا تول کر دیتے ہیں تو انہیں گھاٹا دیتے ہیں²۔ کیا یہ لوگ نہیں سمجھتے کہ ایک بڑے دن³ یہ اُٹھا کر لائے جانے والے ہیں؟ اُس دن جبکہ سب لوگ ربّ العالمین کے سامنے کھڑے ہوں گے۔
ہر گز نہیں⁴، یقیناً بدکاروں کا نامہٴ اعمال قیدخانے کے دفتر میں ہے⁵۔ اور تمہیں کیا معلوم کہ وہ قید خانے کا دفتر کیا ہے؟ ایک کتاب ہے لکھی ہوئی۔ تباہی ہے اُس روز جھُٹلانے والوں کے لیے جو روزِ جزا کو جھُٹلاتے ہیں۔ اور اُسے نہیں جھُٹلاتا مگر ہر وہ شخص جو حد سے گزر جانے والا بدعمل ہے۔ اُسے جب ہماری آیات سُنائی جاتی ہیں⁶ تو کہتا ہے یہ تو اگلے وقتوں کی کہانیاں ہیں۔ ہر گز نہیں، بلکہ دراصل اِن لوگوں کے دلوں پر اِن کے بُرے اعمال کا زنگ چڑھ گیا ہے⁷۔ ہر گز نہیں، بالیقین اُس روز یہ اپنے ربّ کی دید سے محروم رکھے جائیں گے⁸، پھر یہ جہنّم میں جا پڑیں گے، پھر اِن سے کہا جائے گا کہ یہ وہی چیز ہے جسے تم جھُٹلایا کرتے تھے۔
ہر گز نہیں⁹، بے شک نیک آدمیوں کا نامہٴ اعمال بلند پایہ لوگوں کے دفتر میں ہے۔ اور تمہیں کیا خبر کہ کیا ہے وہ بلند پایہ لوگوں کا دفتر؟ ایک لکھی ہوئی کتاب ہے جس کی نگہداشت مقرب فرشتے کرتے ہیں۔ بے شک نیک لوگ بڑے مزے میں ہوں گے، اُونچی مسندوں پر بیٹھے نظارے کر رہے ہوں گے، ان کے چہروں پر تم خوشحالی کی رونق محسوس کرو گے۔ ان کو نفیس ترین سر بند شراب پلائی جائے گی جس پر مُشک کی مُہر لگی ہوگی¹⁰۔ جو لوگ دُوسروں پر بازی لے جانا چاہتے ہوں وہ اِس چیز کو حاصل کرنے میں بازی لے جانے کی کوشش کریں۔ اُس شراب میں تسنیم¹¹ کی آمیزش ہوگی، یہ ایک چشمہ ہے جس کے پانی کے ساتھ مقَرَّب لوگ شراب پئیں گے۔
مجرم لوگ دنیا میں ایمان لانے والوں کا مذاق اُڑاتے تھے، جب اُن کے پاس سے گزرتے تو آنکھیں مار مار کر اُن کی طرف اشارے کرتے تھے، اپنے گھروں کی طرف پلٹتے تو مزے لیتے ہوئے پلٹتے تھے¹²، اور جب انہیں دیکھتے تو کہتے تھے کہ یہ بہکے ہوئے لوگ ہیں¹³، حالانکہ وہ اُن پر نگراں بنا کر نہیں بھیجے گئے تھے¹⁴۔ آج ایمان لانے والے کُفّار پر ہنس رہے ہیں ، مسندوں پر بیٹھے ہوئے ان کا حال دیکھ رہے ہیں، مِل گیا نا کافروں کو اُن حرکتوں کا ثواب جو وہ کیا کرتے تھے¹⁵۔ ؏١

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Woe to those who give short measure and weight¹ — those who, when they take by measure from others, take in full, but when they measure or weigh out to others, give less².³ Do such people not realize that they will be raised up on a mighty Day — the Day when all mankind will stand before the Lord of the Universe?

Nay!⁴ Indeed, the record of the wicked is in the register of the prison-house⁵. And what do you know what that prison-house register is? It is a book, written down. Woe, on that Day, to those who deny — who deny the Day of Reckoning. And none denies it except every sinful transgressor. When Our verses are recited to him⁶, he says, “These are but old tales.” Nay! Rather, the rust of their own evil deeds has settled upon their hearts⁷. Nay! Indeed, on that Day they will be deprived of the sight of their Lord⁸. Then they will be cast into Hell, and it will be said to them, “This is what you used to deny.”

Nay!⁹ Indeed, the record of the righteous is in the register of the exalted ones. And what do you know what that register of the exalted is? It is a book, written down, watched over by angels close to Allah. Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, seated on raised couches, gazing around. You will perceive on their faces the glow of joy. They will be given to drink of a pure, sealed wine, sealed with musk¹⁰. Let those who wish to compete strive to attain this. It will be blended with Tasnim¹¹ — a spring from whose water those brought near [to Allah] shall drink.

The wrongdoers used to mock the believers in the world. When they passed by them, they would wink at one another in mockery. When they returned to their own people, they would return jesting¹². And whenever they saw them, they would say, “Indeed, these are the ones who have gone astray”¹³ — though they had not been sent as watchers over them¹⁴. Today, the believers are laughing at the disbelievers, seated on raised couches, watching [their fate]. Have the disbelievers not been repaid for what they used to do?¹⁵

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FOOTE NOTES/TAFSEER

This is footnote 1 on Surah Al-Mutaffifin from Mawdudi’s Tafheem ul-Quran — explaining that “مطففین” comes from “تطفیف,” meaning to secretly shortchange in weighing/measuring, since the culprit never steals a large amount outright but skims a little from each buyer’s due, so the victim never notices the loss.

This is footnote 2 — Mawdudi cites the Quran’s repeated emphasis on fair measure across several surahs: Al-An’am 152, Al-Isra 35, and Ar-Rahman 8-9 all command giving full, accurate measure. He also notes that Shu’ayb’s people were destroyed specifically for this crime — habitual short-measuring — despite his repeated warnings to them.

Footnote 3 — the Day of Judgment is called “the great day” because it’s when all humans and jinn will be held to account simultaneously before God’s court, and the most consequential decisions of punishment and reward will be made.

Footnote 4 — meaning their assumption is mistaken: that after committing these crimes in this world, they will simply get away with it and never have to stand before their Lord for accountability.

Footnote 5 — the word used is “سجین” (Sijjeen), derived from “سجن” (prison or confinement). The explanation that follows makes clear it refers to a register in which the deeds of those deserving punishment are being recorded.

Footnote 6 — meaning the verses that give news of the Day of Recompense.

Footnote 7 — there’s no rational basis for calling reward and punishment a myth. The real reason they call it that is because the sins they kept committing have completely rusted over their hearts, so something entirely reasonable now looks like fiction to them. The Prophet ﷺ explained this “rust”: when a person sins, a black mark forms on his heart; if he repents, it’s wiped clean, but if he keeps sinning, the mark spreads until it covers the whole heart (reported in Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir, al-Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hibban, and others).

Footnote 8 — meaning these people will be deprived of the honor of seeing Allah, which will be granted to the righteous (for further explanation, see Tafheem-ul-Quran, Volume 6, Al-Qiyamah, footnote 17).

Footnote 9 — meaning their belief that no reward or punishment will actually occur is mistaken.

Footnote 10 — the original phrase is “khitamuhu misk.” One reading: the vessels holding this wine will be sealed with musk rather than clay or wax — meaning it’s the finest variety, superior even to the wine flowing in the rivers of Paradise, brought to its people by its attendants in musk-sealed vessels. A second reading: as the wine goes down the drinker’s throat, its final sensation is the fragrance of musk. This is the exact opposite of worldly wine — which reeks the moment the bottle is opened, tastes foul while drinking, and leaves such a stench in the throat and mind that its unpleasantness shows on the drinker’s face.

Footnote 11 — “Tasneem” means elevation/height. Calling a spring “Tasneem” means it flows down from a height.

Footnote 12 — meaning they would return home thinking: “Today was really enjoyable — I mocked so-and-so believer, made jokes and jibes at his expense, thoroughly amused myself, and made a real spectacle of him in front of others.”

Footnote 13 — meaning: “these people have lost their sense — they’ve deprived themselves of worldly benefits and pleasures, and taken on every kind of danger and hardship, all because Muhammad ﷺ has entangled them in this business of the afterlife, Paradise, and Hell. They’re giving up what’s right in front of them for the vague hope of some promised Paradise after death, and enduring today’s hardships based on the naive notion that there’s a Hell in some other world whose punishment they’ve been warned about.”

Footnote 14 — this short phrase carries a sharp lesson for the mockers: even granting, hypothetically, that everything the believers hold is wrong — they aren’t harming you in any way. Acting on what they believe to be true, they’ve simply adopted a certain moral conduct for themselves. So has God appointed you as some enforcer, that you go pick fights with someone who isn’t bothering you, and cause needless trouble for someone who’s done you no harm?

Footnote 15 — there’s a subtle sarcasm in this phrase. Since the disbelievers used to torment the believers thinking they were earning reward for it, it’s said that in the Hereafter, the believers will sit comfortably in Paradise watching these very disbelievers burning in Hell, and will say in their hearts: “well, they certainly got the ‘reward’ for their deeds.”

TAFSEER in a nutshell

Here’s a summary of footnotes 1–15 on Surah Al-Mutaffifin:

Fraud in measure (1–2)

1. “Mutaffifin” comes from “tatfeef” — secretly shortchanging in weight/measure, skimming a little from each buyer so no one notices.
2. The Quran repeatedly condemns this and demands full, honest measure (Al-An’am 152, Al-Isra 35, Ar-Rahman 8-9). Shu’ayb’s people were destroyed specifically for this habitual crime.

The Day of Judgment and denial (3–4, 6–9) 3. It’s called “the great day” because all humans and jinn are judged simultaneously. 4. The wrongdoers wrongly assume they’ll never be held accountable. 6. “Those verses” refers to verses foretelling the Day of Recompense. 7. There’s no rational reason to call it a myth — sin has literally rusted their hearts, illustrated by the hadith of the black spot that grows over the heart with repeated sin. 8. These people will be barred from seeing Allah, unlike the righteous. 9. Their belief that no reckoning will happen is simply false.

Sijjeen and Illiyyin, Paradise (5, 10–11) 5. “Sijjeen” (from “prison”) refers to the register recording the deeds of the condemned. 10. “Khitamuhu misk” — Paradise’s wine is sealed with musk (finest quality) or leaves a musky aftertaste, opposite of foul worldly wine. 11. “Tasneem” means height — a spring flowing down from an elevated source.

Mockery of believers and the reversal (12–15) 12. Disbelievers went home gloating over having mocked and humiliated a believer. 13. They considered believers foolish for giving up worldly pleasure for the “vague hope” of an unseen Paradise/Hell. 14. Sharp rebuke: even if the believers were wrong, they weren’t harming anyone — so what right did the mockers have to torment them? 15. Ironic reversal: in the Hereafter, believers in Paradise will watch these mockers burning in Hell and say, “there’s their reward.”