Surah 83 · Meccan · 36 Verses
المطففين
SURAH AL-MUTAFFIFIN
Defrauding
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ٱكْتَالُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ
Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full.
وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ
But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss.
أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ
Do they not think that they will be resurrected
لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
For a tremendous Day -
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلنَّاسُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds?
كَلَّآ إِنَّ كِتَٰبَ ٱلْفُجَّارِ لَفِى سِجِّينٍۢ
No! Indeed, the record of the wicked is in sijjeen.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سِجِّينٌۭ
And what can make you know what is sijjeen?
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers,
ٱلَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Who deny the Day of Recompense.
وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
And none deny it except every sinful transgressor.
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."
ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُوا۟ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
Then indeed, they will [enter and] burn in Hellfire.
ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
Then it will be said [to them], "This is what you used to deny."
كَلَّآ إِنَّ كِتَٰبَ ٱلْأَبْرَارِ لَفِى عِلِّيِّينَ
No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in ʿilliyyūn.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ
And what can make you know what is ʿilliyyūn?
يَشْهَدُهُ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ
Which is witnessed by those brought near [to Allāh].
إِنَّ ٱلْأَبْرَارَ لَفِى نَعِيمٍ
Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure
عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
On adorned couches, observing.
تَعْرِفُ فِى وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure.
عَيْنًۭا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ
A spring from which those near [to Allāh] drink.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ كَانُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَضْحَكُونَ
Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا۟ بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ
And when they passed by them, they would exchange derisive glances.
وَإِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمُ ٱنقَلَبُوا۟ فَكِهِينَ
And when they returned to their people, they would return jesting.
وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ لَضَآلُّونَ
And when they saw them, they would say, "Indeed, those are truly lost."
وَمَآ أُرْسِلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ حَٰفِظِينَ
But they had not been sent as guardians over them.
عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
On adorned couches, observing.
هَلْ ثُوِّبَ ٱلْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ
Have the disbelievers [not] been rewarded [this Day] for what they used to do?
About This Surah
Surah Al-Mutaffifin condemns people who demand full measure for themselves but cheat others, linking market integrity to resurrection. It names records associated with Sijjin and Illiyyun, contrasts denial and righteousness, and reverses worldly mockery. The chapter supports honest commerce but does not let a website adjudicate a specific fraud case, calculate damages, or declare a named business condemned.
Al-Mutaffifin opens with a direct warning to people who take full measure when receiving but reduce what they owe others. It asks whether they expect resurrection and standing before the Lord of the worlds. Commercial dishonesty is therefore a spiritual and public wrong, not a minor technicality.
Modern application can include weights, invoices, product quantity, wages, billing, data, subscriptions, and contractual disclosure. Yet a general overview cannot determine whether a specific transaction is fraudulent, calculate compensation, or replace regulators, courts, auditors, or qualified legal advice.
The chapter describes records associated with Sijjin and Illiyyun. These belong to revelation about the unseen and should not be mapped onto physical locations or occult systems without evidence.
Deniers call revelation legends and accumulate a stain upon hearts through conduct. The righteous receive a sealed drink and elevated view, while people who mocked believers discover the reversal of judgment. The passage does not authorize believers to mock others in return or celebrate suffering.
The chapter closes by asking whether rejecters have been repaid for what they did. Final recompense belongs to God. Readers may enforce honest business standards through lawful processes, but they may not pronounce final condemnation upon named merchants or communities.
Core Themes
- Measure and commercial integrity
- Resurrection grounding market ethics
- Records of deeds in the unseen
- Conduct affecting moral perception
- Worldly mockery reversed
- Final recompense belonging to God
Structure
Verses 1-6: Short measure and standing for judgment — 1-6
Verses 1-6 focus on short measure and standing for judgment.
Verses 7-17: Sijjin, denial, and stained hearts — 7-17
Verses 7-17 focus on sijjin, denial, and stained hearts.
Verses 18-28: Illiyyun and the reward of the righteous — 18-28
Verses 18-28 focus on illiyyun and the reward of the righteous.
Verses 29-36: Mockery in the world and final reversal — 29-36
Verses 29-36 focus on mockery in the world and final reversal.
Key Passages
Short measure and standing for judgment — 1-6
Verses 1-6 address short measure and standing for judgment.
Sijjin, denial, and stained hearts — 7-17
Verses 7-17 address sijjin, denial, and stained hearts.
Illiyyun and the reward of the righteous — 18-28
Verses 18-28 address illiyyun and the reward of the righteous.
Mockery in the world and final reversal — 29-36
Verses 29-36 address mockery in the world and final reversal.
Recitation Note
No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Al-Mutaffifin. Reading it is worship and study; any claim about protection, healing, provision, family outcomes, or a prescribed number requires separate exact evidence and narrow wording.
Interpretation Limits
- A summary cannot adjudicate a specific fraud case, calculate damages, or replace legal and accounting advice.
- Sijjin and Illiyyun must not be mapped into occult geography or speculative systems.
- The chapter does not authorize harassment or public condemnation of named businesses without due process.
- Final reversal does not justify mocking others or celebrating suffering.