The Poets — Verse 183
26:183 · ash-Shu`ara`
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وَلَا تَبۡخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشۡیَاۤءَهُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِینَ ١٨٣
walā tabkhasū l-nāsa ashyāahum walā taʿthaw fī l-arḍi muf'sidīn
The Poets / ash-Shu`ara` (26:183)
Connections 3 single-source 1 commentator
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (3) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 3 verses
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
do not deprive people of what is theirs. Do not spread corruption on earth
walā tabkhasū l-nāsa ashyāahum walā taʿthaw fī l-arḍi muf'sidīn
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Qur'an Tools
Tafsir Commentary
The Command to give Full Measure
Allah commanded them to give full measure, and forbade them to give short measure. He said:
أَوْفُواْ الْكَيْلَ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ
(Give full measure, and cause no loss.) meaning, `when you give to people, give them full measure, and do not cause loss to them by giving them short measure, while taking full measure when you are the ones who are taking. Give as you take, and take as you give.'
وَزِنُواْ بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ
(And weigh with the true and straight balance.) The balance is the scales.
وَلاَ تَبْخَسُواْ النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ
(And defraud not people by reducing their things,) means, do not shortchange them.
وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
(nor do evil, making corruption and mischief in the land.) means, by engaging in banditry. This is like the Ayah,
وَلاَ تَقْعُدُواْ بِكُلِّ صِرَطٍ تُوعِدُونَ
(And sit not on every road, threatening) (7:86).
وَاتَّقُواْ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الاٌّوَّلِينَ
(And have Taqwa of Him Who created you and the generations of the men of old. ) Here he is frightening them with the punishment of Allah Who created them and created their forefathers. This is like when Musa, peace be upon him, said:
رَبُّكُمْ وَرَبُّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ
(Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers!) (26:26). Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Sufyan bin `Uyaynah and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said:
وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الاٌّوَّلِينَ
(the generations of the men of old.) means, He created the early generations. And Ibn Zayd recited:
وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنْكُمْ جِبِلاًّ كَثِيراً
(And indeed he (Shaytan) did lead astray a great multitude of you) (36:62).
قَالُواْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ
وَمَآ أَنتَ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مّثْلُنَا وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ الْكَـذِبِينَ-
فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً مّنَ السَّمَآء إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ-
قَالَ رَبّى أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ-
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ-
and do not defraud people in their goods do not diminish anything of what is due to them and do not be degenerate in the earth seeking corruption by killing or otherwise ta‘thaw ‘degenerate’ derives from ‘athiya meaning afsada ‘to corrupt’; mufsidīna ‘seeking corruption’ is a circumstantial qualifier emphasising the import of its operator ta‘thaw.
قال لهم شعيب- وقد كانوا يُنْقِصون الكيل والميزان-: أتمُّوا الكيل للناس وافيًا لهم، ولا تكونوا ممن يُنْقِصون الناس حقوقهم، وَزِنوا بالميزان العدل المستقيم، ولا تنقصوا الناس شيئًا مِن حقوقهم في كيل أو وزن أو غير ذلك، ولا تكثروا في الأرض الفساد، بالشرك والقتل والنهب وتخويف الناس وارتكاب المعاصي.
وقوله "ولا تبخسوا الناس أشياءهم" أي لا تنقصوهم أموالهم "ولا تعثوا في الأرض مفسدين" يعني قطع الطريق كما قال في الآية الأخرى "ولا تقعدوا بكل صراط توعدون".
ثم أتبع هذا الأمر بالنهى فقال : ( وَلاَ تَبْخَسُواْ الناس أَشْيَآءَهُمْ ) أى : ولا تنقصوا للناس شيئا من حقوقهم ، أيا كان مقدرا هذا الشىء .( وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِي الأرض مُفْسِدِينَ ) والعُثُو : أشد أنواع الفساد . يقال : عثَا فلان فى الأرض يعثُو ، إذا اشتد فساده .أى : ولا تنتشروا فى الأرض حالة كونكم مفسدين فيها بالقتل وقطع الطريق ، وتهديد الآمنين .فقوله ( مُفْسِدِينَ ) حال مؤكدة لضمير الجمع فى قوله ( تَعْثَوْاْ ) .
( وَلا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ ) يقول: ولا تنقصوا الناس حقوقهم في الكيل والوزن.( وَلا تَعْثَوْا فِي الأرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ ) يقول: ولا تكثروا في الأرض الفساد. قد بيَّنا ذلك كله بشواهده, واختلاف أهل التأويل فيه فيما مضى, فأغنى ذلك عن إعادته في هذا الموضع.
"ولا تبخسوا الناس أشياءهم ولا تعثوا في الأرض مفسدين".
وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (183)، والبخس : النقص والذم . وتقدم في قوله : { ولا يبخس منه شيئاً } في سورة البقرة ( 282 ) ونظيره في سورة الأعراف . وقد تقدم نظير بقية الآية في سورة هود . ومن بخس الأشياء أن يقولوا للذي يعرض سلعة سليمة للبيع : إن سلعتك رديئة ، ليصرف عنها الراغبين فيشتريها برُخص .
وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ أي: بالميزان العادل, الذي لا يميل.
لا يوجد تفسير لهذه الأية
Shu‘ayb’s community was the progeny of Abraham. The central city of the area which they inhabited was Tabuk. The old name of Tabuk was Ayka, which literally means ‘the forest.’ That is why, in the Quran, it is called Ashab al-Ayka (the dwellers of the forest). The root cause of all moral and social evils is setting double standards. Just conduct for a man is to give others their rightful due, and take for himself what rightfully belongs to him. This is the Divine ‘balance’. When this is upset, disturbance occurs in collective social life. The secret of maintaining this balance is the fear of God. If the fear of God goes out of the heart, nothing can make a man keep his moral equilibrium. All the prophets who had appeared on behalf of God had told their addressee communities: ‘I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.’ This shows that a preacher should necessarily have the quality of trustworthiness. One aspect of this trustworthiness is that he should not raise any material or economic issue with his addressee community, so that there should never be any doubt about the selflessness of his purpose. This trustworthiness is so important that it should be fostered at any cost, even if the preacher of truth has, voluntarily, to forego his material rights for its sake.
وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ
And do not make people short of their things - 26:183
What it means is that it is unlawful to reduce any quantity or amount from that which has been contracted with anyone, whether it is a measurable thing or otherwise. Therefore, if a servant or a laborer does not work his full time at his workplace, he too is included in this warning. Imam Malik (رح) has reported a narration in his Muwatta' that Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ noticed that someone did not join in the ` Asr prayer. So, he enquired about the reason for that, to which he offered some excuse. Then Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ said, طَفَّفتَ ` You have reduced in measuring'. As prayer is not something to be measured, hence after quoting this hadith Imam Malik (رح) has said that this command is not restricted to measurable things. Rather, performing any obligation less than due is included in prohibition highlighted in this verse and in Surah "At-tatfif 84".
(Wrong not mankind in their goods) do not diminish people's due in measurement and weight, (and do not evil, making mischief, in the earth) do not commit transgressions and corruption in the land by giving less in measurement and weight and calling to the worship of other than Allah.