Surah Al-Mutaffifin

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Al-Mutaffifin

﴾١﴿ وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ

Waylun lil-mutaffifin

Woe to those who give less.

﴾٢﴿ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ

Alladhina idha iktalu 'ala an-nasi yastawfun

Who, when they take by measure from people, take in full.

﴾٣﴿ وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ

Wa idha kaluhum aw wazanuhum yukhsirun

But when they measure or weigh for them, give less.

﴾٤﴿ أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَٰئِكَ أَنَّهُمْ مَّبْعُوثُونَ

Ala yazunnu ula-ika annahum mab'uthun

Do they not think they will be resurrected?

﴾٥﴿ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Li-yawmin 'azim

For a great Day.

﴾٦﴿ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Yawma yaqumu an-nasu li-Rabbi al-'alamin

The Day when men will stand before the Lord of the worlds.

﴾٧﴿ كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّينٍ

Kalla inna kitaba al-fujjari la-fi sijjin

No! Indeed, the record of the wicked is in Sijjin.

﴾٨﴿ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ

Wa ma adraka ma Sijjin

And what can make you know what Sijjin is?

﴾٩﴿ كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ

Kitabun marqum

A book inscribed.

﴾١٠﴿ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma-idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that Day to the deniers.

﴾١١﴿ الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Alladhina yukadhdhibuna bi-yawmi ad-din

Who deny the Day of Recompense.

﴾١٢﴿ وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

Wa ma yukadhdhibu bihi illa kullu mu'tadin athim

And none denies it except every transgressor, sinful.

﴾١٣﴿ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

Idha tutla 'alayhi ayatuna qala asatiru al-awwalin

When Our verses are recited to him, he says: tales of the ancients.

﴾١٤﴿ كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

Kalla bal rana 'ala qulubihim ma kanu yaksibun

No! Rather, what they have earned has rusted over their hearts.

﴾١٥﴿ كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ

Kalla innahum 'an Rabbihim yawma-idhin la-mahjubun

No! Indeed, they will be veiled from their Lord that Day.

﴾١٦﴿ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ

Thumma innahum la-salu al-jahim

Then they will burn in the Hellfire.

﴾١٧﴿ ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ

Thumma yuqalu hadha alladhi kuntum bihi tukadhdhibun

Then it will be said: this is what you used to deny.

﴾١٨﴿ كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ

Kalla inna kitaba al-abrari la-fi 'illiyyin

No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in 'Illiyyun.

﴾١٩﴿ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ

Wa ma adraka ma 'Illiyyun

And what can make you know what 'Illiyyun is?

﴾٢٠﴿ كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ

Kitabun marqum

A book inscribed.

﴾٢١﴿ يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ

Yashhaduhu al-muqarrabun

Witnessed by those brought near.

﴾٢٢﴿ إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ

Inna al-abrara la-fi na'im

Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure.

﴾٢٣﴿ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ

'Ala al-ara-iki yanzurun

On couches, observing.

﴾٢٤﴿ تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ

Ta'rifu fi wujuhihim nadrata an-na'im

You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure.

﴾٢٥﴿ يُسْقَوْنَ مِن رَّحِيقٍ مَّخْتُومٍ

Yusqawna min rahiqin makhtum

They will be given drink from pure sealed wine.

﴾٢٦﴿ خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ

Khitamuhu misk, wa fi dhalika fal-yatanafasi al-mutanafisun

Its seal is musk. For that let the competitors compete!

﴾٢٧﴿ وَمِزَاجُهُ مِن تَسْنِيمٍ

Wa mizajuhu min tasnim

And its mixture is from Tasnim.

﴾٢٨﴿ عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ

'Aynan yashrabu biha al-muqarrabun

A spring from which those brought near drink.

﴾٢٩﴿ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ

Inna alladhina ajramu kanu mina alladhina amanu yadhakun

Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.

﴾٣٠﴿ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ

Wa idha marru bihim yataghamazun

And when they passed by them, they would wink at one another.

﴾٣١﴿ وَإِذَا انقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمُ انقَلَبُوا فَكِهِينَ

Wa idha inqalabu ila ahlihimu inqalabu fakihin

And when they returned to their people, they would return jesting.

﴾٣٢﴿ وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَضَالُّونَ

Wa idha ra-awhum qalu inna ha-ula-i la-dallun

And when they saw them, they would say: indeed these are astray.

﴾٣٣﴿ وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ

Wa ma ursilu 'alayhim hafizin

Yet they had not been sent over them as guardians.

﴾٣٤﴿ فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ

Fal-yawma alladhina amanu mina al-kuffari yadhakun

So today those who believed laugh at the disbelievers.

﴾٣٥﴿ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ

'Ala al-ara-iki yanzurun

On couches, observing.

﴾٣٦﴿ هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ

Hal thuwwiba al-kuffaru ma kanu yaf'alun

Have the disbelievers been rewarded for what they used to do?

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Mutaffifin is thirty-six verses, chapter 83 — generally considered the last Meccan surah revealed, with some traditions placing it as the first Medinan. Either way, it stands at the transition between the two periods. The surah contains the only use of the word mutaffifin (defrauders, those who give less) in the entire Quran. Historical context: when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Medina, some merchants were known for systematic cheating in measurement. This surah was revealed in response, and the practice ended.

Five movements. Verses 1–6 introduce the mutaffifin and the warning of the great Day. Verses 7–17 describe Sijjin, the record of the wicked, and the condition of the deniers — including the verse about hearts rusting from what they earn. Verses 18–28 describe 'Illiyyun, the record of the righteous, and the pleasures of paradise. Verses 29–32 describe the criminals' mockery of the believers in the dunya. Verses 33–36 deliver the reversal: today the believers laugh at the disbelievers from the couches of Paradise.

Woe to the defrauders. The records are in Sijjin or in 'Illiyyun. Their hearts rusted from what they earned. They will be veiled from their Lord. The righteous drink from sealed wine. The reversal arrives. Today the believers laugh from their couches.

Verses 1–6 · The Defrauders

Woe to those who take in full and give less. Do they not think they will be resurrected for a great Day?

Waylun lil-mutaffifin: woe to the mutaffifin. The same wayl we met in Al-Humazah and Al-Ma'un. The word is highly specific. It does not refer to outright thieves. It refers to those who systematically reduce what they give by small amounts — each individual transaction looks normal, but the accumulated effect is theft.

Alladhina idha iktalu 'ala an-nasi yastawfun · wa idha kaluhum aw wazanuhum yukhsirun: when they take, they take in full. When they give, they give less. The asymmetry is total. The classical scholars apply this universally — to every exchange in which one party delivers value. The employee who demands full wages while delivering minimum effort. The husband who demands full devotion while delivering minimum. The platform that demands full attention while delivering minimum substance. All operate in the mutaffifin pattern.

Ala yazunnu ula-ika annahum mab'uthun li-yawmin 'azim: do they not think they will be resurrected for a great Day? The defrauding reveals the operational disbelief in accountability. If he believed, he would not cheat. The cheating exposes what the abstract belief obscures.

Yawma yaqumu an-nasu li-Rabbi al-'alamin: the Day when men will stand before the Lord of the worlds. No one is seated. No one is hidden. All stand. All are seen.

Take in full. Give less. The dishonest measure exposes operational disbelief. Apply the principle to every exchange where you deliver value.

Verses 7–17 · The Record of the Wicked

Sijjin. The deniers. The hearts rusted from what they earned. Veiled from their Lord. Burning in the fire.

Kalla inna kitaba al-fujjari la-fi sijjin: the record of the fujjar is in Sijjin. The classical scholars read Sijjin in two ways: a specific permanent register where the deeds of the wicked are inscribed; and a specific location, possibly the lowest level of the earth or one of the lower levels of Hellfire. Both readings hold.

Kitabun marqum: a book inscribed. The deeds are not in temporary memory. They are written with permanent inscription.

Wa ma yukadhdhibu bihi illa kullu mu'tadin athim: none denies it except every transgressor, sinful. Denial of the Day is not a neutral intellectual position. It is the position taken by those who want to continue what the Day would condemn. The denial is functional, not philosophical.

Idha tutla 'alayhi ayatuna qala asatiru al-awwalin: when Our verses are recited, he says: tales of the ancients. Old stories. Folklore. The standard Quraysh dismissal — and the diagnostic of the mukadhdhib in every age.

Kalla bal rana 'ala qulubihim ma kanu yaksibun: what they have earned has rusted over their hearts. One of the most theologically precise verses about how the heart becomes incapable of receiving truth. Rana — to rust, to be sealed by accumulated deposit. The Prophet ﷺ explained: each sin places a black spot on the heart. Repentance removes it. Without repentance, the spots accumulate until the heart is completely covered. Hearts do not become hard arbitrarily. They become hard through what is earned.

Kalla innahum 'an Rabbihim yawma-idhin la-mahjubun: they will be veiled from their Lord that Day. One of the most severe descriptions of punishment in the Quran. The believers will see Allah in paradise (ru'yat Allah); the deniers are denied this vision. Imam Shafi'i used this verse as proof of ru'yat Allah: if veiling is the threat for the disbelievers, the unveiling must be the reward for the believers.

Thumma innahum la-salu al-jahim · thumma yuqalu hadha alladhi kuntum bihi tukadhdhibun: then they will burn — then it will be said: this is what you used to deny. The denial is met with the verification of the very thing denied.

The hearts rusted from what they earned. The denial is the symptom. The earned sin is the cause. The veiling is the punishment — severe in proportion to what the believers receive: the unveiling.

Verses 18–28 · The Record of the Righteous

'Illiyyun. The righteous in pleasure. The radiance of na'im on their faces. Pure sealed wine whose seal is musk. For that, let the competitors compete.

Kalla inna kitaba al-abrari la-fi 'illiyyin: the record of the abrar is in 'Illiyyun. Al-abrar — the righteous, the dutiful, those who fulfill obligations. 'Illiyyun — from a root meaning the high, the elevated, the lofty. The highest level of record-keeping.

Kitabun marqum, yashhaduhu al-muqarrabun: a book inscribed, witnessed by those brought near. Al-muqarrabun are the highest spiritual rank — those brought into closest proximity to Allah. The deeds of the abrar are visible at the highest level.

Inna al-abrara la-fi na'im · 'ala al-ara-iki yanzurun: the righteous in pleasure, on couches, observing. The classical readings: they observe Allah, they observe what He has prepared for them, they observe the disbelievers being repaid. All hold.

Ta'rifu fi wujuhihim nadrata an-na'im: you will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure. The interior state has expressed itself in the visible feature. The radiance is unmistakable.

Yusqawna min rahiqin makhtum, khitamuhu misk: pure sealed wine whose seal is musk. Rahiq — pure, refined, free of the harms of the dunya's wine. Makhtum — sealed. The very seal of the container has the fragrance of musk. The detail emphasizes the luxury and care of the divine hospitality.

Wa fi dhalika fal-yatanafasi al-mutanafisun: for that, let the competitors compete. The verse explicitly invites competition for this reward. If competitive intensity is going to be deployed, let it be deployed here — not for wealth, not for status. The verse calls forth spiritual ambition and channels it toward what is worth competing for.

Wa mizajuhu min tasnim · 'aynan yashrabu biha al-muqarrabun: mixed with Tasnim — a spring from which those brought near drink. The closest companions of Allah drink from this spring directly. The wine of the abrar is mixed with what the muqarrabun drink pure.

The faces radiant. The wine sealed with musk. The spring of those brought near. For that, let the competitors compete.

Verses 29–36 · The Reversal

The criminals laughed at the believers. The winking. The jesting. The labeling. Today the believers laugh at the disbelievers from the couches.

Inna alladhina ajramu kanu mina alladhina amanu yadhakun: the criminals used to laugh at the believers. Not occasional — the standard response of the mujrimin when they encountered the mu'minin.

Wa idha marru bihim yataghamazun: when they passed by, they would wink at one another. Yataghamaz — the knowing glance, the conspiratorial wink, the meaningful exchange of expressions. The eye-roll, the smirk, the sideways look — every modern equivalent applies.

Wa idha inqalabu ila ahlihimu inqalabu fakihin: when they returned to their people, they returned jesting. The encounter with the believers was, for them, entertainment they brought home — stories to tell, mockery to share.

Wa idha ra-awhum qalu inna ha-ula-i la-dallun: when they saw them, they said: these are astray. The verbal verdict. The criminals took themselves to be on the correct path; the believers were the deviation.

Wa ma ursilu 'alayhim hafizin: yet they had not been sent over them as guardians. The moral exposure of the criminals' overstep. They appointed themselves authorities over those whose conduct was none of their business.

Fal-yawma alladhina amanu mina al-kuffari yadhakun · 'ala al-ara-iki yanzurun: so today those who believed laugh at the disbelievers — on couches, observing. The same verb of laughter, but the positions have been inverted. The laughter of the believers is not malicious in the human sense. It is the laughter of vindication — the cosmic order restored, what was inverted in the dunya corrected in the akhirah.

Hal thuwwiba al-kuffaru ma kanu yaf'alun: have the disbelievers been rewarded for what they used to do? The closing rhetorical question. Thuwwiba — paid back, compensated. The answer is implicit: yes. The reward is what is now happening to them.

In the dunya: the criminals laugh at the believers. In the akhirah: the believers laugh at the disbelievers from the couches of Paradise. The reversal is total. Have they been rewarded for what they used to do?

Structural Summary

Thirty-Six Verses. The Reversal Arrives.

Verses 1–6The DefraudersWoe to those who take in full and give less. The great Day approaches.

Verses 7–17SijjinThe record of the wicked. Hearts rusted from what they earned. Veiled from their Lord. Burned.

Verses 18–28'IlliyyunThe record of the righteous. Faces radiant. Pure sealed wine. For that, let the competitors compete.

Verses 29–32The MockeryThe criminals laughed, winked, jested, labeled the believers astray.

Verses 33–36The ReversalToday the believers laugh at the disbelievers from the couches. Have they been rewarded?

Why This Surah Is For You

Al-Mutaffifin is the surah for any believer engaged in exchange — commercial, professional, relational, communicative. Verses 1–3 establish the principle that should govern every exchange you are part of: do not take in full while giving less. The mutaffif pattern infects commerce, work, marriage, and platform delivery. Audit your exchanges by this measure.

Verse 14 names the mechanism by which the heart becomes incapable of receiving truth: the accumulation of unrepented sin rusts the heart. The corrective is constant tawbah. Each sin acknowledged and repented prevents the spot from staying. Each sin unrepented adds to the covering.

Use verse 26 as the engine of redirected ambition. When the competitive drive arises in you, ask: is this competition aimed at what the verse names? If not, redirect. Compete for the rahiq makhtum. Compete for the place at the muqarrabun's spring. Compete for the radiance on the face. The verse legitimizes the drive — it just demands the right object.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Thirty-Six Verses. Honest Exchange. Right Competition.

Six verses per day spoken aloud — installed by week's end. Pair Al-Mutaffifin with Al-Infitar (82), the surah immediately before it in the mushaf and a sister in theme.

Carry verses 1–3 as the audit of every exchange. Take in full and give less is the diagnostic. If any of your dealings fit the pattern, that is where the work begins.

Carry verse 14 — rana 'ala qulubihim ma kanu yaksibun — as the warning against unrepented sin. Repent immediately. Do not let spots accumulate into a covering.

Carry verse 26 — fi dhalika fal-yatanafasi al-mutanafisun — as the redirection of competitive intensity. Compete only for what is worth competing for.

Carry verses 33–36 as the final picture. The reversal is coming. The couches are real. The accounting is total. Live as a man who knows the verdict.

Take in full. Give less. The mutaffif's pattern. The hearts rusted from what they earned. The veiling from the Lord. The reversal at the couches. For that let the competitors compete. Make every exchange honest. Compete only for what is worth the intensity.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verses 1–31 / 24

The Verse

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ ۝ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ ۝ وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ

Waylun lil-mutaffifin · Alladhina idha iktalu 'ala an-nasi yastawfun · Wa idha kaluhum aw wazanuhum yukhsirun

Who are the mutaffifin?