Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Al-Mutaffifin 83:26–36
83:26–28Page 588
خِتَٰمُهُۥ مِسۡكٞۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلۡيَتَنَافَسِ ٱلۡمُتَنَٰفِسُونَ ٢٦
The last of it1 is musk. So for this let the competitors compete.
وَمِزَاجُهُۥ مِن تَسۡنِيمٍ ٢٧
And its mixture is of Tasneem,1
عَيۡنٗا يَشۡرَبُ بِهَا ٱلۡمُقَرَّبُونَ ٢٨
A spring from which those near [to Allāh] drink.
وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ (and inaspiring for this, the competitors should compete....83:26) The word تَنَافَسِ tanafus means for a few people 'to try or strive to gain some desirable things before others can get them.' Having mentioned the bounties of Paradise, the attention of heedless people are drawn to the fact that they are thinking that certain material things are desirable, and therefore they are competing one another to obtain them before others. They are told that the material blessings [ after which they are running ] are perishable. They should not be made the ultimate goal of life, nor the object of racing. Man should be content with what he has for the comfort of the fleeting period of this life. If he loses the means, it should not hurt him much, because it is not a loss that cannot be recovered. However, people with aspiration should aspire, race and compete for the blessings of Paradise that are perfect and eternal in every possible dimension. How aptly the late poet Akbar has put it:
یہ کہاں کا فسانہ ہے سود و زیاں جو گیا سو گیا جو ملا سو ملا
کہو دل سے فرصت عمر ہے کم جو دلا تو اللہ ہی کی یاد دِلا
'Gain and loss - what fiction is this?
What is lost is lost, what is gained is gained
Say to the mind, the life is little.
If you wish to remind me, remind me of God.'
83:29–36Page 588
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجۡرَمُواْ كَانُواْ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ يَضۡحَكُونَ ٢٩
Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.
وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِهِمۡ يَتَغَامَزُونَ ٣٠
And when they passed by them, they would exchange derisive glances.
وَإِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓاْ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِمُ ٱنقَلَبُواْ فَكِهِينَ ٣١
And when they returned to their people, they would return jesting.
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡهُمۡ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ لَضَآلُّونَ ٣٢
And when they saw them, they would say, "Indeed, those are truly lost."
وَمَآ أُرۡسِلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَٰفِظِينَ ٣٣
But they had not been sent as guardians over them.
فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنَ ٱلۡكُفَّارِ يَضۡحَكُونَ ٣٤
So Today1 those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers,
عَلَى ٱلۡأَرَآئِكِ يَنظُرُونَ ٣٥
On adorned couches, observing.
هَلۡ ثُوِّبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُواْ يَفۡعَلُونَ ٣٦
Have the disbelievers [not] been rewarded [this Day] for what they used to do?
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ (Indeed those who were guilty used to laugh at those who believed, 83:29). In these verses, Allah depicts fully the attitudes of the followers of falsehood [ non-believers ] towards the upholders of truth [ the believers ]. The non-believers used to laugh at the believers in the worldly life. In other words, they would mock at them and despise them. Whenever they would pass by the believers, they would wink at each other in contempt of them. When the non-believers returned home, they would take great pleasure in describing the mocking manner in which they treated the poor believers, saying that Muhammad has misled the simpletons.
If we review the situation today, [ it is no better ]. People, whose minds are contaminated with contemporary secular education, are careless about the religion and the Hereafter. Belief in Allah and the Holy Prophet ﷺ is nominal. They treat the [ religious ] scholars and righteous people exactly in the same manner as the non-believers used to treat the Companions ؓ in the days of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ]. May Allah salvage the Muslims from this painful scourge. There is much solace in this verse for the righteous believers. Never bother about their laughter and mockery. How well a poet puts it:
ہنسے جانے سے جب تک ہم ڈریں گے زمانہ ہم پہ ہنسا ہی رہے گا
'So long as we fear people's laughter [ at us ],
the people will continue laughing at us'
All amdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah At-Tatfif
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Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences