Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn is the eighty-third chapter of the Quran. The scholars regard it as the first surah to be revealed in Medina except for the last eight verses, which are regarded as Meccan. Apparently, it is the eighty-sixth chapter according to the chronological order of revelation, after Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt (29) and before Sūrat al-Baqarah (2). The surah takes its name from the first verse, which condemns the tradesmen who cheat customers by using short weights and measures (al-muṭaffifīn). The surah starts by threatening them and proceeds to talk about the consequences and condition of the evildoers and believers in the hereafter.
Many commentators have narrated that when the Prophet arrived in Medina, some tradesmen in Medina were among the worst and most wicked people in measurements during trade. God then revealed this chapter, and consequently this practice was stopped due to the severe threat depicted towards them in this surah.
The common theme in this surah is the severe threat directed towards the transgressors. The verses of this surah can be divided into four sets:
- Verses 1-6 talk about the economic malpractice of diminishing measurements in trade. These verses threaten the defrauders and remind them of the Day of Judgement, aiming to deter this kind of malpractice.
- Verses 7-17 describe the consequences of the actions of the vicious transgressors (al-fujjār). These verses present severe threats to them, warning that the consequence will be lowness, abasement, and long or everlasting imprisonment. These verses emphasise that denying the Day of Judgement is a major cause of transgression.
- Verses 8-18 describe the exalted status and reward of the pious (al-abrār).
- Verses 29-36 describe the attitude of the disbelievers (al-kuffār) towards the believers and how they used to mock and ridicule them. The verses then describe how this will be reversed on the Day of Judgement. The surah uses warnings as a means of guidance by showing the consequences of actions and clarifying the rewards.
The style of the middle part, verses 7-18, is common in the Quran when talking about the Day of Judgement and how people will be divided into groups based on their actions. As discussed in Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah (56), the element of honour and disgrace is an essential aspect of the eventual reward and punishment. The Day of Judgement is described as lowering and exalting (56:3): it will lower a group of people and exalt another group as a consequence of their actions and intentions. In this surah the vicious transgressors are described as being lowered in sijjīn and the pious are exalted into ʿilliyyīn. Furthermore, there is a third group – the close ones who are brought near to God (al-muqarrabūn) – situated at a higher position than the pious. Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah divides people on the Day of Judgement into three groups: the people of the right hand (56:6-27), the people of the left hand (56:9-41), and the foremost ones (al-sābiqūn) that are brought near to God (56:10-11). Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah divides people into the people of the right hand (69:19) who are the God-wary and who were certain about the Day of Judgement, and the people of the left hand (69:25) who are the vicious transgressors who did not believe in God.
[1] Mizan, 20/230; Amthal, 20/11.
[2] Tibyan, 10/295.