الَّذي جَمَعَ مالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

Who amasses wealth and counts it over.

EXEGESIS

The use of the indefinite noun mālan (wealth) in this verse indicates the lack of real value of wealth; in other words, no matter how abundant wealth becomes, it does not make a person rich in an absolute sense, except for whatever he spends on his needs or the needs of others. However, the obsession with wealth makes him continuously collect and count repeatedly to feel the joy of its abundance,^{‎[1]Mizan, 20/358.} and thus he experiences the feeling of being rich.

ʿAddadah (amasses it) is derived from the verb ʿadda, which means he counted or reckoned a number. Some have considered it to be derived from ʿuddah, which means to prepare and store possessions for the difficult days in the future. There is also a third meaning: to secure wealth and withhold it; however, the first opinion is more obvious,^{‎[2]Imani, An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur’an, https://www.al-islam.org/enlightening-commentary-light-holy-quran-vol-2.} which is to amass wealth and be preoccupied in counting it continuously. And normally, such is the attitude of someone obsessed with wealth.

According to an opinion, ʿaddadah could have been derived from taʿaddud or taʿdīd, which means in variety or assortment of different types, so the possible meaning would be: amassing and collecting wealth in various types, such as in the form of camels, land, gold, etc.^{‎[3]Maturidi, 10/614.}

EXPOSITION

This warning in the Quran indicates that such amassing and counting is either unlawful or preoccupies a person from performing their obligations, duties, and responsibilities, such as respecting the rights of others, paying their financial obligations such as khums and zakat, or helping those in need. Furthermore, such an obsession with amassing wealth can inflate one’s ego and make one arrogant, and may cause one to perform unlawful acts such as backbiting and insulting others. 

There may be many reasons for a person to backbite and insult others, such as anger, retaliation, arrogance, and competition for political, social, and even religious positions. However, the most obvious reason for many of these causes is the obsession with wealth and materialism of this world. And when God threatens such people, He links the cause of such an attitude to the amassing of wealth. Slandering, mocking, and backbiting was a significant attitude of the hypocrites at the time of the Prophet.

On the other hand, collecting wealth lawfully and not allowing it to control oneself, keeping the means to collect the wealth lawful and balanced, and avoiding any obsession with it, are not just permissible acts, but obligatory and rewardable in Islam: And seek Allah’s grace (62:10).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Imam al-Riḍā (a): ‘Wealth is not piled up but with five qualities: intense stinginess, endless ambition, dominant greed, breaking off connections with one’s kin, and preferring this world to the next world.’^{‎[4]Nur, 5/668; Imani, An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur’an, https://www.al-islam.org/enlightening-commentary-light-holy-quran-vol-2.}

Note: Abundant narrations indicate that the love of the world is the cause of every sin, such as the hadith of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘The head [cause] of every fault is the [obsessive] love of this world.’^{‎[5]Kafi, 2/315.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The unqualified condemnation in this surah of amassing and counting of wealth could lead to the idea that such an act is impermissible entirely. Based on this misunderstanding, if a person increases his wealth even lawfully, and saves it for the difficult days of life, he could be considered a wrongdoer.

Such can be understood from the words of some Sufi exegetes who consider the collection of wealth deplorable. They have said that whoever is supposedly rich through wealth is actually poor, and collecting wealth is a sign of ignorance, and love of wealth is a sign of hypocrisy.^{‎[6]Salmī, Ḥaqāʾiq al-Tafsīr, 1/62.} Other Sufis describe the collection of wealth as an immoral, lustful desire, indicating the ignorance of those who collect it. This is because those who collect it do not know that the wealth they collect in order to keep difficulties away would actually draw difficulties towards them; and hence, the Sufis conclude, such collectors of wealth are ignorant.^{‎[7]ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Tafsīr Ibn ʿArabī, 2/458.}

However, mainstream exegetes would not consider collecting wealth to be prohibited entirely, unless if such collection and counting would be associated with a sinful act or for a sinful purpose. Such action would be condemned if that would indicate the disbelief in God, the hereafter, and death. In addition, such an obsession for amassing wealth can lead to arrogance, making one think he is superior to all, and that he has the right to insult others and mock them. Wealth to these types of people becomes the aim and not the means to fulfil their necessities of life, and therefore they do not care about how they collect it.^{‎[8]Amthal, 20/447.}

Some commentators have said that the condemnation in the verse is directed towards those who amassed wealth without paying their financial religious obligations.^{‎[9]Tabari, 30/188.} This point, though valid in the post-Meccan era, cannot be applied to those idol worshippers in the Meccan era who used to mock the Prophet, since they did not believe in such Islamic obligations.

The exegetes have presented several probabilities for the term ʿaddadah. The first is that it means: he has prepared wealth for difficult days ahead,^{‎[10]Qummi, 2/441.} obviously in a negative sense due to his disbelief in God, and his strong belief in his wealth. This person thought that the wealth could secure his eternity and guarantee him an immortal life in this world.

Another opinion indicates that it means: he believes he is going to live eternally in this world due to his negligence of death; so ʿaddadah in this instance would mean: he increased the amount of his wealth so that it can be useful for him in his eternal life.^{‎[11]Qīsī, al-Hidāyah ilā Bulūgh al-Nihāyah, 12/8430.} Ṭabrisī mentions that it is not the amassing of wealth that leads to the painful consequences, but the fact that it was done unlawfully.^{‎[12]Tabrisi, 10/818.} That is in line with the historical context of the verse, where the evil Meccans would loot the wealth of others, wage unlawful wars on the weak, and enslave them or sell them after taking over their wealth; and they would practice usury, gambling, prostitution, and all sorts of evil methods in order to collect wealth. Additionally, Ṭabrisī, as many others, mentions that the amassing of wealth was done to prevent them from encountering unpleasant circumstances in the future,^{‎[13]Tabrisi, 10/818.} especially those circumstances that lead to death, thus making them think they would live forever.

The connection made in this surah between slandering and backbiting with someone who amasses wealth and becomes obsessed with it, does not mean that those who do not have wealth could not commit such sins. The surah is indicating what is mostly and normally observed in those who are obsessed with wealth; however, the condemnation is inclusive to all those who slander, be they wealthy or poor.^{‎[14]Mustanbiṭ, Mawāhib al-Raḥmān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1/291.} Therefore, if a poor person insults or degrades others, then the punishment of the ḥuṭamah (see the next verse) would devour them as well.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.^{‎[15]Matthew 6:25-34.}
2. Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him.^{‎[16]Psalms 49:6-7.}
3. Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord’s wrath.^{‎[17]Zephaniah 1:18.}

 

[1] Mizan, 20/358.
[2] Imani, An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur’an, https://www.al-islam.org/enlightening-commentary-light-holy-quran-vol-2.
[3] Maturidi, 10/614.
[4] Nur, 5/668; Imani, An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur’an, https://www.al-islam.org/enlightening-commentary-light-holy-quran-vol-2.
[5] Kafi, 2/315.
[6] Salmī, Ḥaqāʾiq al-Tafsīr, 1/62.
[7] ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Tafsīr Ibn ʿArabī, 2/458.
[8] Amthal, 20/447.
[9] Tabari, 30/188.
[10] Qummi, 2/441.
[11] Qīsī, al-Hidāyah ilā Bulūgh al-Nihāyah, 12/8430.
[12] Tabrisi, 10/818.
[13] Tabrisi, 10/818.
[14] Mustanbiṭ, Mawāhib al-Raḥmān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1/291.
[15] Matthew 6:25-34.
[16] Psalms 49:6-7.
[17] Zephaniah 1:18.