107- Surat Alma'un/Tafseer

7 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)

A'auzu Bellahi mena ash-shytani ar-rajim

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan

Bismi Ellahi Ar-rhmani Ar-rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Ara'ayta alladhi yukadhibu bid-din (1).

Have you seen the one who denies the Judgment.

Fa zalika alladhi yadu'o alyateem (2).

Then that he is the one who repulses the orphan.

Wa la yahuddu ala ta-ami almiskeen (3).

And does not encourage the feeding of the needy.

Fa waillun lilmussaleen (4).

So woe to those who pray.

Alladhina hom ann slati-him sa-huon (5).

Those who are neglectful about their prayer.

Alladhina hom yura-uon (6).

Those who make show.

Wa yamnauona alma'un (7).

And refuse to give even small assistance.

Simplified interpretation:

 Surat Alma'un was called by this name because the word "Alma'un" has been mentioned therein. and it describes bad deeds of the disbelievers and hypocrites, where Allah, Almighty addresses His Messenger and says: have you seen the one who denies the Din, and the word Din is used to refer to Faith, Judgment, recompense, and requital. 

 It has been said that this Surah was revealed about a certain person, but we can not identify that person where commentators has mentioned four names, and they are: Abu Jahl, Abu Sofian, Alwalid Bin Almughera, and Alas Bin Wa'el Alssahmy. It does not matter who that person is, but the most important is the evil deeds he committed. 

 The person who denies the Judgment pushes away the orphan instead of taking care of him Ayat (1,2), and the orphans are those who have no means of earning a living and whose fathers have died while they are weak and young, before reaching puberty and being able to earn a living, where as narrated by Ali bin Abi Talib: "I memorized from Allah's Messenger (PBUH) that there is no orphanhood after puberty, and there is no silence for the whole day till the night" (Sunan Abi Dawood 2873). Taking care of the orphan has its own importance, for Allah commanded the believers not to oppress the orphan in Surat Aldduha aya (9), and to give the orphans their own property when they reach the age of adolescence and not to mix their property with theirs in Surat Alnisa' aya (2). And Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Sahl: "I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise, showing His middle and index finger and separating them" (Sahih Albukhari 5304).

 The second and the third verses of this Surat were mentioned simultaneously in Surat Alfajr Ayat (17,18) where Allah says: "Nay! but you do not honor the orphan, and do not encourage one another to feed the needy". So by the accompanying of treating the orphan with kindness and generosity with encouraging each other to feed needy ones in the two Surahs, we understand that they of the same importance. And the needy are those who do not find enough food, clothing, or a shelter, but they do not ask the people anything despite their intense need, so they are given what will meet their needs, and Allah's Messenger said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "The needy is not the one who asks a morsel or two from the others, but the needy is the one who has nothing and is shamed to beg from people" (Sahih Albukhari 1476).

 The importance of feeding the food Aya (3) comes from the state that the righteous believers will be in, when they enter paradise as a reward of their deeds in the worldly life, and among their deeds "feeding the food" for Allah states in Surat Alinsan Ayat (8,9): "And they give food, despite their love for it, to the needy, and the orphan, and the captive, we feed you only for the countenance of Allah, we desire no recompense from you nor gratitude".

 Allah says in the next three verses (4-6) "So woe to those who pray, those who are neglectful about their prayer, those who make show", that is Allah describes the deeds of the hypocrites and threatens them with a painful torment and assures that their recompense will be Hellfire on the day of resurrection where the word woe (Wail) idiomatically carries the meaning of destruction and perishing and means that the torment will be theirs as a recompense for their deeds. Although the hypocrites perform the prayers, but they are neglectful and unmindful about their prayer by performing it outside it's real time or they do not perform it faithfully, and they are active in performing their deeds when they are among the people to make show off. 

 Allah says in the last verse (7) "And refuse to give even small assistance", that is, the hypocrites also refuse to give even small assistance (Ma'uon) such as alms, help, or kindnesses, some scholars take the original sense of the term Ma'uon and said that it refers to all things which neighbors borrow from one another. But others said that they withhold obligatory charity (Zakah) and alms.  

No one Knows its interpretation except Allah