Tafsir

The Command to handle the Orphan's Wealth properly and to be Honest in Weights and Measuresوَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلاَّ بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ(And come not near to the orphan's property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength.) meaning, do not dispose of the orphan's wealth except in a proper manner.وَلاَ تَأْكُلُوهَآ إِسْرَافاً وَبِدَاراً أَن يَكْبَرُواْ وَمَن كَانَ غَنِيّاً فَلْيَسْتَعْفِفْ وَمَن كَانَ فَقِيراً فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ(but consume it the orphan's property not wastefully and hastily fearing that they should grow up, and whoever (among guardians) is rich, he should take no wages, but if he is poor, let him have for himself what is just and reasonable (according to his labor).) 4:6 In Sahih Muslim it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Abu Dharr:«يَا أَبَا ذَرَ إِنِّي أَرَاكَ ضَعِيفًا، وَإِنِّي أُحِبُّ لَكَ مَا أُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِي: لَا تَأَمَّرَنَّ عَلَى اثْنَيْنِ، وَلَا تَوَلَّيَنَّ مَالَ الْيَتِيم»(O Abu Dharr, I see that you are weak (in adiministering), and I like for you that which I like for myself.

Do not let yourself be appointed as Amir over two people, and do not let yourself be appointed as guardian of an orphan's property.)وَأَوْفُواْ بِالْعَهْدِ(And fulfill (every) covenant.) meaning, everything that you promise people, and the covenants that you agree to, because the person who makes a covenant or a promise will be asked about it:إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْؤُولاً(Verily, the covenant will be questioned about.)وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذا كِلْتُمْ(And give full measure when you measure.) meaning, do not try to make it weigh less nor wrong people with their belongings.وَزِنُواْ بِالْقِسْطَاسِ(and weigh with a balance) meaning scales,الْمُسْتَقِيمَ(that is straight.) meaning that which is not distorted nor that which will cause confusion.ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ(that is good) for you, in your daily life and in your Hereafter.

So Allah says:وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً(and better in the end.) meaning, with regard to your ultimate end in the Hereafter.ذلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً(That is good (advantageous) and better in the end.) Sa`id narrated that Qatadah said that this means "Better in reward and a better end. " Ibn `Abbas used to say: "O people, you are entrusted with two things for which the people who came before you were destroyed - these weights and measures."

The prohibition of giving weights and measures short: Ruling

Regarding the verse: أَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذَا كِلْتُمْ (And give full measure when you measure - 35), Abu Hayyan says in Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit that the responsibility of giving full weight and measure in this verse has been placed on the seller (بَأِع : ba'i`) which tells us that it is the seller who is responsible for weighing, measuring and seeing that it is full as due.

At the end of verse 35, it was said about the fulfillment of weight and measure: ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ‌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا (That is good, and better in the end). As for making the weight and measure correct and even, two things have been said here: (1) Firstly, the rule is good. It means that it is intrinsically good. No normal and decent person is going to take weighing less and measuring short as something nice, neither religiously, nor rationally, nor naturally. (2) Secondly, it is better in the end. The end includes the consequent success of the Hereafter, reward of deeds and the blessing of Paradise as well as the happy outcome of the very life in this world. This is suggestive of the fact that no business can prosper until its goodwill stands recognized in the market - and that cannot happen without this commercial honesty.

وأتموا الكيل، ولا تنقصوه إذا كِلْتم لغيركم، وزِنوا بالميزان السوي، إن العدل في الكيل والوزن خير لكم في الدنيا، وأحسن عاقبة عند الله في الآخرة.

وقوله [ تعالى : ( وأوفوا الكيل إذا كلتم ) أي من غير تطفيف ولا تبخسوا الناس أشياءهم ( وزنوا بالقسطاس ) قرئ بضم القاف وكسرها كالقرطاس وهو الميزان وقال مجاهد هو العدل بالروميةوقوله : ( المستقيم ) أي الذي لا اعوجاج فيه ولا انحراف ولا اضطراب( ذلك خير ) أي لكم في معاشكم ومعادكم ولهذا قال : ( وأحسن تأويلا ) أي مآلا ومنقلبا في آخرتكمقال سعيد عن قتادة ( ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلا ) أي : خير ثوابا وعاقبة وأما ابن عباس كان يقول يا معشر الموالي إنكم وليتم أمرين بهما هلك الناس قبلكم هذا المكيال وهذا الميزان قال وذكر لنا أن نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول لا يقدر رجل على حرام ثم يدعه ليس به إلا مخافة الله إلا أبدله الله في عاجل الدنيا قبل الآخرة ما هو خير له من ذلك "