Tafsir

The Command to give Full Measure

Allah commanded them to give full measure, and forbade them to give short measure. He said:أَوْفُواْ الْكَيْلَ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ (Give full measure, and cause no loss.) meaning, `when you give to people, give them full measure, and do not cause loss to them by giving them short measure, while taking full measure when you are the ones who are taking. Give as you take, and take as you give.'وَزِنُواْ بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ (And weigh with the true and straight balance.) The balance is the scales.وَلاَ تَبْخَسُواْ النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ(And defraud not people by reducing their things,) means, do not shortchange them.وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ(nor do evil, making corruption and mischief in the land.) means, by engaging in banditry. This is like the Ayah,وَلاَ تَقْعُدُواْ بِكُلِّ صِرَطٍ تُوعِدُونَ(And sit not on every road, threatening) (7:86).وَاتَّقُواْ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الاٌّوَّلِينَ (And have Taqwa of Him Who created you and the generations of the men of old.

) Here he is frightening them with the punishment of Allah Who created them and created their forefathers. This is like when Musa, peace be upon him, said:رَبُّكُمْ وَرَبُّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ(Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers!) (26:26). Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Sufyan bin `Uyaynah and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said:وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الاٌّوَّلِينَ(the generations of the men of old.) means, He created the early generations. And Ibn Zayd recited:وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنْكُمْ جِبِلاًّ كَثِيراً(And indeed he (Shaytan) did lead astray a great multitude of you) (36:62).قَالُواْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ وَمَآ أَنتَ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مّثْلُنَا وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ الْكَـذِبِينَ-فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً مّنَ السَّمَآء إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ-قَالَ رَبّى أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ-فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ-

وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْAnd do not make people short of their things - 26:183What it means is that it is unlawful to reduce any quantity or amount from that which has been contracted with anyone, whether it is a measurable thing or otherwise. Therefore, if a servant or a laborer does not work his full time at his workplace, he too is included in this warning. Imam Malik (رح) has reported a narration in his Muwatta' that Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ noticed that someone did not join in the ` Asr prayer. So, he enquired about the reason for that, to which he offered some excuse. Then Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ said, طَفَّفتَ ` You have reduced in measuring'. As prayer is not something to be measured, hence after quoting this hadith Imam Malik (رح) has said that this command is not restricted to measurable things. Rather, performing any obligation less than due is included in prohibition highlighted in this verse and in Surah "At-tatfif 84".

قال لهم شعيب- وقد كانوا يُنْقِصون الكيل والميزان-: أتمُّوا الكيل للناس وافيًا لهم، ولا تكونوا ممن يُنْقِصون الناس حقوقهم، وَزِنوا بالميزان العدل المستقيم، ولا تنقصوا الناس شيئًا مِن حقوقهم في كيل أو وزن أو غير ذلك، ولا تكثروا في الأرض الفساد، بالشرك والقتل والنهب وتخويف الناس وارتكاب المعاصي.

وقوله "ولا تبخسوا الناس أشياءهم" أي لا تنقصوهم أموالهم "ولا تعثوا في الأرض مفسدين" يعني قطع الطريق كما قال في الآية الأخرى "ولا تقعدوا بكل صراط توعدون".