Surah Al-Ma'un (107)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. Have you seen him who denies the Recompense?

2. That is he who repulses the orphan,

3. And urges not the feeding of the poor,

4. So, woe unto those performers of Salah,

5. Who delay their Salat from their stated fixed times.

6. Those who do good deeds only to be seen.

7. And refuse Al-Ma 'un.





It is called Surah Al-Ma 'un because at the end of it Allah Almighty condemned those who withhold Al-Ma 'un. It is also called Surat Ad¬Deen because at the beginning Allah reproaches those who disbelieve in the Deen, meaning recompense in the Hereafter.





1. In the last Surah Allah reminds the Quraish of one of His many favors: that it is He Who has fed them against hunger. Here, Allah reproaches those who do not encourage the feeding of the poor.

2. Ordering us to worship Him alone, Allah previously ordered them to worship the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). In this Surah, Allah censures those who delay the prayers from their stated fixed times.

3. In the previous Surah, Allah mentioned that despite His many favors on the Quraish, they still disbelieved in both resurrection and recompense. Here, Allah Almighty follows up by warning and threatening them of His punishment.





Ara'aita:
Did you know? This is asked in a way to attract the attention of the listener.

Ad-Deen:
Accountability and recompense (in the Hereafter).

Allathee Yadu'ul-Yateem:
One who violently pushes away an orphan, viciously repelling him, and taking away his rights.

Wa laa Yahudhdhu 'Ala Ta'aamil-Miskeen:
i.e., he neither encourages himself nor others to feed the poor.

Fawailullil-Musalleen:
Ultimate ignominy and punishment for those who delay their prayers from their stated fixed times.

'An Salaatihim Saahoon :
They delay their prayers from the fixed times.

Yuraa'oon:
They pray and do good deeds to show them off to others, not to perform them sincerely and purely for Allah Almighty.

Wa Yamna'oonal-Ma'oon:
Ma'un means all small things that are helpful in life, such as a needle, an axe, or a cooking pot. So Allah Almighty is referring to people who refuse to give simple things to help others, things that can be used and returned without damage, such as kitchen utensils.





This Surah discusses two kinds of people:

1. The disbeliever who refuses to even acknowledge Allah's favors and who disbelieves in the Day of Judgement, when deeds will be judged and just recompense will be given.
2. The hypocrite who does deeds not for the sake of Allah Almighty; rather, he does them to show off to others.

As for the first group, Allah Almighty mentions some of their contemptible deeds: they humiliate the orphan, repelling him viciously, and they do not perform good deeds; they do not even encourage others to help the poor. They do not fulfill the rights of their Lord, nor do they show the least bit of kindness to His creatures.

The second group, the hypocrites, delay their prayers, and when they do perform the prayer, they perform it in form, but not in spirit. In fact, they do deeds simply so others can watch and appreciate them. Both groups are threatened with ignominy and destruction; Allah Almighty highlights their villainy by using a style that shows wonder at their contemptible deeds.





1. The emphasis on feeding orphans and the poor, and encoura¬ging others to do so as well.

2. Belief in recompense and accountability are affirmed.

3. Being cautious about prayer, maintaining it in its time, being sincere while praying as well as when performing all other deeds.

4. We are encouraged to do good deeds, to help others in large and small matters, even if it is by lending, for instance, a pot or a book. This is because Allah Almighty strongly reproached those who do not do even the small acts of kindness.

5. We must be careful and avoid adopting any of the characteristics of the hypocrites.