Niggardliness – Miserliness
3. [al-Imran, Medina 89 ]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَلاَ
يَحْسَبَنَّ
الَّذِينَ
يَبْخَلُونَ
بِمَا
آتَاهُمُ
اللّهُ
مِن
فَضْلِهِ
...
3: 180. And let not those who covetously withhold of the gifts which Allah hath given them of His Grace,
C483. The gifts are of all kinds:
- material gifts, such as wealth, property, strength of limbs, etc., or
- intangible gifts, such as influence, birth in a given set, intellect, skill, insight, etc., or
- spiritual gifts of the highest kind.
The spending of all these things (apart from what is necessary for ourselves) for those who need them, is charity, and purifies our own character.
The withholding of them (apart from our needs) is similarly greed and selfishness, and is strongly condemned.
...هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ ...
think that it is good for them:
... بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُواْ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ...
nay, it will be the worse for them: soon shall the things which they covetously withheld be tied to their necks like a twisted collar, on the Day of Judgment.
C484. By an apt metaphor the miser is told that his wealth or the other gifts which he hoarded will cling round his neck and do him no good. He will wish he could get rid of them, but he will not be able to do so.
According to the Biblical phrase in another connection they will hang like a millstone round his neck (Matt. 18:6).
The metaphor here is fuller. He hugged his wealth or his gifts about him. They will become like a heavy collar, the badge of slavery, round his neck. They will be tied tight and twisted, and they will give him pain and anguish instead of pleasure.
Cf. also 17:13.
...وَلِلّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ...
To Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth;
C485. Another metaphor is now introduced. Material wealth or property is only called ours during our short life here.
So all gifts are ours in trust only; they ultimately revert to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens or on earth. (R).
... وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٨٠﴾
and Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do.
Others version:
3: 180
Asad And they should not think – they who niggardly cling to all that God has granted them out of his bounty – that this is good for them; nay, it is bad for them [note 138].
Pickthall And let not those who hoard up that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty think that it is better for them. Nay, it is worse for them. That which they hoard will be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. Allah's is the heritage of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Informed of what ye do.
Transliteration Wa la_ yahsabannal lazina yabkhalu_na bima_ a_ta_humulla_hu min fadlihi huwa khairal lahum, bal huwa syarrul lahum, sayutawwaqu_na ma_ bakhilu_ bihi yaumal qiya_mah(ti), wa lilla_hi mira_sus sama_wa_ti wal ard(i), walla_hu bima_ ta'malu_na khabir(un).
[ Asad’s note 138 - ……………………a materialism based on a lack of belief in anything that transcends the practical problems of life.]
[ Ali’s notes : 483 The gifts are of all kinds: material gifts, such as wealth, property, strength of limbs, etc., or intangible gifts, such as influence, birth in a given set, intellect, skill, insight, etc., or spiritual gifts of the highest kind. The spending of all these things (apart from what is necessary for ourselves) for those who need them, is charity, and purifies our own character. The withholding of them (apart from our needs) is similarly greed and selfishness, and is strongly condemned. (3.180)
484 By an apt metaphor the miser is told that his wealth or the other gifts which he hoarded will cling round his neck and do him no good. He will wish he could get rid of them, but he will not be able to do so. According to the Biblical phrase in another connection they will hang like a millstone round his neck (Matt. xviii. 6). The metaphor here is fuller. He hugged his wealth or his gifts about him. They will become like a heavy collar, the badge of slavery, round his neck. They will be tied tight and twisted, and they will give him pain and anguish instead of pleasure. Cf. also xvii. 13. (3.180)
485 Another metaphor is now introduced. Material wealth or property is only called ours during our short life here. So all gifts are ours in trust only; they ultimately revert to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens or on earth. (3.180)]
=====================================
4. [an-Nisa, Medina 92 ]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَاعْبُدُواْ
اللّهَ
وَلاَ
تُشْرِكُواْ
بِهِ
شَيْئًا...
4: 36. Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him:
C550. The essence of Islam is to serve Allah and do good to your fellow-creatures. This is wider and more comprehensive than "Love God and love your neighbour".
For it includes duties to animals as our fellow-creatures, and emphasises practical service rather than sentiment.
... وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى ...
and do good to;
- parents,
- kinsfolk,
- orphans,
- those in need,
- neighbors who are near,
C551. Neighbors who are near: that is, in local situation as well as intimate relationships, just as neighbors who are strangers includes those whom we do not know or who live away from us or in a different sphere altogether.
... وَالْجَارِ الْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالجَنبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ ...
neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side,
the wayfarer (ye meet),
C552. The Companion by your side may be your intimate friends and associates, just as the way-farer you meet may be a casual acquaintance on your travels.
This last is much wider than the "stranger within your gate."
... وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ...
and what your right hands possess:
C553. What your right hands possess: For the meaning of the phrase see n. 537 above. (R).
... إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالاً فَخُورًا ﴿٣٦﴾
for Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;
C554. Real deeds of service and kindness proceed, not from showing off or from a superior sort of condescension (cf. "White Man's Burden"), but from a frank recognition of our own humility and the real claims, before Allah, of all our fellow-creatures.
For in our mutual needs we are equal before Allah, or perhaps the best of us (as the world sees us) may be worse than the worst of us (from the same point of view).
الَّذِينَ
يَبْخَلُونَ
وَيَأْمُرُونَ
النَّاسَ
بِالْبُخْلِ
وَيَكْتُمُونَ
مَا
آتَاهُمُ
اللّهُ
مِن
فَضْلِهِ...
4: 37. (Nor) those who are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others, or hide the bounties which Allah hath bestowed on them;
C555. Arrogance is one reason why our deeds of love and kindness do not thrive.
Another is niggardliness or selfishness.
Allah does not love either the one or the other, for they both proceed from want of love of Allah, or faith in Allah.
Niggardly is the worldly wise man who not only refuses to spend himself in service, but by example and precept prevents others from doing so, as otherwise he would be made odious by comparison, before his fellow-creatures. So he either makes a virtue of his caution, or hides the gifts which have been given him-wealth, position, talent, etc.
... وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ﴿٣٧﴾
for We have prepared, for those who resist faith, a punishment that steeps them in contempt.
C556. Note how the punishment fits the crime.
The niggard holds other people in contempt, and in doing so, becomes himself contemptible.
وَالَّذِينَ
يُنفِقُونَ
أَمْوَالَهُمْ
رِئَـاء
النَّاسِ
وَلاَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ
بِاللّهِ
وَلاَ
بِالْيَوْمِ
الآخِرِ...
4: 38. (Nor) those who spend of their substance, to be seen of men, but have no faith in Allah and the Last Day:
C557. A fault opposed to niggardliness, and equally opposed to true Charity, is to spend lavishly to be seen of men.
It is mere hypocrisy: there is no love in it, either for Allah or for man.
... وَمَن يَكُنِ الشَّيْطَانُ لَهُ قَرِينًا فَسَاء قِرِينًا ﴿٣٨﴾
if any take the Evil One for their intimate, what a dreadful intimate he is!
أَمْ
لَهُمْ
نَصِيبٌ
مِّنَ
الْمُلْكِ
...
4: 53. Have they a share in dominion or power?
... فَإِذًا لاَّ يُؤْتُونَ النَّاسَ نَقِيرًا ﴿٥٣﴾
Behold, they give not a farthing to their fellow-men!
C575. The word I have translated farthing is naqir, the groove in a date stone, a thing of no value whatever.
Close-fistedness and envy are among the worst forms of selfishness, and appear specially incongruous in people of power, authority, or influence, from whom is expected generosity in giving and generosity in seeing other people's prosperity or happiness.
أَمْ
يَحْسُدُونَ
النَّاسَ
عَلَى
مَا
آتَاهُمُ
اللّهُ
مِن
فَضْلِهِ...
4: 54. Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of His bounty?
... فَقَدْ آتَيْنَآ آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَآتَيْنَاهُم مُّلْكًا عَظِيمًا ﴿٥٤﴾
But We had already given the people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
C576. Such as the kingdoms of David and Solomon, for they had international fame.
فَمِنْهُم
مَّنْ
آمَنَ
بِهِ
وَمِنْهُم
مَّن
صَدَّ
عَنْهُ
...
4: 55. Some of them believed and some of them averted their faces from him:
... وَكَفَى بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا ﴿٥٥﴾
and enough is hell for a burning fire.
C577. Envy is like the eternal fire, which is in itself a hell.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
بِآيَاتِنَا
سَوْفَ
نُصْلِيهِمْ
نَارًا...
4: 56. Those who reject Our Signs, We shall soon cast into the fire:
... كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُمْ بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُواْ الْعَذَابَ...
as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty:
... إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا ﴿٥٦﴾
for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.
4: 36
Asad And worship God [alone], and do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him [note 46]. And do good unto your parents, and near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy and the neighbor from among your own people, and neighbor who is a stranger [note 47], and the friend by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom you rightfully possess [note 48].
Verily, God does not love any of those who, full of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner.
Pickthall And serve Allah. Ascribe no thing as partner unto Him. (Show) kindness unto parents, and unto near kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and into the neighbor who is of kin (unto you) and the neighbor who is not of kin and the fellow traveller and the wayfarer and (the slaves) whom your right hands possess. Lo! Allah loveth not such as are proud and boastful,
Transliteration Wa'budulla_ha wa la_ tusyriku_ bihi syai'aw wa bil wa_lidaini ihsa_naw wa bizil qurba_ wal yata_ma_ wal masa_kini wal ja_rizil qurba_ wal ja_ril junubi was sa_hibi bil jambi wabnis sabil(i), wa ma_ malakat aima_nukum, innalla_ha la_ yuhibbu man ka_na mukhta_lan fakhu_ra_(n).
4: 37
Asad [nor] those who are niggardly, and bid others to be niggardly, and conceal whatever God has bestowed upon them out of His bounty; and so We have readied shameful suffering for all who thus deny the truth.
Pickthall Who hoard their wealth and enjoin avarice on others, and hide that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty. For disbelievers We prepare a shameful doom;
Transliteration Allazina yabkhalu_na wa ya'muru_nan na_sa bil bukhli wa yaktumu_na ma_ a_ta_humulla_hu min fadlih(i), wa a'tadna_ lil ka_firina 'aza_bam muhina_(n).
4: 38
Asad
Pickthall And (also) those who spend their wealth in order to be seen of men, and believe not in Allah nor the Last Day. Whoso taketh Satan for a comrade, a bad comrade hath he.
Transliteration Wallazina yunfiqu_na amwa_lahum ri'a_'an na_si wa la_ yu'minu_na billa_hi wa la_ bil yaumil a_khir(i), wa may yakunisy syaita_nu lahu_qarinan fa sa_'a qarina_(n).
4: 53
Asad Have they, perchance, a share in [God’s] dominion [note 70]? But [if they had], lo, they would not give to other people as much as [would fill] the groove of a date-stone!
Pickthall Or have they even a share in the Sovereignty? Then in that case, they would not give mankind even the speck on a date stone.
Transliteration Am lahum nasibum minal mulki fa izal la_ yu'tu_nan na_sa naqira_(n).
[[ Asad’s note 70 –An allusion to the Jews belief that they occupy a privileged position in the sight of God.]]
4: 54
Asad Do they, perchance, envy other people for what God has granted them out of His bounty [note 71]? But then, We did grant revelation and wisdom unto the House of Abraham, and We did bestow on them a mighty dominion:
Pickthall Or are they jealous of mankind because of that which Allah of His bounty hath bestowed upon them? For We bestowed upon the house of Abraham (of old) the Scripture and Wisdom, and We bestowed on them a mighty kingdom.
Transliteration Am yahsudu_nan na_sa 'ala_ ma_ a_ta_humulla_hu min fadlih(i), faqad a_taina_ a_la ibra_himal kita_ba wal hikmata wa a_taina_hum mulkan 'azima_(n).
[[ Asad’s note 71 – I.e., revelation, which – according to the Jews – ahs been reserved to them alone.]]
4: 55
Asad Among them are such as [truly] believe in him [note 72], and among them are such as have turned away from him. And nothing could be as burning as [the fire of] hell:
Pickthall And of them were (some) who believed therein and of them were (some) who disbelieved therein. Hell is sufficient for (their) burning.
Transliteration Fa minhum man a_mana bihi wa minhum man sadda 'anh(u), wa kafa_ bi jahannama sa'ira_(n).
4: 56
Pickthall Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.
Transliteration Innal lazina kafaru_ bi a_ya_tina_ saufa nuslihim na_ra_(n), kullama_ nadijatjula_duhum baddalna_hum julu_dan gairaha_ layuaza_qul'aza_b(a), innalla_ha ka_na'azizan hakima_(n).
[[ Ali’s notes -- 575 The word I have translated farthing is naqir, the groove in a date stone, a thing of no value whatever. Close-fistedness and envy are among the worst forms of selfishness, and appear specially incongruous in people of power, authority, or influence, from whom is expected generosity in giving and generosity in seeing other people's prosperity or happiness. (4.53)
576 Such as the kingdoms of David and Solomon, for they had international fame. (4.54)
577 Cf. iv. 97, viii. 37, ix. 95, ixx. 68. (4.55)]]