-Sura 2, Al-Baqara, Medina 87

The Quranic text and Ali’s version

وَلاَ تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُواْ بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ...

2:188. And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as bait for the judges,

... لِتَأْكُلُواْ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨٨﴾

with intent that ye may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of (other) people's property.

Transliteration Wa la_ ta'kulu_ amwa_lakum bainakum bil ba_tili wa tudlu_ biha_ ilal hukka_mi lita'kulu_ fariqam min amwa_lin na_si bil ismi wa antum ta'lamu_n(a).

2: 188

Asad And devour not one another’s possessions wrongfully, and neither employ legal artifices [note 163] with a view to devouring sinfully, and knowingly, anything that by right belongs to others [note 164].

Pickthall And eat not up your property among yourselves in vanity, nor seek by it to gain the hearing of the judges that ye may knowingly devour a portion of the property of others wrongfully.

[Ruby’s note – This is a very pervasive statement regarding abuse and misappropriation of things [tangible and intangible] that rightfully belong to others.]

[Asad’s note 163 – Lit., “and do not throw it to the judges” – i.e., with a view to being decided by them contrary to what is right (Zamakhshari, Baydawi)

164 – Lit., “a part of [other] people’s possessions”.]

[ Ali’s note - 201 ……………. Ordinarily honest men are content if they refrain from robbery, theft, or embezzlement. Two more subtle forms of the greed are mentioned here. One is where one uses one's own property for corrupting others - judges or those in authority - so as to obtain some material gain even under the cover and protection of the law. The words translated "other people's property" may also mean "public property". A still more subtle form is where we use our own property or property under our own control - "among yourselves" in the Text - for vain or frivolous uses. Under the Islamic standard this is also greed. Property carries with it its own responsibilities. If we fail to understand or fulfill them, we have not learnt the full lesson of self-denial by fasts. (2.188) ]