A Surah of Quran that Warns Defrauders
The punishments for such wrongdoings are not limited to those in this world, as God, in Surah Al-Mutaffifin, warns defrauders that they will also be punished on the Day of Judgment.
Al-Mutaffifin is the name of the Quran’s 83rd chapter, which has 36 verses and is in the 30th Juz. It is the 86th Surah revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It was the last Surah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Mecca before his Hijra (migration) to Medina.
God warns Al-Mutaffifin- those who deal in fraud- in the first verse, and hence the name of the chapter. The Surah warns them not to disrupt the society’s economic system through their fraud because otherwise they will be punished on the Resurrection Day for such an action.
Verses 1 to 3 refer to dealing in fraud and trampling on people’s rights in doing business, stressing that such actions are Haram (religiously forbidden) and among grave sins.
The Surah then describes the Day of Judgment and its features, referring to two groups of people, namely those who do good and are close to God and those who do evil. It says that in this world, disbelievers laughed at the believers but on the Day of Judgment, it will be the believers who laugh at disbelievers.
In verses 7 to 21, three groups of people are mentioned: The Fujjar (evil-doers) who deny the Day of Judgment; The Abrar (good-doers) who are close to God and enjoy blessings in paradise; And the Muqarrabin (those nearest to God) whose position is the highest and, according to the Quran, they are the people of Yaqeen (certainty).
In this world, disbelievers, who do not believe in the Day of Judgment and hereafter, mock the believers. According to this Surah, “None belies it except every guilty sinner.” (Verse 12) Allameh Tabatabaei writes in Al-Mizan Exegesis of the Quran that this verse shows the only thing that prevents man from committing sins is belief in the Day of Judgment and that one who is immersed in sins gets to a point where he denies the Resurrection Day.
