سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 188
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿188﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَأْكُلُوٓا۟
takulū
eat
أَمْوَٰلَكُم
amwālakum
your properties
بَيْنَكُم
baynakum
among yourselves
بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ
bil-bāṭili
wrongfully
وَتُدْلُوا۟
watud'lū
and present
بِهَآ
bihā
[with] it
إِلَى
ilā
to
ٱلْحُكَّامِ
l-ḥukāmi
the authorities
لِتَأْكُلُوا۟
litakulū
so that you may eat
فَرِيقًۭا
farīqan
a portion
مِّنْ
min
from
أَمْوَٰلِ
amwāli
(the) wealth
ٱلنَّاسِ
l-nāsi
(of) the people
بِٱلْإِثْمِ
bil-ith'mi
sinfully
وَأَنتُمْ
wa-antum
while you
تَعْلَمُونَ
taʿlamūna
know
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 188) ➊ {وَ لَا تَاْكُلُوْۤا اَمْوَالَكُمْ … :} In the state of fasting, by Allah’s command, a person abandons three highly desirable and lawful things; in this context, now the exhortation to avoid the unlawful is given. Any wealth acquired through unlawful means, even if the owner is pleased with it, is considered consuming by false (i.e., unjust) means. For example: interest, the wage of fornication, the fee of a fortune-teller, the sale of alcohol, earnings through lottery or gambling, or the wage for singing and music—all unlawful means fall under earning by falsehood.
➋ { تُدْلُوْا :} This is the masculine plural present tense form from the verbal noun { ”اِدْلاَءٌ“ }, which is derived from { ”دَلْوٌ“ }, meaning “bucket.” The original meaning of { ”اِدْلاَءٌ“ } is “to cast a bucket,” as in Surah Yusuf: «فَاَدْلٰى دَلْوَهٗ» [ یوسف : ۱۹ ] “So he let down his bucket.” Then it began to be used in the sense of taking or sending something towards someone. Taking something to the authorities has two meanings, and both are intended here. One is that a person knows that a certain land or wealth belongs to someone else, but the rightful owner has no proof; if he files a lawsuit, he will succeed in getting a verdict in his favor from the court, so he takes the case to the judge. Allah Almighty has forbidden doing so. « وَ اَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ» That is, knowingly doing so is extremely evil. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Beware! I am only a human being, and disputants come to me. Perhaps one of them is more eloquent in presenting his argument than the other, so I judge in his favor, thinking him truthful. So, if I decide in favor of someone for something that belongs to his Muslim brother, it is a piece of fire; let him take it or leave it.” [ بخاری، المظالم، باب إثم من خاصم وہو بعلمہ : ۲۴۵۸ ]
Some people say that whatever the judge decides in someone’s favor becomes lawful for him, but from this verse and hadith, the falsehood of their claim is evident. The second meaning of this verse is that you should not consume the rights of others by giving wealth as a bribe to the authorities. { ”رِشَاءٌ“ } refers to the rope of the bucket, by which water is drawn; similarly, the briber achieves his purpose through bribery. { ”رَاشِيْ“ } is the one who gives a bribe, and {”مُرْتَشِيْ“} is the one who takes a bribe. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who gives and the one who takes a bribe. [ ترمذی، الأحکام، باب ما جاء فی الراشی … : ۱۳۳۷، و صححہ الألبانی ] If one has to make a payment to obtain his own right, this is not bribery, although it is necessary to avoid it as much as possible, because it is helping in sin and establishing a bad habit. However, if someone is helpless, that is another matter, but the receiver is deserving of curse and will be committing a major sin.
➋ { تُدْلُوْا :} This is the masculine plural present tense form from the verbal noun { ”اِدْلاَءٌ“ }, which is derived from { ”دَلْوٌ“ }, meaning “bucket.” The original meaning of { ”اِدْلاَءٌ“ } is “to cast a bucket,” as in Surah Yusuf: «فَاَدْلٰى دَلْوَهٗ» [ یوسف : ۱۹ ] “So he let down his bucket.” Then it began to be used in the sense of taking or sending something towards someone. Taking something to the authorities has two meanings, and both are intended here. One is that a person knows that a certain land or wealth belongs to someone else, but the rightful owner has no proof; if he files a lawsuit, he will succeed in getting a verdict in his favor from the court, so he takes the case to the judge. Allah Almighty has forbidden doing so. « وَ اَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ» That is, knowingly doing so is extremely evil. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Beware! I am only a human being, and disputants come to me. Perhaps one of them is more eloquent in presenting his argument than the other, so I judge in his favor, thinking him truthful. So, if I decide in favor of someone for something that belongs to his Muslim brother, it is a piece of fire; let him take it or leave it.” [ بخاری، المظالم، باب إثم من خاصم وہو بعلمہ : ۲۴۵۸ ]
Some people say that whatever the judge decides in someone’s favor becomes lawful for him, but from this verse and hadith, the falsehood of their claim is evident. The second meaning of this verse is that you should not consume the rights of others by giving wealth as a bribe to the authorities. { ”رِشَاءٌ“ } refers to the rope of the bucket, by which water is drawn; similarly, the briber achieves his purpose through bribery. { ”رَاشِيْ“ } is the one who gives a bribe, and {”مُرْتَشِيْ“} is the one who takes a bribe. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who gives and the one who takes a bribe. [ ترمذی، الأحکام، باب ما جاء فی الراشی … : ۱۳۳۷، و صححہ الألبانی ] If one has to make a payment to obtain his own right, this is not bribery, although it is necessary to avoid it as much as possible, because it is helping in sin and establishing a bad habit. However, if someone is helpless, that is another matter, but the receiver is deserving of curse and will be committing a major sin.
