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 Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
188. And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly [247], nor offer it to the authorities so that you may wrongfully consume a portion of the wealth of others, while you know the truth.
[247]
Ways of Consuming Wealth Through False Means:
There are many forms of consuming others’ wealth through false means, such as theft, breach of trust, deception, robbery, gambling, usury, and all unlawful types of trade and transactions. In this verse, specifically, that unlawful method is mentioned which is obtained through the mediation of authorities. One common form of this is bribery: giving a bribe to the ruler to have the case decided in one’s favor and thus consuming another’s wealth. Another form is, for example, you know that a certain property or thing belongs to Zaid, but he has no proof of ownership, and in the case of a lawsuit, you can, through trickery, seize that thing from Zaid; thus, through the court, you can become the owner of that thing. Consuming another’s wealth in this way is also forbidden. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: “I am only a human being. You bring your disputes to me. It may be that one of you presents his argument more eloquently than the other, and I decide in his favor according to what I hear. So if I, by my judgment, give someone something that belongs to his brother, he should not take it, for I am giving him a piece of fire.” [بخاري، كتاب الاحكام، باب موعظة الامام للخصوم]
[247]
Ways of Consuming Wealth Through False Means:
There are many forms of consuming others’ wealth through false means, such as theft, breach of trust, deception, robbery, gambling, usury, and all unlawful types of trade and transactions. In this verse, specifically, that unlawful method is mentioned which is obtained through the mediation of authorities. One common form of this is bribery: giving a bribe to the ruler to have the case decided in one’s favor and thus consuming another’s wealth. Another form is, for example, you know that a certain property or thing belongs to Zaid, but he has no proof of ownership, and in the case of a lawsuit, you can, through trickery, seize that thing from Zaid; thus, through the court, you can become the owner of that thing. Consuming another’s wealth in this way is also forbidden. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: “I am only a human being. You bring your disputes to me. It may be that one of you presents his argument more eloquently than the other, and I decide in his favor according to what I hear. So if I, by my judgment, give someone something that belongs to his brother, he should not take it, for I am giving him a piece of fire.” [بخاري، كتاب الاحكام، باب موعظة الامام للخصوم]
