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Respect to People’s Property: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:188) By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Commentary of the Quran

Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:188)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Respect to People’s Property

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨٨

2:188 And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful].

Commentary:  The aforementioned verse directs believers to refrain from acquiring the properties of others wrongfully:

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ و…. ﴿١٨٨

2:188 And (do) not eat (consume) your properties among yourselves unjustly

The phrase (تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ) literally means “to eat your properties among yourselves unjustly” and in here implies acquiring, consuming or using one another’s properties wrongfully. The verse has many implications which includes stealing, illegal seizing and confiscating properties of others, cheating, and deception in trades.

Another instance is to employ legal artifices such as presenting fabricated evidence, testifying falsely, bribing judges, etc. in a financial dispute. In particular, the verse instructs:

… وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨٨

Do not proffer one another’s wealth/or your property to judges (وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ) in order that they might aid you to acquire a portion of wealth of the people wrongfully (لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ); while, you know that it is unlawful (وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ).

The word [(وَتُدْلُوا), [watudloo] literally means to send a bucket down into a well for drawing water. The phrase [(وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ)] metaphorically implies acts such as offering money to authorities to induce them in passing a judgement in favor of the bribe-giver. It is a very nice allegory. The desired judgement is the water in the depth of the well; the bribe is the bucket which is sent down to bring the desired result [Al-Mizan, Vol.2, P.xx].

Bribery Considered a Despicable Sin: At the time of the Prophet (SAWA), the Prophet learned that one of his governors accepted a bribe in the form of a gift. The Prophet, in a reprimanding tone of voice, asked him: “How could you take something which you had no right to take it?” [(کَیْفَ تَأْخُذُ ما لَیْسَ لَکَ بِحَقٍّ؟)].

The governor remorsefully replied: “O Messenger of God, I got it as gift” [(لَقَدْ کانَتْ هَدِیَّةً یا رَسُولَ اللّهِ)].  The prophet replied: “Would you still given you gift had you not been the governor?”

أَ رَأیْتَ لَوْ قَعَدَ أَحَدُکُمْ فِى دارِهِ وَ لَمْ نُوَلِّهِ عَمَلاً أَ کانَ النّاسُ یَهْدُونَهُ شَیْئاً؟

The prophet transferred the gift to the treasury and deposed the governor from his position.

In another narration, the Prophet (SAWA) said:

لَعَنَ اللّهُ الرّاشِیَ وَ الْمُرْتَشِیَ وَ الْماشِیَ بَیْنَهُما

Allah (SWT) removes His mercy from the benefactor of a bribe and the receiver of the bribe and the intermediator between the two.

Word-for-Word Translation:

2:188 [وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا] And do not eat [أَمْوَالَكُم] your wealth [بَيْنَكُم] among yourself [بِالْبَاطِلِ] wrongfully [وَتُدْلُوا] and do not access [بِهَا] with it [إِلَى] to [الْحُكَّامِ] judges/rulers [لِتَأْكُلُوا] so that you may eat [فَرِيقًا] a portion [مِّنْ] from [أَمْوَالِ] wealth [النَّاسِ] of the people [بِالْإِثْمِ] sinfully [وَأَنتُمْ] while you [تَعْلَمُونَ] know.

 

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