Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 188

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Do not eat up each other’s property by false means, nor approach with it the authorities to eat up a portion of the property of the people sinfully, while you know (that you are unjust in doing so).

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly, nor deliberately bribe authorities in order to devour a portion of others’ property, knowing that it is a sin.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Do not consume one another’s property unjustly, nor entice the rulers in order to consume a portion of people’s property wrongfully while you know [it is sin].

A. J. Arberry

Consume not your goods between you in vanity; neither proffer it to the judges, that you may sinfully consume a portion of other men's goods, and that wittingly.

Abdul Haleem

Do not consume your property wrongfully, nor use it to bribe judges, intending sinfully and knowingly to consume parts of other people’s property.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And devour not your riches among yourselves in vanity, nor convey them unto the judges that ye may devour thereby a portion of other people's riches sinfully while ye know.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as bait for the judges, with intent that ye may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of (other) people's property.

Abul Ala Maududi

Do not usurp one another's property by unjust means nor offer it to the judges so that you may devour knowingly and unjustly a portion of the goods of others.

Ahmed Ali

And do not consume each other's wealth in vain, nor offer it to men in authority with intent of usurping unlawfully and knowingly a part of the wealth of others.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And do not unjustly devour the property of each other, nor take their cases to judges in order that you may wrongfully devour a portion of other peoples’ property on purpose.

Ali Quli Qarai

Do not eat up your wealth among yourselves wrongfully, nor proffer it to the judges in order to eat up a part of the people’s wealth sinfully, while you know [that it is immoral to do so].

Ali Ünal

(Eat and drink, but do the kinds of worship that help you to control your soul such as the Fast.) And do not consume your wealth among yourselves in false ways (in vanities, sins and crimes such as theft, usurpation, bribery, usury, and gambling); nor proffer it to those in authority so that you may sinfully consume a portion of other people’s goods, and that knowingly.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Do not appropriate one another´s property with inequity (and by false means) nor seek to gain access thereby to the authorities so that you may appropriate a portion of (other) people´s property by sinful means (and bribery) and that (too) knowingly (that you have no right to do so).

English Literal

And do not eat/consume your properties/wealths between you with the falsehood and you push down (as a means to approach) with it, to the rulers/governors to eat a group (portion) from the people`s properties/wealths with a sin/crime and you know.

Faridul Haque

And do not unjustly devour the property of each other, nor take their cases to judges in order that you may wrongfully devour a portion of other peoples’ property on purpose.

Hamid S. Aziz

Devour not your wealth among yourselves vainly, nor present it to the judges that you may devour a part of the wealth of other men sinfully and knowingly.

Hilali & Khan

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.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the judges, so that you may swallow up a part of the property of men wrongfully while you know.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And do not swallow up your property among yourselves by false means, neither seek to gain access thereby to the judges, so that you may swallow up a part of the property of men wrongfully while you know.

Mohammed Marmaduke William 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.

Muhammad Sarwar

Do not use your property among yourselves in illegal ways and then deliberately bribe the rulers with your property so that you may wrongly acquire the property of others.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Do not consume your wealth between you in falsehood; neither propose it to judges, in order that you sinfully consume a portion of the people's wealth, while you know.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And eat up not one another's property unjustly (in any illegal way, e.g., stealing, robbing, deceiving), 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.

Wahiduddin Khan

Do not consume one another's property by unjust means, nor offer it as a bribe to the authorities, so that you may deliberately and wrongfully devour a part of other people's wealth.

Talal Itani

And do not consume one another’s wealth by unjust means, nor offer it as bribes to the officials in order to consume part of other people’s wealth illicitly, while you know.

Tafsir jalalayn

Consume not your goods between you, that is to say, do not let one consume the goods of the other, in deception, that which is illicit according to the Law, such as theft and extortion; and, do not, proffer them, the regulation of these [goods] or any bribes, to the judges, that you may consume, as a result of any arbitration, a portion of other people's goods, embroiled, in sin while you are aware, that you are in error.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Bribery is prohibited and is a Sin

Allah says;

وَلَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُواْ بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُواْ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالاِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ



And eat up not one another's property unjustly (in any illegal way, e.g., stealing, robbing, deceiving), 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.

Ali bin Abu Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,

"This Ayah is about the indebted person when there is no evidence of the loan. So he denies taking the loan and the case goes to the authorities, even though he knows that it is not his money and that he is a sinner, consuming what is not allowed for him."

This opinion was also reported from Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. They all stated,

"Do not dispute when you know that you are being unjust."
The Judge's Ruling does not allow the Prohibited or prohibit the Lawful

It is reported in the Two Sahihs that Umm Salamah narrated that Allah's Messenger said;

أَلَا إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ وَإِنَّمَا يَأْتِينِي الْخَصْمُ فَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَلْحَنَ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَأَقْضِيَ لَهُ فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ بِحَقِّ مُسْلِمٍ فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ قِطْعَةٌ مِنْ نَارٍ فَلْيَحْمِلْهَا أَوْ لِيَذَرْهَا

I am only human! You people present your cases to me, and as some of you may be more eloquent and persuasive in presenting his argument, I might issue a judgment in his benefit. So, if I give a Muslim's right to another, I am really giving him a piece of fire; so he should not take it.

The Ayah and the Hadith prove that the judgment of the authorities in any case does not change the reality of the truth. Hence, the ruling does not allow what is in fact prohibited or prohibit what is in fact allowed. It is only applicable in that case. So if the ruling agrees with the truth, then there is no harm in this case. Otherwise, the judge will acquire his reward, while the cheater will acquire the evil burden. This is why Allah said;

وَلَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُواْ بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُواْ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالاِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ


And eat up not one another's property unjustly, 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.

meaning, `While you know the falsehood of what you claim.'

Qatadah said,

"O son of Adam! Know that the judge's ruling does not allow you what is prohibited or prohibit you from what is allowed. The judge only rules according to his best judgment and according to the testimony of the witnesses. The judge is only human and is bound to make mistakes.

Know that if the judge erroneously rules in some one's favor, then that person will still encounter the dispute when the disputing parties meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection. Then, the unjust person will be judged swiftly and precisely with that which will surpass whatever he acquired by the erroneous judgment he received in the life of this world.