Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 161

Mufti Taqi Usmani

It is not conceivable from a prophet to misappropriate the spoils. Whoever misappropriates shall bring forth, on Doomsday, what he misappropriated. Then, everybody shall be paid, in full, for what he has earned, and they shall not be wronged.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

It is not appropriate for a prophet to illegally withhold spoils of war. And whoever does so, it will be held against them on the Day of Judgment. Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and none will be wronged.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is not for a prophet to misappropriate the spoils of war. Whoever misappropriates will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and none will be wronged.

A. J. Arberry

It is not for a Prophet to be fraudulent; whoso defrauds shall bring the fruits of his fraud on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged.

Abdul Haleem

It is inconceivable that a prophet would ever dishonestly take something from the battle gains. Anyone who does so will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection, when each soul will be fully repaid for what it has done: no one will be wronged.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

It is not the part of a prophet to hide anything away: whosoever hideth anything away, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he had hidden away; then shall each one be repaid in full that which he hath earned, and they shall not be wronged.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

No prophet could (ever) be false to his trust. If any person is so false, He shall, on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then shall every soul receive its due,- whatever it earned,- and none shall be dealt with unjustly.

Abul Ala Maududi

It is not for a Prophet to defraud; and whoever defrauds shall bring with him the fruits of his fraud on the Day of Resurrection, when every human being shall be paid in full what he has earned, and shall not be wronged.

Ahmed Ali

It is not for a prophet to be false; and whoever is false will indeed bring his falsehood with him on the Day of Reckoning when each will receive his reward without favour or wrong.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And it is unimaginable that any Prophet would hide something; and whoever hides it, will bring what he hid with him on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul will be paid in full for whatever they earned; and they will not be wronged.

Ali Quli Qarai

A prophet may not breach his trust, and whoever breaches his trust will bring his breaches on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul shall be recompensed fully for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

Ali Ünal

It is not conceivable that a Prophet defrauds; and whoever defrauds (by stealing from public property or war-gains) will come with what he gained by his fraud on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul shall be repaid in full what it has earned (while in the world), and they will not be wronged.

Amatul Rahman Omar

It is not possible for a Prophet to be guilty of a breach of trust, but whoever (else) is guilty of a breach of a trust he will have to bring forth that about which he had been guilty, on the Day of Resurrection when every soul shall be paid in full for what it has accomplished, and they shall not be done any injustice.

English Literal

And (it) was not to a prophet to cheat/defraud , and who cheats/defrauds comes with what he cheated/defrauded (in) the Resurrection Day, then each self is fulfilled what it gathered/acquired ,and they are not being caused injustice to/oppressed.

Faridul Haque

And it is unimaginable that any Prophet would hide something; and whoever hides it, will bring what he hid with him on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul will be paid in full for whatever they earned; and they will not be wronged.

Hamid S. Aziz

Is he who follows the pleasure of Allah, like him who has drawn on himself anger from Allah, whose resort is the Fire? An evil journey´s end!

Hilali & Khan

It is not for any Prophet to take illegally a part of booty (Ghulul), and whosoever deceives his companions as regards the booty, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took (illegally). Then every person shall be paid in full what he has earned, - and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

If Allah helps you, there is none that can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there that can help you after Him? And in Allah should the believers put their trust.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And it is not attributable to a prophet that he should act unfaithfully; and he who acts unfaithfully shall bring that in respect of which he has acted unfaithfully on the day of resurrection; then shall every soul be paid back fully what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

It is not for any prophet to embezzle. Whoso embezzleth will bring what he embezzled with him on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul will be paid in full what it hath earned; and they will not be wronged.

Muhammad Sarwar

No Prophet can ever be treacherous. A treacherous person will be brought before God on the Day of Judgment with his treacherous deeds. Then every soul will be recompensed for its works without being wronged.

Qaribullah & Darwish

It is not for a Prophet to defraud, whosoever defrauds shall bring that fraud on the Day of Resurrection. Then, every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

It is not for any Prophet to illegally take a part of the booty, and whosoever deceives his companions over the booty, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took. Then every person shall be paid in full what he has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

Wahiduddin Khan

It is not for any Prophet to hold back anything; he who hides anything away shall bring it forth on the Day of Resurrection, when every human being shall be repaid in full for whatever he has done, and none shall be wronged.

Talal Itani

It is not for a prophet to act dishonestly. Whoever acts dishonestly will bring his dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

Tafsir jalalayn

When some red velvet cloth went missing on the Day of Badr and some people began to say, `Perhaps the Prophet took it', the following was revealed; It is not for a prophet to be fraudulent (an yaghulla, a variant reading has the passive an yughalla, meaning to attribute ghull, `fraud', to him), to be treacherous with regard to the spoils, so do not presume this of him; whoever defrauds shall bring what he has defrauded on the Day of Resurrection, carrying it around his neck; then every soul, the fraudulent and the otherwise, shall be paid in full, the requital of, what it has earned, [what] it has done, and they shall not be wronged, a single thing.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَن يَغُلَّ

It is not for any Prophet to illegally take a part of the booty,

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Al-Hasan said that the Ayah means,

"It is not for a Prophet to breach the trust."

Ibn Jarir recorded that, Ibn Abbas said that,

this Ayah,
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَن يَغُلَّ
(It is not for any Prophet to illegally take a part of the booty), was revealed in connection with a red robe that was missing from the spoils of war of Badr. Some people said that the Messenger of Allah might have taken it. When this rumor circulated, Allah sent down,

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَن يَغُلَّ وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

It is not for any Prophet to illegally take a part of the booty, and whosoever is deceitful with the booty, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took.

This was also recorded by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan Gharib".

This Ayah exonerates the Messenger of Allah of all types of deceit and treachery, be it returning what was entrusted with him, dividing the spoils of war, etc.

Allah then said,

وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ




and whosoever is deceitful with the booty, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took. Then every person shall be paid in full what he has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

This Ayah contains a stern warning and threat against Ghulul (stealing from the booty), and there are also Hadiths, that prohibit such practice.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Malik Al-Ashjai said that the Prophet said,

أَعْظَمُ الْغُلُولِ عِنْدَ اللهِ ذِرَاعٌ مِنَ الاَْرْضِ تَجِدُون الرَّجُلَيْنِ جَارَيْنِ فِي الاَْرْضِ أو فِي الدَّارِ فَيَقْطَعُ أَحَدُهُمَا مِنْ حَظِّ صَاحِبِه ذِرَاعًا فَإِذَا اقْتَطَعَهُ طُوِّقَهُ مِنْ سَبْعِ أَرَضِينَ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة

The worst Ghulul (i.e. stealing) with Allah is a yard of land, that is, when you find two neighbors in a land or home and one of them illegally acquires a yard of his neighbor's land. When he does, he will be tied with it from the seven earths until the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Humayd As-Sa`idi said,

"The Prophet appointed a man from the tribe of Al-Azd, called Ibn Al-Lutbiyyah, to collect the Zakah. When he returned he said, `This (portion) is for you and this has been given to me as a gift.'

The Prophet stood on the Minbar and said,

مَا بَالُ الْعَامِلِ نَبْعَثُهُ فَيَجِي فَيَقُولُ هَذَا لَكُمْ وَهَذَا أُهْدِيَ لِي أَفَلَا جَلَسَ فِي بَيْتِ أَبِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ فَيَنْظُرُ أَيُهْدَى إِلَيْهِ أَمْ لَاا وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَاا يَأْتِي أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنْهَا بِشَيْءٍ إِلاَّ جَاءَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلى رَقَبَتِهِ إِنْ كَانَ بَعِيرًا لَهُ رُغَاءٌ أَوْ بَقَرَةٌ لَهَا خُوَارٌ أَوْ شَاةٌ تَيْعَر

What is the matter with a man whom we appoint to collect Zakah, when he returns he said, `This is for you and this has been given to me as a gift.' Why hadn't he stayed in his father's or mother's house to see whether he would be given presents or not! By Him in Whose Hand my life is, whoever takes anything from the resources of the Zakah (unlawfully), he will carry it on his neck on the Day of Resurrection; if it be a camel, it will be grunting; if a cow, it will be mooing; and if a sheep, it will be bleating.

The Prophet then raised his hands till we saw the whiteness of his armpits, and he said thrice,

اللَّهُمَّ هَلْ بَلَّغْت

`O Allah! Haven't I conveyed Your Message."'

Hisham bin Urwah added that Abu Humayd said,

"I have seen him with my eyes and heard him with my ears, and ask Zayd bin Thabit."

This is recorded in the Two Sahihs .

In the book of Ahkam of his Sunan, Abu Isa At-Tirmidhi recorded that Mu`adh bin Jabal said,

"The Messenger of Allah sent me to Yemen, but when I started on the journey, he sent for me to come back and said,

أَتَدْرِي لِمَ بَعَثْتُ إِلَيْكَ

لَاا تُصِيبَنَّ شَيْيًا بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِي فَإِنَّهُ غُلُول

Do you know why I summoned you back?

Do not take anything without my permission, for if you do, it will be Ghulul.
وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
(and whosoever deceives his companions over the booty, he shall bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took).

لِهذَا دَعَوْتُكَ فَامْضِ لِعَمَلِك

This is why I summoned you, so now go and fulfill your mission."

At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan Gharib."

In addition, Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,

"The Prophet got up among us and mentioned Ghulul and emphasized its magnitude. He then said,

لَاا أُلْفِيَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يَجِيءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلى رَقَبَتِهِ بَعِيرٌ لَهُ رُغَاءٌ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَغِثْنِي فَأَقُولُ لَاا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْيًا قَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكَ

I will not like to see anyone among you on the Day of Resurrection, carrying a grunting camel over his neck. Such a man will say, 'O Allah's Messenger! Intercede on my behalf,' and I will say, 'I can't intercede for you with Allah, for I have conveyed (Allah's Message) to you.'

لَاا أُلْفِيَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يَجِيءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلى رَقَبَتِهِ فَرَسٌ لَهَا حَمْحَمَةٌ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَغِثْنِي فَأَقُولُ لَاا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْيًا قَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكَ

I will not like to see any of you coming on the Day of Resurrection while carrying a neighing horse over his neck. Such a man will be saying, `O Allah's Messenger! Intercede on my behalf,' and I will reply, 'I can't intercede for you with Allah, for I have conveyed (Allah's Message) to you.'

لَاا أُلْفِيَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يَجِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلى رَقَبَتِهِ رِقَاعٌ تَخْفِقُ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَغِثْنِي فَأَقُولُ لَاا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْيًا قَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكَ

I will not like to see any of you coming on the Day of Resurrection while carrying clothes that will be fluttering, and the man will say, 'O Allah's Messenger! Intercede (with Allah) for me, ' and I will say, 'I can't help you with Allah, for I have conveyed (Allah's Message) to you.'

لَاا أُلْفِيَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يَجِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلى رَقَبَتِهِ صَامِتٌ فَيقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَغِثْنِي فَأَقُولُ لَاا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْيًا قَدْ أَبْلَغْتُك

I will not like to see any of you coming on the Day of Resurrection while carrying gold and silver on his neck. This person will say, 'O Allah's Messenger! Intercede (with Allah) for me.' And I will say, 'I can't help you with Allah, for I have conveyed (Allah's Message) to you."'

This Hadith was recorded in the Two Sahihs.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Umar bin Al-Khattab said,

"During the day (battle) of Khyber, several Companions of the Messenger of Allah came to him and said, `So-and-so died as a martyr, so-and-so died as a martyr.' When they mentioned a certain man that died as a martyr, the Messenger of Allah said,

كَلَّ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُهُ فِي النَّارِ فِي بُرْدَةٍ غَلَّهَا أَوْ عَبَاءَةٍ

No. I have seen him in the Fire because of a robe that he stole (from the booty).

The Messenger of Allah then said,

يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ اذْهَبْ فَنَادِ فِي النَّاسِ إِنَّهُ لَاا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِلاَّ الْمُوْمِنُون

O Ibn Al-Khattab! Go and announce to the people that only the faithful shall enter Paradise.

So I went out and proclaimed that none except the faithful shall enter Paradise."

This was recorded by Muslim and At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan Sahih".
The Honest and Dishonest are Not Similar

Allah said,

أَفَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَ اللّهِ كَمَن بَاء بِسَخْطٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِيْسَ الْمَصِيرُ