Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 29

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not devour each other’s property by false means, unless it is trade conducted with your mutual consent. Do not kill one another. Indeed, Allah has been Very-Merciful to you.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not devour one another’s wealth illegally, but rather trade by mutual consent. And do not kill ˹each other or˺ yourselves. Surely Allah is ever Merciful to you.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not consume one another’s property unlawfully, unless it is trade conducted with your mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is Most Merciful to you.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, consume not your goods between you in vanity, except there be trading, by your agreeing together. And kill not one another. Surely God is compassionate to you.

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent. Do not kill each other, for God is merciful to you.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! devour not your substance among yourselves unlawfully, but let it be a trading among you by mutual agreement. And slay not yourselves, verily Allah is unto you ever Merciful.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities; But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will; Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves; for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers! Do not devour one another's possessions wrongfully; rather than that, let there be trading by mutual consent. You shall not kill yourselves. Surely Allah is ever Compassionate to you.

Ahmed Ali

O believers, you should not usurp unjustly the wealth of each other, but trade by mutual consent; and do not destroy yourselves. God is merciful to you.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not unjustly devour the property of each other, except through trade by mutual agreement; and do not kill one another; indeed Allah is Most Merciful upon you.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not eat up your wealth among yourselves unrightfully, but it should be trade by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves. Indeed Allah is most merciful to you.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not consume one another’s wealth in wrongful ways (such as theft, extortion, bribery, usury, and gambling), except it be dealing by mutual agreement; and do not destroy yourselves (individually or collectively by following wrongful ways like extreme asceticism and idleness. Be ever mindful that) God has surely been All-Compassionate toward you (particularly as believers).

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! do not consume your (- one another´s) property amongst yourselves by unlawful means, rather it be a trade based on free mutual consent. And do not kill your people. Surely, Allâh has been Ever Merciful to you.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not eat/annihilate/consume your properties/possessions between you with the falsehood except that (it) be commercial trade/buying and selling on acceptance/approval from you, and do not kill your selves, that God was/is with you merciful.53

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not unjustly devour the property of each other, except through trade by mutual agreement; and do not kill one another; indeed Allah is Most Merciful upon you.

Hamid S. Aziz

If you avoid great sins from which you are forbidden, We will remit (or expel) your lesser offences (or all evil in you) and make you enter a noble gate.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Allah desires to make light your burdens, and man is created weak.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! do not devour your property among yourselves falsely, except that it be trading by your mutual consent; and do not kill your people; surely Allah is Merciful to you.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity, except it be a trade by mutual consent, and kill not one another. Lo! Allah is ever Merciful unto you.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not exchange your property in wrongful ways unless it is in trade by mutual agreement. Do not kill one another. God is All-merciful to you.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not consume your wealth among yourselves in falsehood, except there be trading by your mutual agreement. And do not kill yourselves. Allah is the Most Merciful to you.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not wrongfully consume each other's wealth, but trade with it by mutual consent. Do not kill one another, for God is most merciful to you.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not consume each other’s wealth illicitly, but trade by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves, for God is Merciful towards you.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, consume not your goods between you wrongly, unlawfully according to the Law, through usury or usurpation, except it be trading (tijratan, also read tijratun), so that the goods be from trade effected, through mutual agreement, through mutual good-will; such [goods] you may consume. And kill not yourselves, by committing what leads towards destruction on account of some affiliation, be it in this world or the Hereafter. Surely God is ever Merciful to you, when He forbids you such things.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Prohibiting Unlawfully Earned Money

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ

O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent.

Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, prohibits His believing servants from illegally acquiring each other's property using various dishonest methods such as Riba, gambling and other wicked methods that appear to be legal, but Allah knows that, in reality, those involved seek to deal in interest.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas commented on a man who buys a garment, saying that;

"if he likes it he will keep it, or he will return it along with an extra Dirham."

This is what Allah meant, when He said,
لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ
Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,

"When Allah sent down,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ
(O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly) some Muslims said, `Allah has forbidden us from eating up each other's property unjustly, and food is our best property. Therefore, none among us is allowed to eat from anyone else's food.'

After that Allah sent down,
لَيْسَ عَلَى الاَْعْمَى حَرَجٌ
(There is no restriction on the blind) until the end of the Ayah. (24;61)"'

Qatadah said similarly.

Allah's statement,

إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ

except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent.

means, do not revert to illegal ways and means to acquire money. However, there is no harm in commercial transactions that transpire between the buyer and the seller with mutual consent, so that money is legally earned from these transactions.

Mujahid commented on the Ayah,

"By selling and buying, or giving someone a gift."

Ibn Jarir recorded this statement.
The Option to Buy or Sell Before Parting, is Part of `Mutual Consent' in Trading

Mutual agreement in various transactions is attained when both parties have the right to uphold or dissolve the agreement before they part.

In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

الْبَيِّعَانِ بِالْخِيَارِ مَالَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا

The seller and the buyer retain the (right to change their mind) as long as they have not parted.

Al-Bukhari's wording for this Hadith reads,

إِذَا تَبَايَعَ الرَّجُلنِ فَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِالْخِيَارِ مَالَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا

When two men conduct a transaction, they retain their (right to change their mind) as long as they have not parted.
Forbidding Murder and Suicide

Allah said,

وَلَا تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ

And do not kill yourselves.

by committing Allah's prohibitions, falling into sin and eating up each other's property unjustly,

إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا



Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.

in what He commanded you and prohibited you from.

Imam Ahmad recorded that `Amr bin Al-`As said that;

when the Prophet sent him for the battle of Dhat As-Salasil, "I had a wet dream during a very cold night and feared that if I bathed, I would die. So I performed Tayammum (with pure earth) and led my company in the Dawn prayer. When I went back to the Messenger of Allah, I mentioned what had happened to me and he said,

يَا عَمْرُو صَلَّيْتَ بِأَصْحَابِكَ وَأَنْتَ جُنُب

O `Amr! Have you led your people in prayer while you were in a state of sexual impurity?

I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I had a wet dream on a very cold night and feared that if I bathed I would perish, and I remembered Allah's statement,
وَلَا تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
(And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you). So I performed Tayammum and prayed.' The Messenger of Allah smiled and did not say anything."

This is the narration reported by Abu Dawud.

Ibn Marduwyah mentioned this honorable Ayah and then reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بَحَدِيدَةٍ فَحَدِيدَتُهُ فِي يَدِهِ يَجَأُ بِهَا بطْنَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself with an iron tool, then his tool will be in his hand and he will keep stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Jahannam, forever and ever.

ومَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِسُمَ فَسُمُّهُ فِي يَدِهِ يَتَحَسَّاهُ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself with poison, then his poison will be in his hand and he will keep taking it in the Fire of Jahannam forever and ever.

وَمَنْ تَرَدَّى مِنْ جَبَلٍ فَقَتلَ نَفْسَهُ فَهُوَ مُتَرَدَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا

Whoever kills himself by throwing himself from a mountain, will keep falling in the Fire of Jahannam forever and ever.

This Hadith was also collected in the Two Sahihs.

Abu Qilabah said that Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِشَيْءٍ عُذِّبَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة

Whoever kills himself with an instrument, will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.

This Hadith was collected by the Group.

This is why Allah said