Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 37

Mufti Taqi Usmani

-those who are miserly and bid people to be miserly, and conceal what Allah has given them of His grace - and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

those who are stingy, promote stinginess among people, and withhold Allah’s bounties. We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.

Ruwwad Translation Center

those who are stingy and promote stinginess among people, and conceal what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty. We have prepared for disbelievers a humiliating punishment.

A. J. Arberry

such as are niggardly, and bid other men to be niggardly, and themselves conceal the bounty that God has given them. We have prepared for the unbelievers a humbling chastisement,

Abdul Haleem

who are miserly and order other people to be the same, hiding the bounty God has given them. We have prepared a humiliating torment for such ungrateful people.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Those who are niggardly and command mankind to niggardliness and hide that which Allah hath vouchsafed unto them of His grace; and We, have gotten ready for the infidels a torment ignominous;

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(Nor) those who are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others, or hide the bounties which Allah hath bestowed on them; for We have prepared, for those who resist Faith, a punishment that steeps them in contempt;-

Abul Ala Maududi

who are niggardly and bid others to be niggardly and conceal the bounty which Allah has bestowed upon them. We have kept in readiness a humiliating chastisement for such deniers (of Allah's bounty).

Ahmed Ali

Who are miserly and bid others to be so, and hide what God has given them in His largesse. We have prepared for unbelievers a shameful punishment.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Those who are misers and preach miserliness to others, and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them from His munificence; and We have kept ready a disgraceful punishment for the disbelievers.

Ali Quli Qarai

—Those who are [themselves] stingy and bid [other] people to be stingy, and conceal whatever Allah has given them out of His bounty; and We have prepared for the faithless a humiliating punishment.

Ali Ünal

Those who act meanly (in spending out of what God has granted them) and urge others to be mean, and conceal the things God has granted them out of His bounty (such as wealth or knowledge, and certain truths in their Book). We have prepared for (such) unbelievers a shameful, humiliating punishment.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Regarding those who practise niggardliness and advocate to be niggardly and conceal that which Allâh has given them out of His bounty and grace, We have in store a humiliating punishment for such thankless people;

English Literal

Those who are being stingy/miser, and order/command the people with the stinginess/miserliness and they hide/conceal what God gave them from His grace/favour/blessing, and We prepared to the disbelievers a despised torture.

Faridul Haque

Those who are misers and preach miserliness to others, and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them from His munificence; and We have kept ready a disgraceful punishment for the disbelievers.

Hamid S. Aziz

What harm would it do them if they believed in Allah and in the Last Day, and expended in alms of what Allah has provided them? But Allah has full Knowledge about them.

Hilali & Khan

Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And serve Allah, and associate naught with Him, and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbour of (your) kin and the alien neighbour, and the companion in the journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess. Surely Allah loves not such as are proud, boastful,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Those who are niggardly and bid people to be niggardly and hide what Allah has given them out of His grace; and We have prepared for the unbelievers a disgraceful chastisement.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Who hoard their wealth and enjoin avarice on others, and hide that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty. For disbelievers We prepare a shameful doom;

Muhammad Sarwar

the stingy ones who try to make others stingy or those who hide the favors that God has bestowed on them. We have prepared a humiliating torment for the disbelievers,

Qaribullah & Darwish

(or) those who are greedy and order other people to be greedy, who themselves conceal the bounty that Allah has given them. And We have prepared a humiliating punishment for the unbelievers.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Those who are stingy and encourage people to be stingy and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.

Wahiduddin Khan

who are miserly and enjoin others to be the same and conceal the riches which God has given them of His bounty. We have prepared a humiliating punishment for those who deny the truth.

Talal Itani

Those who are stingy, and exhort people to stinginess, and conceal what God has given them from His bounty. We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful punishment.

Tafsir jalalayn

Those (alladhna, the subject) who are niggardly, in their duty, and bid other people to be niggardly, in the same, and conceal what God has bestowed upon them of His bounty, in the way of knowledge and property; these are the Jews (the predicate of the [said] subject is [an implied] lahum wa`dun shadd, `for them there is a promise of severe punishment'). And We have prepared for those that disbelieve, in this and other matters, a humbling chastisement, one of humiliation.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Censure of Stingy Behavior

Allah says;

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ

Those who are stingy and encourage people to be stingy,

Allah chastises the stingy behavior of those who refuse to spend their money for what Allah ordered them, such as being kind to parents and compassionate to relatives, orphans, the poor, the relative who is also a neighbor, the companion during travel, the needy wayfarer, the slaves and servants. Such people do not give Allah's right from their wealth, and they assist in the spread of stingy behavior.

The Messenger of Allah said,

وَأَيُّ دَاءٍ أَدْوَأُ مِنَ الْبُخْل

What disease is more serious than being stingy!

He also said,

إِيَّاكُمْ وَالشُّحَّ فَإِنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَمَرَهُمْ بِالْقَطِيْعَةِ فَقَطَعُوا وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالْفُجُورِ فَفَجَرُوا

Beware of being stingy, for it destroyed those who were before you, as it encouraged them to cut their relations and they did, and it encouraged them to commit sin and they did.

Allah said,

وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا اتَاهُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ

and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounties,

Therefore, the miser is ungrateful for Allah's favor, for its effect does not appear on him, whether in his food, clothes or what he gives.

Similarly, Allah said,

إِنَّ الاِنسَـنَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ

وَإِنَّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ

Verily, man is ungrateful to his Lord. And to that he bears witness. (100;6-7),

by his manners and conduct,

وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ

And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth. (100-8)

Allah said,

وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا اتَاهُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ

and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounties.

and this is why He threatened them,

وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا



And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.
Kufr means to cover something. Therefore, the Bakhil (miser) covers the favors that Allah has blessed him with, meaning he does not spread those favors. So he is described by the term Kafir (ungrateful) regarding the favors that Allah granted him.

A Hadith states that,

إِنَّ اللهَ إِذَا أَنْعَمَ نِعْمَةً عَلى عَبْدٍ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ أَثَرُهَا عَلَيْه

When Allah grants a servant a favor, He likes that its effect appears on him.

Some of the Salaf stated that;

this Ayah (4;37) is describing the Jews who hid the knowledge they had about the description of Muhammad, and there is no doubt that the general meaning of the Ayah includes this.

The apparent wording for this Ayah indicates that it is talking about being stingy with money, even though miserly conduct with knowledge is also included.

The Ayah talks about spending on relatives and the weak, just as the Ayah after it