سورة الماعون

Al-Ma'un means "Small useful things" (the things we lend to neighbours). It is surah 107. It has 7 verses: it is the longest of this level.

1. أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ Ara'ayta lladhii yukadhdhibu bi d-diin Have you seen the one who denies the Day of Judgement?

2. فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ Fa dhaalika lladhii yadu''u l-yatiim He is the one who roughly pushes the orphan away,

3. وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ Wa laa yaḥuḍḍu 'alaa ṭa'aami l-miskiin and does not encourage feeding the poor.

4. فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ Fa waylun lil-muṣalliin So woe to those who pray

5. الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ Alladhiina hum 'an ṣalaatihim saahuun but pay no attention to their prayer,

6. الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ Alladhiina hum yuraa'uun who do things only to be seen,

7. وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ Wa yamna'uuna l-maa'uun and refuse to lend small useful things.

The little lesson: this surah shows us what Allah does not like, so that we do the opposite: • Be gentle with the orphan (a child who has lost their father). The Prophet ﷺ said: "I and the one who looks after an orphan will be in Paradise like this", and he showed his index and middle fingers, slightly apart. (Bukhari 5304) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro] • Help the poor, and encourage others to help them. • Pray on time and with attention, for Allah, and not so that people see us. • Lend gladly: a pencil to a classmate, a tool to the neighbour. Even a small thing counts!

Memorisation tip: the surah has two parts. Verses 1 to 3: people (the orphan, the poor). Verses 4 to 7: prayer and sharing. Verses 5 and 6 both start with "Alladhiina hum".

Understanding Surah Al-Ma'un

1. Explanation • Verse 1: "Have you seen the one who denies the Diin?" Here, the Diin is the recompense of the Day of Judgement. When someone does not believe they will have to answer for their deeds, it shows in the way they act. • Verses 2 and 3: he harshly pushes the orphan away when the orphan needs him. And he encourages neither himself nor others to feed the poor. Note: even someone with no money can encourage others to help. • Verses 4 and 5: woe to those who pray but neglect their prayer: they do not care about it, and let its time pass. Scholars note that the verse says "'an ṣalaatihim" (they neglect their prayer), not "fii ṣalaatihim" (a distraction during the prayer): a small distraction or a slip is not what is meant here. • Verse 6: they do their prayers and good deeds to be seen and admired, not for Allah. • Verse 7: they refuse to help others, even with things that cost them nothing. Companions gave as examples everyday objects that people lend: a cooking pot, a bucket, an axe. [À VÉRIFIER : référence de ces exemples]

2. Lessons to learn • My faith in the Day of Judgement must show in the way I treat others, especially the weakest. • If I cannot give, I can encourage others to give: that is already a good deed. • My prayer is precious: I pray on time and pay attention to it. • I do good for Allah, not for compliments. • Small favours count: lending, helping, doing a service without having to be asked twice.

3. To remember • Two parts: people (the orphan, the poor), then prayer and sharing. • The danger of riyaa': acting to be seen. • Even small favours have value with Allah.

4. The message of the surah True faith shows in two things that go together: a sincere prayer for Allah, and kindness towards people, even in small things.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar fi tafsir al-Qur'an (English translation), with well-known points from the tafsirs of Ibn Kathir and As-Sa'di.