Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (155)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(161) “It is not for any prophet to misappropriate anything. Whoever misappropriates something will bring what he misappropriated on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul will be repaid in full for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.”

Misappropriation means secretly withholding something from the spoils [and betraying a trust with regard to any wealth placed under one’s charge](1). It is prohibited by consensus; indeed, it is a major sin, as indicated by this noble verse and other texts. Allah Most High states that it is neither proper nor fitting for a prophet to misappropriate anything, because misappropriation—as you have learned—is among the gravest sins and vilest faults. Allah Most High has protected His prophets from everything that could defile or impugn them. He made them the finest of all people in character, the purest in soul, and the most virtuous and wholesome. He declared them free of every fault and made them the bearers of His message and repositories of His wisdom: “Allah knows best where to place His message.”

Thus, as soon as a servant knows that someone is a prophet, he is certain that the prophet is free of everything that could impugn him. He requires no further evidence to reject what the prophets’ enemies allege against them, because knowing that they are prophets necessarily entails rejecting such allegations. The verse therefore employs a construction that precludes such an act on their part: “It is not for any prophet to misappropriate anything.” That is, such conduct is precluded and impossible for those whom Allah has chosen for prophethood.

Allah then mentions the warning against anyone who misappropriates something: “Whoever misappropriates something will bring what he misappropriated on the Day of Resurrection.” That is, he will come carrying it upon his back—whether it is an animal, some article of property, or anything else—so that he may be punished by means of it on the Day of Resurrection. “Then every soul will be repaid in full for what it earned”—the one who misappropriated and everyone else. Each will receive in full the reward or burden corresponding to what he earned. “And they will not be wronged”; that is, nothing will be added to their evil deeds, nor will any of their good deeds be diminished. Consider the fine precision of this qualification in the noble verse.

After mentioning the punishment of the one who misappropriates and stating that he will bring what he misappropriated on the Day of Resurrection, Allah then intended to mention his full recompense. Had the statement been restricted to him alone, it might have implied that people with other kinds of deeds would not necessarily be repaid in full. He therefore used a comprehensive, general expression that includes both him and everyone else.

(1) Added from the margin of manuscript B.

﴿١٦١﴾ ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَغُلَّ وَمَنْ يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لا يُظْلَمُونَ﴾ . الغلول هو: الكتمان من الغنيمة، [والخيانة في كل مال يتولاه الإنسان] (١) وهو محرم إجماعا، بل هو من الكبائر، كما تدل عليه هذه الآية الكريمة وغيرها من النصوص، فأخبر الله تعالى أنه ما ينبغي ولا يليق بنبي أن يغل، لأن الغلول -كما علمت- من أعظم الذنوب وأشر العيوب. وقد صان الله تعالى أنبياءه عن كل ما يدنسهم ويقدح فيهم، وجعلهم أفضل العالمين أخلاقا، وأطهرهم نفوسا، وأزكاهم وأطيبهم، ونزههم عن كل عيب، وجعلهم محل رسالته، ومعدن حكمته ﴿الله أعلم حيث يجعل رسالته﴾ . فبمجرد علم العبد بالواحد منهم، يجزم بسلامتهم من كل أمر يقدح فيهم، ولا يحتاج إلى دليل على ما قيل فيهم من أعدائهم، لأن معرفته بنبوتهم، مستلزم لدفع ذلك، ولذلك أتى بصيغة يمتنع معها وجود الفعل منهم، فقال: ﴿وما كان لنبي أن يغل﴾ أي: يمتنع ذلك ويستحيل على من اختارهم الله لنبوته. ثم ذكر الوعيد على من غل، فقال: ﴿ومن يغلل يأت بما غل يوم القيامة﴾ أي: يأت به حامله على ظهره، حيوانا كان أو متاعا، أو غير ذلك، ليعذب به يوم القيامة، ﴿ثم توفى كل نفس ما كسبت﴾ الغال وغيره، كل يوفى أجره ووزره على مقدار كسبه، ﴿وهم لا يظلمون﴾ أي: لا يزاد في سيئاتهم، ولا يهضمون شيئا من حسناتهم، وتأمل حسن هذا الاحتراز في هذه الآية الكريمة. لما ذكر عقوبة الغال، وأنه يأتي يوم القيامة بما غله، ولما أراد أن يذكر توفيته وجزاءه، وكان الاقتصار على الغال يوهم -بالمفهوم- أن غيره من أنواع العاملين قد لا يوفون -أتى بلفظ عام جامع له ولغيره.

(١) زيادة من هامش ب.