ٱلَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ 2
Translations
Who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it.
Transliteration
Al-ladhi jama'a malan wa'addadahu
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the person being condemned in Surah Al-Humazah—one who accumulates wealth and counts it repeatedly, becoming preoccupied with hoarding and enumeration of his possessions. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this emphasizes the obsessive and miserly behavior of the wealthy disbeliever who fails to recognize that wealth is a trust from Allah and should be used for good. The repetition implied in 'addadahu (counted it) suggests an unhealthy fixation on material accumulation rather than spiritual growth or charitable giving.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Humazah was revealed in Mecca and addresses the spiritual diseases of arrogance, backbiting, and miserliness prevalent in pre-Islamic society. This ayah specifically targets the wealthy elite of Mecca who were known for their materialism and reluctance to acknowledge the poor, setting up the surah's warning about the consequences of such behavior in the Hereafter.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best charity is that given when one is in need yet gives, and the worst of people are the stingy rich.' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the hadith: 'Wealth and children are adornments of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are far better' (Surah Al-Kahf 46) reflects the ayah's implicit critique of material obsession.
Themes
Key Lesson
Excessive preoccupation with accumulating and counting wealth is a spiritual disease that distances one from Allah's remembrance and charitable obligations. Muslims are reminded that true success lies not in hoarding material wealth, but in purifying the soul and using resources in obedience to Allah and service to others.