إِنَّ ٱلْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوٓا۟ إِخْوَٰنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِرَبِّهِۦ كَفُورًا 27
Translations
Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.
Transliteration
Inna al-mubadhdhireena kanoo ikhwana ash-shayateeni wa kana ash-shaytan li-rabbihi kafura
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns extravagance and wasteful spending by equating those who squander their wealth with the brothers of Satan, emphasizing the spiritual danger of such behavior. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this comparison highlights how wasteful spending reflects the same disobedience and ingratitude that characterize Satan himself, who was ungrateful to his Lord (kafur). The ayah establishes a direct link between financial irresponsibility and moral corruption, warning that wastefulness is not merely an economic vice but a spiritual one that distances one from divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Isra, a Meccan surah that addresses various moral and social commandments. It forms part of a passage (17:26-27) discussing proper conduct toward parents and balanced spending—neither stingy nor wasteful. The context suggests this teaching was relevant to both the early Muslim community and the broader Arabian society, addressing a common human weakness of either hoarding wealth or squandering it.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3895), contextualizing proper resource management within family duties. Additionally, the Prophet warned against wastefulness even with water during ablution, demonstrating the comprehensive Islamic principle against extravagance (Sunan Ibn Majah 425).
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims are called to practice moderation and conscious spending, avoiding both miserliness and wastefulness, as financial irresponsibility reflects spiritual disease and distance from divine mercy. This ayah reminds us that how we use our resources is a moral and spiritual matter that reflects our relationship with Allah and our gratitude for His blessings.
Related Ayahs
مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُۥ فِيهَا مَا نَشَآءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُۥ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَىٰهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا
Whoever should desire the immediate - We hasten for him from it what We will to whom We intend. Then We have made for him Hell, which he will [enter to] burn, censured and banished.
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِۦ سُلْطَـٰنًا فَلَا يُسْرِف فِّى ٱلْقَتْلِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مَنصُورًا
And do not kill the soul [i.e., person] which Allāh has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly - We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law].
وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُۥ وَٱلْمِسْكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا
And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully.
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لِيَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا۟ مَا عَلَوْا۟ تَتْبِيرًا
[And said], "If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, [you do it] to them [i.e., yourselves]." Then when the final [i.e., second] promise came, [We sent your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the masjid [i.e., the temple in Jerusalem], as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had taken over with [total] destruction.