وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ 44
Translations
Nor did we used to feed the poor.
Transliteration
Wa lam naku nutʿīmu al-miskīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is part of the speech of the people of Hell describing their failures on earth, specifically their neglect of feeding the poor and needy. The verse expresses their shameful admission that they did not fulfill the obligation of caring for the destitute, a cardinal sin in Islamic ethics. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this statement highlights the severe consequences of withholding charity and compassion from those in need, as it is counted among the major omissions that lead to punishment.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Muddaththir was revealed in the early Meccan period and addresses the Prophet's mission and the reality of the Day of Judgment. This specific ayah (74:44) appears within the description of the inmates of Hell (verses 39-47), where they recount their sins and failures in the worldly life, emphasizing the importance of social responsibility and charity in Islam.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best charity is that given when one is in need themselves' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim states: 'Whoever feeds a hungry person will be fed by Allah on the Day of Judgment.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that the measure of our faith is reflected in how we treat the vulnerable and poor among us; neglecting their needs is a grave sin that will be reckoned on the Day of Judgment. We must actively cultivate compassion and generosity in our hearts and actions toward those in need.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا۟ فِيهَا ۚ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا
Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." They [the angels] will say, "Was not the earth of Allāh spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination.
وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ
And Allāh is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۗ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَرِيبٌ
It is Allāh who has sent down the Book in truth and [also] the balance [i.e., justice]. And what will make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near.
وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُوا۟ مِنْهُ مِن قُرْءَانٍ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ
And, [O Muḥammad], you are not [engaged] in any matter and do not recite any of the Qur’ān and you [people] do not do any deed except that We are witness over you when you are involved in it. And not absent from your Lord is any [part] of an atom's weight within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller than that or greater but that it is in a clear register.