وَمَآ أُرْسِلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ حَـٰفِظِينَ 33
Translations
But they had not been sent as guardians over them.
Transliteration
wa-mā ursilū ʿalayhim ḥāfizīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that the angels were not sent as guardians or overseers of the people who engaged in fraud and cheating. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this emphasizes that while angels are appointed as guardians for believers and righteous people, those who persist in dishonesty and transgression are abandoned to their own devices as a form of divine punishment. The ayah underscores God's justice—those who reject guidance and commit fraud forfeit the protection and assistance granted to the faithful.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Mutaffifin was revealed in Mecca and addresses merchants who practiced dishonest weights and measures. This ayah contextualizes the spiritual consequence of such behavior: those who deliberately cheat are not afforded the divine protection granted to the righteous, serving as a warning to communities engaged in fraud during the pre-Islamic period and beyond.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the angels avoiding those who trade dishonestly relates to this theme: 'The honest, truthful merchant will be with the prophets on the Day of Resurrection.' Additionally, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah warns that 'Whoever cheats us is not one of us,' connecting dishonesty with spiritual abandonment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that divine protection is conditional upon righteousness and honesty; those who knowingly persist in deception and fraud distance themselves from God's mercy and angelic guardianship. It teaches believers that integrity in business and dealings is not merely a social virtue but a spiritual necessity for maintaining one's connection to divine favor.