Tatfif
Definition
Tatfif — cheating in weights and measures — was the primary sin of the people of Madyan, and the Quran devotes an entire surah (al-Mutaffifin, the Defrauders) to warning against it. The people demanded full measure when receiving but gave less than full measure when paying — the most fundamental economic injustice in a marketplace society. Shuayb connected this economic sin directly to their relationship with God: a people who cheat their fellow human beings in the marketplace have already decided that their own interests matter more than divine commands. Ibn Kathir uses their story to establish that economic honesty is not a secular concern but a religious obligation, and its systematic violation is grounds for prophetic censure and, ultimately, divine punishment.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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