Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This surah is primarily dedicated to condemning fraud in commerce and proving the absolute certainty of the Resurrection. It reveals that cheating in weights is rooted in the denial of accountability. The surah contrasts the doom of the dishonest with the eternal honor and status of the righteous, whose records are kept in the highest ranks.

Context of Revelation:

Era: The strongest position is that it was revealed between Makkah and Madinah, or as the very first surah after Emigration.

Context: It was revealed because the people of Madinah were notoriously corrupt in giving short weights and measures. The revelation was a prologue to the Prophet’s (ﷺ) entry into Madinah, aiming to purify the city’s commercial practices.

Chronology: It is counted as the 86th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt and before al-Baqarah.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah is known as "Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn" (The Defrauders) and "Sūrat al-Ṭaṭfīf" (The Fraud/Deficiency), as well as "Sūrat Waylun li-l-muṭaffifīn" (Woe to the Defrauders), all based on its opening.

Ayah Count: 36 ayahs by unanimous agreement.

Surah Overview:

• Warning against fraud and deficiency in weights and measures, and condemning it as consuming people's wealth deceitfully. [1-3]
• Establishing that the root of fraud is the denial of the Day of Judgment and accountability. [4-5]
• Proving the certainty of the Resurrection and the severe accountability for deeds. [4-6]
• Warning the wicked deniers that their deeds are recorded in Sijjīn and describing their torment. [7-17]
• Contrasting this with the high station of the righteous whose deeds are recorded in ‘Illiyyūn and describing their eventual bliss. [18-28]
• Describing the scorn and mockery that the polytheists showed the believers in this world. [29-32]
• Affirming that on the Day of Judgment, the situation will be reversed, and the believers will mock the disbelievers from their high status. [34-36]