Arabiq Online - Arabic of the Qur'an

Sūra al-Māʿūn 107: 7

Our final word of the series is the word مَاعُون - not a very common word in the Qur’an, and mentioned only once in the Sūra named al-Maʿūn. The Sūra is a good telling-off and an admonishment that starts with Allah asking us a question: 

أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ ﴿١﴾ فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ ﴿٣﴾ 

Have you seen the one who denies the Retribution? That is the one, who drives away the orphan, and does not encourage the feeding of the needy.

Now if that’s not bad enough, Allah continues, but this time disparaging those who pray!

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ ﴿٥﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ ﴿٦﴾ وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ ﴿٧﴾

Those who pray but are heedless of their prayers, those who show off and deny the most basic necessities.

It’s a very stark and real reminder to people that our prayers should increase us in mindfulness, in humility, and in caring about others, such that providing basic necessities to those in need is a no-brainer, and only the most despicable of people would deny people مَاعُون - basic items of food, clothing or shelter.

Providing fellow humans with مَاعُون is a basic duty upon each and every one of us.

May we grab such opportunities to feed, clothe or shelter those who have less than us!