وَتَأۡكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكۡلࣰ ا لَّمࣰّ ا
And ye devour inheritance - all with greed
And ye devour heritages with devouring greed
And you devour the Turath -- devouring with greed
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ليس الأمر كما يظن هذا الإنسان، بل الإكرام بطاعة الله، والإهانة بمعصيته، وأنتم لا تكرمون اليتيم، ولا تحسنون معاملته، ولا يَحُثُّ بعضكم بعضًا على إطعام المسكين، وتأكلون حقوق الآخرين في الميراث أكلا شديدًا، وتحبون المال حبًا مفرطًا.
Source: King Fahd Complex via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
{ وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ } أي: المال المخلف { أَكْلًا لَمًّا } أي: ذريعًا، لا تبقون على شيء منه.
Source: Saadi via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
"تأكلون التراث" يعني الميراث "أكلا لما" أي من أي جهة حصل لهم من حلال أو حرام.
Source: Ibn Kathir via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
Wealth and Poverty are both a Test and Honor or Disgrace for the Servant
Allah refutes man in his belief that if Allah gives Him abundant provisions to test him with it, it is out of His honor for him. But this is not the case, rather it is a trial and a test, as Allah says,
أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ - نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ بَل لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ
(Do they think that in wealth and children with which We enlarge them. We hasten unto them with good things. Nay, but they perceive not.) (23:55-56) Likewise, from another angle, if Allah tests him and tries him by curtailing his sustenance, he believes that is because Allah is humiliating him. As Allah says,
كَلاَّ
(But no!) meaning, the matter is not as he claims, neither in this nor in that. For indeed Allah gives wealth to those whom He loves as well as those whom He does not love. Likewise, He withholds sustenance from those whom He loves and those whom He does not love. The point is that Allah should be obeyed in either circumstance. If one is wealthy, he should thank Allah for that, and if he is poor, he should exercise patience.
From the Evil that the Servant does regarding Wealth
Allah said,
بَل لاَّ تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ-
(But you treat not the orphans with kindness and generosity!) This contains the command to honor him (the orphan). Abu Dawud recorded from Sahl bin Sa`id that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ كَهَاتَيْنِ فِي الْجَنَّة»
(The guardian of the orphan and I will be like these two in Paradise.) And he put his two fingers together - the middle finger and the index finger.
وَلاَ تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ-
(And urge not one another on the feeding of the Miskin!) meaning, they do not command that the poor and the needy be treated with kindness, nor do they encourage each other to do so.
وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ
(And you devour the Turath) meaning, the inheritance.
أَكْلاً لَّمّاً
(devouring with greed.) meaning, however they can get it, whether lawful or forbidden.
وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبّاً جَمّاً
(And you love wealth with love Jamma.) meaning, in abundance. This increases some of them in their wickedness.
Source: Ibn Kathir abridged via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
and they devour inheritance turāth means mīrāth greedily lamman that is to say voraciously when they appropriate lammuhum the women’s and the young ones’ share of the inheritance together with their own share of it or to their own wealth;
Source: Jalalayn (English) via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا (And you devour the inheritance with a sweeping gulp...89:19). The word lamm means to 'gather, amass, concentrate the thing'. This is the third evil trait of the unbelievers, and the verse signifies that they devour inheritance with voracious appetites however they can get it, whether by lawful means or unlawful means. They gather them all together to make a sweeping gulp. When someone passes away, they take their own shares, together with the shares of others, regardless of whether the shares belong to orphans, widows or people who are absent. [ As a matter of principle,] it is not permitted to mix up lawful and forbidden wealth in any transaction. Here, however, 'inheritance' has been particularly mentioned, probably because having a greedy eye on it and pursuing it are a proof of man's greed and voracity for wealth. He stares at it like a beast of prey waiting for the person to die, and looking for the opportunity to distribute the estate. But an honourable man of principle and a noble person would not look at the wealth of the deceased with greedy eyes.
Source: Maarif-ul-Quran via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference
Arabic text: Tanzil project (tanzil.net) — Uthmani Hafs edition. Translations: Yusuf Ali and Pickthall (public domain) and Mubarakpuri (King Fahd Quran Printing Complex). For audio recitation sources and data-handling details, see the privacy policy .
