Surah 83
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (The Defrauding)
المطففين
Also written: Mutaffifin, Tatfif
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (المطففين) is surah 83 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 36 ayahs, was revealed in Mecca (Meccan), and its name means “The Defrauding”.
- Number
- 83
- Ayahs
- 36
- Revelation
- Meccan
- Meaning
- The Defrauding
Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.
About Surah Al-Mutaffifin
Al-Mutaffifin, “Those Who Give Short Measure”, opens with a warning to traders who demand full measure when they buy but give less when they sell. From this everyday dishonesty it moves to the Day when all people stand before the Lord of the worlds, the records kept in Sijjin and ’Illiyyin, the rust that sins leave on hearts, and the reversal awaiting those who once mocked the believers.
Main themes
- Short measure (83:1–6): woe to those who take full measure from others but give short when they measure or weigh for them — do they not think they will be raised for a tremendous Day, when people stand before the Lord of the worlds?
- Sijjin (83:7–17): the record of the wicked is in Sijjin, an inscribed register. Those who deny the Day call the verses tales of the ancients.
- Rust on hearts (83:14): what they earned has covered their hearts. A hadith in at-Tirmidhi explains that each sin leaves a black spot on the heart which repentance polishes away, and that if sins continue it spreads — this is the covering mentioned here.
- ’Illiyyin (83:18–28): the record of the righteous is in ’Illiyyin, witnessed by those brought near; they recline on couches, their faces glowing, given a sealed drink whose seal is musk and which is mixed from Tasnim — “so let those who strive, strive for this”.
The tables turned
83:29–36 describe how the guilty used to laugh at believers, wink at one another as they passed, and call them misguided. On that Day the believers will be the ones who laugh, looking on from their couches.
Meccan or Medinan?
The dataset used here lists Al-Mutaffifin as Meccan, as do many scholars. A report from Ibn Abbas, in an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah, says that when the Prophet arrived in Medina its people were among the worst in giving measure, so this surah was revealed and they improved; for this reason some consider it Medinan, and others among the last surahs revealed in Mecca or the first in Medina.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Surah Al-Mutaffifin about?
- Cheating in weights and measures, the records of the wicked (Sijjin) and the righteous ('Illiyyin), and the reversal of fortunes on the Day of Judgement.
- What is the 'ran' or rust on the heart?
- The covering that accumulated sins leave on the heart, mentioned in verse 14 and explained in a hadith in at-Tirmidhi.
- How many verses are in Surah Al-Mutaffifin?
- 36.
- How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Mutaffifin?
- Surah Al-Mutaffifin has 36 ayahs. It is surah number 83 in the Quran and is Meccan.
- Can I read Surah Al-Mutaffifin in English or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
- Is Surah Al-Mutaffifin the same as Surah Mutaffifin?
- Yes. Mutaffifin, Tatfif and Al-Mutaffifin are different English spellings of the same surah name, المطففين.
Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.
Making a video of Surah Al-Mutaffifin
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Surah Al-Mutaffifin in Arabic with English meaning
Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.
وَيۡلࣱ لِّلۡمُطَفِّفِينَ ١
83:1Woe to those who give less [than due]
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ٱكۡتَالُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَسۡتَوۡفُونَ ٢
83:2Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full
وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمۡ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمۡ يُخۡسِرُونَ ٣
83:3But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss
أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبۡعُوثُونَ ٤
83:4Do they not think that they will be resurrected
لِيَوۡمٍ عَظِيمࣲ ٥
83:5For a tremendous Day
يَوۡمَ يَقُومُ ٱلنَّاسُ لِرَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٦
83:6The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds
كَلَّآ إِنَّ كِتَٰبَ ٱلۡفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّينࣲ ٧
83:7No! Indeed, the record of the wicked is in sijjeen
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا سِجِّينࣱ ٨
83:8And what can make you know what is sijjeen
كِتَٰبࣱ مَّرۡقُومࣱ ٩
83:9It is [their destination recorded in] a register inscribed
وَيۡلࣱ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ لِّلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ ١٠
83:10Woe, that Day, to the deniers
ٱلَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ ١١
83:11Who deny the Day of Recompense
وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعۡتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ١٢
83:12And none deny it except every sinful transgressor
إِذَا تُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٣
83:13When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples
كَلَّاۖ بَلۡۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ ١٤
83:14No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُمۡ عَن رَّبِّهِمۡ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ لَّمَحۡجُوبُونَ ١٥
83:15No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will be partitioned
ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمۡ لَصَالُواْ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ ١٦
83:16Then indeed, they will [enter and] burn in Hellfire
ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ ١٧
83:17Then it will be said [to them], "This is what you used to deny
كَلَّآ إِنَّ كِتَٰبَ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ ١٨
83:18No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in 'illiyyun
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ ١٩
83:19And what can make you know what is 'illiyyun
كِتَٰبࣱ مَّرۡقُومࣱ ٢٠
83:20It is [their destination recorded in] a register inscribed
يَشۡهَدُهُ ٱلۡمُقَرَّبُونَ ٢١
83:21Which is witnessed by those brought near [to Allah]
إِنَّ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ ٢٢
83:22Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure
عَلَى ٱلۡأَرَآئِكِ يَنظُرُونَ ٢٣
83:23On adorned couches, observing
تَعۡرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمۡ نَضۡرَةَ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ٢٤
83:24You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure
يُسۡقَوۡنَ مِن رَّحِيقࣲ مَّخۡتُومٍ ٢٥
83:25They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed
خِتَٰمُهُۥ مِسۡكࣱۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلۡيَتَنَافَسِ ٱلۡمُتَنَٰفِسُونَ ٢٦
83:26The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete
وَمِزَاجُهُۥ مِن تَسۡنِيمٍ ٢٧
83:27And its mixture is of Tasneem
عَيۡنࣰا يَشۡرَبُ بِهَا ٱلۡمُقَرَّبُونَ ٢٨
83:28A spring from which those near [to Allah] drink
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجۡرَمُواْ كَانُواْ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ يَضۡحَكُونَ ٢٩
83:29Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed
وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِهِمۡ يَتَغَامَزُونَ ٣٠
83:30And when they passed by them, they would exchange derisive glances
وَإِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓاْ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِمُ ٱنقَلَبُواْ فَكِهِينَ ٣١
83:31And when they returned to their people, they would return jesting
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡهُمۡ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ لَضَآلُّونَ ٣٢
83:32And when they saw them, they would say, "Indeed, those are truly lost
وَمَآ أُرۡسِلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَٰفِظِينَ ٣٣
83:33But they had not been sent as guardians over them
فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنَ ٱلۡكُفَّارِ يَضۡحَكُونَ ٣٤
83:34So Today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers
عَلَى ٱلۡأَرَآئِكِ يَنظُرُونَ ٣٥
83:35On adorned couches, observing
هَلۡ ثُوِّبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُواْ يَفۡعَلُونَ ٣٦
83:36Have the disbelievers [not] been rewarded [this Day] for what they used to do