Tafseer of The Exile · Al-Hashr · 59:9
And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madinah and [adopted] the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالإِيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (59:9) (And those who had taken the dwelling place and the faith as their abode before them love those who emigrated to them, and they find in their breasts no need for what has been given, and they give others preference over themselves, even though they themselves are in poverty. And whoever is guarded against the avarice of his own soul — those are the ones who succeed.)
The Exalted, whose praise is sublime, says: ( وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالإيمَانَ ) He says: they took possession of Medina, the city of the Messenger ﷺ, and built their dwellings there, ( وَالإيمَانَ ) and the faith (īmān) in Allah and His Messenger, ( مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ) that is to say: before the emigrants (the Muhājirūn), ( يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ ): they love him who left his dwelling and moved from elsewhere to them. By this the Helpers (Anṣār) are meant: they love the Muhājirūn.
And in keeping with what we have said about this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have also expressed themselves.
* A mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words: ( وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالإيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ) he said: this is a characterization of the Anṣār. Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr said: their generosity of soul. And al-Ḥārith said: their nobility of soul regarding what has been transmitted about them, and their giving precedence to others, while the Anṣār received nothing of that spoil (fayʾ).
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: ( وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالإيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا ) he says: concerning what has been given to their brethren — this is that tribe of the Anṣār; they embraced Islam in their own dwelling places and built the prayer-places and the mosque before the coming of the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore Allah praised them therein with fair praise. And these first two groups in this verse attained their excellence, went their way at their ease, and Allah fixed their share in the spoil (fayʾ).
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the words of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: ( وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالإيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ ) he said: these are the Anṣār; they love him who emigrated to them from among the Muhājirūn.
And His words: ( وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا ) He, whose praise is sublime, says: and those who took possession of the dwelling place before them — these are the Anṣār — find in their breasts no need, that is to say no envy, for what has been given to them, that is to say for what has been given to the Muhājirūn of the spoil (fayʾ). And that is because of what has been transmitted to us, namely that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ distributed the possessions of the Banū al-Naḍīr among the first Muhājirūn, to the exclusion of the Anṣār, except for two men of the Anṣār to whom he gave something on account of their poverty. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did that only in his special capacity.
And in keeping with what we have said about this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have also expressed themselves.
* A mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to me, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr, that he was told that the Banū al-Naḍīr left their possessions to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Thus the Naḍīr goods were the special property of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which he might dispose of as he pleased. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ distributed them among the first Muhājirūn to the exclusion of the Anṣār, except that Sahl ibn Ḥunayf and Abū Dujāna Simāk ibn Kharasha reported poverty, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave the two of them something.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words: ( وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا ) [namely] the Muhājirūn. He said: and some of the Anṣār who spoke, spoke about this (namely about the possessions of the Banū al-Naḍīr), whereupon Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, rebuked them for it and said: وَمَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ مِنْهُمْ فَمَا أَوْجَفْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خَيْلٍ وَلا رِكَابٍ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَلِّطُ رُسُلَهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (And whatever Allah has bestowed as spoil upon His Messenger from them — for that you have urged on neither horse nor riding-camel, but Allah gives His messengers power over whom He wills, and Allah is able to do all things.) He said: and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them: "Verily, your brethren have left behind their possessions and children and gone out to you." They said: our possessions are to be divided among them like allotted lands. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Or something other than that?" They said: and what is that, O Messenger of Allah? He said: "They are a people who do not understand the [agricultural] work; so perform the work for them and share with them the harvest." They said: yes, O Messenger of Allah.
And in keeping with what we have said about His words ( وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا ) the exegetes of the Qurʾān have also expressed themselves.
* A mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Sulaymān Abū Dāwūd related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His words: ( وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا ) he said: [that is to say] envy.
He said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: ( حَاجَةً فِي صُدُورِهِمْ ) he said: envy in their breasts.
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Abū Rajāʾ informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, something similar.
And His words: ( وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ ) The Exalted, whose mention is sublime, says — while describing the Anṣār who took possession of the dwelling place and the faith before the Muhājirūn — ( وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ ) He says: and they give the Muhājirūn their possessions, thereby giving them precedence over themselves, ( وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ) He says: even though they themselves have need and lack of that very thing with which they have preferred others over themselves out of their possessions. And "al-khaṣāṣa" is a verbal noun, and also an ordinary noun: it is everything through which you can see with your gaze, such as the peephole or the crack in a wall; its plural is khaṣāṣāt and khiṣāṣ, as the rajaz-poet said:
Well-knowing are the warring women, verily,
and the women who peer through a crack, with a glance.
I shall make it shine for her by night, in the evening journey or the night travel.
And in keeping with what we have said about this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have also expressed themselves.
* A mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū Ḥāzim, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, he said: a man came to the Prophet ﷺ that he might give him hospitality, but he had nothing with which to host him. Then he said: "Is there not a man who will host this person — may Allah have mercy on him?" Then a man of the Anṣār stood up, named Abū Ṭalḥa, and took him to his dwelling. He said to his wife: host the guest of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with honor: put the children to sleep, extinguish the lamp, and make it appear to him as if you are eating with him, but leave the [food] for the guest of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So she did. Then was revealed: ( وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ).
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Fuḍayl, on the authority of Ghazwān, on the authority of Abū Ḥāzim, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, that a guest spent the night with a man of the Anṣār, while he had only his own food and the food of his children. Then he said to his wife: put the children to sleep, extinguish the lamp, and set before the guest what you have. He said: and then this verse was revealed. ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) The Exalted, whose mention is sublime, says: whoever is guarded by Allah against the avarice of his own soul ( فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ) — those who abide forever in the Garden (janna). And "al-shuḥḥ" means in the language of the Arabs: niggardliness and the refusal to give away the surplus of one's possessions; and to this belongs the saying of ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm:
You see the miser, the avaricious one, when the [wine] is passed around to him
for the sake of his possessions, in her despicable and paltry.
By "al-shaḥīḥ" he means: the miser. One says: he is truly avaricious — between shuḥḥ and shiḥḥ — and in him is severe shiḥḥa and shaḥāḥa. As for the scholars (ʿulamāʾ), they are of the opinion that "al-shuḥḥ" in this place means precisely: the consuming of people's possessions without right.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: al-Masʿūdī related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of Abū al-Shaʿthāʾ, on the authority of his father, he said: a man came to Ibn Masʿūd and said: I fear that I am lost. He said: and what is that? He said: I hear Allah saying: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) and I am an avaricious man, from whose hand scarcely anything goes. He said: that is not the avarice (shuḥḥ) that Allah has mentioned in the Qurʾān; avarice is precisely that you consume your brother's possessions unlawfully; that is niggardliness (bukhl), and an evil thing is niggardliness.
Yaḥyā ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Jāmiʿ, on the authority of al-Aswad ibn Hilāl, he said: a man came to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd and said: O Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, I fear that this verse has come to apply to me: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ); by Allah, I scarcely give away anything that I can withhold. He said: that is not the avarice (shuḥḥ); avarice is precisely that you consume your brother's possessions without right; but that [other thing] is niggardliness (bukhl).
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, both of them saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ṭāriq ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Abū al-Hayyāj al-Asadī, he said: I was performing the circumambulation (ṭawāf) around the House, and I saw a man who was saying: O Allah, guard me against the avarice of my soul — he added nothing more than that. I addressed him, and he said: when I am guarded against the avarice of my soul, then I do not steal, then I do not commit fornication (zinā), and then I do nothing [wrong]. And lo, that man was ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf.
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to me, saying: Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dimashqī related to us, saying: Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh related to us, saying: Mujammiʿ ibn Jāriya al-Anṣārī related to us, on the authority of his uncle Yazīd ibn Jāriya al-Anṣārī, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, on the authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: "Free of avarice (shuḥḥ) is he who pays the obligatory alms (zakāh), hosts the guest, and gives in times of adversity."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Ziyād ibn Yūnus Abū Salāma related to us, on the authority of Nāfiʿ ibn ʿUmar al-Makkī, on the authority of Ibn Abī Mulayka, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, he said: if I escape three things, I have hope that I am saved. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣafwān said: what are they? Let me inform you about that. He said: I bring out the great wealth and spend it as a sign [of piety], and then say: I lend tonight to my Lord; but then my soul returns to it, until I put it back where I took it from — and [further I hope] that I escape the affair of ʿUthmān. Ibn Ṣafwān said: as for ʿUthmān, he was killed on the day he was killed, while you loved his death and consented to it; you therefore belong to those who killed him. And as for you, you are a man whom Allah has not guarded against the avarice of his soul. He said: you have spoken truly.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the words of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) he said: whoever is guarded against the avarice of his soul, so that he takes nothing of the forbidden, does not approach it, and avarice does not lead him to withhold anything of the permitted — that one belongs to the successful, as Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has said.
And Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) he said: whoever takes nothing of anything that Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has forbidden him, and whom avarice does not lead to withhold anything of something that Allah has commanded him — that one Allah has guarded against the avarice of his soul, and he belongs to the successful.
