Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 283
۞ وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ كَاتِبًۭا فَرِهَٰنٌۭ مَّقْبُوضَةٌۭ ۖ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًۭا فَلْيُؤَدِّ ٱلَّذِى ٱؤْتُمِنَ أَمَٰنَتَهُۥ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ ۗ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَٰدَةَ ۚ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُۥٓ ءَاثِمٌۭ قَلْبُهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌۭ
And if you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a security deposit [should be] taken. And if one of you entrusts another, then let him who is entrusted discharge his trust [faithfully] and let him fear Allah, his Lord. And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it - his heart is indeed sinful, and Allah is Knowing of what you do.
wa-in kuntum ʿalā safarin walam tajidū kātiban farihānun maqbūḍatun fa-in amina baʿḍukum baʿḍan falyu-addi alladhī u'tumina amānatahu walyattaqi l-laha rabbahu walā taktumū l-shahādata waman yaktum'hā fa-innahu āthimun qalbuhu wal-lahu bimā taʿmalūna ʿalīmun
Word by word
- ۞ وَإِن wa-in And if
- كُنتُمْ kuntum you are
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
- سَفَرٍۢ safarin a journey
- وَلَمْ walam and not
- تَجِدُوا۟ tajidū you find
- كَاتِبًۭا kātiban a scribe
- فَرِهَـٰنٌۭ farihānun then pledge
- مَّقْبُوضَةٌۭ ۖ maqbūḍatun in hand
- فَإِنْ fa-in Then if
- أَمِنَ amina entrusts
- بَعْضُكُم baʿḍukum one of you
- بَعْضًۭا baʿḍan (to) another
- فَلْيُؤَدِّ falyu-addi then let discharge
- ٱلَّذِى alladhī the one who
- ٱؤْتُمِنَ u'tumina is entrusted
- أَمَـٰنَتَهُۥ amānatahu his trust
- وَلْيَتَّقِ walyattaqi And let him fear
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- رَبَّهُۥ ۗ rabbahu his Lord
- وَلَا walā And (do) not
- تَكْتُمُوا۟ taktumū conceal
- ٱلشَّهَـٰدَةَ ۚ l-shahādata the evidence
- وَمَن waman And whoever
- يَكْتُمْهَا yaktum'hā conceals it
- فَإِنَّهُۥٓ fa-innahu then indeed he
- ءَاثِمٌۭ āthimun (is) sinful
- قَلْبُهُۥ ۗ qalbuhu his heart
- وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu And Allah
- بِمَا bimā of what
- تَعْمَلُونَ taʿmalūna you do
- عَلِيمٌۭ ʿalīmun (is) All-Knower
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
What is the `Mortgaging' Mentioned in the Ayah
Allah said,
وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ
(And if you are on a journey) meaning, traveling and some of you borrowed some money to be paid at a later date,
وَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ كَاتِبًا
(and cannot find a scribe) who would record the debt for you. Ibn `Abbas said, "And even if they find a scribe, but did not find paper, ink or pen." Then,
فَرِهَـنٌ مَّقْبُوضَةٌ
(let there be a pledge taken (mortgaging)) given to the creditor in lieu of writing the transaction. The Two Sahihs recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died while his shield was mortgaged with a Jew in return for thirty Wasq (approximately 180 kg) of barley, which the Prophet bought on credit as provisions for his household. In another narration, the Hadith stated that this Jew was among the Jews of Al-Madinah.
Allah said,
فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ الَّذِى اؤْتُمِنَ أَمَـنَتَهُ
(then if one of you entrusts the other, let the one who is entrusted discharge his trust (faithfully).)
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded, with a sound chain of narration, that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said, "This Ayah abrogated what came before it (i.e. that which required recording the transaction and having witnesses present)." Ash-Sha`bi said, "If you trust each other, then there is no harm if you do not write the loan or have witnesses present." Allah's statement,
وَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ رَبَّهُ
(And let him have Taqwa of Allah) means, the debtor.
Imam Ahmad and the Sunan recorded that Qatadah said that Al-Hasan said that Samurah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«عَلَى الْيَدِ مَا أَخَذَتْ، حَتَّى تُؤَدِّيَه»
(The hand (of the debtor) will carry the burden of what it took until it gives it back.)
Allah's statement,
وَلاَ تَكْتُمُواْ الشَّهَـدَةَ
(And conceal not the evidence) means, do not hide it or refuse to announce it. Ibn `Abbas and other scholars said, "False testimony is one of the worst of the major sins, and such is the case with hiding the true testimony. This is why Allah said,
وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ ءَاثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ
(For he who hides it, surely, his heart is sinful).
As-Suddi commented, "Meaning he is a sinner in his heart."
This is similar to Allah's statement,
وَلاَ نَكْتُمُ شَهَـدَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّآ إِذَاً لَّمِنَ الاٌّثِمِينَ
(We shall not hide testimony of Allah, for then indeed we should be of the sinful) 5:106.
Allah said,
يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءِ للَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَلِدَيْنِ وَالاٌّقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيّاً أَوْ فَقَيراً فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمَا فَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ الْهَوَى أَن تَعْدِلُواْ وَإِن تَلْوُواْ أَوْ تُعْرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيراً
(O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do) 4:135 and in this Ayah 2:283 He said,
وَلاَ تَكْتُمُواْ الشَّهَـدَةَ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ ءَاثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ
(And conceal not the evidence, for he who hides it, surely, his heart is sinful. And Allah is All-Knower of what you do.)