2. Sūrat al-Baqarah

٢۔ سُورَةُ البَقَرَة

Qurʾān > Chapter 2 > Section 116
القرآن > كتاب ٢ > باب ١١٦

2.116 Laws relating to contracts. Contracts must be in writing and have witnesses. God will call to account whether you conceal or reveal.

٢۔١١٦ مقطع في سُورَةُ البَقَرَة

quran:2:282 –

O you who have believed, when you contract a debt for a specified term, write it down. And let a scribe write ˹it˺ between you in justice. Let no scribe refuse to write as Allah has taught him. So let him write and let the one who has the obligation dictate. And let him fear Allah, his Lord, and not leave anything out of it. But if the one who has the obligation is of limited understanding or weak or unable to dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate in justice. And bring to witness two witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men ˹available˺, then a man and two women from those whom you accept as witnesses - so that if one of the women errs, then the other can remind her. And let not the witnesses refuse when they are called upon. And do not be ˹too˺ weary to write it, whether it is small or large, for its ˹specified˺ term. That is more just in the sight of Allah and stronger as evidence and more likely to prevent doubt between you, except when it is an immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves. For ˹then˺ there is no blame upon you if you do not write it. And take witnesses when you conclude a contract. Let no scribe be harmed or any witness. For if you do so, indeed, it is ˹grave˺ disobedience in you. And fear Allah. And Allah teaches you. And Allah is Knowing of all things.  

O you who believe, when you contract, when you are dealing with, a debt, such as in prepayment for (future) delivery of goods or a loan, one upon another for a stated, a known, term, write it down, as confirmation and security against any dispute; and let a writer write it, the contract of debt, down between you justly, accurately, not increasing or decreasing the amount or the terms; and let not any writer refuse to write it down, if he is requested for such a task, as God has taught him (the kāf of ka-mā, ‘as’, is semantically connected to the verb ya’ba, ‘refuse’), that is, just as He has given him the advantage of knowing how to write, he should not be niggardly in this respect; so let him write (repeated for emphasis), and let the debtor dictate, to the one writing the contract, for he is the one being witnessed, and must be fully aware of his obligations; and let him fear God his Lord, when dictating, and not diminish anything of it, of the debt due. And if the debtor be a fool, a squanderer, or weak, not up to dictating on account of old age or immaturity, or unable to dictate himself, on account of being dumb, or not knowing the language and so forth, then let his guardian, the one in charge of his affairs, be it a parent, an executor, a custodian or an interpreter, dictate justly. And summon to bear witness, the debt, two witnesses, men, mature Muslim free men; or if the two, witnesses, be not men, then one man and two women, to bear witness, such witnesses as you approve of, on account of their piety and probity; the number of women is because of the fact, so that if one of the two women errs, forgets the testimony, given their lesser astuteness and accuracy; the other, the one remembering, will remind her (read fa-tudhakkira or fa-tudhkira), the one that has forgotten — the ‘reminding’ clause is the reason ˹for the choice of two women˺, that is to say, so that she may be reminded if she errs or strays into error, because this ˹forgetfulness˺ is the cause of it (a variant reading ˹for an, ‘that’˺ has the conditional in, ‘if’, with ˹the verb inflected as˺ tudhakkiru, ‘she will remind’, making it a new sentence, the response to which ˹follows˺); and let the witnesses not refuse, whenever (the mā of idhā mā, ‘whenever’, is extra) they are summoned, to bear witness and take responsibility for the testimony; and be not disdainful, lazy, to write it down, that which you have witnessed in truth (for this frequently occurred), be it, small or great, a little or much, with its term, that is, the date on which it is due (ilā ajlihi is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the ˹pronominal suffix˺ hā’ of taktubū-hu, ‘you write it down’); that, writing down, is more equitable, more just, in God’s sight, more upright for testimony, that is to say, ˹that is˺ more helpful in summoning witness, because it contains the reminder; and nearer, closer to attaining ˹the desired state˺ that you will not be in doubt, with regard to the amount and the due dates; unless it be, ˹that˺ there is, trade carried out there and then (tijāratun hādiratun: a variant reading has tijāratan hādiratan, in which case the nominal sentence is missing its subject, and must be the pronoun for tijāra, ‘trade’, that is, hiya, ‘it ˹fem. pronoun˺’) that you give and take between you, without there being a timeframe, then you will not be at fault if you do not write it, the merchandise itself, down. And take witnesses, over it, when you are trading with one another, for this is a better means of preventing dispute. The provisions here are delegated (to the personal choice of the people involved). And let not either writer or witness, the creditor and the debtor, be pressed, to distorting ˹the agreement˺, being prevented from testimony or dictation; nor should the creditor press them by charging them with what is not suitable for the testimony or the dictation; and if you do, what is prohibited to you, that is sinfulness, a rebellion against obedience, and lack of truth, in you. And fear God, in what He commands and prohibits. God teaches you (wa-yu‘allimukumu Llāhu, is an implied circumstantial qualifier or it denotes the beginning of a new clause), what is in your best interests, and God knows all things.
القرآن:٢:٢٨٢ –

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا تَدَايَنْتُمْ بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَاكْتُبُوهُ ۚ وَلْيَكْتُبْ بَيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌ بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ كَاتِبٌ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ اللَّهُ ۚ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَلْيُمْلِلِ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ وَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ رَبَّهُ وَلَا يَبْخَسْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا ۚ فَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوْ ضَعِيفًا أَوْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلْيُمْلِلْ وَلِيُّهُ بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ ۖ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌ وَامْرَأَتَانِ مِمَّنْ تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ الشُّهَدَاءِ أَنْ تَضِلَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ الشُّهَدَاءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُوا ۚ وَلَا تَسْأَمُوا أَنْ تَكْتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰ أَجَلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَقْسَطُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَأَقْوَمُ لِلشَّهَادَةِ وَأَدْنَىٰ أَلَّا تَرْتَابُوا ۖ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً حَاضِرَةً تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكْتُبُوهَا ۗ وَأَشْهِدُوا إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُضَارَّ كَاتِبٌ وَلَا شَهِيدٌ ۚ وَإِنْ تَفْعَلُوا فَإِنَّهُ فُسُوقٌ بِكُمْ ۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللَّهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ  

{يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا تداينتم} تعاملتم {بدين} كسلم وقرض {إلى أجل مسمى} معلوم {فاكتبوه} استيثاقا ودفعا للنزاع {وليكتب} كتاب الدين {بينكم كاتب بالعدل} بالحق في كتابته لا يزيد في المال والأجل ولا ينقص {ولا يأب} يمتنع {كاتب} من {أن يكتب} إذا دُعي إليها {كما علَّمه الله} أي فضله بالكتابة فلا يبخل بها والكاف متعلقة بيأب {فليكتب} تأكيد {وليملل} على الكاتب {الذي عليه الحق} الدين لأنه المشهود عليه فيقر ليعلم ما عليه {وليتق الله ربه} في إملائه {ولا يبخس} ينقص {منه} أي الحق {شيئا فإن كان الذي عليه الحق سفيها} مبذرا {أو ضعيفا} عن الإملاء لصغر أو كبر {أو لا يستطيع أن يُملَّ هو} لخرس أو جهل باللغة أو نحو ذلك {فَلْيُمْلِلْ وليُّه} متولي أمره من والد ووصي وقيِّم ومترجم {بالعدل واستشهدوا} أشهدوا على الدَّين {شهيدين} شاهدين {من رجالكم} أي بالغي المسلمين الأحرار {فإن لم يكونا} أي الشهيدان {رجلين فرجل وامرأتان} يشهدون {ممن ترضون من الشهداء} لدينه وعدالته وتعدد النساء لأجل {أن تضل} تنسى {إحداهما} الشهادة لنقص عقلهن وضبطهن {فَتُذكِّرَ} بالتخفيف والتشديد {إحداهما} الذاكرة {الأخرى} الناسية وجملة الإذكار محل العلة أي لتذكر أن ضلت ودخلت على الضلال لأنه سببه وفي قراءة بكسر أن شرطية ورفع تذكر استئناف جوابه {ولا يأب الشهداء إذا ما} زائدة {دُعوا} إلى تحمل الشهادة وأدائها {ولا تسأموا} تملوا من {أن تكتبوه} أي ما شهدتم عليه من الحق لكثرة وقوع ذلك {صغيرا} كان {أو كبيرا} قليلا أو كثيرا {إلى أجله} وقت حلوله حال من الهاء في تكتبوه {ذلكم} أي الكتب {أقسط} أعدل {عند الله وأقوم للشهادة} أي أعون على إقامتها لأنه يذكرها {وأدنى} اقرب إلى {أ} ن {لا ترتابوا} تشكوا في قدر الحق والأجل {إلا أن تكون} تقع {تجارةٌ حاضرةٌ} وفي قراءة بالنصب فتكون ناقصة واسمها ضمير التجارة {تديرونها بينكم} أي تقبضونها ولا أجل فيها {فليس عليكم جُناح} في {ألا تكتبوها} والمراد بها المتجر فيه {وأشهدوا إذا تبايعتم} عليه فأنه أدفع للاختلاف وهذا وما قبله أمر ندب {ولا يُضارّ كاتب ولا شهيد} صاحب الحق ومن عليه بتحريف أو امتناع من الشهادة أو الكتابة ولا يضرهما صاحب الحق بتكليفها ما لا يليق في الكتابة والشهادة {وإن تفعلوا} ما نُهيتم عنه {فإنه فسوق} خروج عن الطاعة لاحق {بكم واتقوا الله} في أمره ونهيه {ويعلمكم الله} مصالح أموركم حال مقدرة أو مستأنف {والله بكل شيء عليم}.
quran:2:283 –

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.  

And if you are upon a journey, travelling and you contract a debt, and you do not find a writer, then a pledge (ruhun or rihān, plural of rahn) in hand, as a guarantee for you. The Sunna clarifies the permissibility of making pledges in towns, where writers may be forthcoming; but the stipulation is made in the event of travel because in this case it is more important to have a guarantee; God’s reference to it being ‘in hand’ (maqbūda) is a condition for the pledge given to be valid, and to satisfy the pledgee or his representative. But if one of you, the creditor, trusts another, the debtor, over the debt and does not require a pledge, let him who is trusted, the debtor, deliver his trust, the debt; and let him fear God his Lord, when delivering it. And do not conceal the testimony, if you are summoned to give it; whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful: the heart is mentioned because it is the locus of the testimony, and because if it sins, there are other sinful consequences, and so the person will be punished as though he were a sinner; and God knows what you do, nothing of which can be hidden from Him.
القرآن:٢:٢٨٣ –

وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا فَرِهَانٌ مَقْبُوضَةٌ ۖ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ الَّذِي اؤْتُمِنَ أَمَانَتَهُ وَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ رَبَّهُ ۗ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ ۚ وَمَنْ يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ  

{وإن كنتم على سفر} أي مسافرين وتداينتم {ولم تجدوا كاتبا فَرِهاَنٌ} وفي قراءة فَرهُنٌ جمع رهن {مقبوضة} تستوثقون بها وبينت السنة جواز الرهن في الحضر ووجود الكاتب فالتقيد بما ذكر لأن التوثيق فيه أشد وأفاد قوله مقبوضة اشتراط القبض في الرهن والاكتفاء به من المرتهن ووكيله {فإن أمن بعضكم بعضا} أي الدائن المدين على حقه فلم يرتهن {فليؤد الذي أؤتمن} أي المدين {أمانته} دينه {وليتق الله ربَّه} في أدائه {ولا تكتموا الشهادة} إذا دُعيتم لإقامتها {ومن يكتمها فإنه آثم قلبه} خص بالذكر لأنه محل الشهادة ولأنه إذا أثم تبعه غيره فيعاقب عليه معاقبة الآثمين {والله بما تعلمون عليم} لا يخفَى عليه شيء منه.
quran:2:284 –

To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it. Then He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills, and Allah is over all things competent.  

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Whether you disclose, manifest, what is in your hearts or hide it, of evil and resolve for it, God shall take you to account for it, informing you of it on the Day of Resurrection. Then He will forgive whom He will, to forgive, and chastise whom He will, to chastise (both verbs are apocopated ˹fa-yaghfir, ‘he will forgive’, wa-yu‘adhdhib, ‘he will chastise’˺ if taken as the responses to the conditional, in tubdū, ‘if you proclaim’; but they may also be read with a final nominative inflection ˹yaghfiru, yu‘adhdhibu˺ in which case, it would ˹constitute a new clause and˺ follow on from an implicit fahuwa, ‘then He’). And God has power over all things, including reckoning with you and requiting you.
القرآن:٢:٢٨٤ –

لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ ۖ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ  

{لله ما في السماوات وما في الأرض وإن تبدوا} تظهروا {ما في أنفسكم} من السوء والعزم عليه {أو تخفوه} تسروه {يحاسبكم} يخبركم {به الله} يوم القيامة {فيغفرْ لمن يشاء} المغفرة له {ويعذبْ من يشاء} تعذيبه والفعلان بالجزم عطف على جواب الشرط والرفع أي فهو {والله على كل شيء قدير} ومنه محاسبتكم وجزاؤكم.