Surah Muhammad 47:38 — translation and meaning

محمد · Verse 38 / 38 · Page 510

ۚ ۚ ۖ هَا أَنتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبْخَلُ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم

Word by Word

ۚ
ۚ
ۖ
هَا أَنتُمْ
haantum
Here you are
هَؤُلَاءِ
haulai
these
تُدْعَوْنَ
tud'awna
called
لِتُنفِقُوا
litunfiqu
to spend
فِي
fi
in
سَبِيلِ
sabili
(the) way
اللَّهِ
al-lahi
(of) Allah
فَمِنكُم
faminkum
but among you
مَّن
man
(are some) who
يَبْخَلُ
yabkhalu
withhold
وَمَن
waman
and whoever
يَبْخَلْ
yabkhal
withholds
فَإِنَّمَا
fa-innama
then only
يَبْخَلُ
yabkhalu
he withholds
عَن
an
from
نَّفْسِهِ
nafsihi
himself
وَاللَّهُ
wal-lahu
But Allah
الْغَنِيُّ
al-ghaniyu
(is) Free of need
وَأَنتُمُ
wa-antumu
while you
الْفُقَرَاءُ
al-fuqarau
(are) the needy
وَإِن
wa-in
And if
تَتَوَلَّوْا
tatawallaw
you turn away
يَسْتَبْدِلْ
yastabdil
He will replace you
قَوْمًا
qawman
(with) a people
غَيْرَكُمْ
ghayrakum
other than you
ثُمَّ
thumma
then
لَا
la
not
يَكُونُوا
yakunu
they will be
أَمْثَالَكُم
amthalakum
(the) likes of you

Transliteration

haaa antum haaa'ulaaa'i tud'awna litunfiqoo fee sabeelillaahi faminkum many yabkhalu wa many yabkhal fa innamaa yabkhalu 'an nafsih; wallaahu Ghaniyyu wa antumul fuqaraaa'; wa in tatwal law yastabdil qawman ghairakum summa laa yakoonooo amsaalakum

Translation

Here you are - those invited to spend in the cause of Allah - but among you are those who withhold [out of greed]. And whoever withholds only withholds [benefit] from himself; and Allah is the Free of need, while you are the needy. And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

Here you are being called to spend a part of your wealth in Allah’s path, and you are not asked to spend all your wealth. Some of you desist from the required spending out of miserliness. Whoever is too miserly to spend a portion of his wealth in Allah’s path, is actually being miserly to his own detriment, as he is depriving himself of the reward of spending. Allah is the Self-sufficient Who is not in need of your spending. You are the ones in need of Him. If you turn back from Islam to disbelief, He will destroy you and bring a people besides you. Then they will not be like you, but they will be obedient to Him.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

100% Free App

Join 50,000+ Muslims

Download for free and never miss a prayer again