Sura al-Ma‘un

al-Ma‘un is the 107th sura of the Qur’an, which means ‘Simple Aid in Daily Necessities’, and takes its name from the 7th verse. The sura belongs to the Meccan period and comprises 7 verses, 25 words, 125 letters, and 1 segment. It is the 17th sura in chronological order, revealed after Sura al-Takathur. al-Ma‘un also refers to ‘Charity’ or ‘Benevolence’ or ‘Alms’. The sura begins with the question: ‘Have you seen the one who denies the (Islamic) faith?’ The chapter proceeds further to identify the one who repulses the orphan and the poverty-stricken. Moreover, the sura emphasises that one’s exterior display must mirror one’s inner piety. This sura further refers to those who receive no benefit from their prayers because of their heedlessness. They perform acts of prayer but do not fear Retribution because they fail to fulfil their responsibility towards the needy. The sura also makes reference to those who pray in public and not in private. The last two verses of the sura exposes those who perform their acts of devotion towards Allah Almighty, but do not act kindly and generously towards humankind. They even refuse to share and lend small objects of daily use like pots, utensils, tools, buckets or other similar items; it implies refusing anything that benefits another person in need. The external acts of worship performed by such people are not accepted; they are, instead, considered the deniers of the faith.