HAST THOU ever considered [the kind of man] who gives the lie to all moral law?1
Asad Translation Note Number :
Behold, it is this [kind of man] that thrusts the orphan away,
Asad Translation Note Number :
and feels no urge2 to feed the needy.
Asad Translation Note Number :
Woe, then, unto those praying ones
Asad Translation Note Number :
whose hearts from their prayer are remote -3
Asad Translation Note Number :
those who want only to be seen and praised,
Asad Translation Note Number :
and, withal, deny all assistance [to their fellow-men]!4
Asad Translation Note Number :
I.e., who denies that there is any objective validity in religion as such and, thus, in the concept of moral law (which is one of the primary connotations of the term din - cf. note [3] on 109:6 ). Some commentators are of the opinion that in the above context din signifies "judgment", i.e., the Day of Judgment, and interpret this phrase as meaning "who calls the Day of Judgment a lie".
Lit., "does not urge", i.e., himself.
Lit., "who are [knowingly] unmindful of their prayers".
The term al-ma'un comprises the many small items needed for one's daily use, as well as the occasional acts of kindness consisting in helping out one's fellow-men with such items. In its wider sense, it denotes "aid" or "assistance" in any difficulty.
