Al-Ma'un
الْمَاعُون
Meaning: Small Kindnesses
A surah linking the quality of prayer with social compassion. Prayer without caring for others = incomplete prayer.
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ
Ara-aytalladzii yukadzdzibu bid-diin
Do you see the one who denies the religion?
فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ
Fadzaalikalladzii yadu'-'ul-yatiim
That is the one who repulses the orphan,
وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ
Wa laa yahudh-dhu 'alaa ta'aamil-miskiin
and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.
فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ
Fawaylul-lil-mushalliin
So woe to those who pray,
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ
Alladziina hum 'an shalaatihim saahuun
who are heedless of their prayer,
الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ
Alladziina hum yuraa-uun
who show off,
وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ
Wa yamna'uunal-maa'uun
and refuse small kindnesses.
Tafsir for Children
Al-Ma'un is surprising: it's not those who DON'T pray who are called religion-deniers, but those who DO pray yet don't care for orphans and the poor. Prayer should make us softer, not harder. For children: once they've learned to pray, the next step is learning to care for friends in need — that's the real test of prayer.
When to recite
When a child has learned to pray and needs to understand the social dimension of worship. Before taking a child to give sadaqah.
- Themes
- sosialanak-yatimsholatperingatan
- Verse count
- 7