Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn
سورۃ المطففین
Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn was revealed in Mecca; it has thirty-six (36) āyāt.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ
waylun li-l-muṭaffifīn.
"Woe to those who give short measure." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:1)
Wayl — alas! Sorrow. Li-l-muṭaffifīn — for those who give short measure; ṭaffafa — the verb pattern tafʿīl means to give short measure. It is not for people who are careless or without a care — rather it is for those people who, by deceit and cunning, cause loss to others. Giving short measure means betraying the trust of God's servants and seeking unjust benefit from one's own transactions.
Translation: "Alas and woe for those who give short measure (in cheating others)."
What do they do?
الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ
alladhīna idhā ktālū ʿalā l-nāsi yastaufūn.
"Those who, when they take measure from people, take their full measure." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:2)
Alladhīn — those people. Idhā — when. Iktālū — they measure — kayyla is a verb pattern with its base meaning. ʿAlā l-nās — upon people, from people. Yastaufūn — they take it fully, they take the full measure — al-istīfāʾ — the complete fulfilment of taking; al-mustaufī — the one who takes his full measure.
Translation: "Those who when they measure from people take it full and complete."
وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ
wa-idhā kālūhum aw wazanūhum yukhsirūn.
"But when they measure out to others or weigh for them, they give less." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:3)
Wa-idhā — and when. Kālūhum — they measure it to people. Kāla — yakīlu — kayla — to measure. Aw wazanūhum — or when they weigh for them. Yukhsirūn — they cause loss; they give short — loss, damage — they put them at a loss.
Translation: "And when they measure or weigh to people they give them short and put them at a loss."
Esteemed readers! This Qur'an is a book of comprehensive speech (jawāmiʿ al-kalim). Its purpose covers all of religion. People are committing treachery against the livelihood and honour of Allah Most High — "Every person works for himself and does bad things for others — everyone says 'my own' about the good things" — they do not act well for others — they say bad things about others and do the same work themselves — and others they counsel and give advice while doing the same work themselves — citing the book over and over — they say how bad such-and-such practice is yet this is the habit: the matter of ṭaffifīn — giving short measure — to betray and cheat in weighing — to give one's own rights to others in the world — this is a great wickedness. Everything is "mine" and "mine" — this "mine" and "my own" is the corruption (fasād) — the criterion (mīzān) is in God's hands — He shall give each their right, and shall call them to account.
أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَٰئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ
alā yaẓunnu ūlāʾika annahum mabʿūthūn.
"Do these people not think that they shall be raised?" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:4)
Alā — do they not? Yaẓunnū — they think; they assume. Ūlāʾika — those people; annahum — that they. Mabʿūthūn — those who are raised from the dead; baʿatha — yabʿathu — baʿthā — to send; to give; to resurrect, bring back to life after death; to resurrect after death.
Translation: "Do these people not know that they are to be raised (resurrected after death)?"
Why not?
لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
li-yawmin ʿaẓīm.
"For a great Day." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:5)
Li-yawmin — for a Day. ʿAẓīm — great — of great honor.
Translation: "For a single great Day."
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
yawma yaqūmu l-nāsu li-rabb al-ʿālamīn.
"The Day when the people shall stand before the Lord of all the worlds." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:6)
Yawm — the Day. Yaqūm — they shall stand. Al-nās — the people. Li-rabb al-ʿālamīn — before the Lord of all the worlds. For this great Day's reckoning what shall happen?
Translation: "The Day when all people shall stand before the Lord of all the worlds."
كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّينٍ
kallā inna kitāba l-fujjāri la-fī sijjīn.
"No indeed — the record of the wicked is surely in Sijjīn." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:7)
Kallā — no indeed, you are simply going without giving the answer. Inn — without doubt. Kitāb — a book. Al-fujjār — the plural of fājir: the wicked, the evildoers, the disbelievers. La-fī sijjīn — certainly in Sijjīn — a prison; sajjana — to imprison. Lāfī — without doubt. Sijjīn — a prison; where criminals, evildoers, disbelievers, and sinners are confined.
Translation: "Without doubt the deeds of the wicked are in Sijjīn."
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ
wa-mā adrāka mā sijjīn.
"And what has informed you what Sijjīn is?" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:8)
Wa-mā adrāk — and who has informed you? Who has told you? What has come to your knowledge? Mā sijjīn — what is this Sijjīn? It is a prison; a cell, a confinement. Sijjīn — a place where the deeds of the wicked remain — the place of the wicked where their deeds stay — the record of the wicked and the register.
Translation: "And what has informed you what Sijjīn is?"
كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ
kitābun marqum.
"A written record." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:9)
Kitāb — a book; a record. Marqum — marked, inscribed; a sign has been written on it — made into a mark.
Translation: "(Sijjīn) is a single register (in which the deeds of the wicked are inscribed)."
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
waylun yawmaʾidhin li-l-mukadhdhibīn.
"Woe on that Day to those who deny." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:10)
Wayl — alas! Sorrow. Yawmaʾidhin — on that Day. Li-l-mukadhdhibīn — for those who deny; those who lie and deceive; for those who lack certainty.
Translation: "That Day shall be of great misfortune for those who deny (who do not believe and those who mock)."
الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ
alladhīna yukadhdhhibūna bi-yawmi l-dīn.
"Those who deny the Day of Recompense." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:11)
Alladhīn — those people. Yukadhdhhibūna — they deny; they mock — they think they shall be finished after death, that there shall be no returning — they shall meet such a fate that not even we — none of us shall remain — they think there is no one to give us any punishment.
Translation: "Those who deny the Day of Recompense."
وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
wa-mā yukadhdhibu bihi illā kullu muʿtadin athīm.
"And none deny it except every transgressor sunk in sin." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:12)
Wa-mā yukadhdhibu bihi — and none deny the Day of Reckoning; they do not maintain certainty of it — illā kull muʿtad — but every person. Muʿtad — in the form of mufʿila — a defaulter, the meaning of the root is — the starting position is the verb pattern — al-iftāʾ — the habit — āthim — a sin. Those whose sins have grown.
Translation: "And only that person denies the Day of Reckoning who has gone beyond divine limits and is also a sinner."
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
idhā tutlā ʿalayhi āyātunā qāla asāṭīru l-awwalīn.
"When Our signs are recited to him, he says: 'Tales of the ancients!'" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:13)
Idhā — when. Tutlā ʿalayhi — it is recited in his presence, going along after him — tilāwa — the reading of the meaning of something following the other and qirāʾa generally means — qaraʾa — to recite; to repeat our signs, the Qur'anic āyāt. Qāla — he says. Asāṭīr — asāṭīru l-awwalīn — the tales of the people of old; qadīm — old people's — those people who lived long ago — asāṭīr — the plural of usṭūra: a fable, a story, a legend, a legend and tale. Old people's stories, old legends — those stories in whose hearts there is no lesson, and these people say: such old people's tales are being told; it is no habit to take lessons from such tales.
Translation: "When Our āyāt are recited to them they say: 'These are the old stories and ancient legends.'"
كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
kallā bal rāna ʿalā qulūbihim mā kānū yaksibūn.
"No indeed — but what they were earning has covered their hearts." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:14)
Kallā — no indeed. Bal — rather. Rāna — it has covered; rayna — it is not understood as an idiom in this way — it is indeed — rāna, yarrīnu — a covering (rān). ʿAlā qulūbihim — upon their hearts — it has covered and tainted their hearts. Mā kānū yaksibūn — because of what they were earning; what they were doing — the accumulation of the earnings of their deeds. Their hearts have become blackened, their deeds have become dark from those evil deeds — the earnings of those who earn through their faithlessness and disobedience — the dark state of their faithlessness is showing itself in the form of blackened hearts.
"Bayl" — this can be taken as a pause (waqfa) — one must take a brief pause here and not swear an oath — ḥafṣ is the proper recitation from any position. Every person has their own station — who can speak against it? If one is troubled, one's habitual nature causes it — if one does not do it then one does good — and then this good is the evidence and a start of istidlāl — if one succeeds in not doing it then the next better deed comes along. And the maqṣad qurʾānī adāʾ — the Qur'anic purpose has not been achieved. If they accept it then the right things will be achieved. "Bayl" — meaning it cannot be achieved after a brief pause — and after pause a dhān — dhān has come — and its meaning after that the maqṣad qurʾānī adāʾ and bayl have no meaning — so here it is evident the darkness of the hearts has appeared and the dark hearts' state is apparent — therefore they cannot say the right thing and cannot keep the clear thoughts.
Translation: "No! Rather (this is) the fact that their hearts have become blackened by their earnings (of evil deeds — this is the effect of their faithlessness and disobedience)."
Why is this? It is the consequence of their deeds — their faithless evil earnings, the unbelief and faithlessness which results — and the dark state is becoming permanent in the form of black-heartedness — what is its dreadful outcome!
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
kallā innahum ʿan rabbihim yawmaʾidhin la-maḥjūbūn.
"No indeed — they shall be veiled from their Lord on that Day." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:15)
Kallā — no, simply do not think like this. Innahum — without doubt those people — their own Lord from Whom they were nurtured — what have they done? Yawmaʾidhin — on that Day — la-maḥjūbūn — they shall certainly be veiled — ḥijāb — a veil; a barrier — those who shall be veiled from the divine vision and shall be deprived of it. That is the truly great punishment — and deprived of that great divine grace — what a misfortune — to be deprived of the divine vision (dīdār-e ilāhī) — what shall be their condition?
Translation: "Without doubt these people — they shall certainly be deprived of their Lord's vision on that Day (and from the divine vision they shall be cut off)."
Esteemed readers! The divine manifestations (tajalliyāt) of Allah Most High are of two types: (1) the personal tajallī — the divine Self which no one can see and this alone has the bearing of absolute unique existence — man kāna fī hādhihi aʿmā fa-huwa fī l-ākhirati aʿmā wa-aḍallu sabīlā — the one who is blind in this world shall also be blind in the afterlife — this matter is related to the personal tajallī of the divine — (2) the second tajallī is that of the divine names and attributes of the Ilāhī — and this is a tajallī of the station of absolute uniqueness (maqām-e waḥdiyat). And this matter of the worldly blindness is related to the world of plurality — we also from this should consider — that as much as one's certainty of belief (iʿtiqād) and knowledge increase that much more in the Resurrection — the worldly life is the stage (mashhad) — and each deed there shall show its value and give its reckoning.
Allah Most High's mercy reaches the outward side — and look at this mercy! This is of the general kind and people are under it. Unwise people have the habit of thinking themselves possessors of power — and an individual's own habit makes him treat servants of God with injustice and oppression — and there is no delaying of Allah's governance upon His servants — but He does not make those whose governance is unjust stand up — what comes about is the punishment of Allah Most High which reaches everyone —
The divine being — look at the world full of it — dhālika maḥbūbun lahu wa-nakhshāhu — this matter is for the one who fears God — the terror is in the heart — khawf-e Khudā.
ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ
thumma innahum la-ṣālū l-jaḥīm.
"Then they shall indeed be burned in Hellfire." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:16)
Thumm — then. Innahum — without doubt them. La-ṣālawna — originally laṣālūna thamā — the nūn was attached and thus returned. Ṣalā — approaching; ṣalwā — to enter near, to get close — al-jaḥīm — Hellfire, Hell — a difficult place — burning, scorching — the consequence of bad belief and bad deeds before the divine vision they shall first be deprived of — and then they shall also go to Hell.
Translation: "Then these people shall most certainly be put into Hell."
ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ
thumma yuqālu hādhā l-ladhī kuntum bihi tukadhdhibūn.
"Then it shall be said: 'This is what you were denying.'" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:17)
Thumm — then. Yuqāl — it shall be said. Hādhā l-ladhī — this very thing. Kuntum — you were. Tukadhdhibūn — you were denying; mocking. Bi — against this event. Tukadhdhibūn — denying it.
Translation: "Then it shall be said to them: this very Hell is the thing you were denying and considering false."
كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ
kallā inna kitāba l-abrāri la-fī ʿilliyyīn.
"No indeed — the record of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyūn." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:18)
Kallā — no indeed — it is not as you think. Inn — without doubt. Kitāb — a book, a register. Al-abrār — good-doers, the righteous. La-fī ʿilliyyīn — truly in ʿIlliyyūn. Inn kitāb al-abrār — without doubt the register of the righteous — the list of the righteous — is in ʿIlliyyūn — la-fī ʿilliyyīn — truly in ʿIlliyyūn. ʿIlliyyīn — the plural of ʿuluw: meaning great height and elevation.
Translation: "No indeed! Without doubt the book of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyūn."
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ
wa-mā adrāka mā ʿilliyyūn.
"And what has informed you what ʿIlliyyūn is?" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:19)
Translation: "And what has informed you what ʿIlliyyūn is?"
كِتَابٌ مَّرْقُومٌ
kitābun marqum.
"A written record." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:20)
Kitāb — a book; a register. Marqum — inscribed, marked, written. It is a single book in which the righteous have had their names recorded since time immemorial.
Translation: "It is a book (a register in which the righteous persons' names have always been recorded)."
يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ
yashhaduhu l-muqarrabūn.
"Witnessed by those brought near." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:21)
Yashhadu — they see it; they see it with testimony. Al-muqarrabūn — those near to God; al-muqarribūn — those who are near and close to the divine — those close and near to God.
Translation: "Those near to God know of it and testify to it."
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ
inna l-abrāra la-fī naʿīm.
"Indeed, the righteous shall be in great bliss." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:22)
Inna l-abrār — without doubt the righteous. La-fī naʿīm — truly in great blessing.
Translation: "Without doubt the righteous shall be in great bliss."
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
ʿalā l-arāʾiki yanẓurūn.
"Reclining on couches, looking on." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:23)
Arāʾik — couches; sofas; ʿalā l-arāʾik — seated upon couches; upon reclining chairs. The original is jālisīna ʿalā l-arāʾika. They shall be — yanẓurūn — they shall look; to the righteous people — the divine vision — they shall be looking at Allah Most High in a general sense, and in a more particular sense the intention is the righteous.
Translation: "Seated on thrones, they shall be looking on."
تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ
taʿrifu fī wujūhihim naḍrata l-naʿīm.
"You shall recognise in their faces the radiance of bliss." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:24)
Taʿrifu fī wujūhihim — you shall recognise in their faces, you shall see. Naḍra — freshness — naḍratu l-naʿīm — the freshness and vitality of their bliss.
Translation: "(You shall see) in their faces the freshness and vitality of bliss (you shall see)."
يُسْقَوْنَ مِن رَّحِيقٍ مَّخْتُومٍ
yusqawna min raḥīqin makhtūm.
"They shall be given to drink from a sealed pure wine." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:25)
Yusqawna — they shall be given drink. Min raḥīqin — from pure wine. Makhtūm — sealed; sealed up, preserved.
Translation: "They shall be given to drink the pure sealed wine."
O dear one! How fitting is the mention of wine — wine stirs up the deepest emotions and sentiments from within. An ordinary person becomes profligate with it — the mind becomes tainted, the senses become embarrassed. The wine (shurb) of love and devotion (muḥabbat) is also present — on the Day of Resurrection it shall also be presented in the form of love's wine (muḥabbat kī sharāb) and shall tell its own story.
خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ
khitāmuhu miskun wa-fī dhālika fa-l-yatanāfasi l-mutanāfisūn.
"Its seal shall be musk — and for this let all those who compete, compete." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:26)
Khitāma — the seal; the thing that closes a bottle. It is established that this wine has a musk scent — wine is a scent; its bottle — the bottle is sealed beforehand with musk. In relation to this — fī dhālik — fa-l-yatanāfas — let them strive and compete. Al-mutanāfisīn — those who compete; those who strive and race in desire — desire, zeal, the love of competing. And for this wine of sealed musk — this is a thing for which those who race in desire should race and compete.
Translation: "And its seal is musk — and for this very thing those who race should race and compete."
وَمِزَاجُهُ مِن تَسْنِيمٍ
wa-mizājuhu min tasnīm.
"And its blend is from Tasnīm." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:27)
Wa-mizāja — and its mixture; the thing that is blended with it to soften the sharpness of the wine — the thing for which a pleasant taste is created. Min tasnīm — it is blended with. Tasnīm — a spring of Paradise; a spring of Paradise's territory; al-Tasnīm — it is the name of a spring.
Translation: "And its blend is from the spring of Tasnīm (from which a serenity and peace is born)."
The view of the faqīrs (Sufi wayfarers) is that tasnīm means the personal divine love (ḥubb-e dhāt) — meaning the wine (shurb) of personal love — personal love is a divine attribute — where God's love extends to all bondsmen — and the ʿāshiq (lover) is facing towards his beloved — and the strength of the ʿāshiq shall overcome all the weaknesses.
عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ
ʿaynan yashrabu bihā l-muqarrabūn.
"A spring from which those brought near shall drink." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:28)
ʿAynā — it is a spring — Tasnīm is a spring. Yashrabu bihā — those who shall drink from it. Al-muqarrabūn — the ones near to God; Allah's close and muqarrab persons.
Translation: "(Tasnīm) is a spring from which the muqarrab (those near to God) shall drink."
Now let us hear the account of the wicked.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ
inna l-ladhīna ajramū kānū mina l-ladhīna āmanū yaḍḥakūn.
"Indeed, those who were steeped in sin used to laugh at those who believed." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:29)
Inna l-ladhīna ajramū — without doubt those who were sinful criminals. Kānū mina l-ladhīna āmanū — they were — from the believers, from those who had faith — they used to mock them. Yaḍḥakūn — they used to laugh; they would mock and ridicule.
Translation: "Without doubt wicked and criminal people used to mock and laugh at the believers (those who came to them)."
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ
wa-idhā marrū bihim yatagāmazūn.
"And when they passed by them they would wink at each other." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:30)
Wa-idhā marrū bihim — and when (the wicked) would pass by the Muslims, by them. Yatagāmazūn — they would give each other winks and signals; they would make eye signals — a wink — an eye signal.
Translation: "And (the wicked) when they pass by the (Muslims) they would give signals with their eyes."
وَإِذَا انقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمُ انقَلَبُوا فَكِهِينَ
wa-idhā nqalabū ilā ahlihimu nqalabū fākihīn.
"And when they returned to their own people they would return making merry." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:31)
Wa-idhā nqalabū — and when they returned; the change of state — to return, to come back. Ilā ahlihim — to their own family and household, to their own people. Inqalabū fākihīn — they returned in play and merriment — fākiha — al-fākiha — merriment, joking and play, gossip and idle talk.
Translation: "And when they (the wicked) returned to their own household they would return making merry and jokes."
وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَضَالُّونَ
wa-idhā raʾawhum qālū inna hāʾulāʾi la-ḍāllūn.
"And when they saw them they would say: 'Indeed, these people are astray.'" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:32)
Wa-idhā raʾawhum — and when (the wicked) would see the Muslims. Qālū — they would say. Inna hāʾulāʾi — indeed these people. La-ḍāllūn — are truly astray — they say: "These are certainly misguided people." However, ḍalāl — going astray — in truth these are people of the worldly life — and in the afterlife the evidence and criticism is also against them — they are the critics of worldly things and other people's business — the worldly life critics are there for the worldly life's critique — but in the afterlife their criticism is also brought and not let go.
Translation: "And when they see them (the Muslims) they say: 'Indeed these people are certainly misguided.'"
وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ
wa-mā ursilū ʿalayhim ḥāfiẓīn.
"But they were not sent as guardians over them." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:33)
Wa-mā ursilū — and they were not sent. ʿAlayhim — over them. Ḥāfiẓīn — as guardians, watchmen. Over these Muslims these (wicked) people have not been set as our watchmen — they are keeping track of our deeds from morning to night and criticising them. In any case we do not want them as guardians — but they are our guardians of their own accord.
Translation: "And they are not sent as guardians over these people (they were not deputed as some sort of custodian over them)."
فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ
fa-l-yawma l-ladhīna āmanū mina l-kuffāri yaḍḥakūn.
"So today the believers shall laugh at the disbelievers." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:34)
Fa-l-yawm — today. Al-ladhīna āmanū — the believers. Mina l-kuffāri — at the disbelievers. Yaḍḥakūn — shall be laughing; shall be mocking and ridiculing. The oppressed and laughed-at believers of this world — today they shall laugh and mock at the disbelievers.
Translation: "So today the believers shall laugh at the disbelievers."
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
ʿalā l-arāʾiki yanẓurūn.
"Upon thrones they shall be looking on." (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:35)
ʿAlā l-arāʾiki — upon thrones and couches. Yanẓurūn — they shall be looking on; they shall watch.
Translation: "They shall be reclining upon thrones, looking on (at the state of the disbelievers)."
هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
hal thuwwiba l-kuffāru mā kānū yafʿalūn.
"Have the disbelievers been recompensed for what they used to do?" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:36)
Hal — have? Thuwwiba — been recompensed, been given reward — thawāb — reward. Al-kuffāru — the disbelievers. Mā kānū yafʿalūn — what they used to do.
This is said by way of question — have the disbelievers been given the recompense of what they used to do? And the intent is: yes, they have been recompensed — these are the people who used to mock believers — now they are themselves mocked. This is a question to make the matter clear.
Translation: "Have the disbelievers been recompensed for what they used to do?" (That is to say — yes, they have been recompensed.)