Tafsir ibn kathir. Surah Ma’oon. Verse 4-5.

Tafsir ibn kathir. Surah Ma’oon. Verse 4-5.

﴿ فَوَيۡلٌ۬ لِّلۡمُصَلِّينَ • ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَن صَلَاتِہِمۡ سَاهُونَ ﴾

(So, woe unto those performers of Salah, those who with their Salah are Sahun.) Ibn `Abbas and others have said, "This means the hypocrites who pray in public but do not pray in private.'' Thus, Allah says,

﴿ لِّلۡمُصَلِّينَ ﴾

(unto those performers of Salah,). They are those people who pray and adhere to the prayer, yet they are mindless of it. This may also include praying out of time, that the person prays it completely outside of its time. They usually delay their prayer until the end of its time.

This was said by Masruq and Abu Ad-Duha.
`Ata' bin Dinar said, "All praise is due to Allah, the One Who said,

﴿ عَن صَلَاتِہِمۡ سَاهُونَ ﴾

(with their Salah are Sahun.) and He did not say, `those who are absent minded in their prayer.'' Which means they do pray but don't observe khush'u in their salah and are among 'ghaafiloon'. It may also refer to not fulfilling its pillars and conditions, and in the required manner. It could also mean performing it with humility and contemplation of its meanings. The wording of the Ayah comprises all of these meanings. However, whoever has any characteristic of this that we have mentioned then a portion of this Ayah applies to him. And whoever has all of these characteristics, then he has completed his share of this Ayah, and the hypocrisy of actions is fulfilled in him. The prophet Sallallaa’ho Alayhe wasallam said about these munafiqeen:

« لَا يَذْكُرُ اللهَ فِيهَا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا »

(He does not remember Allah (in them) except very little.) He probably only stands to pray it so that the people will see him praying, and not seeking the Face of Allah. This is just as if he did not pray at all. Allah says,

﴿ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقِينَ يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَـٰدِعُهُمۡ وَإِذَا قَامُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ قَامُواْ كُسَالَىٰ يُرَآءُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ وَلَا يَذۡكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬ ﴾

(Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little.) (4:142)