How Does the Quran Describe Squanderers, and What Does Reckless Spending Mean?
بم وصف الله المبذرين في القرآن؟ وما معنى التبذير؟
How does Allah describe those who squander their wealth recklessly in the Noble Quran? And what does spending recklessly mean?
The Noble Quran explicitly describes those who squander their wealth recklessly as the "brothers of the devils." Islam advocates for a balanced approach to finances, where one avoids both extreme miserliness and wasteful extravagance.
Islamic financial conduct is rooted in gratitude, responsibility, and moderation, strongly condemning the misuse of divine blessings.
Why are squanderers called "brothers of the devils"?
They are called this because squandering wealth on forbidden things is a supreme act of ungratefulness for Allah's blessings, which perfectly mirrors Satan's ungrateful and rebellious nature.
What is the difference between Tabdheer (squandering) and Israf (extravagance)?
Many scholars explain Israf as excess in lawful things and Tabdheer as spending outside its rightful use. Al-Qurtubi records al-Shafi'i's definition of Tabdheer as spending wealth outside its rightful use and also records overlapping usage of the two terms. Both descriptions call for moderation and fulfillment of due rights.
What is the correct Islamic approach to spending money?
The Islamic approach is the middle course, also known as moderation. A believer should neither hoard their wealth in stinginess nor waste it recklessly, but rather spend it wisely on necessities, family, and charity.
Squandering and Moderation
1. The Description of Squanderers
Allah Almighty describes the squanderers as "brothers of the devils". (This severe description highlights the spiritual danger of financial irresponsibility, aligning the wasteful person with Satan's path of ungratefulness).
2. The Middle Course
Spending wealth in a middle way is best. A person should be neither a squanderer nor a miser. (Islam teaches moderation in spending, so that wealth is used responsibly.)
3. Defining Squandering (Tabdheer)
Squandering is the act of spending money in wrong ways such as spending it in illegal ways. (Even spending a small amount on something haram or forbidden is considered Tabdheer, as it is a direct misuse of Allah's blessings).
4. The Quranic Evidence
(Give to close relatives their due, as well as the poor and needy travellers. And do not spend wastefully. Surely the wasteful are like brothers to the devils. And the Devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.) Al-Israa 17: 26 to 27.
Scholarly Insight: Al-Isra 17:26-27 forbids squandering and calls squanderers brothers of the devils. Al-Qurtubi counts as squandering both spending a single dirham on what is unlawful and spending on desires beyond one's needs until the wealth is exposed to running out, while spending the profit on one's desires and preserving the capital is not squandering. A believer therefore weighs both the purpose and the amount of spending, preserving lawful needs and the rights of others.
بم وصف الله المبذرين في القرآن؟ وما معنى التبذير؟
يصف القرآن الكريم صراحة أولئك الذين يبذرون أموالهم بأنهم "إخوان الشياطين". ويدعو الإسلام إلى نهج متوازن في التعامل مع المال، حيث يتجنب المسلم البخل الشديد والإسراف المفرط.
يتأصل السلوك المالي الإسلامي في الشكر والمسؤولية والاعتدال، ويدين بشدة إساءة استخدام النعم الإلهية.
التبذير والاعتدال
1. وصف المبذرين
وصف الله تعالى المبذرين بإخوان الشياطين. (يبرز هذا الوصف القاسي الخطر الروحي لانعدام المسؤولية المالية، حيث يربط الشخص المبذر بمسار الشيطان في الجحود وعدم الشكر).
2. المنهج الوسط
فإنفاق المال بطريقة وسط هي أفضل شيء. فلا يكون الإنسان مبذرا ولا بخيلا. (يدعو الإسلام إلى الاعتدال في الإنفاق، ليوضع المال في موضعه.)
3. تعريف التبذير
التبذير هو إنفاق المال في غير وجهه الصحيح كإنفاقه في الحرام. (حتى إنفاق مبلغ صغير على شيء محرم يعتبر تبذيراً، لأنه إساءة استخدام مباشرة لنعم الله).
4. الدليل القرآني
(وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا ﴿٢٦﴾ إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا) الإسراء 17: 26 إلى 27.
1. The Stigmatizing Label: "Brothers of the Devils" | الوصف القرآني الصارم: إخوان الشياطين
Surah Al-Isra delivers an uncompromising ethical condemnation: "And do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful" (17:26-27). Classical commentators explain that squanderers mirror Satan by misusing divine provisions for corrupt ends.
إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا (سورة الإسراء: 27)
شن القرآن الكريم حملة أخلاقية حاسمة على الإنفاق العبثي في سورة الإسراء: {وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا}؛ فقرن المبذر بالشيطان لأن كليهما يسخر نعم الله في معصيته والإفساد في الأرض وكفران المنعم.
2. The Juridical Definition of Tabdheer: Spending on Corruption | مفهوم التبذير: صرف المال في غير وجهه الشرعي
Ibn Kathir relates that Ibn Mas'ud defined squandering as spending in a way that is inappropriate, and that Mujahid said a person who spends all their wealth rightly is not a squanderer, while one who spends a little wrongly is. Mujahid's statement distinguishes the purpose of expenditure from its size. It does not cancel a person's obligations to dependents or creditors: those rights remain part of rightful spending. Qatadah, in the same tafsir, associates squandering with spending in disobedience, wrongdoing, and corruption. The question is therefore what the money supports, as well as whether due rights are fulfilled.
وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا (سورة الإسراء: 26)
نقل ابن كثير عن ابن مسعود أن التبذير هو الإنفاق في غير حق، ونقل عن مجاهد أن من أنفق ماله كله في الحق لم يكن مبذرا، ومن أنفق قليلا في الباطل كان مبذرا. فكلام مجاهد يميز مقصد النفقة عن مقدارها، ولا يسقط حقوق العيال أو أصحاب الديون؛ فأداء هذه الحقوق من الإنفاق في الحق. ونقل في الموضع نفسه عن قتادة أن التبذير هو النفقة في المعصية والفساد. فالعبرة بوجه الإنفاق مع أداء الحقوق الواجبة.
3. Prophetic Proscription Against Squandering Wealth | النهي النبوي الصريح عن إضاعة المال
The Prophet explicitly included wasting wealth among the things Allah dislikes, together with idle talk and excessive questioning (Sahih al-Bukhari 1477). This gives the prohibition of waste a direct basis in the Sunnah. Money can meet family needs, assist those entitled to support, and fund beneficial work; destroying it carelessly defeats those uses. The Quran likewise commands giving relatives their due and assisting the poor and traveler before forbidding squandering (Al-Isra 17:26). Preserving wealth therefore belongs with fulfilling rights, not with withholding every expense or refusing charity.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَرِهَ لَكُمْ ثَلَاثًا: قِيلَ وَقَالَ، وَإِضَاعَةَ الْمَالِ، وَكَثْرَةَ السُّؤَالِ (صحيح البخاري 1477)
ذكر النبي ﷺ إضاعة المال مع القيل والقال وكثرة السؤال فيما كرهه الله (صحيح البخاري 1477)، فالنهي عن الإضاعة ثابت في السنة. ويصلح المال لقضاء حاجات الأسرة والإنفاق الواجب والعمل النافع؛ وإتلافه يضيع هذه المنافع. وأمر الله تعالى في سورة الإسراء 17:26 بإيتاء ذي القربى حقه والمسكين وابن السبيل قبل النهي عن التبذير. فحفظ المال يقترن بأداء الحقوق، ولا يعني منع النفقة أو ترك الصدقة.
4. Social and Economic Ramifications of Reckless Spending | الآثار الاقتصادية والاجتماعية الوخيمة للتبذير
Al-Isra 17:29 warns against both withholding expenditure and stretching one's hand out completely, ending blameworthy and exhausted. Excessive spending can consume the resources needed for maintenance and charity; the verse gives a practical reason to preserve balance. Al-Furqan 25:67 praises spending that avoids extravagance and stinginess. These principles guide a household's choices according to actual needs and means, with attention to the risk that careless purchases leave insufficient money for the obligations that must be met. Spending on dependents is itself rewarded when done seeking Allah's pleasure, as the Prophet told Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (Sahih al-Bukhari 1295).
وَلَا تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَحْسُورًا (سورة الإسراء: 29)
حذر الله تعالى في سورة الإسراء 17:29 من قبض اليد عن النفقة وبسطها كل البسط حتى يقعد الإنسان ملوما محسورا. وقد يستنفد الإسراف ما يحتاج إليه الإنسان لنفقة أهله والصدقة؛ فتدعو الآية إلى التوازن. ومدح الله تعالى في سورة الفرقان 25:67 الإنفاق الذي لا إسراف فيه ولا تقتير، وتراعى فيه حاجات الأسرة ووسعها. وأخبر النبي ﷺ سعد بن أبي وقاص أن نفقته ابتغاء وجه الله يؤجر عليها، حتى اللقمة التي يضعها في فم زوجته (صحيح البخاري 1295).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why does the Quran compare squanderers to the devils in Surah Al-Isra (17:27)?
Because squanderers misuse God's financial provisions in sinful and wasteful ways, mirroring Satan's rebellion and ingratitude.
What is the definition of Tabdheer according to classical scholars?
Ibn Mas'ud defines squandering as spending wealth in an inappropriate way, as Ibn Kathir relates on Al-Isra 17:26-27. Al-Qurtubi records al-Shafi'i's explanation as spending wealth outside its rightful use. Unlawful spending is squandering even when the amount is small; a gift must also preserve obligatory rights.
Is spending a large sum of money on charitable projects considered Tabdheer?
A large donation is not squandering merely because of its amount. Mujahid, as cited by Ibn Kathir on Al-Isra 17:27, distinguishes spending rightly from spending in wrongdoing. Charity must still respect obligatory maintenance and the rights of creditors; giving that neglects those rights is not rightful expenditure.
What does the Prophet say about wasting money in Sahih al-Bukhari?
In Sahih al-Bukhari 1477, the Prophet says that Allah dislikes idle talk, wasting wealth, and excessive questioning. The report identifies waste as blameworthy conduct and directs a believer to use wealth responsibly alongside fulfilling the rights of others.