Essence of the Holy Qur’an — Page 138
138 Chapter 83 At-Ta t f i f # O + ) (Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context The S u rah opens with a severe condemnation of the use of false measures and weights to defraud people. According to scholarly opinion, it was revealed early in the Meccan period. Noldeke and Muir assign its revelation to about the fourth year of the Call. The preceding S u rah had ended with a warning to disbelievers that they will have to render account of their deeds and to make up their spiritual loss themselves, the sacrifice or intercession of no one else being of any use to them on the Day of Judgment. In that S u rah man’s relations with his Creator were discussed. In the present S u rah , however, stress has been laid on man’s dealings with his fellow-beings with special reference to the cruel exploitation by powerful nations of weaker and less developed peoples after depriving them of their liberty of action. It ends on a note of stern warning to the unjust and dishonest people that they will not be allowed to go unpunished. The Day of Reckoning awaits them in all its frightfulness and severity.