Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

27. “Verily, the squanderers are the brethrens (accomplices) of the Satans and the Satan was very ungrateful to his Lord.”

This verse provides a firm justification and emphasizes once again the negation of squandering.

It implies that those who engage in over consumption are accomplices to the Satan, for they tend to spoil Allah’s blessings, and ‘the Satan’ was most ungrateful to Allah, for Allah had bestowed upon him an exceptional potentiality intelligence, as well as extraordinary capability, which he utilized for objectives other than what all of them were destined for, that is, he employed all towards seduction of the people.

The verse says:

“Verily, the squanderers are the brethrens (accomplices) of the Satans and the Satan was very ungrateful to his Lord.”

Incidentally, the term /’ax/ in Arabic often denotes both ‘brother’, as well as one’s ‘companion’, and one’s company, as in the case of /’ixwassafar/ which refers to the person who is constantly engaged in traveling and in the case of /’ixwal karam/ which refers to the person who is ‘generous’.

‘Brotherhood’ is sometimes a hereditary issue which is established as a result of one’s familial relationship and at times it is the consequence of one’s political affiliation. The squanderers are thus, in a sense, the politically affiliated brothers of the Satan, that is, they are those who follow in the track of the Satan and keep his company.

There are frequent references made in the Qur’an to the ‘Satanical temptations’ or his mastership over individuals. But, the only occasion on which the phrase /’ixw an-uš-šay atin/ has been used is this verse, which means the squanderers are as the ‘collaborators’ of the Satan, and not under his domination.

As can be seen, one has here not only been overtaken by his temptations, but he has arrived at a stage of collaboration and assistance of the Satan.

The act of ‘squander’ is mostly used in the sphere of financial matters. However, it might also refer to other blessings such as ‘wasting of one’s youth’, or of his ‘life-time’ or utilizing of one’s thinking, eyes, ears and tongue in incorrect ways, assigning of responsibilities to indecent people, acceptance of responsibilities without having the proper qualifications and over and above one’s capacities and limitations, instructing and learning of unessential and useless matters, etc.¹