وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۱۸۸﴾ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿۱۸۹﴾
﴾188﴿ Wa laa taakuloo amwaalakum bainakum bilbaatili wa tudloo bihaaa ilal hukkaami litaakuloo fareeqam min amwaalin naasi bil ismi wa antum ta'lamoon
﴾189﴿ Yas'aloonaka 'anil ahillati qul hiya mawaaqeetu linnaasi wal Hajj; wa laisal birru bi an ta'tul buyoota min zuhoorihaa wa laakinnal birra manit taqaa; wa'tul buyoota min abwaa bihaa; wattaqullaaha la'allakum tuflihoon
﴾188﴿ And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly among yourselves, nor present it to the authorities (as a bribe) in order to consume a portion of people’s wealth sinfully while you know.
﴾189﴿ They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are measurements of time for the people and for the Hajj. And it is not righteousness that you enter houses from their backs, but righteousness is for the one who fears Allah. So enter houses through their doors, and fear Allah so that you may be successful.
[188] In this verse is the fourth ruling of governance: do not consume wealth through unlawful means such as seizure, interest, theft, bribery, deception, customs, or innovations—all of these are falsehood.
“Do not present it to the authorities”—the implied lā (do not) is at the beginning of the phrase, and the pronoun bihā refers to wealth, meaning: do not bring your wealth to the rulers in the form of bribery.
“So that you may consume”—bribery here refers to giving wealth to unjustly acquire someone else's property or right.
If a person gives something to a judge to obtain their own rightful due, it is not considered a bribe from the giver, but it remains forbidden for the receiver.
[189] In fasting, the calculation is based on the lunar months because even illiterate people can understand them—solar calculations are not relied upon.
The same applies to Hajj. For this reason, calculating by the moon is a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah).
The correct view is that the companions asked about the wisdom behind the phases of the moon, and the answer came by explaining its purpose.
“And for Hajj”—Hajj is mentioned specifically because the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period had invented the practice of nasī’, in which they would alter the timing of Hajj, as mentioned in Surah At-Tawbah.
“It is not righteousness”—this refers to a pre-Islamic custom during Hajj where people would re-enter their houses or tents from the back, thinking it was an act of virtue.