Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
This study examines the concept of Tatfīf in the Holy Quran through an interdisciplinary-interpretive approach, employing semantic-structural analysis and the principle of Jarayan al-Maʿnā (semantic continuity). The central research question asks whether Tatfīf is confined exclusively to short-weighting in commercial transactions, or whether it describes a more pervasive pattern of double standard behavior in human conduct. The research data were processed through Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis, yielding four principal themes. The findings demonstrate that a precise analysis of the preposition ʿalā in the expression iktālū ʿalā al-nās, as opposed to min in kālūhum, along with the semantic opposition between the verbs yastawfūn and yukhsirūn, reveals a semantic structure in which the agent is exacting in claiming his own rights yet negligent in fulfilling the rights of others. This pattern, rooted in psychological self-centeredness and entitlement, transcends the economic domain and is traceable in professional relationships, professional ethics, and organizational behavior. The prevalence of this behavior at the societal level undermines interactional justice and erodes social capital. The admonition Waylun in Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn represents not merely an eschatological warning, but an allusion to a historical law: societies founded upon double standards are susceptible to social disintegration.
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