Surah 107 - Al Maun (Helpfulness)

1 Have you observed him who denies the judgment? 2 That is he who repels the orphan,

The surah links theological denial with moral failure. To deny the Day of Judgment is not treated as an abstract doctrinal error, but as something that manifests in cruelty toward the vulnerable - here, the orphan. Christianity strongly affirms this connection: neglect of the powerless is evidence of a corrupted heart and false faith (James 1:27; Matthew 25:41–45). From a Christian standpoint, these verses are among the Qur’an’s strongest indictments of merely formal religion.

3 And urges not the feeding of the needy.

The sin here is not only personal neglect but the failure to encourage communal charity. Christianity similarly emphasizes both personal generosity and corporate responsibility (2 Corinthians 8–9). The verse rightly exposes how indifference can masquerade as orthodoxy. A Christian critique would note, however, that the Qur’an frames charity primarily as moral obligation, whereas the New Testament roots generosity in grace already received (2 Corinthians 9:7).

4 Ah, woe to worshippers 5 Who are heedless of their prayer;

This is perhaps the most striking turn in the surah. Condemnation now falls not on irreligious outsiders, but on religious practitioners whose prayer is empty or inattentive. Christianity finds a strong parallel in Jesus’ critique of hypocritical worship (Matthew 6:5; Isaiah 29:13). From a Christian perspective, these verses demonstrate that ritual prayer, even when correctly performed, is spiritually meaningless if detached from justice and sincerity.

6 Who would be seen (at worship)

Here the surah condemns religious ostentation—acts done for social recognition rather than devotion to God. This closely mirrors Jesus’ warnings against public piety performed “to be seen by others” (Matthew 23:5). Both traditions recognize that moral performance without inward integrity is spiritually hollow.

7 Yet refuse small kindnesses!

Christianity similarly treats love in ordinary actions as a decisive test of faith (1 John 3:17). From a Christian critique, however, the surah again diagnoses the problem accurately but does not address its root: why the human heart resists mercy in the first place.