Surah Ad-Dhuhaa: Verse 10 - وأما السائل فلا تنهر... - English

Injunction [ 2]

وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ‌ (and as for the beggar, do not scold him....93:10). The verb tanhar is derived from nahr which means 'to scold'. The word sa'il means 'one who asks'. It includes a person who asks people's wealth, that is, a beggar, and it also includes the one who asks a question of knowledge, that is, an academic investigator. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has forbidden to berate either of them. The best course of action is to give the beggar something. If one is unable to give a beggar anything, one should at least apologise to him politely [ so as not to give him any further grief ]. Likewise, anyone who is searching knowledge and asks questions, it is forbidden to respond to him harshly and unkindly. The teacher should reply kindly and politely. However, if the investigator is unreasonable in his approach, it is permissible to scold him to the degree that is necessary.