Quran Universe
11:86

بَقِيَّتُ ٱللَّهِ خَيۡرٞ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ عَلَيۡكُم بِحَفِيظٖ

Baqiyyatu Allahi khayrun lakum in kuntum mumineena wama ana AAalaykum bihafeethin

What remains [lawful] from Allah is best for you, if you would be believers. But I am not a guardian over you."

Word by word
  1. بَقِيَّتُ(What) remains
  2. ٱللَّهِ(from) Allah
  3. خَيۡرٞ(is) best
  4. لَّكُمۡfor you
  5. إِنif
  6. كُنتُمyou are
  7. مُّؤۡمِنِينَۚbelievers
  8. وَمَآAnd not
  9. أَنَا۠I am
  10. عَلَيۡكُمover you
  11. بِحَفِيظٖa guardian
Hud · 11:86Makkah

What is left after honesty is better for you.

Clean profit versus wrongful gain

Two kinds of profit
more, by cheatingbigger, but wrongful
less, but cleanwhat Allah leaves you
Who it is for
to be seenShu'ayb watching me
for Allahhe is not your guardian

Ibn Jarir explains that the profit left after giving people their rights is better than taking their wealth wrongfully. Ibn Kathir links it to the verse that the bad and the good are not equal, even if the bad is plentiful. Shu'ayb added he was not their guardian: do this for Allah, not to be seen.

Payday comes and it is smaller than your friend's, who cuts corners. You feel like the fool for being honest. The smaller, clean amount carries blessing. And nobody is checking but Allah.

Honest money is less, so honesty is a loss.

What remains lawful from Allah is worth more than a bigger pile gained wrongly.

Try this

Look at your next payment and thank Allah that it is clean, whatever the size.

Related5:100
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 11:85)

"And O my people! Give full measure and weight in justice and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption. (85)"That which is left by Allah is better for you, if you are believers. And I am not a guardian over you. (86)

First, he (Shu'ayb) prohibited them from cheating in business by decreasing the weights whenever they gave (products) to people. He commanded them to give just measure and weight whether they were giving or receiving (in transactions). He also forbade them from causing mischief and corruption in the land. This was due to their practice of highway robbery along the roads. Abu Ja'far bin Jarir said,

بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

(That which is left by Allah (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you,) "This means what you gain from your successful business dealings in which you have given just measure, is better for you than wrongfully taking the wealth of the people." Ibn Jarir said that this statement has been reported from Ibn 'Abbas and I say it is similar to Allah's statement,

قُل لَّا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ

(Say: "Not equal are Khabith (all that is evil) and Tayyib (all that is good), even though the abundance of Khabith may please you.")[5:100] Allah then says,

وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ

(And I am not a guardian over you.) This means a watcher over you people. In other words, "Do this for Allah and not to be seen by the people."