Al-Baqarah (261-274)
Qur’anic Exegesis
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّئَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ
[This is the practice of the Almighty about providing guidance. So if they do not accept it, leave them, and fully understand that] those who spend their wealth in the way of God[1] can be compared to a grain of corn which brings forth seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains. God [in accordance with His wisdom] provides in abundance [in this manner] to whom He wills[2]; [In
فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ ثُمَّ لاَ يُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُواُ مَنًّا وَلاَ أَذًى لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًى وَاللّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَلِيمٌ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تُبْطِلُواْ صَدَقَاتِكُم بِالْمَنِّ وَالأذَى كَالَّذِي يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ رِئَاء النَّاسِ وَلاَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ
reality] God is munificent and all-knowing.[3] Those who spend their wealth in the way of God and do not follow this spending by reminders of their generosity and insults[4] have their reward with their Lord; they shall have nothing to fear [there] nor will they be sorrowful.[5] A kind word and forgiveness [at unpleasant instances] is better than charity followed by inflicting hurt. [You should know that] God is self-sufficient [from such charity] and [on such an attitude from you, He deprives you; however, besides this] He is very gracious. Believers! do not mar your charity by reminders of generosity and by hurting others like those who spend their wealth to show off before others and believe neither in God nor in the Last Day. Such men are like a rock covered with soil: a shower falls upon it and leaves it hard and bare.[6] [On the Day of
فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا لاَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُواْ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ (261-264)
وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمُ ابْتِغَاء مَرْضَاتِ اللّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍ بِرَبْوَةٍ أَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌ فَآتَتْ أُكُلَهَا ضِعْفَيْنِ فَإِن لَّمْ يُصِبْهَا وَابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ وَاللّهُ
Judgement], they shall gain nothing from what they earned. And [in reality], God does not guide such ungrateful people.[7] (261-264)
Those who spend their wealth to please God and to firmly attach their own souls [to the truth][8] are like an orchard which is on a high and level ground[9]: if a heavy shower falls upon it, it yields up twice its normal produce; and even if a severe shower does not fall on it, a drizzle is enough [to produce fruit]. Keep this example in
بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ (265)
أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَأَصَابَهُ الْكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَاء فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ (266)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَنفِقُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ الأَرْضِ وَلاَ تَيَمَّمُواْ الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيهِ إِلاَّ أَن تُغْمِضُواْ فِيهِ
mind] and [rest assured that] God knows whatever you do. (265)
Would any one of you who has an orchard of dates and grapes underneath which streams of water flow, in which are fruits of all kinds[10] and he grows old and his children are feeble wish that this orchard be blasted by a fiery whirlwind and it burn to ashes? [This will be the condition of people on the Day of Judgement who mar their spending in the way of Allah by reminders of generosity and by hurting others]. In this manner does God explain to you His revelations so that you may reflect. (266)
Believers! spend from your pure wealth[11] and from that which We have brought out of the earth for you[12], and don’t even think of spending something worthless [in the way of God] which you
وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ (267)
الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاء وَاللّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلاً وَاللّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ يُؤتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الأَلْبَابِ (268-269)
وَمَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن نَّفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُم مِّن نَّذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ (270)
yourselves would not receive but with closed eyes. You should know that God does not need [such spending from you] and He is glorious. (267)
Satan threatens you with poverty and tempts you to [spend on] lewd things[13] and God promises you His forgiveness and His bounty and God is munificent and all-knowing. He [according to His law] gives an awareness of [this promise of] wisdom to whom He pleases,[14] and he who receives this awareness indeed receives a treasure of great good. Yet none but men of sense receive a reminder [from such things]. (268-269)
[Keep this in due consideration] and [rest assured] whatever you spend and whatever vows you make[15] [you shall be fully rewarded for them] because God is fully aware of them and [those who turn away from the guidance of God and] wrong their souls will have none to help them [in the presence of God]. (270)
إِن تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاء فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لُّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ (271)
لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلأنفُسِكُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلاَّ ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ اللّهِ وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تُظْلَمُونَ (272)
If you spend openly then this too is a good thing,[16] but to give to the poor and to give it secretly is better.[17] [Through this], God will blot your sins and [there is absolutely no doubt that] God has knowledge of all your deeds.[18] (271)
[If the Israelites do not accept this guidance], it is not your responsibility to guide them. In fact, God gives guidance [in accordance with His law] to whom He wills.[19] [So while disregarding them, you Muslims should understand that] whatever you spend shall earn you only its benefit and you are [in fact] spending it to please the Lord and [for this objective] whatever you spend shall be repaid to you in full [on the Day of Judgement] and nothing at all shall be taken from what you have earned. (272)
الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاء مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لاَ يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلاَنِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (273-274)
This[20] is [specifically] for the poor[21] who are stranded in the cause of God and are not able to travel in the land to earn their livelihood. The ignorant take them for men of wealth on account of their modest behaviour. You can recognize them by their faces – they are not annoyingly insistent in begging.[22] [Help them] and [be aware that] whatever you spend [for this objective will necessarily earn reward for you] because it is known to God. Those who spend their wealth [in the way of God] by day and by night, in private and in public, have their reward with God and for them there shall be no fear [there] and nor shall they be sorrowful. (273-274)
(Translated from Ghamidi’s al-Bayan by Shehzad Saleem)