Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 267-273

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنۡفِقُوۡا مِنۡ طَيِّبٰتِ مَا كَسَبۡتُمۡ وَمِمَّاۤ اَخۡرَجۡنَا لَـكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الۡخَبِيۡثَ مِنۡهُ تُنۡفِقُوۡنَ وَلَسۡتُمۡ بِاٰخِذِيۡهِ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ تُغۡمِضُوۡا فِيۡهِ​ؕ وَاعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيۡدٌ‏ ﴿2:267﴾ اَلشَّيۡطٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ الۡـفَقۡرَ وَيَاۡمُرُكُمۡ بِالۡفَحۡشَآءِ​ ۚ وَاللّٰهُ يَعِدُكُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَةً مِّنۡهُ وَفَضۡلًا ؕ وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيۡمٌۚ  ۙۖ‏ ﴿2:268﴾ يُؤۡتِى الۡحِكۡمَةَ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ​​ ۚ وَمَنۡ يُّؤۡتَ الۡحِكۡمَةَ فَقَدۡ اُوۡتِىَ خَيۡرًا كَثِيۡرًا​ ؕ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ اِلَّاۤ اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبَابِ‏ ﴿2:269﴾ وَمَاۤ اَنۡفَقۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ نَّفَقَةٍ اَوۡ نَذَرۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ نَّذۡرٍ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَعۡلَمُهٗ ؕ وَمَا لِلظّٰلِمِيۡنَ مِنۡ اَنۡصَارٍ‏ ﴿2:270﴾ اِنۡ تُبۡدُوا الصَّدَقٰتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِىَ​ۚ وَاِنۡ تُخۡفُوۡهَا وَ تُؤۡتُوۡهَا الۡفُقَرَآءَ فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ لَّكُمۡ​ؕ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ سَيِّاٰتِكُمۡ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿2:271﴾ لَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكَ هُدٰٮهُمۡ وَلٰـكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَهۡدِىۡ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ​ ؕ وَمَا تُنۡفِقُوۡا مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ فَلِاَنۡفُسِكُمۡ​ؕ وَمَا تُنۡفِقُوۡنَ اِلَّا ابۡتِغَآءَ وَجۡهِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَمَا تُنۡفِقُوۡا مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ يُّوَفَّ اِلَيۡكُمۡ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لَا تُظۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:272﴾ لِلۡفُقَرَآءِ الَّذِيۡنَ اُحۡصِرُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ لَا يَسۡتَطِيۡعُوۡنَ ضَرۡبًا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ يَحۡسَبُهُمُ الۡجَاهِلُ اَغۡنِيَآءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ​ۚ تَعۡرِفُهُمۡ بِسِيۡمٰهُمۡ​ۚ لَا يَسۡـئَلُوۡنَ النَّاسَ اِلۡحَـافًا ​ؕ وَمَا تُنۡفِقُوۡا مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِهٖ عَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿2:273﴾

(2:267) Believers! Spend (in the Way of Allah) out of the good things you have earned and out of what We have produced for you from the earth, and choose not for your spending the bad things such as you yourselves would not accept or accept only by overlooking its defects. Know well that Allah is All-Munificent, Most Praiseworthy.308 (2:268) Satan frightens you with poverty and bids you to commit indecency whereas Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounty. Allah is Munificent, All-Knowing. (2:269) He grants wisdom to those whom He wills; and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted much good.309 Yet none except people of understanding take heed. (2:270) Allah knows whatever you spend or whatever you vow (to spend). The wrong-doers have none to succour them.310 (2:271) If you dispense your charity publicly, it is well; but if you conceal it and pay it to the needy in secret, it will be even better for you.311 This will atone for several of your misdeeds.312 Allah is well aware of all that you do. (2:272) You are not responsible for setting these people on the Right Way; Allah sets on the Right Way whomsoever He wills. Whatever wealth you spend in charity is to your own benefit for you spend merely to please Allah. So, whatever you spend in charity will be repaid to you in full and you shall not be wronged.313 (2:273) Those needy ones who are wholly wrapped up in the cause of Allah, and who are hindered from moving about the earth in search of their livelihood, especially deserve help. He who is unaware of their circumstances supposes them to be wealthy because of their dignified bearing, but you will know them by their countenance, although they do not go about begging of people with importunity. Whatever wealth you spend on helping them, Allah will know of it.314

Notes

308. It is obvious that He Who is invested with the best attributes cannot be appreciative of those possessed of low and evil qualities. God is, for instance, Generous and Beneficent, and constantly showers His favours and bounties on His creatures. How is it possible for Him, then, to love those who are mean, niggardly and vicious?

309. 'Wisdom' signifies sound perception and sound judgement. The purpose of this statement is to point out that one who is possessed of wisdom will follow God's path rather than that of Satan. The followers of Satan believe that it is the height of wisdom and shrewdness to be constantly concerned with saving out of one's earnings, and to be perpetually on the look-out for higher income. But for those endowed with Divine perception such an attitude is sheer folly. True wisdom consists in using one's resource moderately to meet one's needs and in spending whatever is left for charitable purposes. It may be possible for a person who does not spend for charitable purposes to attain a much greater degree of worldy prosperity than others. The life of this world, however, is only a fraction of man's total life which is not limited to the confines of this world. One who risks the well-being of his eternal existence for the sake of highly transient well-being in this world is indeed a fool. The truly wise person is he who makes full use of the tenure of this life and invests his resources in prosperity in this life that will never cease.

310. Whether or not a man spends in the way of God, and whether or not he vows to spend in the way of God, God is fully aware both of his intentions and deeds. All those who either spend for the sake of God or vow to spend for the sake of God will be adequately rewarded. As for those who have either spent or have vowed to spend for others than God, no one will save them from God's chastisement.

'Vow' means either a man's pledge to spend something or to perform some act of goodness which is not obligatory on him providing a particular wish of his is fulfilled. Provided that this vow is related to some wish which is in itself permissible and good and that the person concerned makes it to none but God and for the sake of God, then such a vow will be reckoned as an act of obedience to God and its fulfilment will be worthy of reward. Otherwise such a vow will be seen as an act of disobedience and sin and its fulfilment will invite punishment from God.

311. If charity is of an obligatory nature it is preferable to dispense it openly. Non-obligatory charity should preferably be dispensed secretly. This principle applies to all acts. As a rule, it is more meritorious to perform obligatory acts openly and non-obligatory acts of goodness, secretly .

312. The performance of good deeds in secret leads to the continual improvement of one's life and character. One's good qualities develop fully and one's bad qualities gradually wither away. This makes a man so acceptable to God that He pardons the sins that he might have committed.

313. In the beginning Muslims tended to hesitate in helping either their non-Muslim relatives or other non-Muslims who were in need. They thought that helping Muslims only constituted 'spending in the way of Allah'. This verse rejects this attitude. The purpose of this verse is to point out that Muslims are not responsible for forcing true guidance down the throats of people; conveying the message of Truth to people absolves them of the obligation incumbent upon them. It is, then, for God either to favour the recipients of the message with true perception or not. In addition Muslims should not shrink from helping their relatives in the affairs of the world on the ground that they are not following the true guidance; they will he rewarded by God for whatever help they render to needy persons for the sake of God.

314. The people referred to here are those who, because they had dedicated themselves wholly to serving the religion of God, were unable to earn their livelihood. In the time of the Prophet there was a group of such volunteer workers, known as Ashab al-Suffah, consisting of about three or four hundred people who had forsaken their homes and gone to Madina. They remained at all times in the company, of the Prophet, always at his beck and call to perform whatever service he required of them. They were dispatched by the Prophet on whatever expeditions he wished. Whenever there was nothing to do elsewhere, they stayed in Madina and devoted themseleves to acquiring religious knowledge and imparting it to others. Since they were full-time workers and had no private resources to meet their needs, God pointed out to the Muslims that helping such people was the best way of 'spending in the way of Allah'.