Wealth spent in the way of God compared to sowing in fertile soil, Charity not to accompany with reproach, injury or obligation, Kind speech better than charity followed by reproach or injury, spending for show condemned and discouraged, parables.

Al-Baqarah Verses 261 – 266

مَثَلُ الَّذينَ يُنفِقونَ أَموالَهُم في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَت سَبعَ سَنابِلَ في كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِائَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُضاعِفُ لِمَن يَشاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ واسِعٌ عَليمٌ

“The similitude of those who spend their wealth in the path of God is the similitude of a grain of corn that groweth seven ears, in each ear whereof are a hundred grains; And verily God giveth manifold increase to whosoever He willeth, And God is Omniscient, All Knowing” (2:261).

الَّذينَ يُنفِقونَ أَموالَهُم في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ لا يُتبِعونَ ما أَنفَقوا مَنًّا وَلا أَذًى ۙ لَهُم أَجرُهُم عِندَ رَبِّهِم وَلا خَوفٌ عَلَيهِم وَلا هُم يَحزَنونَ

“Those who spend their wealth in the path of God, (and) thereafter follow it not obligation or injury, for them is their reward with their Lord, and neither shall they have (any) fear and nor shall they grieve” (2:262).

قَولٌ مَعروفٌ وَمَغفِرَةٌ خَيرٌ مِن صَدَقَةٍ يَتبَعُها أَذًى ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَليمٌ

“A kind word and pardon is better than charity that is followed by injury, and verily God is Self-Sufficient, the Most Forbearing” (2:263).

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تُبطِلوا صَدَقاتِكُم بِالمَنِّ وَالأَذىٰ كَالَّذي يُنفِقُ مالَهُ رِئَاءَ النّاسِ وَلا يُؤمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَومِ الآخِرِ ۖ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفوانٍ عَلَيهِ تُرابٌ فَأَصابَهُ وابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلدًا ۖ لا يَقدِرونَ عَلىٰ شَيءٍ مِمّا كَسَبوا ۗ وَاللَّهُ لا يَهدِي القَومَ الكافِرينَ

“O’ ye who believe! Render not your charities worthless by obligation and injury (laid on them) like one who spendeth his wealth to be seen of men and believeth not in God and the Last Day (of Judgment); His similitude is as the likeness of a smooth hard rock, on it is (a little) dust, a heavy rain falleth upon it and leaveth it just a bare stone; They shall not gain anything of what they have earned (in this world) and verily God guideth not the disbelieving people” (2:264).

وَمَثَلُ الَّذينَ يُنفِقونَ أَموالَهُمُ ابتِغاءَ مَرضاتِ اللَّهِ وَتَثبيتًا مِن أَنفُسِهِم كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍ بِرَبوَةٍ أَصابَها وابِلٌ فَآتَت أُكُلَها ضِعفَينِ فَإِن لَم يُصِبها وابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِما تَعمَلونَ بَصيرٌ

“The similitude of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s pleasure and or asserting of thesmelves in devotion, is as the similitude of a garden on an elevation; heavy rain falleth upon it and it yieldeth its fruit two-fold, and if heavy rain falleth not upon it, then a gentle shower (itself suffices it); And verily God be- holdeth all that ye do” (2:265).

أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُم أَن تَكونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِن نَخيلٍ وَأَعنابٍ تَجري مِن تَحتِهَا الأَنهارُ لَهُ فيها مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ وَأَصابَهُ الكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفاءُ فَأَصابَها إِعصارٌ فيهِ نارٌ فَاحتَرَقَت ۗ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الآياتِ لَعَلَّكُم تَتَفَكَّرونَ

“(What!) would any one of you like that there should be for him a garden of palms, vines, (with) streams flowing from underneath it for him all kinds of fruit therein, he is stricken with old age, and for him there be issues (young and) weak, striketh it a whirlwind with fire therein and it gets burnt up? Thus doth God make clear to you His signs; that ye may reflect” (2:266).

Commentary

Verse 261

It is noteworthy that one’s identification with the cause of the interest of the further welfare of his brethren has been deemed as the cause of God. The words ‘in the way of God’ has been repeatedly used in the Holy Qur’an for charity, particularly for the cause of the faith, its defence, its security, and its propagation. Anything selflessly spent in a charitable cause is deemed as spent in the way of God. The promise of an enormously multiplied return is one of the primary objects of Islam i.e. to exhort the sincere believers in God i.e. the Muslims, towards spending of whatever God has provided them with, in service above self and thus inculcate charity among the faithful. This verse includes ‘Jehad’ or the striving for the faith and all the other kinds of charity.

The return or the reward promised is current for both the present life of the individual as well as the life hereafter (i.e. after death).

As the Verse 254 has begun to deal with man’s contribution out of what he has, to secure his happiness in the life hereafter, it was necessary to draw one’s attention towards the relation between the Creator and the creatures, the duty of man towards God and the other beings and what a man ought to do and what he ought not to do, and the possibility of the dead returning to life as willed by God. Now it comes back to encourage man to spend of his wealth in the way of God which will be returned to him manifold with the provisions given in the text of this verse and the succeeding 262-264. (A.P.)

Verse 262

‘Manna’ means a favour to one, giving expression to the good done to someone, or reminding one of the favours done to him, by way of reproach. ‘Aza’ signifies harm or arrogance or inflicting of slight injury. Hence any favour done to any one must never be with any selfish motive and never be accompanied or followed by any reproach. Even a mention of any favour done is forbidden, lest it may put the recipient of the favour to shame or humiliation in the eyes of the others. The Holy Imam Husayn used to give to the seeker, whatever he gave, from behind the door, lest the beggar might feel ashamed or humiliated. And the Holy Imam Ali Ibn al-Husayn, whenever he gave anything in charity, used first to kiss the hand of the recipient, as it represented the hand of God1.

Verse 263

‘Qaulun Maaruf.’ Sympathetic speech to the beggar and forgiveness refers to forbearance if the beggar or any seeker insists in his demand and continues to worry for it. On no account should one get irritated or show any sign of anger or irritation at the poor man’s importunity. This verse clearly declares that charity accompanied or followed by any action on the part of the giver of the charity which in the least pains, hurts, humiliates or puts to shame the recipient, ceases to be a charity worth any consideration.

It is reported that once the first Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib met the Holy Apostle of God ‘Kizr’ and Ali asked Kizr: ‘please say something good’.

The Holy Apostle ‘Kizr’ said: “Best is the charity of the wealthy towards the poor which is merely to please God”

Ali asked Kizr: “Knowest thou as to what will be better than this?”

Kizr replied: “No! Then Ali said: “Better (than what thou sayest) will be the pride of the poor over the wealthy, emanating from the dependence on God”

Kizr said: “This saying of thine deserves to be written in gold” (M.S.)

Charity indicates the fellow-feeling, and fellow-feeling is generated from the conviction of the individual about the fellowship of his brethren and the commitment of each to each for all and all for each which is nothing but the universal nature of the fellowship or the true brotherhood of men.

Verse 264

The giving of alms just for a show of charity is base, strongly condemned and disapproved. The Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib says:

There are four kinds of valour:

1. Modesty in spite of wealth.

2. Pardon in spite of the power to avenge.

3. Goodly advice even to an enemy.

4. Charity without obligation and without a show of it. (M.F.)

Charity accompanied with obligation and reproach is compared to charity given for show in futility. (A.P.)

Giving of alms for a show of charity, is strongly condemned and disapproved. One who does this is compared to the one who does not believe in God and the Day of Judgment. Thus, charity merely for show is so much hateful in the view of God.

Asserting one’s self in obedience to God. The point to be noted here is that ‘Zakat’ or any charitable contribution is assertion. One contributes of what he possesses while prayer ‘Salat’ or ‘Namaz’ is a form of devotion which implies self-denial when the devotee absorbs himself in the greatness of the Absolute. Sublime would be the devotee who could continue these two opposites, i.e., both of these two forms of devotion at one and the same time2. (A.P.)

Verse 265

The extraordinary or the special stress on charity that Islam lays, is clear evidence of the main or the sole object of the religion being the welfare of the human race as a whole, and thus the creed being undoubtedly a universal religion revealed by the Creator Lord of all, Who has Himself made Mercy incumbent upon Himself3.

No other religion in the world has stressed so much upon charity as Islam has done. It is a cardinal doctrine or the fundamental article of the practice of the faith, closely associated or identified with the ‘Wajib’ or the compulsory prayer to God. The faith, Islam, when translated into action takes the form mainly of prayer and charity. Faith unless proved in action is nothing but a bogus claim, acceptable neither by man nor by God.

The merit of the charity lies in the spirit or the intention underlying it. The tall trees of a garden do not very much depend upon the rainfall. To draw sufficient nutrition from the soil in which they have sent roots very deep, it makes very little difference to such trees whether it rains heavily or lightly. The heavy or light rain is compared to the external circumstances that seems to make a difference in the productive aspect of the charity.

Charity during the time of the Holy Prophet was needed the most, for Islam at its start was in the struggle for its very existence and the Muslims had to sacrifice all that they owned and even their lives whenever it was needed. Muslims were a small group, and lived amidst an atmosphere wholly hostile to their faith and to themselves. It was a period of actual trial and test of the hearts of the people who ventured to embrace the truth which was itself in agony for its very existence against the overwhelming forces of falsehood, which were ever busy to cause hurt and harm to the maximum limits possible for them. Naturally even the least effort of self-sacrifice in these times rightly deserved the bountiful rewards promised to those sufferers in the way of God.

The verse exhorts to assure the sincere believers in particular and every member of the human family in general that every act of virtue has an energy of its own, to grow in this life and also in the next, and it has fountains of life to draw upon even if there were nothing to nourish them.

Verse 266

The necessity of conscientiousness in paying the prescribed charity when it has to be paid in kind. Note how Islam, even after prescribing the law for the legal dues from each individual, does not treat it as a state tax, but expects everyone to come forward to be true to one’s own conscience. The people have been given the chance to exercise fully their individual liberty by binding themselves to their moral responsibility towards their religious commitments. How beautifully an act of prescribed law has been used to develop and promote moral consciousness in the people by allowing it to be enforced voluntarily by each individual to the best of his conscience.

As regards giving in charity, one has been warned against giving away things he would not like to own for himself. On the other hand, the following Verse says:

لَن تَنالُوا البِرَّ حَتّىٰ تُنفِقوا مِمّا تُحِبّونَ

“Never shall ye attain to righteousness until ye give (in charity) out of what ye love…” (3:92).

Here is a warning that good deeds accompanied or followed by evils may result in bringing all the efforts to naught, when the return for the efforts one might urgently need. (A.P.)

• 1. Vide 9:104.
• 2. See 5:55.
• 3. Verse 6:12 and 6:54.