SADAQAH (CHARITY) – SPENDING IN THE WAY OF ALLAH (SwT)

قَوْلٌ مَعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَا أَذًى ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَلِيمٌ {2:263}

[Q2:263] Qawlum ma'roofunw wa maghfiratun khairum min sadaqatiny yatba'uhaaa azaa; wallaahu Ghaniyyun Haleem.

[Q2:263] Kind speech and forgiveness is better than charity followed by injury; and ALLAH (SWT) is Self-sufficient, Forbearing.

[Q2:263] Perkataan yang baik dan pemberian maaf lebih baik dari sedekah yang diiringi dengan sesuatu yang menyakitkan (perasaan si penerima). ALLAH (SwT) Maha Kaya lagi Maha Penyantun.

Qawlun ma-ruf - KIND SPEECH AND FORGIVENESS, refers to forbearance if the seeker of help makes unreasonable demands. SPENDING IN THE WAY OF ALLAH (SWT) IS A MEANS OF PURIFICATION. If it causes injury, it will add impurity. If you are a lover of the forbearing, you will imitate His attribute. On no account must you show any sign of anger or irritation at the poor man's importunity.

It is mentioned in the Minhajus Sadiqin that when Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib asked Prophet Khizr to say something good, Khizr said:

"To give in the way of ALLAH (SWT) to please ALLAH (SWT) is the best charity."

"Do you know that which is better than this?" Ali asked him.

"No", Khizr replied.

Ali said: "The self-respect of the poor, who depends on ALLAH (SWT), is better than the charity the wealthy give to the needy."

Khizr observed that Ali's opinion should be written in gold.

SPENDING IN THE WAY OF ALLAH (SWT) IS A SOCIAL COMMITMENT, WHICH GENERATES LOVE AMONG THE PEOPLE AND PROMOTES BROTHERHOOD.

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(2:263) A kind word and forbearance is better than that charity which is followed up by insult or injury. Allah is Self-Sufficient and Forbearing. *302

**302 This implies two things. First, Allah does not stand in need of anybody's charity, for He is Self-Sufficient. Secondly, He likes those people who are generous and large-hearted, but does not like frivolous and narrow-minded people, for He Himself is Generous, Clement and Forbearing. How, then Allah, Who bestows on the people the necessities of life without stint, and forgives and pardons them over and over again in spite of their errors, would like those who mar the self-respect of a person by sending repeated reminders of their charity and making pointed references to it even though they might have given only a farthing. A Tradition of the Holy Prophet says that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will neither speak a word nor even so much as look at a person who makes pointed references to the gift he gave to some one.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَىٰ كَالَّذِي يُنْفِقُ مَالَهُ رِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا ۖ لَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ {2:264}

[Q2:264] Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tubtiloo sadaqaatikum bilmanni wal azaa kallazee yunfiqu maalahoo ri'aaa'an naasi wa laa yu'minu billaahi wal yawmil aakhiri famasaluhoo kamasali safwaanin 'alaihi turaabun fa asaabahoo waabilun fatara kahoo saldaa; laa yaqdiroona 'alaa shai'im mimmaa kasaboo; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal kaafireen.
[Q2:264] O’ you who believe! do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his property to be seen of men and does not believe in ALLAH (SWT) and the last day; so his parable is as the parable of a smooth rock with earth upon it, then a heavy rain falls upon it, so it leaves it bare; they shall not be able to gain anything of what they have earned; and ALLAH (SWT) does not guide the unbelieving people.

[Q2:264] Hai orang-orang beriman, janganlah kamu menghilangkan (pahala) sedekahmu dengan menyebut-nyebutnya dan menyakiti (perasaan si penerima), seperti orang yang menafkahkan hartanya karena ria kepada manusia dan dia tidak beriman kepada ALLAH (SwT) dan hari kemudian. Maka perumpamaan orang itu seperti batu licin yang di atasnya ada tanah, kemudian batu itu ditimpa hujan lebat, lalu menjadilah dia bersih (tidak bertanah). Mereka tidak menguasai sesuatu pun dari apa yang mereka usahakan; dan ALLAH (SwT) tidak memberi petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang kafir.

Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib says:

õ  That he who has wealth BUT DOES NOT SHOW OFF, or

õ  He who has the power to avenge BUT FORGIVES, or

õ  He who gives good counsel EVEN TO HIS ENEMY, or

õ  He who spends in the way of ALLAH (SWT) WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED, WITHOUT MAKING IT KNOWN, IS THE TRUE HERO.

TO ATTACH STRINGS TO CHARITY, OR TO MAKE IT KNOWN, OR TO REPROACH THE OVERLY SOLICITOUS SEEKER OF HELP, IS AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY AND RENDERS THE CHARITY USELESS.

While giving Zakat and sadqa, one positively lays claim to the act of goodness done in obedience to ALLAH (SWT), BUT salat is an act of devotion which implies self-denial; the devotee is engrossed in the greatness of the absolute.

¥  Sublime was the devotee, Ali ibne Abi Talib, who performed these two different acts at the same time - prayed as well as spent in the way of ALLAH (SWT) , AND, THEREFORE, was declared to be the wali of the faithful along with ALLAH (SWT) and His messenger, in verse 5:55 of al Ma-idah.

WE ARE BARREN LIKE ROCKS. TO BE FERTILE AND OF BENEFIT TO OURSELVES AND TO OTHERS, WE MUST COVER OURSELVES WITH THE MOIST EARTH OF IHSAN (giving more than what one deserves). IF WE CAUSE HARM OR INJURY, it is as if the fertile soil was washed off, leaving us once again barren.

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(2:264) O Believers, do not spoil your charity by taunts and injury to the recipients like the one who practises charity to be seen by men, while he neither believes in Allah nor in the Last Day. *303 His charity may be likened to the rainfall on a rock which had only a thin layer of soil upon it. When heavy rain fell on it, the whole of the soil washed away and the rock was left bare *304 Such people do not gain the reward they imagine they have earned by their seeming charity; Allah does not show the Right Way to the ungrateful. *305

*303. The desire to display one's good deeds itself proves that the person concerned does not truly believe in God and the Hereafter. One who does good merely in order to impress people with his righteousness clearly regards those persons as his god. Such a person neither expects reward from God nor is he concerned that his good deeds will some day be reckoned to his credit.
*304. In this parable, 'heavy rain' signifies charity, and 'rock' the wicked intent and motive which lie behind external acts of charity. The expression, 'with a thin coating of earth upon it' signifies the external aspect of charity which conceals the wicked intent and motive of a man. These explanations make the significance and purport of the parable clear. The natural effect of rainfall should be the growth of plants and harvest. But if the earth, which is the repository of fertility, is insignificant in quantity, for example only a coating of it on some rock, the result will be that instead of yielding any beneficial result the rainfall may even prove harmful. Similarly, charity has the capacity to generate goodness and benevolence in human beings. Man's potential for goodness, however, is conditional on sincerity. Devoid of that charity leads to sheer loss and waste.
*305. Here the term kafir is used in the sense of the ungrateful person who refuses to acknowledge benevolence. People who either make use of the bounties of God in order to seek the gratitude of God's creatures rather than God's good pleasure, or who spend on others and then hurt them by stressing their acts of benevolence and kindness, are ungrateful to God for His bounties and favours. Since such people do not seek to please God, God does not care to direct them to the way that leads to His good pleasure. 

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍ بِرَبْوَةٍ أَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌ فَآتَتْ أُكُلَهَا ضِعْفَيْنِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُصِبْهَا وَابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ {2:265}

[Q2:265] Wa masalul lazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahumub ti ghaaaa'a mardaatil laahi wa tasbeetam min anfusihim kamasali jannatim birabwatin asaabahaa waabilun fa aatat ukulahaa di'faini fa il lam yusibhaa waabilun fatall; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Baseer.

[Q2:265] And the parable of those who spend their property to seek the pleasure of ALLAH (SWT) and for the certainty of their souls is as the parable of a garden on an elevated ground, upon which heavy rain falls so it brings forth its fruit twofold but if heavy rain does not fall upon it, then light rain (is sufficient); and ALLAH (SWT) sees what you do.

[Q2:265] Dan perumpamaan orang-orang yang membelanjakan hartanya karena mencari keridaan ALLAH (SwT) dan untuk keteguhan jiwa mereka, seperti sebuah kebun yang terletak di dataran tinggi yang disiram oleh hujan lebat, maka kebun itu menghasilkan buahnya dua kali lipat. Jika hujan lebat tidak menyiraminya, maka hujan gerimis (pun memadai). Dan ALLAH (SwT) Maha Melihat apa yang kamu perbuat.

SPENDING AND GIVING OF WHAT ONE WANTS TO KEEP, BENEFITS MAN TWICE OVER; [1] IT SPEEDS UP THE PROCESS OF INNER PURIFICATION AS WELL AS [2] PROMOTES THE WELFARE OF THE HUMAN SOCIETY.

±  ISLAM lays special stress on the spending in the way of ALLAH (SWT) BECAUSE it is a universal religion, perfected and completed by ALLAH (SWT) who has prescribed mercy for Himself in verses 6:12 and 6:54 of al An-am.

±  ISLAM, when translated into action, takes the form of salat, Zakat and sadqa. 

AND FAITH, UNLESS PROVED BY ACTIONS, IS A BOGUS CLAIM. NEITHER ALLAH (SWT) ACCEPTS IT NOR HIS SERVANTS GIVE IT ANY IMPORTANCE.

µ  If the spirit OR the intention behind the spending is to seek pleasure of ALLAH (SWT), then if the means are large the corresponding spending will also be substantial AND big-hearted and if the means are moderate, even then the spending will be sufficient. When heavy rain falls the tall trees of a garden bring forth their fruit twofold, BUT even light rain is sufficient, because rooted very deep, they draw adequate nutrition from the soil.

IN THE DAYS OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), THE EARLY MUSLIMS LIVED IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS A PERIOD OF TEST AND TRIAL. The overwhelming forces of falsehood made their lives a bed of thorns, their relentless persecution hunted them, THEREFORE, in the face of the preponderant danger to their lives and property, they had to sacrifice whatever they owned, lives as well as possessions, whenever either or both of them were needed. UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES THE MINIMUM SACRIFICE DESERVES MAXIMUM REWARD.

ä  THIS VERSE ASSURES the sincere believers in particular and other members of the human society in general that every act of virtue has its own energy to make both the lives (here and hereafter) meaningful and rewarding, EVEN IF there were no external agents to nourish them.

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(2:265) In contrast to them, the charity of those, who expend their wealth sincerely with the sole desire of pleasing Allah, may be likened to a garden on a plateau. If heavy rain falls, it yields its produce twofold: and even if there is no heavy rain but only a light shower, that too, is sufficient *306 for it: whatever you do is in the sight of Allah.

*306. 'Heavy rain' signifies here charity motivated by a high degree of benevolence and sincerity. 'Light shower' refers to charity deficient in sincerity and goodness, though not altogether devoid of them. 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ {2:267}

[Q2:267] Yaaa 'ayyuhal lazeena aamanooo anfiqoo min taiyibaati maa kasabtum wa mimmaaa akhrajuaa lakum minal ardi wa laa tayammamul khabeesa minhu tunfiqoona wa lastum bi aakhizeehi illaaa an tughmidoo feeh; wa'lamooo annal laaha Ghaniyyun Hameed.
[Q2:267] O’ you who believe! spend (benevolently) of the good things that you earn and or what We have brought forth for you out of the earth, and do not aim at what is bad that you may spend (in alms) of it, while you would not take it yourselves unless you have its price lowered, and know that ALLAH (SWT) is Self-sufficient, Praiseworthy.

[Q2:267] Hai orang-orang yang beriman, nafkahkanlah (di jalan ALLAH (SwT)) sebagian dari hasil usahamu yang baik-baik dan sebagian dari apa yang Kami keluarkan dari bumi untuk kamu. Dan janganlah kamu memilih yang buruk-buruk lalu kamu nafkahkan daripadanya, padahal kamu sendiri tidak mau mengambilnya melainkan dengan memicingkan mata terhadapnya. Dan ketahuilah, bahwa ALLAH (SwT) Maha Kaya lagi Maha Terpuji.

THIS VERSE is a summation of the preceding verses from 261 to 266. THE PRIORITY IN LIFE IS TO SPEND IN THE WAY OF ALLAH (SWT) OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE EARN AND POSSESS, AND OF WHAT ALLAH (SWT) HAS GIVEN US OUT OF THE EARTH; AND NOT TO GIVE THAT WHICH WE REJECT AS BAD, BECAUSE WE OURSELVES WOULD NOT TAKE IT UNLESS ITS PRICE IS LOWERED,

ß  THEREFORE, in verse 3:92 of Ali Imran we are reminded:

“You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that which you love.”

THE RICH ARE WARNED NOT TO GIVE THEIR REJECTED AND UNWANTED THINGS AS CHARITY TO THE POOR.

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(2:267) O Believers, expend in Allah's Way the best portion of the wealth you have earned and of that We have produced for you from the earth, and do not pick out for charity those worthless things which you yourselves would only accept in disdain by connivance, if they were offered to you. Understand it well that Allah does not stand in need of anything whatsoever and has all the praise-worthy attributes. *308

*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?