[الَّذِينَ
يُنفِقُونَ
أَمْولَهُمْ
فِى سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ
ثُمَّ لاَ
يُتْبِعُونَ
مَآ أَنْفَقُواْ
مَنّا وَلا
أَذًى
لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ
عِندَ
رَبّهِمْ
وَلاَ خَوْفٌ
عَلَيْهِمْ
وَلاَ هُمْ
يَحْزَنُونَ
قَوْلٌ
مَّعْرُوفٌ
وَمَغْفِرَةٌ
خَيْرٌ مّن
صَدَقَةٍ
يَتْبَعُهَآ
أَذًى
وَاللَّهُ
غَنِىٌّ
حَلِيمٌ
يأَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
ءامَنُواْ
لاَ
تُبْطِلُواْ صَدَقَـتِكُم
بِالْمَنّ
وَالاْذَى
كَالَّذِى
يُنفِقُ
مَالَهُ
رِئَآء
النَّاسِ وَلاَ
يُؤْمِنُ
بِاللَّهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ
الاْخِرِ
فَمَثَلُهُ
كَمَثَلِ
صَفْوَانٍ
عَلَيْهِ
تُرَابٌ
فَأَصَابَهُ
وَابِلٌ
فَتَرَكَهُ
صَلْدًا لاَّ
يَقْدِرُونَ
عَلَى شَىْء
مّمَّا
كَسَبُواْ
وَاللَّهُ
لاَ يَهْدِي
الْقَوْمَ
الْكَـفِرِينَ]
(262. Those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah, and do not
follow up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, their
reward is with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.)
(263. Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than Sadaqah (charity)
followed by injury. And Allah is Rich (free of all needs) and He is Most
Forbearing.) (264. O you who believe! Do not render in
vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like
him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a
smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls
heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what
they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.)
To Remind About Charity Given is Forbidden
Allah praises those who
spend from their money in His cause, and then refrain from reminding those who
received the charity of that fact, whether these hints take the form of words
or actions.
Allah's statement,
[وَلاَ
أَذًى]
(or
with injury), indicates that they do not cause harm to those whom they gave the
charity to, for this harm will only annul the charity. Allah next promised them
the best rewards for this good deed,
[لَهُمْ
أَجْرُهُمْ
عِندَ
رَبِّهِمْ]
(their
reward is with their Lord), indicating that Allah Himself will reward them for
these righteous actions. Further,
[وَلاَ
خَوْفٌ
عَلَيْهِمْ]
(On them shall be no fear)
regarding the horrors of the Day of Resurrection,
[وَلاَ
هُمْ
يَحْزَنُونَ]
(nor
shall they grieve) regarding the offspring that they leave behind and the
adornment and delights of this world. They will not feel sorry for this,
because they will acquire what is far better for them.
Allah then said,
[قَوْلٌ
مَّعْرُوفٌ]
(Kind words) meaning,
compassionate words and a supplication for Muslims,
[وَمَغْفِرَةٌ]
(and
forgiving) meaning, forgiving an injustice that took the form of actions or
words,
[خَيْرٌ
مِّن
صَدَقَةٍ
يَتْبَعُهَآ
أَذًى]
(are
better than Sadaqah (charity) followed by injury.)
[وَاللَّهُ
غَنِىٌّ]
(And Allah is Rich) not
needing His creation,
[حَلِيمٌ]
(Most Forbearing) forgives, releases and pardons them.
There are several Hadiths
that prohibit reminding people of acts of charity. For instance, Muslim
recorded that Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«ثَلَاثَةٌ
لَا
يُكَلِّمُهُمُ
اللهُ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ،
وَلَا
يَنْظُرُ
إِلَيْهِم،
وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ،
وَلَهُمْ
عَذَابٌ
أَلِيمٌ: الْمَنَّانُ
بِمَا
أَعْطَى،
وَالْمُسْبِلُ
إِزَارَهُ،
وَالْمُنَفِّقُ
سِلْعَتَهُ بِالْحَلِفِ
الْكَاذِب»
(Three persons whom Allah
shall neither speak to on the Day of Resurrection nor look at nor purify, and
they shall receive a painful torment: he who reminds (the people) of what he
gives away, he who lengthens his clothes below the ankles and he who swears an
oath while lying, to sell his merchandise.)
This is why Allah said,
[يأَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ
لاَ تُبْطِلُواْ
صَدَقَـتِكُم
بِالْمَنِّ
وَالاٌّذَى]
(O you
who believe! Do
not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by
injury) stating that the charity will be rendered in vain if it is followed by
harm or reminders. In this case, the reward of giving away charity is not
sufficient enough to nullify the harm and reminders. Allah then said,
[كَالَّذِى
يُنفِقُ
مَالَهُ
رِئَآءَ
النَّاسِ]
(like
him who spends his wealth to be seen of men) meaning, "Do not nullify your
acts of charity by following them with reminders and harm, just like the
charity of those who give it to show off to people.'' The boasting person
pretends to give away charity for Allah's sake, but in reality seeks to gain
people's praise and the reputation of being kind or generous, or other material
gains of this life. All the while, he does not think about Allah or gaining His
pleasure and generous rewards, and this is why Allah said,
[وَلاَ
يُؤْمِنُ
بِاللَّهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ
الاٌّخِرِ]
(and
he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day.)
Allah next set the example
of whoever gives charity to show off. Ad-Dahhak commented that the example fits
one who follows his acts of charity with reminders or harm. Allah said,
[فَمَثَلُهُ
كَمَثَلِ
صَفْوَانٍ]
(His likeness is the
likeness of Safwan) where Safwan, from is Safwanah, meaning `the smooth rocks,'
[عَلَيْهِ
تُرَابٌ
فَأَصَابَهُ
وَابِلٌ]
(on
which is little dust; on it falls a Wabil) meaning, heavy rain,
[فَتَرَكَهُ
صَلْدًا]
(which
leaves it bare.) This Ayah means that heavy rain left the Safwan completely
barren of dust. Such is the case with Allah's action regarding the work of
those who show off, as their deeds are bound to vanish and disappear, even
though people think that these deeds are as plentiful as specks of dust. So
Allah said,
[لاَّ
يَقْدِرُونَ
عَلَى شَىْءٍ
مِّمَّا كَسَبُواْ
وَاللَّهُ
لاَ يَهْدِي
الْقَوْمَ الْكَـفِرِينَ]
(They are not able to do
anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving
people.)
[وَمَثَلُ
الَّذِينَ
يُنفِقُونَ
أَمْوَلَهُمُ
ابْتِغَآءَ
مَرْضَاتِ
اللَّهِ
وَتَثْبِيتًا
مِّنْ
أَنفُسِهِمْ
كَمَثَلِ
جَنَّةٍ
بِرَبْوَةٍ
أَصَابَهَا
وَابِلٌ
فَأَتَتْ
أُكُلَهَا
ضِعْفَيْنِ
فَإِن لَّمْ
يُصِبْهَا
وَابِلٌ
فَطَلٌّ
وَاللَّهُ
بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ
بَصِيرٌ ]
(265. And the parable of
those who spend their wealth seeking Allah's pleasure while they in their own
selves are sure and certain that Allah will reward them (for their spending in
His cause), is that of a garden on a height; heavy rain falls on it and it
doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain
suffices it. And Allah is All-Seer (knows well) of what you do.) This is the
example of the believers who give away charity seeking
only Allah's pleasure,
[وَتَثْبِيتًا
مِّنْ
أَنفُسِهِمْ]
(while
they in their own selves are sure and certain) meaning, they are certain that
Allah shall reward them for these righteous acts with the best rewards.
Similarly, in a Hadith collected by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Messenger of
Allah said,
«مَنْ
صَامَ
رَمَضَانَ
إِيمَانًا
وَاحْتِسَابًا»
(Whoever fasts Ramadan
with faith and expectation...) meaning, believing that Allah commanded the
fast, all the while awaiting His reward for fasting it.
Allah's statement,
[كَمَثَلِ
جَنَّةٍ
بِرَبْوَةٍ]
(is
that of a garden on a Rabwah) means, the example of a garden on `a height above
the ground', as the majority of scholars have stated. Ibn `Abbas and Ad-Dahhak
added that it also has flowing rivers.
Allah's statement,
[أَصَابَهَا
وَابِلٌ]
(Wabil falls on it) means,
heavy rain as we stated, So it produces its,
[أُكُلُهَا]
(yield
of harvest) meaning, fruits or produce,
[ضِعْفَيْنِ]
(doubles),
as compared to other gardens.
[فَإِن
لَّمْ
يُصِبْهَا
وَابِلٌ
فَطَلٌّ]
(And if it does not
receive Wabil, a Tall suffices it.)
Ad-Dahhak said that the
`Tall' is light rain. The Ayah indicates that the garden on the Rabwah is always
fertile, for if heavy rain does not fall on it, light rain will suffice for it.
Such is the case regarding the believer's good deeds, for they never become
barren. Rather, Allah accepts the believer's righteous deeds and increases
them, each according to his deeds. This is why Allah said next,
[وَاللَّهُ
بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ
بَصِيرٌ]
(And Allah is All-Seer of
what you do) meaning, none of His servants' deeds ever escapes His perfect
watch.
[أَيَوَدُّ
أَحَدُكُمْ
أَن تَكُونَ
لَهُ جَنَّةٌ
مِّن
نَّخِيلٍ
وَأَعْنَابٍ
تَجْرِى مِن
تَحْتِهَا
الأَنْهَـرُ
لَهُ فِيهَا
مِن كُلِّ
الثَّمَرَتِ
وَأَصَابَهُ
الْكِبَرُ
وَلَهُ
ذُرِّيَّةٌ
ضُعَفَآءُ
فَأَصَابَهَآ
إِعْصَارٌ
فِيهِ نَارٌ
فَاحْتَرَقَتْ
كَذَلِكَ
يُبَيِّنُ
اللَّهُ
لَكُمُ
الآيَـتِ
لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
]
(266. Would any of you
wish to have a garden with date palms and vines, with rivers flowing
underneath, and all kinds of fruits for him therein, while he is striken with
old age, and his children are weak (not able to look after themselves), then it
is struck with a fiery whirlwind, so that it is burnt Thus does Allah make
clear His Ayat to you that you may give thought.)
The Example of Evil
Deeds Nullifying Good Deeds
Al-Bukhari recorded that
Ibn `Abbas and `Ubayd bin `Umayr said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah, "According to your opinion, about
whom was this Ayah revealed,
[أَيَوَدُّ
أَحَدُكُمْ
أَن تَكُونَ
لَهُ جَنَّةٌ
مِّن نَّخِيلٍ
وَأَعْنَابٍ]
(Would
any of you wish to have a garden with date palms and vines...).''
They said, "Allah
knows best.'' `Umar became angry and said, "Say we know or we do not
know.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "O Leader of the Faithful! I have an opinion
about it.'' `Umar said, "O my nephew! Say your opinion and do not belittle
yourself.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "This is an example set for a deed.'' `Umar
said, "What type of deed'' Ibn `Abbas said, "For a wealthy man who
works in Allah's pleasure and then Allah sends Shaytan to him, and he works in
disobedience, until he annuls his good works.''
This Hadith suffices as an
explanation for the Ayah, for it explains the example it sets by a person who
does good first and then follows it with evil, may Allah save us from this end.
So, this man annulled his previous good works with his latter evil works. When
he desperately needed the deeds of the former type, there were none. This is
why Allah said,
[وَأَصَابَهُ
الْكِبَرُ
وَلَهُ
ذُرِّيَّةٌ
ضُعَفَآءُ
فَأَصَابَهَآ
إِعْصَارٌ]
(while
he is striken with old age, and his children are weak (not able to look after
themselves), then it is struck with a whirlwind) with heavy wind,
[فِيهِ
نَارٌ
فَاحْتَرَقَتْ]
(that
is fiery, so that it is burnt) meaning, its fruits were burnt and its trees
were destroyed. Therefore, what will his condition be like
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded
that Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah has set a good parable,
and all His parables are good. He said,
[أَيَوَدُّ
أَحَدُكُمْ
أَن تَكُونَ
لَهُ جَنَّةٌ
مِّن نَّخِيلٍ
وَأَعْنَابٍ
تَجْرِى مِن
تَحْتِهَا
الأَنْهَـرُ
لَهُ فِيهَا
مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَتِ]
(Would any of you wish to
have a garden with date palms and vines, with rivers flowing underneath, and
all kinds of fruits for him therein.)
But he lost all this in
his old age,
[وَأَصَابَهُ
الْكِبَرُ]
(while
he is striken with old age) while his offspring and children are weak just
before the end of his life. Then a lightning storm came and destroyed his
garden. Then he did not have the strength to grow another garden, nor did his
offspring offer enough help. This is the condition of the disbeliever on the
Day of Resurrection when he returns to Allah, for he will not have any good
deeds to provide an excuse - or refuge - for him, just as the man in the
parable had no strength to replant the garden. The disbeliever will not find
anything to resort to for help, just as the offspring of the man in the parable
did not provide him with help. So he will be deprived of his reward when he
most needs it, just as the man in the parable was deprived of Allah's garden
when he most needed it, when he became old and his offspring weak.''
In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim
recorded that the Messenger of Allah used to say in his supplication,
«اللَّهُمَّ
اجْعَلْ
أَوْسَعَ
رِزْقِكَ
عَلَيَ عِنْدَ
كِبَرِ
سِنِّي
وَانْقِضَاءِ
عُمُرِي»
(O Allah! Make Your biggest provision for me when I am old in age and at
the time my life ends.)
This is why Allah said,
[كَذلِكَ
يُبيِّنُ
اللَّهُ
لَكُمُ
الآيَـتِ
لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَتَفَكَّرُونَ]
(Thus Allah makes clear to
you His Laws in order that you may give thought) meaning, comprehend and
understand the parables and their intended implications. Similarly, Allah said,
[وَتِلْكَ
الاٌّمْثَالُ
نَضْرِبُهَا
لِلنَّاسِ
وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ
إِلاَّ
الْعَـلِمُونَ
]
(And these similitudes We put forward for mankind; but none will understand them
except those who have knowledge (of Allah and His signs)) [29:43].