Shaytanic Doubts Concerning Spending in
Charity
Allah said,
[الشَّيْطَـنُ
يَعِدُكُمُ
الْفَقْرَ
وَيَأْمُرُكُم
بِالْفَحْشَآءِ
وَاللَّهُ
يَعِدُكُم
مَّغْفِرَةً
مِّنْهُ
وَفَضْلاً وَاللَّهُ
وَسِعٌ
عَلِيمٌ ]
(Shaytan
threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha';
whereas Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and bounty, and Allah is
All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower.)
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud
said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّ
لِلشَّيْطَانِ
لَمَّةً
بِابْنِ آدَمَ،
وَلِلْمَلَكِ
لَمَّةً،
فَأَمَّا
لَمَّةُ
الشَّيطَانِ
فَإِيعَادٌ
بِالشَّرِّ، وَتَكْذِيبٌ
بِالْحَقِّ،
وَ أَمَّا
لَمَّةُ
الْمَلَكِ
فَإِيعَادٌ
بِالْخَيْرِ،
وَتَصْدِيقٌ
بِالْحَقِّ،
فَمَنْ
وَجَدَ
ذَلِكَ
فَلْيَعْلَمْ
أَنَّهُ مِنَ
اللهِ،
فَلْيَحْمَدِ
اللهَ،
وَمَنْ وَجَدَ
الْأُخْرَى
فَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ
مِنَ الشَّيْطَان»
(Shaytan
has an effect on the son of Adam, and the angel also has an effect. As for the
effect of Shaytan, it is by his threatening with evil
repercussions and rejecting the truth. As for the effect of the angel, it is by
his promise of a good end and believing in the truth. Whoever finds the latter, let him know that it is coming from Allah and let
him thank Allah for it. Whoever finds the former, let
him seek refuge - with Allah - from Shaytan.)
The Prophet then recited,
[الشَّيْطَـنُ
يَعِدُكُمُ
الْفَقْرَ
وَيَأْمُرُكُم
بِالْفَحْشَآءِ
وَاللَّهُ
يَعِدُكُم
مَّغْفِرَةً
مِّنْهُ
وَفَضْلاً]
(Shaytan
threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha';
whereas Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and bounty)
This is the narration that
At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i
collected in the book of Tafsir in their Sunan collections. Allah said,
[الشَّيْطَـنُ
يَعِدُكُمُ
الْفَقْرَ]
(Shaytan
threatens you with poverty), so that you hold on to whatever you have and
refrain from spending it in Allah's pleasure.
[وَيَأْمُرُكُم
بِالْفَحْشَآءِ]
(And orders you to commit Fahsha'), meaning, "Shaytan
forbids you from spending in charity because of the false fear of becoming
poor, and he encourages evil deeds, sins, indulging in what is prohibited, and
immoral conduct.'' Allah said,
[وَاللَّهُ
يَعِدُكُم
مَّغْفِرَةً
مِّنْهُ]
(Whereas Allah promises
you forgiveness from Himself) instead of the evil that Shaytan
enjoins on you,
[وَفَضْلاً]
(And Bounty) as opposed to
the poverty that Shaytan frightens you with,
[وَاللَّهُ
وَسِعٌ
عَلِيمٌ]
(And Allah is
All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower.)
The Meaning of Al-Hikmah
Allah said,
[يُؤْتِى
الْحِكْمَةَ
مَن يَشَآءُ]
(He grants Hikmah to whom He wills.)
`Ali bin Abi Talhah
reported that Ibn `Abbas
said, "That is knowledge of the Qur'an. For
instance, the abrogating and the abrogated, what is plain and clear and what is
not as plain and clear, what it allows, and what it does not allow, and its
parables.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying,
«لَا
حَسَدَ
إِلَّا فِي
اثْنَتَيْنِ:
رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ
اللهُ مَالًا
فَسَلَّطَهُ
عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ
فِي
الْحَقِّ،
وَرَجُلٌ
آتَاهُ اللهُ
حِكْمَةً
فَهُوَ
يَقْضِي
بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا»
(There is no envy except
in two instances: a person whom Allah has endowed with wealth and he spends it
righteously, and a person whom Allah has given Hikmah
and he judges by it and teaches it to others.)
This was also collected by
Al-Bukhari, Muslim, An-Nasa'i,
Ibn Majah.
Allah's statement,
[وَمَا
يَذَّكَّرُ
إِلاَّ
أُوْلُواْ
الأَلْبَـبِ]
(But none remember (will
receive admonition) except men of understanding.) means,
"Those who will benefit from the advice are those who have sound minds and
good comprehension with which they understand the words (of advice and
reminder) and their implications.''
[وَمَآ
أَنفَقْتُم
مِّن
نَّفَقَةٍ
أَوْ نَذَرْتُم
مِّن نَّذْرٍ
فَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُ
وَمَا
لِلظَّـلِمِينَ
مِنْ أَنصَارٍ
- إِن
تُبْدُواْ
الصَّدَقَـتِ
فَنِعِمَّا
هِىَ وَإِن
تُخْفُوهَا
وَتُؤْتُوهَا
الْفُقَرَآءَ
فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ
لَّكُمْ
وَيُكَفِّرُ
عَنكُم مِّن
سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ
وَاللَّهُ
بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ
خَبِيرٌ ]
(270. And whatever you
spend for spendings (e.g., in Sadaqah)
or whatever vow you make, be sure Allah knows it all. And for the wrongdoers
there are no helpers.) (271. If you disclose your Sadaqat
(almsgiving), it is well; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor,
that is better for you. (Allah) will expiate you some of your sins. And Allah
is Well-Acquainted with what you do.)
Allah states that He has
perfect knowledge of the good deeds performed by all of His creation, such as
charity and various vows, and He rewards tremendously for these deeds, provided
they are performed seeking His Face and His promise. Allah also warns those who
do not work in his obedience, but instead disobey His command, reject His
revelation and worship others besides Him:
[وَمَا
لِلظَّـلِمِينَ
مِنْ
أَنصَارٍ]
(And for the wrongdoers
there are no helpers.) meaning, who will save them
from Allah's anger and torment on the Day of Resurrection.
The Virtue of
Disclosing or Concealing Charity
Allah said,
[إِن
تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَـتِ
فَنِعِمَّا
هِىَ]
(If you disclose your Sadaqat, it is well) meaning, "It is well if you make
known the charity that you give away.''
Allah's statement,
[وَإِن
تُخْفُوهَا
وَتُؤْتُوهَا
الْفُقَرَآءَ
فَهُوَ
خَيْرٌ
لَّكُمْ]
(But if you conceal them
and give them to the poor, that is better for you.) this indicates that concealing charity is better than
disclosing it, because it protects one from showing off and boasting. However,
if there is an apparent wisdom behind disclosing the charity, such as the
people imitating this righteous act, then disclosing it becomes better than
concealing it. The Messenger of Allah said,
«الْجَاهِرُ
بِالْقُرْآنِ
كَالْجَاهِرِ
بِالصَّدَقَةِ،
وَالْمُسِرُّ
بِالْقُرآنِ
كَالْمُسِرِّ
بِالصَّدَقَة»
(He who utters aloud Qur'anic recitation is just like he who discloses charity
acts. He who conceals Qur'anic recitation is just
like he who conceals charity acts.)
The Ayah indicates that it
is better that acts of charity be concealed, as reiterated by the Hadith that the Two Sahihs
recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of
Allah said,
«سَبْعَةٌ
يُظِلُّهُمُ
اللهُ فِي
ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ
لَا ظِلَّ
إلَّا
ظِلُّهُ:
إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ،
وَشَابٌّ
نَشَأَ فِي
عِبَادَةِ
اللهِ،
وَرَجُلَانِ
تَحَابَّا
فِي
اللهِ،اجْتَمَعَا
عَلَيْهِ
وَتَفَرَّقَا
عَلَيْهِ،
وَرَجُلٌ
قَلْبُهُ
مُعَلَّقٌ
بِالْمَسْجِدِ،
إِذَا خَرَجَ
مِنْهُ حَتَّى
يَرْجِعَ
إِلَيْهِ،
وَرَجُلٌ
ذَكَرَ اللهَ
خَالِيًا
فَفَاضَتْ
عَيْنَاهُ، وَرَجُلٌ
دَعَتْهُ
امْرَأَةٌ
ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ
وَجَمَالٍ،
فَقَالَ:
إِنِّي
أَخَافُ اللهَ
رَبَّ
الْعَالَمِينَ،
وَرَجُلٌ
تَصَدَّقَ
بِصَدَقَةٍ
فَأَخْفَاهَا،
حَتَّى لَا
تَعْلَمَ
شِمَالُهُ
مَا تُنْفِقُ
يَمِينُه»
(Allah will give shade to
seven on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (They are:) a just ruler,
a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, two persons who love
each other only for Allah's sake who meet and part in Allah's cause only, a man
whose heart is attached to the Masjids from the time
he departs the Masjid until he returns to it, a
person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with
tears, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for
illicit intercourse with her and says, `I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds', and
a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know
what his right hand has given.)
Allah's statement,
[وَيُكَفِّرُ
عَنكُم مِّن
سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ]
((Allah) will expiate you
some of your sins) means, in return for giving away charity, especially if it
was concealed. Therefore, you will gain goodness by your rank being raised, and
your sins being forgiven.
Allah's statement,
[وَاللَّهُ
بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ
خَبِيرٌ]
(And Allah is
Well-Acquainted with what you do) means, "No good deed that you perform
escapes His knowledge, and He shall reward for it.''
[لَّيْسَ
عَلَيْكَ
هُدَاهُمْ
وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ
يَهْدِى مَن
يَشَآءُ
وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَلاًّنفُسِكُمْ
وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ
إِلاَّ
ابْتِغَآءَ
وَجْهِ اللَّهِ
وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ
خَيْرٍ
يُوَفَّ
إِلَيْكُمْ
وَأَنتُمْ لاَ
تُظْلَمُونَ -
لِلْفُقَرَآءِ
الَّذِينَ
أُحصِرُواْ
فِى سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ لاَ
يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
ضَرْبًا فِى
الاٌّرْضِ
يَحْسَبُهُمُ
الْجَاهِلُ
أَغْنِيَآءَ
مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ
تَعْرِفُهُم
بِسِيمَـهُمْ
لاَ يَسْـَلُونَ
النَّاسَ
إِلْحَافًا
وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ بِهِ
عَلِيمٌ -
الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ
أَمْوَلَهُمْ
بِالَّيْلِ
وَالنَّهَارِ
سِرًّا
وَعَلاَنِيَةً
فَلَهُمْ
أَجْرُهُم
عِندَ
رَبِّهِمْ
وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ
وَلاَ هُمْ
يَحْزَنُونَ ]
(272. Not upon you (Muhammad ) is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He
wills. And whatever you spend in good, it is for yourselves, when you spend not
except seeking Allah's Face. And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid
to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.) (273. (Charity is) for Fuqara' (the poor), who in Allah's cause are restricted
(from travel), and cannot move about in the land (for trade or work). The one
who knows them not, thinks that they are rich because of their modesty. You may
know them by their mark, they do not beg of people at all. And whatever you
spend in good, surely Allah knows it well.) (274. Those who spend their wealth
(in Allah's cause) by night and day, in secret and in public, they shall have
their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.)
Giving Charity to
Polytheists
Abu `Abdur-Rahman
An-Nasa'i recorded that Ibn
`Abbas said that they, "Disliked giving charity
to their polytheist relatives, but were later on allowed to give it to them
when they inquired about this matter, and this Ayah was revealed,
[لَّيْسَ
عَلَيْكَ
هُدَاهُمْ
وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ
يَهْدِى مَن
يَشَآءُ
وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَلاًّنفُسِكُمْ
وَمَا
تُنفِقُونَ
إِلاَّ
ابْتِغَآءَ
وَجْهِ
اللَّهِ
وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
يُوَفَّ
إِلَيْكُمْ
وَأَنتُمْ
لاَ
تُظْلَمُونَ ]
(Not upon you (Muhammad ) is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He
wills. And whatever you spend in good, it is for yourselves, when you spend not
except seeking Allah's Face. And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid
to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.)
Allah's statement,
[وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَلاًّنفُسِكُمْ]
(And whatever you spend in
good, it is for yourselves) is similar to His other statement,
[مَّنْ
عَمِلَ
صَـلِحاً
فَلِنَفْسِهِ]
(Whosoever does righteous
good deed, it is for (the benefit of) his ownself.)
There are many other
similar Ayat in the Qur'an.
Allah said next,
[وَمَا
تُنفِقُونَ
إِلاَّ
ابْتِغَآءَ
وَجْهِ
اللَّهِ]
(When you spend not except
seeking Allah's Face. )
Al-Hasan
Al-Basri commented, "Whenever the believer
spends, including what he spends on himself, he seeks Allah's Face with it.''
`Ata' Al-Khurasani said that the Ayah means,
"You give away charity for the sake of Allah. Therefore, you will not be
asked about the deeds [or wickedness] of those who receive it.'' This is a
sound meaning indicating that when one spends in charity for Allah's sake, then
his reward will be with Allah. He will not be asked if the charity
unintentionally reached righteous, evil, deserving or undeserving persons, for
he will be rewarded for his good intention. The proof to this statement is the
Ayah,
[وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
يُوَفَّ
إِلَيْكُمْ
وَأَنتُمْ
لاَ تُظْلَمُونَ]
(And whatever you spend in
good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.)
The Two Sahihs recorded a Hadith by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,
«قَالَ
رَجُلٌ: لَأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ
اللَّيْلَةَ
بِصَدَقَةٍ،
فَخَرجَ
بِصَدَقَتِهِ
فَوَضَعَهَا
فِي يَدِ زَانِيَةٍ،
فَأَصْبَحَ
النَّاسُ
يَتَحَدَّثُونَ:
تُصُدِّقَ
عَلَى
زَانِيَةٍ،
فَقَالَ:
اللَّهُمَ
لَكَ
الْحَمْدُ
عَلَى زَانِيَةٍ،
لَأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ
اللَّيْلَةَ
بِصَدَقَةٍ،
فَخَرَجَ بِصَدَقَتِهِ
فَوَضَعَهَا
فِي يَدِ
غَنِيَ، فَأَصْبَحُوا
يَتَحَدَّثُونَ:
تُصُدِّقَ اللَّيْلَةَ
عَلَى
غَنِيَ،
قَالَ:
اللَّهُمَّ
لَكَ
الْحَمْدُ
عَلَى
غَنِيَ،
لَأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ
اللَّيْلَةَ
بِصَدَقَةٍ،
فَخَرَجَ
بِصَدَقَتِهِ
فَوَضَعَهَا
فِي يَدِ سَارِقٍ،
فَأَصْبَحُوا
يَتَحَدَّثُونَ:
تُصُدِّقَ
اللَّيْلَةَ
عَلَى
سَارِقٍ،
فَقَالَ:اللَّهُمَّ
لَكَ الْحَمْدُ
عَلَى
زَانِيَةٍ،
وَعَلَى
غَنِيَ،
وَعَلَى
سَارِقٍ.
فَأُتِيَ
فَقِيلَ لَهُ:
أَمَّا
صَدَقَتُكَ
فَقَدْ
قُبِلَتْ،
وَأَمَّا
الزَّانِيَةُ
فَلَعَلَّهَا
أَنْ تَسْتَعِفَّ
بِهَا عَنْ
زِنَاهَا،
وَلَعَلَّ
الْغَنِيَّ
يَعْتَبِرُ
فَيُنْفِقُ
مِمَّا
أَعْطَاهُ
اللهُ،
وَلَعَلَّ
السَّارِقَ
أَنْ
يَسْتَعِفَّ بِهَا
عَنْ
سَرِقَتِه»
(A man said,
"Tonight, I shall give charity.'' He went out with his charity and
(unknowingly) gave it to an adulteress. The next morning the people said that
alms were given to an adulteress. The man said, "O Allah! All the praises
are for You. (I gave my alms) to an adulteress.
Tonight, I shall give alms again.'' He went out with his charity and
(unknowingly) gave it to a rich person. The next morning (the people) said,
"Last night, a wealthy person was given alms.'' He said, "O Allah!
All the praises are for You. (I gave alms) to a
wealthy man. Tonight, I shall again give charity.'' So he went out with his
charity and (unknowingly) gave it to a thief. The next morning (the people)
said, "Last night, a thief was given alms.'' He said, "O Allah! All
the praises are for You. (I have given alms) to an
adulteress, a wealthy man and a thief.'' Then, someone came to him and said,
"The alms that you gave away were accepted. As for the adulteress, the
alms might make her abstain from adultery. As for the wealthy man, it might
make him take a lesson and spend his wealth that Allah has given him. As for
the thief, it might make him abstain from stealing.'')