The Heifer (Al-Baqarah)
Verses 270-274 GROUP_73 2.270-274
270
وَمَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن نَّفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُم مِّن نَّذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ
Whatever you spend and whatever vows you make are known to God, but the wrongdoers shall have no helpers.
271
إِن تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاء فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لُّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
If you give charity openly, it is good, but if you keep it secret and give to the needy in private, that is better for you, and it will atone for some of your bad deeds. God is aware of all that you do.
272
لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلأنفُسِكُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلاَّ ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ اللّهِ وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تُظْلَمُونَ
It is not your responsibility to make them follow the right path; God guides whomever He pleases. Whatever wealth you spend is to your own benefit, provided that you spend only to seek the favour of God. Whatever wealth you spend [for God’s cause] shall be repaid to you in full and you shall not be wronged.
273
لِلْفُقَرَاء الَّذِينَ أُحصِرُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاء مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لاَ يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
The needy, who are too engrossed in God’s cause to be able to travel about the land in search of a livelihood, are considered by those who are unaware of their condition to be free from want, because they refrain from begging. But they can be known from their appearance. They do not make insistent demands upon people. Whatever wealth you spend, God knows it.
274
الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلاَنِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Those who spend their wealth night and day, both privately and publicly, will receive their reward from their Lord. They shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.
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Commentary
(a) One who spends his money for the sake of God in the way that He has commanded him to do, proves that he has been blessed with wisdom. Wisdom here means knowledge and understanding of the Quran. The biggest folly is to be so enamoured of one’s wealth that one fails to spend for the cause of God, and the greatest wisdom lies in recognizing that monetary interests do not present any obstacle to one’s engaging oneself in God’s work. One should consider God’s cause as one’s own. One who lives within the cocoon of personal interests and considerations cannot possess the insight which would enable him to see higher realities and experience higher states of consciousness. On the contrary, one who goes ahead towards God by ignoring all personal considerations raises himself above all limitations. His consciousness reaches the divine level of God, who is independent (free from all wants), praiseworthy, all-sufficient, and wise. Man is thus enabled to see things as they are. For he goes beyond the limitations which serve as obstacles to seeing things in their true form. However true any argument may be, its truth dawns upon one only when one can see it with an open mind. a The greatest way to spend money for the cause of God is to extend monetary help to those of God’s servants who have devoted themselves wholly to the cause of His religion, thus leaving themselves no time to earn for their personal needs. Just as a successful businessman has little free time for anything except his business, similarly one who serves the cause of religion full time has no time to work to make money for himself. Furthermore, each job shapes in a particular way the thinking of the person involved. One who involves himself in business develops the relevant skills, so that he is able to easily understand the complexities of commerce. But that same person will not be able to understand the nuances of religion’s cause. Similarly, a religious worker will not be able to successfully run a business, for he cannot concentrate on business matters due to his attention being diverted elsewhere. However, (a) society needs both kinds of activities. The solution to this problem is for those who possess monetary resources to arrange a share for those who, because of their religious commitments, are unable to provide for their own economic needs. This is like a tacit division of labour, which takes place between the two groups purely in order to earn God’s pleasure. The missionary, having devoted himself to God, does not ask anything from others, nor does he expect anything from them. On the other hand, those who are monetarily strong, knowing that they have amassed wealth through not devoting themselves to the cause of religion (which they should have done), think that they should, by way of compensation, give a share of their wealth to their brothers in faith. Spending for a peaceful religious struggle which brings no fame or laurels makes one all the more deserving of God’s blessings. For such spending is only to seek God’s pleasure.