THE WORD OF GOD
THE Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its
entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between
610 and 632 A.D. It is a book that brings glad tidings to mankind,
along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of
man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary
by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Believers, give charitably from the good things which you have earned and what We produce for you from the earth; not worthless things which you yourselves would only reluctantly accept. Know that God is self-sufficient and praiseworthy. 2:267
Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and commands you to do foul deeds. But God promises His forgiveness and His bounty. God is bountiful and all-knowing. 2:268
There are two ways of spending one’s earnings in this world. One is to spend in ways shown by Satan; another is to spend in ways shown by God. What Satan does is to impress on the minds of human beings the importance of personal requirements, and bring about conviction that all their earnings are best spent on personal comforts and luxuries.
When Satan sees that any individual has more wealth than is necessary for his personal needs, he kindles in him another desire, that of indulging in showy, unnecessary activities. At the instigation of Satan, man spends all his money on ostentatious living and feels happy that he has spent his money in the best possible way.
What is desired of man is that he should not regard his wealth as his personal possession. It is something that belongs only to God. A man should spend as much of his wealth as is necessary for his actual needs; the rest should be spent on achieving higher goals. Giving this surplus wealth to the weaker of God’s servants and supporting God’s religion increases his confidence that in the Hereafter, when he appears empty-handed before God, he will not be deprived of God’s blessings. Similarly, when he spends his wealth for the cause of God’s religion, he allies himself with God’s mission.
He grants wisdom to whom He will; and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant wealth. Yet none bear this in mind except those endowed with understanding. 2:269
Whatever you spend and whatever vows you make are known to God, but the wrongdoers shall have no helpers. 2:270
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. 2:271
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. 2:272
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.
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. 2:273
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. 2:274
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 so wholly to this cause that they have left themselves no time to earn for their personal needs. Just as a successful businessman has little free time for anything except his business, 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 thought process 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 may 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 simple: those who possess monetary resources should arrange a share for those who, due to 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 money for the cause of a peaceful religious struggle which brings no fame or rewards from the world at large makes one all the more deserving of God’s blessings. For, such spending is only to seek God’s pleasure.
It is not ease, but effort; not facility, but difficulty, that makes a man.