The case of
those who spend their property for the cause of Allah is like that of a grain that
brings forth seven (7) ears, each bearing a hundred (100) grains. Allah
gives manifold increase to whom He wills. God is Munificent, All- Knowing. (The Glorious Quran 2: 261).
Ethics of
Islamic Charity
The
present passage opens with gentle exhortations, touching inner, deep-seated human
feelings and senses. It depicts a vigorous; flourishing picture of life, with grains
sprouting and growing to yield multitudes of grains and return many times what
has been invested. This verdant and lush image, the surah says,
represents a model for those who spend of their own money for the cause of God.
“The case of those who spend their property for the cause of God is like
that of a grain that brings forth seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains.” (Verse
261).
By
simple arithmetic, a single grain of corn or wheat yields seven hundred grains,
but we are presented with a much more inspiring and moving picture that leaves
a profound and lasting impression on our minds and consciences. It is a picture
of life itself, growing abundantly, and giving many times over. With
that vivid image, the Qur’an directs the human conscience to giving and to charity.
By giving away what one dearly loves to retain, one is in fact earning; and the
more one gives, the more one gains, in a perpetual process which, with
God’s blessing, can continue without any limits or restrictions. “God gives
manifold increase to whom He wills. God is Munificent, All-Knowing.” (Verse
261) God’s grace never runs out, nor is it withheld. God is aware of people’s
thoughts, intentions and feelings, and nothing escapes His knowledge.
The
question here is: What kind of spending is made to grow in such a phenomenal
way, and is rewarded so generously by God, both in this life and in the life to
come?
The
spending that is generously rewarded is that motivated by the purest and highest
human feelings, and which enhances such feelings. It is not intended to degrade
or spite or hurt. It is purely done for the sake of God Almighty: “Those who
spend their property for the cause of Allah and do not follow their spending by
vaunting their own generosity, or by hurting others, shall have their reward
with their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.” (The
Glorious Quran2: Verse 262).
-
Syed Qutb, Tafsir Fi Zilaal Quran.
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