Children’s Column – August 2016

[268] Satan promises you poverty and orders you stinginess, while Allah promises you His forgiveness and favors. Allah is Boundless, All‑knowing.

[269] He grants wisdom toanyone He wills, and whoever is granted wisdom, has been granted a great favor. Yet none will receive admonition but men of understanding.

[270] And, whatever amount you spend or whatever vow you make, surely Allah knows about it;and the wrongdoers will have no helpers.

[271] If you make known (your) charity, it is alright. But if you conceal them and pass them on (secretly) to the needy, then that would be better for you. He will erase some of your sins. And Allah is aware of what you do.

Understanding these verses:

Verses before this told us ‘how to give’ in charity, and ‘what to give.’ Now verse 268 is telling us why we do not give: it is fear of poverty. But it comes from Satan who drives the fear in the hearts, and suggests stinginess. (Another meaning of the original word used here, Fahshaa’, is indecency, vulgarity, etc.).

But we might never forget that those who spend for Allah’s sake, He forgives their past sins. He also promises to give more. A stingy man is hated by all. He is hated even by his own children. On the other hand, have you seen a generous man in poverty? If ever someone points his finger at someone saying, “That is a generous man,” you will discover that he is well-to-do. Allah keeps His promise that He is bountiful.

Money is something not too worthy in this world. Yes, it is useful, but not so useful on many occasions. For instance, if somebody is in difficulty (let us say he is being ragged), then your advice will be the same whether you have one buck in your pocket, or fifty bucks. Money plays no part in your suggestions to him. So, what does? Well, it is wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest of Allah’s favor unto a man after his Eiman (belief). If you have wisdom, one buck becomes fifty – because you know how to spend it, where to spend it, whom to spend on, and how much to save, and for how long. On the other hand, a stupid man and his wealth do not stay together.

To those who measure Allah’s favor by counting how many bucks He gives them, the verse is as if saying that the best thing Allah could ever grant is wisdom. And that, wisdom is one of the things granted to those who spend on others to please their Lord. But, not everyone understands this. The stingy generally understand it the least. Those who tightly close their purses are those whose minds are tightly closed to wisdom.

Scholars have said that a Muslim should openly pay his Zakah, to encourage others do the same. He may conceal his Sadaqaat since, sometimes, it leads to show-off, which destroys the benefits, and, in fact, becomes a sin. But, if Sadaqah is for community welfare purpose, such as, raising funds for Jihad, or collectively feeding the poor, then it is advisable to let people know of the contribution.

Note that Sadaqah is voluntary charity, but Zakah on wealth is wajib.

Another kind of charity comes by way of vows. A man vows that if Allah granted such and such a thing, he would spend such and such a sum in charity. For example, a man promises to Allah, “If I get a job, I will spend my first salary in charity.” Then, when he gets employed, he must keep his promise to Allah. Now, nobody knows about his vow. But Allah knows. But if he did not spend a salary in charity, it would be like cheating his Lord. That is a major crime. Thus charity flows, and this is one of the ways in which Islam has chased away biting poverty. There is no Islamic country where you can see as many homeless today as in the USA. This is because they do not believe in Islam and think that they can solve their problems, in their own way.

The main thing in charity is the condition of your heart. What is your intention? If it is to please your Lord, then, whether you give it secretly or let people know, it is all the same, if your intention is good. But, supposing your wisdom says that if you let others know of your charity, perhaps other people will be encouraged to give, then, better make it openly. You will have the reward of all those who spent because you spent, without their own reward reduced. But, if you think your making known charity will hurt him who received your charity, then, better do it secretly. Once again you will have twice the reward: one reward for charity, and another reward for keeping a secret of the one you gave the charity.

Finally, it may be noted that Allah promised that if someone spent to obtain His approval, then, He will forget some of the sins. Why only ‘some’ sins? Why not all? This is because not all sins can be forgiven for spending a little money. After all, the money is also given by Allah, and belongs to Allah. When a man spent some money in charity, he actually gave back to Allah what was His. Further, one cannot live a life of sin and, in the end, offer a little charity, and walk into Paradise. Major sins, for example, require proper repentance. In case of sins against others of Allah’s creations, one has to return the rights of those he wronged. For example, if a man cheats another for some money, he must return that money before asking Allah to forgive him. He cannot spend a little in charity, and expect Allah to forgive his cheat.

(To be continued)