Children’s Column – July 2016

[265] And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking Allah’s approval and to strengthen their own souls is as the likeness of a garden on a raised piece of land, which, (when) struck with heavy rains, gives its fruit two‑fold. But, if it does not receive heavy rains, then, even a shower (would do). And Allah is Aware of what you do.

[266] Will any of you wish to have a garden of palms and grape-plants with streams flowing beneath it with all manners of fruits for him in it, and old age has struck him, and he has weak children, when a burning storm struck it and burnt it down? Thus Allah makes clear His signs in hope that you will think. 

[267] Believers! Spend of the good things you have earned and of that which We bring out for you of the earth; and do not aim at the worthless of it, of (which) you spend while you will not accept it yourself, unless you closed an eye on it. And know that Allah is All‑sufficient, Praiseworthy.

Understanding these verses:

The message is clear: Intention and spirit play the main role. A man gives but only to make a show off. He goes unrewarded. Another spends, and his aim is to please his Lord and to remove toxic material from his soul. His spending brings in two-fold rewards: He achieves purification of his self, strengthening of his Faith, as well as rewards unlimited in the Next World. This is when he spends a lot. But if he does not spend a lot, but little less that what he could, then too he earns rewards of both the worlds – just like a piece of land, on a hill, where, plantation results in good fruits, even if the rain was not heavy.

Coffee, tea, orange, pepper and other plantations are done on this kind of land. Given a little shower, it gives out good crop. If not, even a mild shower helps in getting a crop. Thus, spending out to gain Allah’s pleasure, never goes waste. Fruits are still there, even if spending is not of a high order.

Spending then, in the way of Allah, is, is not only necessary for rewards in this world, it is also necessary for the sake of the Hereafter. Spending in this world is actually savings in the Hereafter. Just as saving is necessary in this world, for the old-age, it is necessary for the Next world, where one will reap the crop. But beware: all spending should be for Allah’s sake alone, free of show-off, free of reminders to those on whom the spending is done. Otherwise, it is like a rich, beautiful garden, ripe with fruit, at one’s old-age, with many dependents, but, there comes a destructive storm loaded with poisonous winds, and the garden is in its path. In moments all is lost.

So also, when the intention is simply to make money, without the intention to spend on others, then when the man opens his eyes in the Hereafter, he finds that the rewards are burnt off – in the fire of Hell.

After Allah spoke in the previous verses (v. 265-266) on how to spend, He explains now (in verse 267) what to spend.The instruction is: spend the best part of what you earn, and out of what Allah grants you. That is, whether wealth comes to you as a result of your hard work, or Allah grants it through easy deals in business, or a good crop in agriculture, etc.; in either case, spend not the worst part of it.

Do not follow the people, who spend that which is spoiled: if bread is burnt they wait for the beggar to appear at the door; if a dish couldn’t be cooked well, they give it away to the poor; if some fruits become rotten, they give out to the needy; if clothes become old, they look for a naked person. No. Take out the best for spending in charity. Some of the earliest Muslims ordered their home folk to especially cook good quality sweetmeats. When ready, they would sit down with the poor around the dish, and watch them with satisfaction while they ate.

Some others converted ordinary things to something in high demand, to give it away in charity.

`Uthman b. `Affan was an excellent schemer of this kind. Once, during his caliphate in Madinah, the city was hit by famine. Then somebody imported grain from Syria, in some good quantity. Small-time traders were waiting for the caravan to arrive so that they could buy food grains for themselves and to re-sell. But when the caravan arrived, `Uthman b. `Affan also joined among the bidders, when auction of the food grains started. When someone said he would buy the lot for a certain big sum, `Uthman (ra) would say he would buy for a higher sum. Then when another trader would say he would offer higher than `Uthman, `Uthman would say he was offering higher than that trader.

The drama went on until nobody could beat `Uthman. He was offering a price much higher than what it would have been, if he had not been one of the bidders. In any case, he bought the whole lot of food grains on tens of camels, at a pretty high price. He paid the price and became the owner of the entire lot. That done, people started coming to him to buy small quantities. They were ready to pay any price `Uthman would ask, because, they would die without the food grain. Money did not matter. It was the grain. And, of course, they were not too happy with `Uthman’s way of doing business: getting out the best from the hungry.

But `Uthman – the trader – had schemed something else. He announced that the entire lot of grains was charity in the way of Allah. In this manner, he had converted ordinarily-priced grain into highly-priced grain and thus gave away in Allah’s path, not the worthless but the “good of it.”

This is not how the Companions read out the Qur’an, but, instead, lived out the Qur’an.

(To be continued)