262- THOSE SPENDING OFF THEIR WEALTH IN THE CAUSE OF ALLAH, AND DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR SPENDING WITH NEITHER REMINDER NOR HURT, WILL HAVE THEIR REWARD WITH THEIR LORD, AND THERE IS NO FEAR UPON THEM, NOR WILL THEY BE SADDENED.

263- A KIND WORD AND FORGIVENESS ARE BETTER THAN A CHARITY FOLLOWED BY HURT, FOR ALLAH IS FREE OF ALL NEEDS, AND IS MOST FORBEARING.

264- YOU WHO BELIEVE; DO NOT RENDER YOUR CHARITY IN VAIN THROUGH REMINDER AND HURT.  THIS IS LIKE HE WHO SPENDS HIS WEALTH TO BE SEEN TO BE SPENDING, BUT DOES NOT BELIEVE IN ALLAH AND THE LAST DAY.  HIS PARABLE IS THAT OF A STONE COVERED WITH DUST, HEAVY RAIN FALLS ON IT AND LEAVES IT BARE; THEY DO NOT BENEFIT ANY THING FROM THEIR WORK, FOR ALLAH DOES NOT GUIDE THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE.

These Ayahs tell us about:

1-    The importance of sincerity in our faith as well as in our deeds.  Those who are sincere in giving only for the sake of Allah the Highest and for His pleasure only, do not expect a return in this life.  Therefore they are not likely to remind people of what they did for them or hurt them because they are not grateful. 

Allah the Highest reassures these people that their reward is safe with Him.  What is more is that they saddened because of this, in this life and in the Hereafter.  In this life, they will not see their wealth decrease because of their charity.  And in the Hereafter which is a time of great distress for most and great grief for many, they will not be saddened or grief, this is because of their deeds.

2-    Taunting and reminding those we have been charitable to renders our charity null and void.  It becomes in vain, meaning that it will bear no fruit.  Reminder and hurt can be by words or actions. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Three sort of people Allah does not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at them or purify them and they will have severe punishment; he who taunts and reminds people of what he gave them, those who drag their long cloth with vanity, and those who sell their goods by false oath”.  (M:Eman;171 & D:Lebas;25 & T:Byo; 5 & N:Zakah;69)

They will also be ignored, cast away, and punished.

3-    Allah the Highest does not require any of his slaves to provide to others, He will deliver them the help through any one He desires.  It is to our advantage to be charitable. 

Charity is not just in money, but it starts with a kind word, a smile, making peace between people, giving good advice, giving a helping hand in doing something etc.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Your smile to your brother’s face is a charity”

“Every greeting to people is a charity”

“To make peace between people is a charity, and to help a man left his goods over his animal is a charity”

“A kind word is a charity, every step you walk to greet people is a charity, and to remove harm from the road is a charity”

(M: Zakah; 56 & B: Solh; 11 & A: 2; 316)

4-    Allah the Highest gives us a parable.  Parables are made for clarification purposes.  The Parable is that our charity is like a seed falling on earth.  Normally this will germinate and grown into a plant carrying many grains or fruit, the product will be hundreds of times that of the original seed. 

In the case of the person who reminds and taunts because of his charity, the seed will fall on a stone, covered with a thin layer of earth, that is to say dust.  When rain falls, instead of watering the earth making the seed germinate, the rain washes the dust away, exposing the hard stone which is not a medium for the seed to germinate.  The seed does not give any produce then.

5-    Allah the Highest does not guide those people because of their hypocrisy and injustice to themselves.  They pretend to be what they are not, and do things for the wrong reasons.

B: Bukhari   M: Muslim    Mal: Malek   A: Ahmed   D: Abu Dawood     

Da: Daremy   Ma: Ibn Magah                   N: Nesae      T: Termezi