ISLAM: Al- Baqarah (2)

‘…and spend out of what We have provided for them;’

They spend out of what Allah has bestowed upon them, not all, but part of it. They are not extravagant. They are not spendthrifts.

They spend out of what Allah has given them, not only their substance but knowledge. They impart whatever Allah has taught them to others.

‘…and spend out of what We have provided for them;’

For instance, he did not say ‘out of what they have earned’. He said, ‘out of what We have provided for them’. Then, the provider of substance is Allah. He does not ask you to give out what is yours. He only asked you to give out of what is His, not yours. He gave you the substance and asked you to spend something out of what He gave you.

Then, Taqwah involves three things: belief in Allah, establishment of Salah and spending out of what Allah has given you.

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Is spending out of what Allah has given referring to Zakah or Sadaqah? It refers to both that which is obligatory (zakah) and that which is supererogatory (Sadaqah).

4  And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.

‘And who believe…’ why start the sentence with ‘And’? Why not proceed with the first statement? Who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer and spend out of what We provided for them. Who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before they time,… putting or starting the sentence with ‘And who believe’ made the scholars ask the question: are they the same people Allah referred to or they are two different sets of people? Some scholars said they are the same people referred to in verses 3 and 4. While others said no, they are different sets of believers. Verse 3, ‘Who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer and spend out of what We provided for them’, refers to the Muslims who believe in the revelation sent to Muhammad, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam. But verse 4, ‘And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee and sent before thy time…’ refers to Ahlul Kitaab like Abdallah bn Salaam who believe in the message brought by Muhammad, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, and the one brought by Musa, Isa and others from their Lord.

The first position is better, that both verses refer to the same people Allah caused to believe in what is accepted by the intellect (belief in the unseen)  and translated into real action with their joints.

Faith is not wishful thinking or sugarcoating, rather it is what is settled in the heart and confirmed by action. (Among the sayings of Hassan al-Basri, not a Hadeeth).

So, they confirmed their belief with their hearts through their physical and monetary actions. And thus, Allah honours them with another form of Imaan, which is that of hearing and believing what is conveyed to them through the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam:

4  And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.

The message of the Qur’an came to us through the Messenger, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, so as that of Torah, Injeel, the Books of Ibrahim, and all scriptures revealed by Allah, of which we knew nothing. Still, we believed in what he conveyed unto us from our Lord. We hear, and we obey.

5  They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper.

The guidance here is Allah’s guidance, one emanating from Him, putting them on a sure footing on the straight path.

On guidance, like being on air, aboard a flight. They are on guidance from their Lord in peace and security on their way to His eternal bliss.

These are the successful.

As if to state that the only people who will be successful in the Hereafter are the Muttaquun in the world.

After the mention of the Muttaquun comes that of the kuffaar:

6  As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.

If it is destined that they will not believe, why preach to them? What is the use of calling them to Islam if Allah has decreed that they will not believe?

The verse only refers to some disbelievers, not all. Most believers have been disbelievers at some time before they believed. The verse refers to a specific set of disbelievers who will not believe regardless of whatever effort is expended in calling them to Islam. Allah knows that they will not believe!

Secondly, why is a warning mentioned instead of glad tidings when the Messenger was sent as a bringer of glad tidings and a Warner?

It is because warning is stronger; preventing harm is given priority over securing benefits. Or ‘Warding off harm takes precedence over bringing benefits’.

By nature, man is quicker to avoid what will harm him than to approach what brings him benefit. Therefore, giving glad tidings, in this case, will not benefit man where warning fails. That is why a warning is used in the verse instead of glad tidings.

‘…it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them…’

So that you know, your warning or lack of it will not benefit them. That stops with them, but as for you, there is a benefit. Allah will recompense you for conveying His messages to them. When we contrast this to where Allah speaks concerning the kuffar and their prayers to the idols, the meaning becomes plain:

If ye call them to guidance, they will not obey: For you it is the same whether ye call them or ye hold your peace!

Your calling of idols, your prayers to them or lack thereof, is all the same for you; it will not benefit you anyway. The idols and images you worship besides Allah are oblivious to this service. Thus, whether you worship them or not is the same for you.

In another place the Qur’an says:

136. They said: It is all one to us whether thou preachest or art not of those who preach; (ash-Shu’araa)

And even on the day of Judgement, they will say:

21. They all come forth unto their Lord. Then those who were despised say unto those who were scornful: We were unto you a following, can ye then avert from us aught of Allah’s doom? They say: Had Allah guided us, we should have guided you. Whether we rage or patiently endure is (now) all one for us: we have no place of refuge. (Ibrahim)

So,  ‘…it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them;…’ but to you, warning them is rewarding; you have conveyed Allah’s messages unto them, and thus, have completed your task which Allah assigned to you.