Believe in God and His Apostle, and spend of what He has given you as His trustee. And those of you who believe and spend in charity will have a great reward.
Accept faith in Allah and His Noble Messenger, and spend in His cause from what He has made you the heirs of; so for those among you who accepted faith and spent in His cause, is a great reward.
Believe in God and His Messenger, and expend of that unto which He has made you successors. And those of you who believe and expend shall have a mighty wage.
BELIEVE in God and His Apostle, and spend on others out of that of which He has made you trus­tees: for, those of you who have attained to faith and who spend freely [in God’s cause] shall have a great reward.
Believe in Allah and His apostle, and expend of that whereof He hath made you successors to. Those of you who believe and expend - theirs shall be a great hire.
Believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and spend of that whereof He has made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend (in Allah's Way), theirs will be a great reward.
Believe in God and His Messenger, and spend from what He made you inherit. Those among you who believe and give will have a great reward.
Believe in Allah and in His Messenger and expend of what He has entrusted to you. A great reward awaits those of you who believe and spend their wealth.
Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and spend of that whereof He has made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend, theirs will be a great reward.
Believe in Allah and His messenger, and spend of that whereof He hath made you trustees; and such of you as believe and spend (aright), theirs will be a great reward.
Have faith in Allah and His Apostle, and spend out of that of which He has made you heirs. There is a great reward for those of you who have faith and spend [in Allah’s way].
Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend (in charity) of that which He has made you successors. Whosoever of you believes and spends shall have amighty wage.
Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend out of that in which He has made you successors. For those who have believed among you and spent, there will be a great reward.
Have faith in God and His Messenger and spend for His cause out of what is entrusted to you. Those who believe and spend for the cause of God will have a great reward.
Believe in Allah and His Apostle, and spend out of what He has made you to be successors of; for those of you who believe and spend shall have a great reward.
<u>A</u>minoo bi<b>A</b>ll<u>a</u>hi warasoolihi waanfiqoo mimm<u>a</u> jaAAalakum mustakhlafeena feehi fa<b>a</b>lla<u>th</u>eena <u>a</u>manoo minkum waanfaqoo lahum ajrun kabeer<b>un</b>
Have faith in God and His Messenger and spend in charity from that of which He has made you trustees: those of you who believe and give alms shall be richly rewarded.
Believe in Allah and His messenger, and spend (in charity) out of the (substance) whereof He has made you heirs. For, those of you who believe and spend (in charity),- for them is a great Reward.
ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَأَنفَقُوا۟ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
Bring faith in Allah and bring faith in His Messenger, and spend from the wealth that Allah has made you deputies in, using it according to what Allah has legislated for you. As for those of you who have faith in Allah and spend their wealth in His path, for them is a great reward with Him, which is Paradise.
Bring faith in Allah and bring faith in His Messenger, and spend from the wealth that Allah has made you deputies in, using it according to what Allah has legislated for you. As for those of you who have faith in Allah and spend their wealth in His path, for them is a great reward with Him, which is Paradise.
<p>[ 1] The original word used in the text is 'mustakhlafin' which has two meanings: 'deputies' and 'successors'. Taken in the first meaning, the verse indicates that the wealth held by human beings originally belongs to Allah, but He has made them His deputies or representatives to use it according to His directions. Although He has allowed them to use it for their own benefit, it should always be subject to the rules prescribed by Him in Shari'ah. Once it is believed that one is not the absolute owner of this wealth, it should not be difficult for him to spend according to the command of its absolute Owner. This is the interpretation of the verse according to the majority of commentators. However, some other exegetes have taken the word 'mustakhlafin' in the sense of 'successors'. In this case the verse reminds us that whatever wealth we have in our hands today has reached us from other people who owned it before us. We have succeeded them in its ownership, and ultimately it will be passed on to some others through any mode of transfer including inheritance. All kinds of wealth are thus in transit, moving from one person to another. Therefore, one should not hesitate in spending it in Allah's way, because it has to be passed on to some others in any case. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)</p>
[ 1] The original word used in the text is 'mustakhlafin' which has two meanings: 'deputies' and 'successors'. Taken in the first meaning, the verse indicates that the wealth held by human beings originally belongs to Allah, but He has made them His deputies or representatives to use it according to His directions. Although He has allowed them to use it for their own benefit, it should always be subject to the rules prescribed by Him in Shari'ah. Once it is believed that one is not the absolute owner of this wealth, it should not be difficult for him to spend according to the command of its absolute Owner. This is the interpretation of the verse according to the majority of commentators. However, some other exegetes have taken the word 'mustakhlafin' in the sense of 'successors'. In this case the verse reminds us that whatever wealth we have in our hands today has reached us from other people who owned it before us. We have succeeded them in its ownership, and ultimately it will be passed on to some others through any mode of transfer including inheritance. All kinds of wealth are thus in transit, moving from one person to another. Therefore, one should not hesitate in spending it in Allah's way, because it has to be passed on to some others in any case. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
<h2 class="title">Ordering Faith and encouraging spending</h2>Allah the Exalted and Blessed orders having perfect faith in Him and in His Messenger, and that one should persist on this path adhereing firmly to it. Allah encourages spending from what He has made mankind trustees of, the wealth that you - mankind - have, that He has lent you. This wealth was in the hands of those before you and was later transferred to you. Therefore, O mankind, spend as Allah commanded you from the wealth that He entrusted to you for His obedience. Otherwise, He will hold you accountable and punish you for your ignoring what He ordained on you in this regard. Allah's statement,<div class="text_uthmani arabic">مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ</div><p>(of that whereof He has made you trustees.), indicates that you - mankind -- will surrender this wealth to someone else. In this case, those who will inherit from you might obey Allah with their wealth, and thus acquire more happiness than you on account of what Allah has granted them. They might disobey Allah, and in this case you will have helped them commit evil and transgression. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir said, "I came to Allah's Messenger as he was reciting and saying,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">أَلْهَـكُمُ التَّكَّاثُرُ </div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَهَلْ لَكَ مِن مَالِكَ إِلَّا مَاأَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟»</div><p>((abundance diverts you.)( The Son of `Adam claims, "My wealth, my wealth." But is there anything belonging to you, except that which you consumed, which you used, or which you wore and then it became worn or you gave as charity and sent it forward) Muslim also collected with the addition:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«وَمَا سِوَى ذلِكَ، فَذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاس»</div><p>(Other than that, you will go away from it and leave it behind for other people.)  Allah's statement,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمْ وَأَنفَقُواْ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ</div><p>(And such of you as believe and spend, theirs will be a great reward.) encourages having faith and spending in acts of obedience. Allah the Exalted said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَا لَكُمْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِتُؤْمِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمْ</div><p>(And what is the matter with you that you believe not in Allah! While the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord;) meaning, "what prevents you from believing, while the Messenger is among you calling you to faith and bringing forward clear proofs and evidences that affirm the truth of what he brought you" And we have reported the Hadith through different routes in the beginning of the explanation on the chapter on Faith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, wherein one day the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«أَيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعْجَبُ إِلَيْكُمْ إِيمَانًا؟»</div><p>(Who do you consider among the believers as having the most amazing faith) They said, "The angels." He said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«وَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ؟»</div><p>(And what prevents them from believing when they are with their Lord) They said, "Then the Prophets." He said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«وَمَالَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْوَحْيُ يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِمْ؟»</div><p>(What prevents them from believing when the revelation comes down to them) They said, "Then us." He said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«وَمَالَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَنَا بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِكُمْ؟ وَلكِنْ أَعْجَبُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا، قَوْمٌ يَجِيئُونَ بَعْدَكُمْ، يَجِدُونَ صُحُفًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا فِيهَا»</div><p>(What prevents you from believing, when I am amongst you Actually, the believers who have the most amazing faith, are some people who will come after you; they will find pages that they will believe in.) We mentioned a part of this Hadith when explaining Allah's statement in Surat Al-Baqarah,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ</div><p>(who believe in the Ghayb (unseen).)(2:3) Allah's statement,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَقَدْ أَخَذَ مِيثَـقَكُمْ</div><p>(and He has indeed taken your covenant,) is similar to another of His statements,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَـقَهُ الَّذِى وَاثَقَكُم بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا</div><p>(And remember Allah's favor to you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said: "We hear and we obey.")(5:7), which refers to giving the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet . Ibn Jarir said that the covenant mentioned here, is that taken from mankind, when they were still in Adam's loin. This is also the opinion of Mujahid, and Allah knows best. Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">هُوَ الَّذِى يُنَزِّلُ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ ءَايَـتٍ بَيِّنَـتٍ</div><p>(It is He Who sends down manifest Ayat to His servant) clear proofs, unequivocal evidences and plain attestations,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنَ الظُّلُمَـتِ إِلَى النُّورِ</div><p>(that He may bring you out from darkness into light.) from the darkness of ignorance, disbelief and contradictory statements to the light of guidance, certainty and faith,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ</div><p>(And verily, Allah is to you full of kindness, Most Merciful.) by revealing the Divine Books and sending the Messengers to guide mankind, eradicating doubts and removing confusion. After Allah commanded mankind to first believe and spend, He again encouraged them to acquire faith and stated that He has removed all barriers between them and the acquisition of faith. Allah again encouraged them to spend,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلاَّ تُنفِقُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ</div><p>(And what is the matter with you that you spend not in the cause of Allah And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth.) means, spend and do not fear poverty or scarcity. Surely, He in Whose cause you spent is the King and Owner of the heavens and earth and has perfect control over their every affair, including their treasuries. He is the Owner of the Throne, with all the might that it contains, and He is the One Who said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَآ أَنفَقْتُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ</div><p>(And whatsoever you spend of anything, He will replace it. And He is the best of providers.)(34:39), and,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ</div><p>(whatever is with you, will be exhausted, and whatever is with Allah will remain.)(16:96) Therefore, those who trust in and depend on Allah will spend, and they will not fear poverty or destitution coming to them from the Owner of the Throne. They know that Allah will surely compensate them for whatever they spend.</p><h2 class="title">The Virtues of spending and fighting before the Conquest of Makkah</h2><p>Allah's statement,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لاَ يَسْتَوِى مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَـتَلَ</div><p>(Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquering and fought.) meaning those who did not fight and spend before the Conquest are not equal to those who spent and fought. Before Makkah was conquered, things were difficult for Muslims and only the righteous ones embraced Islam. After Makkah was conquered, Islam spread tremendously throughout the known world and people embraced the religion of Allah en masse. Similarly He said:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">أُوْلَـئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أَنفَقُواْ مِن بَعْدُ وَقَـتَلُواْ وَكُلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى</div><p>(Such are higher in degree than those who spent and fought afterwards. But to all Allah has promised the best (reward).) The majority considers the Conquest here to be the conquest of Makkah. Ash-Sha`bi and several others said that the Ayah refers to the treaty at Al-Hudaybiyyah. There is proof for this opinion found in a Hadith from Anas, collected by Imam Ahmad. Anas said, "Khalid bin Al-Walid and `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf had a dispute. Khalid said to `Abdur-Rahman, `You boast about days (battles) that you participated in before us.' When the news of this statement reached the Prophet he said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«دَعُوا لِي أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ أَوْ مِثْلَ الْجِبَالِ ذَهَبًا، مَا بَلَغْتُمْ أَعْمَالَهُم»</div><p>(Do not bother my Companions, for by He in Whose Hand is my soul! If you spend an amount of gold equal to (Mount) Uhud, (or equal to the mountains), you will not reach the level of their actions.)" It is a known fact that Khalid bin Al-Walid, whom the Prophet addressed this statement to, embraced Islam during the period between the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyyah and the conquering of Makkah. The dispute between Khalid and `Abdur-Rahman occurred because of the battle of Bani Jadhimah. The Prophet sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to them after the conquest of Makkah, and they said, "Saba'na," instead of saying, "Aslamna" (we embraced Islam). So Khalid ordered their execution and the execution of their prisoners (of war); `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf and `Abdullah bin `Umar opposed him. This is the reason behind the dispute that occurred between Khalid and `Abdur-Rahman. But in the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنْفَقَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَه»</div><p>(None should revile my Companions, for by He in Whose Hand is my soul! If one of you were to spend as much gold as Uhud, it would not reach the level of them equal to an amount as much as one Mudd of one of them or half of it.) Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَكُلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى</div><p>(But to all Allah has promised the best (reward).) meaning, those who spent before and after the conquest of Makkah; they all will gain a reward for their good deeds, even though some of them vary in rank and earn a better reward than others as Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لاَّ يَسْتَوِى الْقَـعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُوْلِى الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَـهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَـعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُـلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَـعِدِينَ أَجْراً عَظِيماً </div><p>(Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled, and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allah has promised good, but Allah has preferred by a great reward those who strive hard and fight, above those who sit (at home).)(4:95) There is a Hadith in the Sahih that states,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ، وَفِي كُلَ خَيْر»</div><p>(The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer; both have goodness in them.) The Prophet ended his statement this way to draw attention to the second type of believer, so that their own qualities are not forgotten in the midst of preferring the former type. In this way, the latter is not dismissed as being degraded in the Hadith. Therefore, the Prophet ended his statement by praising the second type -- the weak believers -- after giving preference to the first type. Allah said:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ</div><p>(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) meaning, since Allah is perfectly aware of all things, He made distinctions between the rewards of the believers who spent and fought before the Conquest and those who spent and fought afterwards. Surely, Allah does this by His knowledge of the intention of the former type and their perfect sincerity to Him, all the while spending in times of hardship, poverty and dire straits. This is found in the Hadith,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«سَبَقَ دِرْهَمٌ مِائَةَ أَلْف»</div><p>(Spending one Dirham is preceded over a hundred thousand.) There is no doubt that the people of faith consider Abu Bakr As-Siddiq to be the person who has the best share according to the meaning of this Ayah. He was the chief of those who implemented it, among all followers of all Prophets. He spent all of his wealth seeking the Face of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored. He did it voluntarily too, not to repay a debt or a favor that anyone from mankind had on him. May Allah be pleased with him.</p><h2 class="title">The Encouragement to make a Handsome Loan in the Cause of Allah</h2><p>Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا</div><p>(Who is he that will lend Allah a handsome loan:) `Umar bin Al-Khattab said that this Ayah refers to spending in Allah's cause. It was also said that it pertains to spending on children. What is correct is that it is more general than that. So all those who spend in the cause of Allah with good intentions and a sincere heart, then they fall under the generality of this Ayah. This is why Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah:</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ</div><p>(Who is he that will lend Allah handsome loan: then (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying),) and in another Ayah,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً</div><p>(many times) (2:245), meaning, being handsome reward and tremendous provisions: Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "When this Ayah,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ</div><p>(Who is he that will lend Allah handsome loan: then (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying),) was revealed, Abu Ad-Dahdah Al-Ansari said, `O Allah's Messenger! Does Allah ask us for a loan' The Prophet said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«نَعَمْ، يَاأَبَا الدَّحْدَاح»</div><p>(Yes, O Abu Ad-Dahdah.) He said, `Give me your hand, O Allah's Messenger,' and the Prophet placed his hand in his hand. Abu Ad-Dahdah said, `Verily, I have given my garden as a loan to my Lord.' He had a garden that contained six hundred date trees; his wife and children were living in that garden too. Abu Ad-Dahdah went to his wife and called her, `Umm Ad-Dahdah!' She said, `Here I am.' He said, `Leave the garden, because I have given it as a loan to my Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored.' She said, `That is a successful trade, O Abu Ad-Dahdah!' She then transferred her goods and children. The Messenger of Allah said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«كَمْ مِنْ عَذْقٍ رَدَاحٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لِأَبِي الدَّحْدَاح»</div><p>(How plentiful are the sweet date clusters that Abu Ad-Dahdah has in Paradise!)" In another narration, the Prophet said,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«رُبَّ نَخْلَةٍ مُدَلَّاةٍ، عُرُوقُهَا دُرٌّ وَيَاقُوتٌ، لِأَبِي الدَّحْدَاحِ فِي الْجَنَّة»</div><p>(How many a date tree that has lowered down its clusters, which are full of pearls and gems in Paradise for Abu Ad-Dahdah!)</p>
Ordering Faith and encouraging spendingAllah the Exalted and Blessed orders having perfect faith in Him and in His Messenger, and that one should persist on this path adhereing firmly to it. Allah encourages spending from what He has made mankind trustees of, the wealth that you - mankind - have, that He has lent you. This wealth was in the hands of those before you and was later transferred to you. Therefore, O mankind, spend as Allah commanded you from the wealth that He entrusted to you for His obedience. Otherwise, He will hold you accountable and punish you for your ignoring what He ordained on you in this regard. Allah's statement,مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ(of that whereof He has made you trustees.), indicates that you - mankind -- will surrender this wealth to someone else. In this case, those who will inherit from you might obey Allah with their wealth, and thus acquire more happiness than you on account of what Allah has granted them. They might disobey Allah, and in this case you will have helped them commit evil and transgression. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir said, "I came to Allah's Messenger as he was reciting and saying,أَلْهَـكُمُ التَّكَّاثُرُ يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَهَلْ لَكَ مِن مَالِكَ إِلَّا مَاأَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟»((abundance diverts you.)( The Son of `Adam claims, "My wealth, my wealth." But is there anything belonging to you, except that which you consumed, which you used, or which you wore and then it became worn or you gave as charity and sent it forward) Muslim also collected with the addition:«وَمَا سِوَى ذلِكَ، فَذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاس»(Other than that, you will go away from it and leave it behind for other people.)  Allah's statement,فَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمْ وَأَنفَقُواْ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ(And such of you as believe and spend, theirs will be a great reward.) encourages having faith and spending in acts of obedience. Allah the Exalted said,وَمَا لَكُمْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِتُؤْمِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمْ(And what is the matter with you that you believe not in Allah! While the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord;) meaning, "what prevents you from believing, while the Messenger is among you calling you to faith and bringing forward clear proofs and evidences that affirm the truth of what he brought you" And we have reported the Hadith through different routes in the beginning of the explanation on the chapter on Faith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, wherein one day the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions,«أَيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعْجَبُ إِلَيْكُمْ إِيمَانًا؟»(Who do you consider among the believers as having the most amazing faith) They said, "The angels." He said,«وَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ؟»(And what prevents them from believing when they are with their Lord) They said, "Then the Prophets." He said,«وَمَالَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْوَحْيُ يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِمْ؟»(What prevents them from believing when the revelation comes down to them) They said, "Then us." He said,«وَمَالَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَنَا بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِكُمْ؟ وَلكِنْ أَعْجَبُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا، قَوْمٌ يَجِيئُونَ بَعْدَكُمْ، يَجِدُونَ صُحُفًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا فِيهَا»(What prevents you from believing, when I am amongst you Actually, the believers who have the most amazing faith, are some people who will come after you; they will find pages that they will believe in.) We mentioned a part of this Hadith when explaining Allah's statement in Surat Al-Baqarah,الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ(who believe in the Ghayb (unseen).)(2:3) Allah's statement,وَقَدْ أَخَذَ مِيثَـقَكُمْ(and He has indeed taken your covenant,) is similar to another of His statements,وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَـقَهُ الَّذِى وَاثَقَكُم بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا(And remember Allah's favor to you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said: "We hear and we obey.")(5:7), which refers to giving the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet . Ibn Jarir said that the covenant mentioned here, is that taken from mankind, when they were still in Adam's loin. This is also the opinion of Mujahid, and Allah knows best. Allah said,هُوَ الَّذِى يُنَزِّلُ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ ءَايَـتٍ بَيِّنَـتٍ(It is He Who sends down manifest Ayat to His servant) clear proofs, unequivocal evidences and plain attestations,لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنَ الظُّلُمَـتِ إِلَى النُّورِ(that He may bring you out from darkness into light.) from the darkness of ignorance, disbelief and contradictory statements to the light of guidance, certainty and faith,وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ(And verily, Allah is to you full of kindness, Most Merciful.) by revealing the Divine Books and sending the Messengers to guide mankind, eradicating doubts and removing confusion. After Allah commanded mankind to first believe and spend, He again encouraged them to acquire faith and stated that He has removed all barriers between them and the acquisition of faith. Allah again encouraged them to spend,وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلاَّ تُنفِقُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ(And what is the matter with you that you spend not in the cause of Allah And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth.) means, spend and do not fear poverty or scarcity. Surely, He in Whose cause you spent is the King and Owner of the heavens and earth and has perfect control over their every affair, including their treasuries. He is the Owner of the Throne, with all the might that it contains, and He is the One Who said,وَمَآ أَنفَقْتُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ(And whatsoever you spend of anything, He will replace it. And He is the best of providers.)(34:39), and,مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ(whatever is with you, will be exhausted, and whatever is with Allah will remain.)(16:96) Therefore, those who trust in and depend on Allah will spend, and they will not fear poverty or destitution coming to them from the Owner of the Throne. They know that Allah will surely compensate them for whatever they spend.The Virtues of spending and fighting before the Conquest of MakkahAllah's statement,لاَ يَسْتَوِى مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَـتَلَ(Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquering and fought.) meaning those who did not fight and spend before the Conquest are not equal to those who spent and fought. Before Makkah was conquered, things were difficult for Muslims and only the righteous ones embraced Islam. After Makkah was conquered, Islam spread tremendously throughout the known world and people embraced the religion of Allah en masse. Similarly He said:أُوْلَـئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أَنفَقُواْ مِن بَعْدُ وَقَـتَلُواْ وَكُلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى(Such are higher in degree than those who spent and fought afterwards. But to all Allah has promised the best (reward).) The majority considers the Conquest here to be the conquest of Makkah. Ash-Sha`bi and several others said that the Ayah refers to the treaty at Al-Hudaybiyyah. There is proof for this opinion found in a Hadith from Anas, collected by Imam Ahmad. Anas said, "Khalid bin Al-Walid and `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf had a dispute. Khalid said to `Abdur-Rahman, `You boast about days (battles) that you participated in before us.' When the news of this statement reached the Prophet he said,«دَعُوا لِي أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ أَوْ مِثْلَ الْجِبَالِ ذَهَبًا، مَا بَلَغْتُمْ أَعْمَالَهُم»(Do not bother my Companions, for by He in Whose Hand is my soul! If you spend an amount of gold equal to (Mount) Uhud, (or equal to the mountains), you will not reach the level of their actions.)" It is a known fact that Khalid bin Al-Walid, whom the Prophet addressed this statement to, embraced Islam during the period between the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyyah and the conquering of Makkah. The dispute between Khalid and `Abdur-Rahman occurred because of the battle of Bani Jadhimah. The Prophet sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to them after the conquest of Makkah, and they said, "Saba'na," instead of saying, "Aslamna" (we embraced Islam). So Khalid ordered their execution and the execution of their prisoners (of war); `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf and `Abdullah bin `Umar opposed him. This is the reason behind the dispute that occurred between Khalid and `Abdur-Rahman. But in the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah said,«لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنْفَقَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَه»(None should revile my Companions, for by He in Whose Hand is my soul! If one of you were to spend as much gold as Uhud, it would not reach the level of them equal to an amount as much as one Mudd of one of them or half of it.) Allah said,وَكُلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى(But to all Allah has promised the best (reward).) meaning, those who spent before and after the conquest of Makkah; they all will gain a reward for their good deeds, even though some of them vary in rank and earn a better reward than others as Allah said,لاَّ يَسْتَوِى الْقَـعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُوْلِى الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَـهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَـعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُـلاًّ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَـعِدِينَ أَجْراً عَظِيماً (Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled, and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allah has promised good, but Allah has preferred by a great reward those who strive hard and fight, above those who sit (at home).)(4:95) There is a Hadith in the Sahih that states,«الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ، وَفِي كُلَ خَيْر»(The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer; both have goodness in them.) The Prophet ended his statement this way to draw attention to the second type of believer, so that their own qualities are not forgotten in the midst of preferring the former type. In this way, the latter is not dismissed as being degraded in the Hadith. Therefore, the Prophet ended his statement by praising the second type -- the weak believers -- after giving preference to the first type. Allah said:وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) meaning, since Allah is perfectly aware of all things, He made distinctions between the rewards of the believers who spent and fought before the Conquest and those who spent and fought afterwards. Surely, Allah does this by His knowledge of the intention of the former type and their perfect sincerity to Him, all the while spending in times of hardship, poverty and dire straits. This is found in the Hadith,«سَبَقَ دِرْهَمٌ مِائَةَ أَلْف»(Spending one Dirham is preceded over a hundred thousand.) There is no doubt that the people of faith consider Abu Bakr As-Siddiq to be the person who has the best share according to the meaning of this Ayah. He was the chief of those who implemented it, among all followers of all Prophets. He spent all of his wealth seeking the Face of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored. He did it voluntarily too, not to repay a debt or a favor that anyone from mankind had on him. May Allah be pleased with him.The Encouragement to make a Handsome Loan in the Cause of AllahAllah said,مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا(Who is he that will lend Allah a handsome loan:) `Umar bin Al-Khattab said that this Ayah refers to spending in Allah's cause. It was also said that it pertains to spending on children. What is correct is that it is more general than that. So all those who spend in the cause of Allah with good intentions and a sincere heart, then they fall under the generality of this Ayah. This is why Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah:مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ(Who is he that will lend Allah handsome loan: then (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying),) and in another Ayah,أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً(many times) (2:245), meaning, being handsome reward and tremendous provisions: Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "When this Ayah,مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ(Who is he that will lend Allah handsome loan: then (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying),) was revealed, Abu Ad-Dahdah Al-Ansari said, `O Allah's Messenger! Does Allah ask us for a loan' The Prophet said,«نَعَمْ، يَاأَبَا الدَّحْدَاح»(Yes, O Abu Ad-Dahdah.) He said, `Give me your hand, O Allah's Messenger,' and the Prophet placed his hand in his hand. Abu Ad-Dahdah said, `Verily, I have given my garden as a loan to my Lord.' He had a garden that contained six hundred date trees; his wife and children were living in that garden too. Abu Ad-Dahdah went to his wife and called her, `Umm Ad-Dahdah!' She said, `Here I am.' He said, `Leave the garden, because I have given it as a loan to my Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored.' She said, `That is a successful trade, O Abu Ad-Dahdah!' She then transferred her goods and children. The Messenger of Allah said,«كَمْ مِنْ عَذْقٍ رَدَاحٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لِأَبِي الدَّحْدَاح»(How plentiful are the sweet date clusters that Abu Ad-Dahdah has in Paradise!)" In another narration, the Prophet said,«رُبَّ نَخْلَةٍ مُدَلَّاةٍ، عُرُوقُهَا دُرٌّ وَيَاقُوتٌ، لِأَبِي الدَّحْدَاحِ فِي الْجَنَّة»(How many a date tree that has lowered down its clusters, which are full of pearls and gems in Paradise for Abu Ad-Dahdah!)