Divine Purposes in Spending in God's Way

One of the most important acts of worship that cleanses material and spiritual dirt, and enables man to discipline his souls and thus to attain a state of high morality that God would be pleased with, is to spend in God's way for benevolent causes. God has told the Prophet, peace be upon him, to take alms out of believers' property and to cleanse and purify them thereby.

Take alms from their wealth to purify and cleanse them... (Surat at-Tawba: 103)

However, the act of spending that purifies and cleanses people is the one that is made in the way specified in the Qur'an. People believe themselves to have exceedingly fulfilled their duty when they give some small change to beggars, when they give away some of their old clothes to the poor or when they feed a hungry person. No doubt these are the acts that would be rewarded in God's sight if they were performed with the intention of earning the good pleasure of God. Yet, there are limits specified in the Qur'an. For example, God commands man to spend whatever is surplus to his needs:

... They will ask you what they should give away. Say, 'Whatever is surplus to your needs.' In this way God makes the Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will reflect; (Surat al-Baqara: 219)

Man needs very little to live in this world. Property that is in excess of one's needs is surplus goods. What is important is not the amount given but whether one sincerely gives away what he can really afford. God has knowledge of all things and He has left it to man's conscience to decide the things he actually does not need. Giving away is a very easy form of worship for those who are not seized by worldly ambitions and who have not sold out to this world, but yearn for the hereafter. God has ordered us to give away out of our wealth to avoid attachment to this world. This is a means to purify ourselves of greed. No doubt, this form of worship is very important for believers in respect of their reckoning in the hereafter. God's Messenger, peace be upon him, also said that he who spends in the way of God is favoured:

Two people are favoured: One is someone to whom God gave the Qur'an and who lived by it. He accepted as lawful whatever it commanded as lawful, and as unlawful whatever it commanded as unlawful. The other is someone to whom God gave property and who allotted this property among his relatives and spent it on God's path.6

MAN SHOULD GIVE OF WHAT HE LOVES TO THE NEEDY

People often tend to do someone a favour if that favour does not harm their interests. For example, when someone gives away possessions to the needy, he often gives things that are no longer desired, or disliked, out of style, or no longer fit for use.

God, however, commands man to give away the entities he cherishes for himself. One may find it difficult to give away beloved possessions, but such generosity is essential to purification and the attainment of righteousness. This is an important secret that God has revealed to mankind. God has stated that man could, in no other way, attain goodness:

You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love. Whatever you give away, God knows it. (Surah Ali 'Imran: 92)

You who believe! Give away some of the good things you have earned and some of what the earth produces for you. Do not have recourse to bad things when you give, things you would only take with your eyes tight shut! Know that God is Rich Beyond Need, Praiseworthy. (Surat al-Baqara: 267)

SPENDING IN GOD'S WAY IS A MEANS TO DRAW NEARER TO HIM

For a believer, nothing is dearer than earning God's good pleasure and love. A believer seeks the means to get closer to God throughout his life. Of this God states the following:

You who believe! Have fear of God and seek the means of drawing near to Him, and strive in His Way, so that hopefully you will be successful. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 35)

As a secret and good news to believers, God revealed in the Qur'an that what is spent should be a means of obtaining nearness to Him. Therefore, for a believer, giving away what he loves and what is beyond his needs is not a hardship, but rather a precious opportunity to demonstrate devotion and love for God. Of this God states the following:

And among the desert Arabs there are some who believe in God and the Last Day and regard what they give as something, which will bring them nearer to God and to the prayers of the Messenger. It does indeed bring them near. God will admit them into His mercy. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat at-Tawba: 99)

WHATEVER IS SPENT IN GOD'S WAY WILL HAVE AGOOD RECOMPENSE

Another secret revealed in respect of giving away one's property in the Qur'an is that whatever is spent will certainly be replaced. This is God's promise. Those who spend their property in God's way with no fear of poverty, are presented astonishing blessings all through their lives. Whatever is spent in God's way is paid back in full. Some of the verses that relate to the promise are as follows:

You are not responsible for their guidance, but God guides whosoever He wills. Whatever good you give away is to your own benefit, when you give desiring only the Face of God. Whatever good you give away will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged. (Surat al-Baqara: 272)

... Anything you spend in the Way of God will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged. (Surat al-Anfal: 60)

Say: 'My Lord expands the provision of any of His servants as He wills or restricts it. But He will replace anything you spend. He is the Best of Providers.' (Surah Saba': 39)

Believers desire to earn only God's good pleasure and paradise when they give away their properties and extend themselves; but as a secret revealed by God, whatever they spend is paid back to them. As stated in the verse, God replaces what is spent. These repayments are both blessings in the world and, above all else, gifts in paradise God has prepared for believers. On the other hand, contrary to those who give away, God lessens the provision of those people who are miserly in giving away their wealth or who desire to accumulate more wealth by disregarding the limits of God. One of the relevant verses relates the state of those who charge interest:

God obliterates usury but makes deeds of charity grow in value! God does not love any persistently ungrateful wrongdoer. (Surat al-Baqara: 276)

God informs about the abundance that those who give away their properties attain as follows:

The metaphor of those who spend their wealth in the Way of God is that of a grain which produces seven ears; in every ear there are a hundred grains. God gives such multiplied increase to whomever He wills. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 261)

You who believe! Do not nullify your charity by demands for gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his wealth, showing off to people and not believe in God and the Last Day. His likeness is that of a smooth rock coated with soil, which, when heavy rain falls on it, is left stripped bare. They have no power over anything they have earned. God does not guide disbelieving people.

The metaphor of those who spend their wealth, desiring the pleasure of God and firmness for themselves, is that of a garden on a hillside. When heavy rain falls on it, it doubles its produce; and if heavy rain does not fall, there is dew. God sees what you do. (Surat al-Baqara: 264-265)

Each one of these verses is a secret that God reveals to believers in the Qur'an. Believers spend their wealth only to earn the good pleasure and mercy of God and His paradise. However, being aware of these secrets revealed in the Quran, they also hope for God's blessings and grace. The more they spend their goods and extend themselves in God's way and the more meticulous they become in observing what is forbidden and lawful, the more God increases their wealth, makes their tasks easy, and provides more of the opportunities to spend in His way. Every believer who fears God and harbours no fear in his heart for future, experiences this secret in the course of his life.