Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 267 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:267

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّآ أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا۟ ٱلْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُم بِـَٔاخِذِيهِ إِلَّآ أَن تُغْمِضُوا۟ فِيهِ ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ

“O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth. And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending [from that] while you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes. And know that Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Give from the good you have earned and grown, not from what you would only accept with your eyes half-shut; Allah needs none of it.

A reflection

The old gift tag inside the wrapping

A bride unwraps a wedding present: a scented candle set. Tucked inside the box is the original gift tag, with someone else's name on it. The giver had passed on something she did not want.

The ayah ends, 'And know that Allah is Ghaniyy, Ḥamīd'. Free of need, and worthy of all praise. A concise commentary: free of need of your spending, praised in every state. A classical commentator explains why He still commands the best. It is not because He needs it. It is so that rich and poor are brought closer, as another ayah says of sacrifice. 'Neither their flesh nor their blood reaches Allah. What reaches Him is your mindfulness' (22:37).

This is where our ego is gently exposed. When we give Allah our leftovers, we do not diminish Him. He is Ghaniyy; our worst cannot make Him poorer. He is Ḥamīd; our stinginess cannot make Him less praiseworthy. The only thing a cheap offering reveals is how we value the One we offer it to.

The bride did not lose anything by receiving a passed-on candle. But she learned something about where she stood with the giver. Every gift says something about the receiver's worth in the giver's eyes.

Someone may ask why a self-sufficient God asks for our best at all. Does He want to be flattered with quality? No. He wants us freed from the habit of handing on what we do not want. The best gift changes the giver. The leftover gift leaves him where he was.

What do I give to Allah? My best hours, or the tired ones? My best money, or the change?

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.