Ar-Rum · Makki · ayah 39 of 60

Ar-Rum 30:39

وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًا لِّيَرْبُوَا۟ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُوا۟ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَوٰةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُضْعِفُونَ

“And whatever you give for interest [i.e., advantage] to increase within the wealth of people[1149] will not increase with Allāh. But what you give in zakāh,[1150] desiring the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh - those are the multipliers.[1151]”

Saheeh International

Essence

What is given to swell back from people stops growing there, while what is given for Allah's face makes the givers themselves the multiplied.

A reflection

The aunt's notebook of envelopes

At every family wedding, an aunt sits near the door with a small notebook. As guests hand over envelopes, she writes down each name and amount. Years later, when those guests' children marry, she checks the notebook. Each family is given exactly what it gave, plus a little, so no one is shamed. Nobody calls this greed. It is simply how the family keeps its balance.

Most of the early commentators read this ayah's ribā in exactly that territory. It is the gift given in the hope that a larger one will come back. A man sends a present, expecting a better present in return. One early authority called it the gift given 'to be repaid with more'. Another said it covers any giving done for worldly return and people's repayment.

The ayah does not mock the custom. It simply says where such giving grows. It grows 'in people's wealth': the return comes back through people, measured by people, and it stays there. 'It does not grow with Allah.' Nothing is added to the giver's account with Him.

That is the quiet sting. You can give a great deal and have nothing waiting on the other side. The envelope was real money. It simply went into the wrong ledger.

The next phrase opens the other account. 'What you give in purifying charity, seeking the face of Allah: those are the ones multiplied.' Same hand, same money, different direction. The question for every gift is not only how much. It is where you are hoping it will grow.

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.