Al-Insan · Madani · ayah 8 of 31

Al-Insan 76:8

وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا

“And they give food in spite of love for it[1813] to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,”

Saheeh International

Essence

They fed the poor, the orphan and the captive from the plate they wanted for themselves, and that is the gift the Garden remembers.

A reflection

Not the leftovers: the iced corner

Most of us carry a polite picture of charity. You look after your own needs first, and then share what is left: the spare coat, the extra tin, the money after the bills. It is decent, and it is not what this ayah describes.

ʿAlā ḥubbihi: 'despite their love of it'. Most early commentators take the 'it' to be the food. They fed others while they wanted it themselves, desired it, needed it. One early voice said: while they craved it. A major commentary calls this the plainest reading, and sets it beside two other ayat. 'He gave wealth despite loving it' (2:177). 'You will not attain righteousness until you spend from what you love' (3:92).

The Prophet ﷺ was asked which charity is greatest. He said: that you give while you are healthy and tight-fisted, hoping to be rich and afraid of being poor (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Not from a comfortable surplus, but at the very moment the self is gripping hardest.

One of the early pious took it literally. When a beggar came to his door, the commentaries report, he would say: give him sugar, because al-Rabīʿ loves sugar.

At a six-year-old's birthday party, the birthday boy saves the iced corner of the cake for last. It is the best piece, and he has been eyeing it all afternoon. Then a shy new boy arrives late and there is no cake left for him. The birthday boy looks at his plate for a long moment, and hands over the corner.

Every adult watching felt the size of that. It was not the cake. It was the wanting he gave away with it.

So set down the picture of charity as leftovers. The ayah praises the gift that costs you a little appetite. That does not mean neglecting those who depend on you; the Prophet ﷺ also said to begin with those you support. It means that, once they are cared for, the measure of a gift is how much you wanted to keep it.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.