Qur’an verses on charity/sadaqah

Ala-Maududi

(2:196) Complete Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah. And if you are prevented from doing so, then make theoffering which is available to you,^[209] and do not shave your heads until theoffering reaches its appointed place.^[210]

If any of you should have to shave your head before that because of illness, or injury to thehead, then you should make redemption by fasting, or almsgiving, or ritualsacrifice.^[211] And when you are secure,^[212] then he who avails of ‘Umrahbefore the time of Hajj shall give the offering he can afford; and if he cannot afford theoffering, he shall fast for three days during Hajj and for seven days after he returns home;that is, ten days in all. This privilege is for those whose families do not live near the HolyMosque.^[213] Guard against violating these ordinances of Allah and be mindful thatAllah is severe in chastisement.

209. If any obstruction prevents a person from proceeding with the Pilgrimage and he is forced tostay behind, he should make a sacrificial offering to God of whatever is available – forexample, either a camel, a cow, a goat or a sheep

210. The statement: ‘until the offering reaches its appointed place’ has been variouslyinterpreted by the jurists. The Hanafi jurists consider this to signify the area which lieswithin the boundaries of the Haram. In their view this injunction means that if a man has beenprevented from Pilgrimage he ought to send to the Haram either the animal itself or the money topurchase it, and have a sacrificial offering made on his behalf. According to Malik andal-Shafi’i this verse enjoins one to perform a sacrifice at the very spot where one is preventedfrom going any further. (See also Qurtubi’s commentary on the verse – Ed.) The injunctionregarding ‘shaving the head’ means that one may not have one’s hair cut until a sacrificialoffering has been made.

211. According to the Hadith, in such a situation the Prophet (peace be on him) ordered threedays of fasting, or the feeding of six poor people, or the slaughter of one sheep or goat. (SeeBukhari, ‘Maghazi’, 35; Muslim, ‘Hajj’, 83 – Ed.)

212. This refers to the change in the situation when the obstacle to proceeding with thePilgrimage has been removed. Since, in those days, the circumstances which most commonlyprevented people from proceeding with their Pilgrimage was the danger of armed attack fromtribes hostile to Islam, the removal of that circumstance is described by the words: ‘when youare secure’. ‘To become secure’ refers not only to the removal of the danger of armed attack butto the removal of all such dangers.

213. In pre-Islamic Arabia it was considered a serious sin to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah in one andthe same journey. According to the self-made law of the pre-Islamic Arabs, each of thesePilgrimages required a separate journey. God declared this law void for those coming from abroadand who were granted the privilege of performing both types of pilgrimage in the same journey.This privilege, however, was not extended to those living in the environs of Makka, within themiqat, since it is not difficult for them to proceed separately for the major and minorPilgrimages.

Then you who take advantage of ‘Umrah before the time of Hajj’ means that a person may perform‘Umrah (minor Pilgrimage) and then may interrupt the state of consecration (ihram) and freehimself of the prohibitions and limitations incumbent upon him in that state. Later, when thetime for the Hajj (major Pilgrimage) arrives, he should once again assume the state ofconsecration (ihram).

Ala-Maududi

(2:219) They ask you about wine and games of chance. Say: “In both these there is great evil,even though there is some benefit for people, but their evil is greater than theirbenefit.”^[235]

They ask: “What should we spend in the Way of Allah?” Say: “Whatever you can spare.” In this wayAllah clearly expounds His injunctions to you that you may reflect upon them,

235. This is the first injunction concerning intoxicating drinks and gambling, and here thematter has been left merely as an expression of disapproval. This was a preliminary stepdesigned to prepare the minds of people for the acceptance of their prohibition. The injunctionprohibiting the performance of Prayer when in a state of intoxication came later, and ultimatelyalcohol, gambling and the like were categorically prohibited see (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 43) and (Surah Al-Maidah, ayat 90).

Ala-Maududi

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(2:254) O you who believe! Spend out of what We have provided you^[276] before therecomes a Day when there will be no buying and selling, nor will friendship and intercession be ofany avail. Indeed those who disbelieve are the wrong-doers.^[277]

276. This means spending in the way of God. The instruction given here is that those who haveadopted the cause of the true faith should undertake financial sacrifices for its sake.

277. Here the expression ‘they who disbelieve’ signifies either those who refused to obey God andheld their property to be clearer than God’s good pleasure, or those who did not believe in theDay of which they had been warned, or those who cherished the false i11usion that in theHereafter they would somehow be able to secure their salvation and that their association withmen devoted to God would stand them in good stead for they would intercede with God on theirbehalf.

Ala-Maududi

(2:255) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting by Whom all subsist, there is no god butHe.^[278] Neither slumber seizes Him, nor sleep;^[279] to Him belongs allthat is in the heavens and all that is in the earth.^[280] Who is there who mightintercede with Him save with His leave?^[281]

He knows what lies before them and what is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain toanything of His knowledge save what He wills them to attain.^[282] HisDominion^[283] overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Himnot. He is All-High, All-Glorious.^[284]

278. Irrespective of the number of gods or objects of worship set up by ignorant people, the factremains that godhead in its entirety, belongs exclusively to the Eternal Being, Who is indebtedto no one for His existence. In fact, He is not only self-existent, but upon Him rests theentire order of the universe. He alone wields all sovereign authority over His dominion. Noneshares either His attributes or His power and might, and no one has the same claims against thecreatures as He. Hence, if anywhere in the heavens or the earth someone sets up anything oranybody as an object of worship and service (ilah) either instead of or in addition to the OneTrue God this amounts to declaring war on reality.

279. This is a refutation of the ideas of those who, in formulating their concepts of God, areinclined to consider God analogous to their own imperfect selves and hence ascribe to God theweaknesses characteristic of human beings. An instance at hand is the famous Biblical statementthat God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He rested (seeGenesis, chapters 1 and 2).

280. To God belongs the heavens and the earth and everything therein. There is no one who sharesanything with God in governance either of the heavens or of the earth. Any conceivable beingother than God would necessarily be a part of the universe and thus belong to, and be a subjectof, God rather than His partner and equal.

281.This is a refutation of the ideas of those polytheists who consider either saints, angels orother beings to be so influential with God that if they were adamant in demanding something ofHim, their demand would prevail. They are being told that, far from anyone having the power toimpose his will on God, none – not even the greatest Prophets and the most highly esteemedangels – will dare utter one word in the majestic court of the Lord unless they are expresslypermitted to do so.

282. Here another blow is struck against polytheism. On the basis of the concept of God’sunlimited sovereignty and omnipotence it was stressed, in the foregoing verses, that no oneshares independently in God’s governance of the universe, and no one is so powerful with Godthat his intercession would decisively influence His judgement. The same point is stressed herebut in a different manner. It is pointed out that no one possesses the knowledge that wouldenable him to comprehend the order of the universe and the considerations underlying it, so noone can legitimately interfere in its governance. The knowledge of human beings, of jinn, ofangels and of all other creatures is limited and imperfect. No one’s knowledge embraces all thefacts of the universe. If someone did have the right to interfere even in only a part of theuniverse, and if his suggestions were of necessity to be put into effect, the entire order ofthe universe would be disrupted. Creatures are incapable of understanding what is best for them,and do not have the capacity to know how best the universe should be governed. It is God aloneWho knows everything.

283. The Arabic term kursi signifies sovereignty, dominion and authority.

(The word Kursi has been variously interpreted by Muslim scholars. The literal meaning isobvious; it signifies that which one sits on. Scholars have differed, however, as to whether theword has been used in the Qur’an literally or figuratively. They have also disagreed whether theKursi and ‘Arsh Which occur in the Qur’an have one and the same meaning or are different. Themain opinions expressed by the scholars are the following: (i) that Kursi signifies God’sknowledge, a view attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas; (ii) that it is identical with ‘Arsh (Throne), aview attributed to Hasan al-Basri; (iii) that it signifies God’s power (iv ) in opposition tosuch views a large number of scholars insist that Kursi should be considered a reality ratherthan be understood figuratively. In addition to many earlier scholars, this was vigorouslychampioned by Ibn Taymiyah. It should be remembered, however, that Ibn Taymiyah and others whohold this opinion, side by side with affirming that Kursi is a reality, also emphasize that manhas no knowledge about the nature and modality of Kursi and that it ought to be treated assomething unique, being related to God Who is unique both in His essence and attributes. (Seethe commentaries of Alusi. Tabari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Shawkani on this verse. See also IbnTaymiyah, Majmu al-Fatawa 1bn Taymiyah, vol. 5, pp. 55-8 and vol. 6, pp. 584-5. It isinteresting to note that Sayyid Qutb, (martyred 1386 A.H/966 C.E.), a contemporary of Mawdudiand one of the most influential Islamic thinkers of our time, has interpreted the verse exactly,as Mawdudi did – Ed.)

284. This verse is generally known as the ‘Verse of the Throne’ and it provides in one piece aknowledge of God without parallel.

The question that arises here is: What is the occasion for describing the Lord of the Universeand His attributes? In order to appreciate this one should rehearse the discourse beginning with(Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 243) andcontinuing up to this point. In this discourse the believers were urged to strive with theirlives and belongings to establish the true faith and were warned to get rid of the weaknesseswhich had characterized the conduct of the Israelites. A fundamental fact about war – thatvictory and success do not depend upon superiority in either numbers or weapons – was thenindicated. They depend rather on faith, fortitude, discipline and firm resolution. Thereafterthe Divine wisdom underlying fighting was disclosed, namely that God removes one set of peopleby means of another in order to maintain the good administration of the world. For were onegroup’s dominance to be assured in perpetuity, the lives of all other human beings mould becomemiserable.

This was followed by the clarification of a misunderstanding which often arises in the minds ofignorant people. This misunderstanding arose from the false assumption that God had sent HisProphets so that all diversity and disagreement might come to an end. The people who acceptedthis premise, however, saw considerable diversity and disagreement, and were aware thatfalsehood existed side by side with Truth. They were agitated by the thought that this state ofaffairs might suggest helplessness on God’s part, that He had failed to stamp out the evils Hewanted to. In reply to this it was pointed out that it was not God’s will to compel all humanbeings to follow one and the same way. Had it been so, man could not have deviated from thecourse set for him by God. This observation was followed by a passing reference to the subjectwith which the discourse opened. Finally, the point is made that no matter how many divergentbeliefs, viewpoints, ways of life and conduct exist in actual life, the reality underlying theorder of the universe is the one stated in this verse, and it remains unaffected by themisconceptions of people. On the other hand, however, it is not God’s purpose to compel peopleto accept it. Whoever accepts it will find it to his own benefit; whoever rejects it, will findthe result harmful.

Ala-Maududi

(2:261) The example of those^[298] who spend their wealth in the Way ofAllah^[299] is like that of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, and in every earthere are a hundred grains. Thus Allah multiplies the action of whomsoever He wills. Allah isMunificent, All-Knowing.^[300]

298. Here the discourse turns to the subject touched upon in verses 244 ff. above. Believers wereurged to sacrifice life and property for the sake of the great cause in which they believed. Itis difficult, however, to persuade those whose standard of judgement in respect of economicmatters has not completely changed, to rise above either personal or narrow group interests anddispense their wealth wholeheartedly for the sake of a righteous cause. People who have amaterialistic outlook and whose life constitutes an uninterrupted pursuit of money, who adoreevery single penny they have, and who can never stop thinking about their balance sheets cannever have the capacity to do anything really effective for the sake of higher ideals. When suchpeople apparently do spend money for the sake of higher moral ideals, it is merely an outwardact which is performed after carefully calculating the material benefits which are likely toaccrue either to them, to their group or to their nation. With this outlook a person cannot goone step forward along the path of that religion which requires man to become indifferent toconsiderations of worldly profit and loss, and constantly to spend time, energy and money tomake the Word of God reign supreme.

To follow such a course requires a moral outlook of an altogether different kind; it requiresbreadth of vision and magnanimity and, above all, an exclusive devotion to God. At the same timeit requires that man’s collective life should be so re-moulded as to become conducive to thegrowth of the moral qualities mentioned above rather than to the growth of a materialisticoutlook and behaviour. Hence the three succeeding sections i.e. Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 261-281 –are devoted to enunciating instructions designed to foster such an outlook.

299. A great many expenditures fall under the category of spending ‘in the way of Allah’, as longas this is done according to the laws of God and with the intention of seeking His goodpleasure. This includes spending one’s wealth to fulfil one’s legitimate needs, to provide forone’s family, to look after the needs of relatives, to help the needy and to contribute to thegeneral welfare and to spread the true religion and so on.

300. The greater the sincerity and the more intense the feeling with which one spends for thesake of God, the greater will be God’s reward. It is not difficult at all for God, Who blesses agrain so that out of it seven hundred grains grow, to allow one’s charity to grow in like mannerso that the unit of money one spends will return seven hundred fold. This statement is followedby a mention of two of God’s attributes. First is His munificence. His Hand is not clenched soas to restrain Him from recompensing man for his deeds to the fullest extent that he deserves.Second, God is All-Knowing. He is not unaware of what one spends and the spirit in which onespends. So there is no reason to fear that one will not receive one’s due reward.

Ala-Maududi

(2:262) Those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah and do not follow up their spending bystressing their benevolence and causing hurt, will find their reward secure with their Lord.They have no cause for fear and grief.^[301]

301. They need not fear that they will not be amply rewarded or that they will have any reason tofeel remorse for spending in the way of God.

Ala-Maududi

(2:263) To speak a kind word and to forgive people’s faults is better than charity followed byhurt. Allah is All-Sufficient, All-Forbearing.^[302]

302 This implies two things. First, Allah does not stand in need of anybody’s charity, for He isSelf-Sufficient. Secondly, He likes those people who are generous and large-hearted, but doesnot like frivolous and narrow-minded people, for He Himself is Generous, Clement and Forbearing.How, then Allah, Who bestows on the people the necessities of life without stint, and forgivesand pardons them over and over again in spite of their errors, would like those who mar theself-respect of a person by sending repeated reminders of their charity and making pointedreferences to it even though they might have given only a farthing. A Tradition of the HolyProphet says that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will neither speak a word nor even so muchas look at a person who makes pointed references to the gift he gave to some one.

Ala-Maududi

(2:264) Believers! Do not nullify your acts of charity by stressing your benevolence and causinghurt as does he who spends his wealth only to be seen by people and does not believe in Allahand the Last Day.^[303] The example of his spending is that of a rock with a thincoating of earth upon it: when a heavy rain smites it, the earth is washed away, leaving therock bare;^[304] such people derive no gain from their acts of charity. Allah does notset the deniers of the Truth on the Right Way.^[305]

303. The desire to display one’s good deeds itself proves that the person concerned does nottruly believe in God and the Hereafter. One who does good merely in order to impress people withhis righteousness clearly regards those persons as his god. Such a person neither expects rewardfrom God nor is he concerned that his good deeds will some day be reckoned to his credit.

304. In this parable, ‘heavy rain’ signifies charity, and ‘rock’ the wicked intent and motivewhich lie behind external acts of charity. The expression, with a thin coating of earth upon it’signifies the external aspect of charity which conceals the wicked intent and motive of a man.These explanations make the significance and purport of the parable clear. The natural effect ofrainfall should be the growth of plants and harvest. But if the earth, which is the repositoryof fertility, is insignificant in quantity, for example only a coating of it on some rock, theresult will be that instead of yielding any beneficial result the rainfall may even proveharmful. Similarly, charity has the capacity to generate goodness and benevolence in humanbeings. Man’s potential for goodness, however, is conditional on sincerity. Devoid of thatcharity leads to sheer loss and waste.

305. Here the term kafir is used in the sense of the ungrateful person who refuses to acknowledgebenevolence. People who either make use of the bounties of God in order to seek the gratitude ofGod’s creatures rather than God’s good pleasure, or who spend on others and then hurt them bystressing their acts of benevolence and kindness, are ungrateful to God for His bounties andfavours. Since such people do not seek to please God, God does not care to direct them to theway that leads to His good pleasure.

Ala-Maududi

(2:265) The example of those who spend their wealth single-mindedly to please Allah is that of agarden on a high ground. If a heavy rain smites it, it brings forth its fruits twofold, and ifthere is no heavy rain, even a light shower suffices it.^[306] Allah sees all that youdo.

306. ‘Heavy rain’ signifies here charity motivated by a high degree of benevolence and sincerity.‘Light shower’ refers to charity deficient in sincerity and goodness, though not altogetherdevoid of them.

Ala-Maududi

(2:267) Believers! Spend (in the Way of Allah) out of the good things you have earned and out ofwhat We have produced for you from the earth, and choose not for your spending the bad thingssuch as you yourselves would not accept or accept only by overlooking its defects. Know wellthat Allah is All-Munificent, Most Praiseworthy.^[308]

308. It is obvious that He Who is invested with the best attributes cannot be appreciative ofthose possessed of low and evil qualities. God is, for instance, Generous and Beneficent, andconstantly showers His favours and bounties on His creatures. How is it possible for Him, then,to love those who are mean, niggardly and vicious?

Ala-Maududi

(2:270) Allah knows whatever you spend or whatever you vow (to spend). The wrong-doers have noneto succour them.^[310]

310. Whether or not a man spends in the way of God, and whether or not he vows to spend in theway of God, God is fully aware both of his intentions and deeds. All those who either spend forthe sake of God or vow to spend for the sake of God will be adequately rewarded. As for thosewho have either spent or have vowed to spend for others than God, no one will save them fromGod’s chastisement.

Vow’ means either a man’s pledge to spend something or to perform some act of goodness which isnot obligatory on him providing a particular wish of his is fulfilled. Provided that this vow isrelated to some wish which is in itself permissible and good and that the person concerned makesit to none but God and for the sake of God, then such a vow will be reckoned as an act ofobedience to God and its fulfilment will be worthy of reward. Otherwise such a vow will be seenas an act of disobedience and sin and its fulfilment will invite punishment from God.

Ala-Maududi

(2:271) If you dispense your charity publicly, it is well; but if you conceal it and pay it tothe needy in secret, it will be even better for you.^[311] This will atone for severalof your misdeeds.^[312] Allah is well aware of all that you do.

311. If charity is of an obligatory nature it is preferable to dispense it openly. Non-obligatorycharity should preferably be dispensed secretly. This principle applies to all acts. As a rule,it is more meritorious to perform obligatory acts openly and non-obligatory acts of goodness,secretly .

312. The performance of good deeds in secret leads to the continual improvement of one’s life andcharacter. One’s good qualities develop fully and one’s bad qualities gradually wither away.This makes a man so acceptable to God that He pardons the sins that he might have committed.

Ala-Maududi

(2:274) Those who spend their wealth by night and by day, secretly and publicly, will find thattheir reward is secure with their Lord and that there is no reason for them to entertain anyfear or grief.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(2:276) Allah deprives interest of all blessing, whereas He blesses charity withgrowth.^[320] Allah loves none who is ungrateful and persists in sin.^[321]

320. The fact stated in this verse is a truism from a moral and spiritual as well as from aneconomic and social viewpoint. For, although wealth apparently multiplies through interest andshrinks as a result of charity, in actual fact the opposite is the case. By God’s decree, thelaw of nature is such that interest not only serves as a strain on moral and spiritualwell-being, and social and economic growth, it also causes actual regression and decline.Charity, however, (including such acts as lending money to people with the stipulation that theyshould return it if they can. and at their convenience) leads to the growth and expansion ofman’s moral and spiritual qualities and to the growth of human society and economy.

Looked at from moral and spiritual standpoints, it is evident that interest is not only theoutcome of selfishness, miserliness and callousness but also encourages their growth. Charity,on the other hand, is the outcome of generosity, compassion, large -heartedness and magnanimity,with the result that the more one practises charity the more these qualities develop. It isobvious that if there is a society whose individuals are selfish in their dealings with oneanother, in which none is prepared to assist the other without self-interest, in which everyperson considers the other’s need an opportunity to capitalize and exploit, in which theinterests of the rich are directly opposed to the interests of the common people, that societydoes not rest on stable foundations. In such a society, instead of love and compassion there isbound to grow mutual spite and bitterness, apathy, indifference and callousness. The elementswhich compose such a society are bound to remain inclined towards disintegration and chaos;acute internal conflict and strife are sure to occur.

Contrast this with the society which is based on mutual sympathy and co-operation, whoseindividuals deal with one another magnanimously, in which, when a person is in need, peoplewillingly come forward to accord generous help, in which the ‘haves’ assist the ‘have-nots’ withcompassion and at least engage in just and equitable co-operation. In such a society mutualcordiality. goodwill and fellow-feeling are bound to flourish. The various components of such asociety will be closely knit together and prove a source of mutual support. In such a societyinternal conflict and strife will make few inroads. Also, owing to mutual co-operation andgoodwill the pace of development should be faster than in the other kind of society.

Let us now look at the matter from an economic viewpoint, from which interest- bearing loans areseen to be of two kinds. The first category, consists of loans incurred by people in genuineneed, who are compelled to borrow for their personal consumption requirements. The secondconsists of the loans incurred by businessmen for investment in trade and industry oragriculture.

The first category is generally acknowledged to lead to ruin. Nevertheless, there is not onecountry in the world where financiers and financial institutions are not sucking the blood ofpoor labourers, peasants and ordinary low-income people through interest on consumption loans.The burden of interest makes it extremely difficult, often impossible, for borrowers to pay offthe original loan. They may even have to resort to fresh borrowing from elsewhere to pay if off.Because of the way interest works, the sum outstanding against them often remains even afterthey, have paid twice or three times its amount in interest. The bulk of the income of labourersis snatched away from them by lenders, leaving them without enough for the bare necessities oflife for themselves and their families. This situation steadily erodes their interest in theirjobs. For if someone else is to reap the benefit of a man’s hard work, why should he work hardat all? Moreover, oppressed by the worries of debt, the health and strength of labourers isgradually destroyed by undernourishment and lack of medical treatment.

In short, a minority of people continually fatten themselves by sucking the blood of millions ofordinary people, but the total production level of the people remains much lower than itsoptimum potential. Ultimately, of course, these exploiters are seldom spared the evilconsequences of their actions. Their callous selfishness causes such widespread misery among themasses that anger and resentment against the rich smoulder in their hearts ready to erupt intimes of revolutionary unrest. The exploiters then have to pay very dearly: their ill-earnedriches are not only wrested from them, they are either killed mercilessly or subjected toignominy and humiliation.

The second category of loans, those invested in productive enterprises, also cause harm becauseof the infliction of a predetermined rate of interest on such borrowings. The most significantare the following:

(1) Projects which do not promise a higher rate of profit than the current rate of interest failto attract sufficient funds, no matter how useful and necessary they may, be from the viewpointof larger national interests. Loanable funds flow towards those business enterprises which arelikely to yield at least the same, if not a higher rate of profit on investments than thecurrent rate of interest, even though they may be of very little or no benefit to the nation atlarge.

(2) There can be no guarantee that a business investment, whether it is in trade, industry oragriculture, will always yield a rate of profit which is higher than the rate of interest. Notonly can there be no such assurance, there can never be an assurance about any business that itwill always remain profitable. What really happens, therefore, is that the financier is assuredinterest at a predetermined rate whereas the business in which the loan is invested is exposedto risk and possible losses.

(3) Since the lender does not share the profit and loss of the business but lends out funds onthe assurance of a fixed rate of interest, he is in no way concerned with the fortunes of thebusiness itself. He is solely concerned, and in a totally selfish spirit, with his own pecuniarybenefit. Hence, whenever the lender senses the faintest sign of depression, he begins towithdraw money from the market. The result is that sometimes imaginary fears and anxieties sparkoff an actual depression in the economy. And if the economy is depressed owing to other factors,the excessive selfishness of the financiers tends to escalate the situation into a full-scaleeconomic crisis. These three evils of interest are obvious to every student of economics. Cananyone then deny the truth of the Natural law, enunciated by Allah that interest decreases thenational economic wealth?

Let us now look at the economic effects of charity. Suppose the general attitude of theprosperous members of a society, is that within the limits of their means they spend generouslyon the fulfilment of their own requirements and on the requirements of their family, and thendevote the surplus to helping the poor. After that they, either use their funds to provideinterest-free loans to businessmen, invest them in business with the stipulation that they shallbe co-sharers in both the profit and loss of the business, or deposit them with the governmentso that it may use them on projects of public welfare. A little reflection will make it obviousthat trade, industry, and agriculture in such a society, will attain maximum prosperity; thestandard of living of its people will continually rise and production in it will be much higherthan in societies where economic activity is fettered by interest.

321. It is clear that only those who have a surplus of earnings over their basic requirements canlend out money at interest. This surplus, according to the Qur’an, constitutes God’s bounty. Andtrue thankfulness for this bounty requires that a person should be bountiful towards othercreatures of God even as the Creator has been to him. If, instead of doing this, the persontries to become richer at the expense of those whose present earnings are insufficient to meettheir needs, he is at once guilty of ungratefulness to God, and blatantly unjust, cruel andwicked.

Ala-Maududi

(2:277) Truly the reward of those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish Prayer and payZakah is with their Lord; they have no reason to entertain any fear or grief.^[322]

322. In this section God brings into sharp relief two contrasting characters. One is selfish,Mammon-worshipping, a kind of Shylock. He is totally preoccupied with making and accumulatingmoney in total disregard of his obligations to God and his fellow-beings. He counts the money hehas saved and is so consumed by the desire to see it multiply that he spends much timeestimating how much it will grow in the weeks, months and years to come. The other character isa God-worshipping, generous and compassionate person, ever conscious of the claims of both Godand man, ready to spend whatever he earns by the sweat of his brow on himself as well as onother human beings, and devotes a good part of it to philanthropic purposes.

The first character is strongly denounced by God. No healthy society can exist on the basis ofsuch men, and in the Hereafter, too, they are destined to meet grief and affliction, torment andmisery. The latter, by contrast, is a character highly extolled by God, a character which willserve as the basis of a sound and healthy society in this world and will lead man to salvationin the Next.

Ala-Maududi

(2:280) But if the debtor is in straitened circumstance, let him have respite until the time ofease; and whatever you remit by way of charity is better for you, if only youknow.^[324]

324. This verse is the basis of the Islamic regulation that if a person has become incapable ofpaying off his debt, the court will force the creditors to grant him respite for payment. Infact, under certain circumstances, the court is entitled to remit a part of his debt and, attimes, the whole of it. It is mentioned in the Hadith that once a person suffered loss in histrade and became greatly burdened with debt and the case was brought to the notice of theProphet. The Prophet urged the people to help their brother in his distress. They came to hisassistance but the amount of help was not enough to wipe out his debts. Then the Prophetapproached the lenders and asked them to accept whatever amount was available and to grantremission to the borrower because of his inability to make further payments. Muslim jurists havemade it clear that a debtor’s residential house, eating utensils, clothes and the tools which heuses for earning his livelihood may not be confiscated in any, circumstances whatsoever fornon-payrment of loans. (For relevant discussion and textual evidence see the commentaries onthis verse in Ibn Kathir, Jassas, and Qurtubi – Ed.)

Ala-Maududi

(2:281) And have fear of the Day when you shall return to Allah, and every human being shall befully repaid for whatever (good or evil) he has done, and none shall be wronged.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(2:283) And if you are on a journey and do not find a scribe to write the document then resort totaking pledges in hand.^[331]

But if any of you trusts another, let him who is trusted, fulfil the trust and fear Allah, hisLord.

And do not conceal what you have witnessed,^[332] for whoever conceals it, his heartis sinful. Allah has full knowledge of all that you do.

331. This does not mean that pledge transactions are confined to journeys alone. Thesetransactions have been specially mentioned in the context of journeys because during journeyspeople often have to resort to pledge transactions. Moreover, it has not been laid down thatpledge transactions may be entered into only when a scribe is not available to write down thetransaction. It is also permissible, if the lender is not satisfied merely with the writtenpromise of the repayment of the loan, for the borrower to seek a loan by pledging some propertyto the lender. But since the Qur’an urges its followers to be generous in their dealings, andsince it is inconsistent with high standards of moral excellence not to make loans to needypersons without keeping some property in custody, the Qur’an has abstained from mentioning thisform of dealing even though it is permissible.

It should also be noted that the purpose of taking a pledge is merely to assure the lender thereturn of his loan. He has no right at all to benefit from the pledged property. If a personlives, say, either in the building which has been pledged, or pockets its rent, he is guilty oftaking interest. There is no essential difference between charging interest directly and usingthe pledged property. If, however, either cattle or beasts of burden have been pledged, they canbe milked and used for transport in lieu of the fodder that one provides them during the periodof custody.

332. Concealing true evidence applies both to a person not appearing to give evidence and to hisavoidance of stating facts.

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(2:286) Allah does not lay a responsibility on anyone beyond his capacity.^[338] In hisfavour shall be whatever good each one does, and against him whatever evil hedoes.^[339] (Believers! Pray thus to your Lord): “Our Lord! Take us not to task if weforget or commit mistakes.

Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden such as You laid on those gone before us.^[340] OurLord! Lay not on us burdens which we do not have the power to bear.^[341] And overlookour faults, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. You are our Guardian; so grant us victoryagainst the unbelieving folk.”^[342]

338. Man’s answerability to God is limited by the extent of his ability. If a man does not havethe ability to do a certain thing, God will not take him to task for not having performed it. Inthe same way, if it is really beyond a man’s ability to abstain from something, God will notblame him for having failed to abstain from it. It should be noted here that man will not be thefinal judge as to whether he had the ability to do something or not. Such judgement will be madeby God alone.

339. This is the second fundamental principle of God’s law of retribution. Every man will berewarded for the services he has rendered, none will be rewarded for services rendered byothers. The same applies to punishment. It is the one who is guilty who will be punished. It ispossible, however, that if a man has initiated either good or bad practices, they will continueto affect people’s lives. The resulting good and bad deeds of people will be reckoned either totheir credit or against them, since they are clearly related to their efforts and actions. It isimpossible, however, that a map should be either rewarded for an act of goodness or punished foran act of evil in which he has had no share – neither by intent nor practical action. Therequital of acts is not transferable.

340. The prayer made here is that God should not subject them to the severe tests and theterrible persecutions and hardships undergone by their predecessors. It is God’s law that thosewho commit themselves to follow Truth and righteousness are subjected to severe tests andtribulations, and it is a believer’s duty to meet them with patience and fortitude. At the sametime, the believer should always pray that God may make it easy for him to follow the path ofTruth and righteousness.

341. Believers pray to God not to place upon them a burden beyond their capacity of endurance,and to subject them only to those tests from which they may emerge triumphant. May it not happenthat the hardships are too much for them to bear, and that their feet falter and are turned awayfrom the path of righteousness,

342. In order to appreciate fully the spirit of this prayer, one should remember that theseverses were revealed on the occasion of the ascension of the Prophet, a year before hismigration to Madina. At that time the struggle between Islam and unbelief had reached itsclimax. Not only in Makka, but throughout the Arabian peninsula, there was no place where thelives of those who wished to follow the religion of God had not been made extremely difficult.In these circumstances the Muslims were told in what manner they ought to pray to their Lord. Itis obvious that if the bestower himself tells one how to present one’s request, the granting ofthe request becomes virtually assured. Hence, this prayer greatly strengthened the hearts of theMuslims. Moreover, this prayer implicitly taught the Muslims not to allow their feelings to flowalong undesirable channels. They should instead mould them into a prayer to their Lord.

Think of the heart-rending cruelties to which the Muslims were subjected merely because of theirdevotion to Truth, and then turn to the contents of this prayer, where there is no trace ofbitterness against the enemies. Consider the physical afflictions and material losses which theMuslims suffered, then note how this prayer does not contain the slightest hint of worldlyambition. Compare the wretchedness and misery of these devotees of Truth with the pure, exaltedfeelings with which this prayer is overflowing. This comparison will enable us to appreciate thenature of the spiritual and moral training provided to men of faith.

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There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(4:2) Give orphans their property,^[2] and do not exchange the bad for thegood,^[3] and do not eat up their property by mixing it with your own. This surely isa mighty sin.

2. God directs the guardians of the orphans to spend out of the latter’s property while they arestill minors, and to restore it to them when they attain majority.

3. The order not to exchange the bad for the good has several meanings. On the one hand, it meansthat one should not replace honest by dishonest living. At the same time, it also means that oneshould not exchange one’s own property which is of little value for the more valuable propertyof the orphans.

Ala-Maududi

(4:4) Give women their bridal-due in good cheer (considering it a duty); but if they willinglyremit any part of it, consume it with good pleasure.^[7]

7. In the opinion of ‘Umar and Shurayh, if a woman gives up either the whole or a part of thebridal-due (mahr) in favour of her husband and later reclaims it from him then he is bound topay it. The claim on the woman’s part would be tantamount to her unwillingness to remit eitherthe whole or a part of the bridal-due. For further details see the section entitled ‘Mahr’ in mybook Huquq al-Zawjayn, 16th edition, Lahore, 1976, pp. 31-3 and 119-23.

Ala-Maududi

(4:8) If other near of kin orphans and needy are pre sent at the time of division of inheritancegive them some thing of it and speak to them kindly.^[13]

13. This directive is addressed to the heirs of the deceased. They are told not to be niggardlytowards their relatives whether they be close or distant. Nor should they be niggardly towardseither poor and needy members of the family or towards orphans who are present when theinheritance is distributed. Although they are not legally entitled to any share it is seemly forpeople to act magnanimously and give them something out of their inheritance, and especially todesist from making hurtful remarks.

Ala-Maududi

(4:10) Behold, those who wrongfully devour the properties of orphans only fill their bellies withfire. Soon they will burn in the Blazing Flame.^[14]

14. It is reported in a tradition that after the Battle of Uhud the wife of Sa’d b. Rabi’ broughther two daughters to the Prophet (peace be on him) and said: ‘O Messenger of God! These aredaughters of Sa’d who was with you in the Battle of Uhud, where he was martyred. The girls’uncles have seized the whole property and left nothing for them. Who will now marry thesegirls?’ It was after this incident that these verses were revealed. (See Muhammad ‘Alial-Sabuni’s comments on this verse in his Safwat al-Tafasir and the sources quoted therein –Ed.)

Ala-Maududi

(4:38) Allah does not love those who spend out of their wealth to make a show of it to peoplewhen they believe neither in Allah nor in the Last Day. And he who has taken Satan for acompanion has indeed taken for himself a very bad companion.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(4:77) Have you not seen those who were told: ‘Restrain you hands, and establish the Prayer, andpay the Zakah’? But when fighting was enjoined upon them some of them feared men as one shouldfear Allah, or even more,^[107] and said: ‘Our Lord, why have You ordained fightingfor us? Why did You not grant us a little more respite?’ Say to them: ‘There is little enjoymentin this world. The World to Come is much better for the God-fearing. And you shall not bewronged even to the extent of the husk of a date-stone.^[108]

107. This verse .can be interpreted in three ways, and each meaning is equally valid: First, thatthose who now shirked to fight in the cause of God were themselves initially eager to fight.They often approached the Prophet (peace be on him), saying that they were being wronged,beaten, persecuted and abused, that’ their patience was exhausted, and that they wantedpermission to fight. They had then been told to be patient and continue to purify their souls byobserving Prayers and dispensing Zakah. At that time they had felt disconcerted by this counselof patience. Later on, some of those very same people were to tremble at the first sight of theenemy and the dangers of warfare.

Second, that they remained highly ‘religious’ as long as they were asked merely to pray and payZakah, which entailed no risk to their lives. But as soon as that phase was over and they wereasked to expose themselves to danger, they began to shiver with fear.

Third, that in the former times the same people had unsheathed their swords for trivial causes.They had fought for loot and plunder, and engaged in feuds motivated by animal impulses, so muchso that feuding had almost become their national pastime. At that time they had been told toabstain from bloodshed and to reform themselves by observing Prayers and dispensing Zakah. When,later on, the same people were told that the time had come for them to fight in the cause ofGod, those who had shown themselves to be lions while fighting for their own selfish causesturned out to be as meek as lambs. The strong hands which had wielded the sword so firmly, andhad used it so fiercely for the sake of either personal or tribal honour, or for Satan’s sake,became almost paralysed.

Each of these three meanings applies to a different kind of person, but the actual words of theverse seem to apply equally to all who shirked fighting in the cause of God.

108. Were they to serve the religion of God and spend their energy in that cause, they wouldsurely be rewarded by Him.

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(4:92) It is not for a believer to slay another believer unless by mistake.^[120] Andhe who has slain a believer by mistake, his atonement is to set free from bondage a believingperson^[121] and to pay blood-money to his heirs,^[122] unless they forgo itby way of charity. And if the slain belonged to a hostile people, but was a believer, then theatonement is to set free from bondage a believing person.

And if the slain belonged to a (non-Muslim) people with whom you have a covenant, then theatonement is to pay the blood-money to his heirs, and to set free from bondage a believingperson.^[123] But he who cannot (free a slave) should fast for two consecutivemonths.^[124] This is the penance ordained by Allah.^[125] Allah isAll-Knowing, All-Wise.

120. The hypocritical confessors of Islam mentioned here are distinct from those whom the Muslimsmay kill. The reference here is to Muslims who are either residents of the Domain of Islam (Daral-Islam) or to those who live in the Domain of War or of Unbelief (Dar al-Harb or Dar al-Kufr)but against whom there is no proof of actual participation in the hostile activities with theenemies of Islam. In the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) there were many people who hadembraced Islam and yet, because of genuine difficulties, were living among tribes hostile toIslam. It occasionally happened that, in attacking a hostile tribe, the Muslims inadvertentlykilled fellow Muslims living in its midst.

121. Since the person killed was a believer, expiation of the sin required the emancipation of aMuslim slave.

122. The Prophet (peace be on him) had fixed the blood-money at either 100 camels, 200 oxen or2,000 head of cattle. If someone wished to pay this in another form the amount would bedetermined with reference to the market value of the articles mentioned above. For instance, forthose who wished to pay blood-money in cash, the fixed amount in the time of the Prophet (peacebe on him) was 800 dinars (8000 dirhams). In the time of Caliph ‘Umar the amount of blood-moneywas fixed at 1000 golden dinars (12000 silver dirhams). It should be noted, however, that thisamount relates to an unintentional rather than a deliberate homicide. (Regarding blood-money forunintentional homicide and injury see Abu Da’ud, ‘Diyat’, 14-17; Tirmidhi, ‘Diyat’, 1; Nasa’i,‘Qasamah’, 34; Ibn Majah, Diyat’, 6; Malik b. Anas, Muwatta’, “Uqul’, 4; Ahmad b. Hanbal,Musnad, vol. 1, pp. 384 and 450; vol. 2, pp. 178, 183, 186, 217, 224; vol. 4, p. 275. See alsoIbn Rushd, Bidayat al-Mujtahid, vol. 2, pp. 401 ff. – Ed.)

123. The legal injunctions embodied in this verse are as follows:

(1) If the victim was a resident of the Domain of Islam (Dar al-Islam) the killer is not onlyrequired to pay blood-money but also to emancipate a slave by way of expiation.

(2) If the victim was a resident of the Domain of War (Dar al-Harb) the killer is only requiredto emancipate a slave.

(3) If the victim was a resident of a non-Muslim country which had treaty relations with anIslamic state the killer is required to emancipate a slave and also to pay blood-money. Theamount of the blood-money, however, depends on the terms stipulated in the treaty between theMuslims and the territory of the victim. (See Jassas, vol. 2, pp. 238 f f. and 240 ff. – Ed.)

124. This means that he should observe fasting uninterrupted for the entire period. If a manbreaks his fast for just one day without a legally valid reason he will be required to resumefasting anew.

125. This shows that what has been prescribed is an act of repentance and expiation rather than apenalty inflicted on a criminal. Penalization is essentially devoid of the spirit of repentanceand of the urge to self-reform. A penalty is suffered under duress, usually with resentment, andleaves behind repugnance and bitterness. On the contrary, what God wants is that the believerwho has committed a sin should wash the stain of it from his soul by supererogatory worship, byacts of charity, and by a meticulous fulfilment of all the duties incumbent upon him. Such aperson is required to turn to God in remorse and repentance so that his sin may be pardoned andhis soul secured against the recurrence of similar errors.

The word kaffarah signifies that which either covers or hides something. To declare that certainacts of charity constitute kaffarah means that those acts overlay the sin and cover it up, justas stains on a wall are covered up when it is painted.

Ala-Maududi

(4:114) Most of their secret conferrings are devoid of good, unless one secretly enjoins incharity, good deeds, and setting the affairs of men right. We shall grant who ever does thatseeking to please Allah a great reward.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(5:12) Surely Allah took a covenant with the Children of Israel, and We raised up from themtwelve of their leaders,^[31] and Allah said: ‘Behold, I am with you; if you establishPrayer and pay Zakah and believe in My Prophets and help them,^[32] and lend Allah agood loan,^[33] I will certainly efface from you your evil deeds,^[34] andwill surely cause you to enter the Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whosoever of youdisbelieves thereafter has indeed gone astray from the right way.^[35]

31. The word naqib in Arabic denotes supervisor and censor. There were twelve tribes among theIsraelites and each tribe was required to appoint one of its members as a naqib, to look aftertheir affairs and try to prevent them from becoming victims of irreligiousness and moralcorruption. Although the Book of Numbers in the Bible does mention these twelve men, it does notseem to convey the sense of their being religious and moral mentors, as the term naqib employedby the Qur’an does. The Bible simply mentions them as the chiefs and dignitaries of theirtribes.

32. The assurance of God’s support is made conditional upon their continuous response to the callof God and for support of His Prophets.

33. This expression signifies spending one’s wealth for the sake of God. Since God has promisedto return to man every penny that he spends in His way along with His reward, which will beseveral-fold, the Qur’an characterizes this spending as a loan to God. This spending isconsidered a loan provided it is a ‘good loan’, that is, provided the money spent in the causeof God has been acquired by legitimate means and has been spent in accordance with the laws ofGod and with sincerity and earnestness.

34. To efface someone’s evil deeds signifies two things. First, that if a man decides to followthe Straight Path and strives to follow God’s directives in both thought and action his soulwill be purged of many evils and his way of life will gradually become free of corruption.Second, if, in spite of this reform, weaknesses still persist in a man’s life he is assured thatGod will not punish him and will have his failing erased from his record. For God is not tooexacting over trivial errors, providing a man has sincerely accepted the basic guidance andreformed his character.

35. That is, they once found the ‘right way’ and then allowed it to be lost and thus putthemselves on the road to perdition. We have translated the Qur’anic expression ‘sawa’ al-sabil’as the ‘right way’ for the sake of brevity. A better rendering could be, ‘the highroad ofbalance and moderation’, but even this would fail to bring out the meaning fully.

In order to grasp the full significance of what is being said here one should bear in mind thatin himself man constitutes a microcosm of society. He has innumerable powers and potentialities,myriad desires, feelings and inclinations, and a host of divergent urges. Social life consistsof a huge network of complex relationships, and with the growth of civilization and culture thecomplexity of these relationships increases. There is also a rich fund of resources in the worldand there are countless possibilities for their utilization; as a result, man is confronted witha plethora of choices and problems.

The fact that man has inherent limitations means that he is incapable of viewing in one sweepand in a balanced way the entire span of existence. Hence, man is in no position to prescribefor his kind a judicious way of life – a way of life wherein justice is done to all his powersand capacities; in which a wholesome balance is maintained between all his inherentpotentialities; in which all his urges are given their due; in which his two-fold need for innersatisfaction and external self-realization is fully met; in which various aspects of human lifeare taken into proper consideration, giving birth to an integrated scheme with a built-incapacity to harmonize the multifarious strains and stresses of social life; in which materialresources are fully exploited in the best interests of both the individual and society andwithin the framework of equity, justice and righteousness. When man takes upon himself the taskof prescribing the guidelines for his life and becomes his own law-maker, his mind tends tobecome preoccupied with one specific aspect of human life, with one of the numerous demands ofhis nature, with one of the myriad problems calling for solution. His mental involvement isliable to be so intense that he adopts – consciously or otherwise – an unjust attitude towardsall the other aspects, requirements and problems of human life. Consequently, when such opinionsare imposed, the balance which ought to prevail in man’s life is disrupted and he begins toswing either towards one extreme or the other. Gradually, this deviation assumes intolerableproportions. A reaction sets in, and justice is demanded for the neglected aspects of humanlife. Still, human life remains deprived of justice. The reason for this failure is that man’sreaction to imbalance is itself devoid of balance. The new dispensation in turn persists inexcessive preoccupation with either one specific aspect, problem or requirement of human life atthe expense of all the others. Thus human life is denied judicious and balanced progress. Mancontinues to stumble hither and thither; from one form of self-destruction to another. Allcourses of life charted by man himself are winding and crooked. They move in the wrongdirection, reach the wrong end and then turn back in another wrong direction.

Among these numerous ways – all false – there is just one way that lies exactly in the middle.This way alone does full justice to all of man’s various potentialities and urges, to all hisinstincts and predispositions, to all the multifarious claims of both the body and the spirit;in short, to all aspects of his life. In this way there is no crookedness; it is the one courseof life in which nothing is given either too much consideration or too little, and nothingsuffers inequity and injustice. Man’s very nature thirsts for such a way, and the succession ofrevolts against false ways of life is merely a manifestation of his constant quest for thisright and straight way. Left to himself, man is incapable of charting this way. It is God aloneWho can direct him to it; and indeed the Prophets were sent for this very purpose.

The Qur’an designates this way as sawa al-sabil (‘the right way’) in the present verse andelsewhere as al-sirat al-mustaqim (‘the straight way’). See (Surah Fatiha, ayat 6) note 8. This isthe road which goes amidst the countless winding and crooked paths of life; the road which leadsman, disregarding all the curved and crooked paths, straight on to his success, right from thisworld to the Hereafter. Whoever goes along it enjoys rectitude in this world and success andfelicity in the Next, but whoever loses this road is bound to become a victim of false beliefsand false ways of conduct and thus comes to have a wrong orientation in life. This will lead himto Hell, where all bent and crooked paths end. The following illustrates man’s dilemma.

In modern times some philosophers have been so impressed by this constant swinging in humanlife, from one extreme to another, as to have mistakenly argued that the dialectical process isthe natural course of human life. They conclude, therefore, that the only way for human life toprogress is that a thesis should first swing it in one direction, and then an antithesis swingit in the opposite direction, after which there will emerge a synthesis which constitutes thecourse of human progress. These curved lines from one extreme to the other do not indicate thecorrect course of human progress. Rather they represent the tragic stumblings which again andagain obstruct the true progress of human life. Every extreme thesis sets life on a certaincourse and continues to pull it in that direction for some time. When human life is thus thrownoff its ‘right course’ the result is that certain realities of life – which had not receivedtheir due – rise up in revolt, and this revolt often assumes the form of an antithesis. Thisrevolt begins to pull life in the opposite direction. As the ‘right way’ is approached theconflicting ideas – the thesis and antithesis – begin to effect some kind of mutual compromise,leading to the emergence of a synthesis. This synthesis comprises many elements conducive to thegood of mankind. But since societies which do not submit to the guidance of the Prophets aredeprived both of the signposts that might indicate the ‘right way’ and of faith to help steadyman’s feet thereon this synthesis does not permit human life to maintain the golden mean. Itsmomentum is so powerful that it once more pushes life to the opposite extreme. At this point,certain realities are once again denied their due, with the result that another antithesisemerges in reaction to the iniquities of the earlier ideology. Had the light of the Qur’an beenavailable to these short-sighted philosophers, and had they been able to perceive the ‘rightway’ envisaged by the Qur’an, they would have realized that this was the true course of humanprogress.

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(5:45) And therein We had ordained for them: ‘A life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and anose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and for all wounds, like forlike.^[74] But whosoever forgoes it by way of charity, it will be for him anexpiation.^[75] Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are indeed thewrong-doers.

74. Cf. Exodus 21: 23-5.

75. Whoever forgoes his right of retaliation does a good deed which will atone for many of hissins. The same is confirmed by a tradition of the Prophet (peace be on him) in which he said:‘Whoever receives an injury on his body, then pardons (the inflictor of the injury), his sinsare atoned for to the measure of his pardoning.’ (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, pp. 316, 329– Ed.)

Ala-Maududi

(5:55) Only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe and who establish Prayer, pay Zakah, andbow (before Allah) are your allies.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(9:5) But when the sacred months expire^[6] slay those who associate others with Allahin His Divinity wherever you find them; seize them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them.But if they repent and establish the Prayer and pay Zakah, leave them alone.^[7]Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

6. Here “the sacred months” are not those four months during which war is forbidden for the sakeof Hajj and Umrah but the four months that were made unlawful for the Muslims to attack thosemushriks who were granted respite by Ayat 2.

7. That is, “Mere repentance from disbelief and shirk will not end the matter. But they shallhave to perform the prescribed prayer and pay Zakat dues. Without these it will not beconsidered that they had given up disbelief and embraced Islam.” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleasedwith him) based his decision on this verse in the case of the apostates, after the death of theProphet (peace be upon him), who argued that they were not rejecting Islam, because they offeredSalat, even though they had refused to pay the Zakat dues. This argument roused doubts in theminds of the companions in general that they had no right to fight with such people as these.But Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) removed their doubts, saying, “Verse 5 enjoins usto let those people go their way who fulfill all the three conditions, repentance from shirk,the establishment of Salat, and the payment of Zakat. We cannot forbear them, because they donot fulfill one of these three conditions.”

Ala-Maududi

(9:18) It only becomes those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish Prayer and payZakah and fear none but Allah to visit and tend the mosques of Allah. These are likely to beguided aright.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(9:58) (O Prophet), some of them find fault with you in the distribution of alms. If they aregiven something of it they are pleased, and if they are given nothing they areangry.^[57]

57. The people referred to were the hypocrites, who felt depressed on every occasion of thedistribution of the Zakat collections, for they thought that they were not being given their dueshare. Then they would taunt the Prophet (peace be upon him) with making unfair distributions.This happened when the payment of Zakat was made an obligatory duty on all those Muslims whosepossessions exceeded the prescribed limits. They were required to contribute from theiragricultural products, animals, commercial commodities, minerals dug out of mines and the goldand silver they possessed, at different rates, varying from 2.5% to 20%, and all these werecollected and spent in a systematic way from a central place.

As a result of this so much wealth flowed into the hands of a single person, the Prophet (peacebe upon him), that it had no parallel in the whole territory of Arabia. Naturally thematerialists looked at these things with greedy eyes and wanted to grab as much as possible outof this wealth. But their greed could not be satisfied, for the Prophet (peace be upon him), whohad made the use of Zakat fund unlawful for his own person and for his own relatives, could notbe expected to give anything out of it to anyone who did not deserve it. It is thus obvious thatthey found fault with the Prophet (peace be upon him) not because he was unfair in thedistribution of the Zakat collections but because he did not allow the hypocrites to grabanything from these without any right to them. They, however, very cunningly hid their realgrievance, and accused the Prophet (peace be upon him) of showing partiality and injustice inthe distribution of the Zakat collection.

Ala-Maududi

(9:60) The alms are meant only for the poor^[61] and the needy^[62] and thosewho are in charge thereof,^[63] those whose hearts are to bereconciled,^[64] and to free those in bondage,^[65] and to help thoseburdened with debt,^[66] and for expenditure in the Way of Allah^[67] andfor the wayfarer.^[68] This is an obligation from Allah. Allah is All-Knowing,All-Wise.

61. According to the Arabic usage, fuqara are all those people who depend on others for thenecessities of life. The Arabic word fuqara is a general word for all those who are needybecause of some physical defects, or old age, or temporarily out of living means, and can becomeselfsupporting if they are helped like orphans, widows, the unemployed, etc.

62. According to the Arabic usage, masakin are those indigent people who are in greater distressthan the needy people usually are. The Prophet (peace be upon him) especially enjoined theMuslims to help such people as are unable to find the necessary means to satisfy their wants andare in very straitened circumstances, but are so selfrespecting that they would not beg foranything, nor would others judge from their outward appearance that they were deserving people.According to a tradition miskin is one who cannot make ends meet, though his appearance does notshow that he needs help nor does he beg for help. In short, he is a self-respecting person whohas become needy.

63. “Those employed to administer thereof” are those who collect Zakat dues, supervise thecollections and keep accounts, and help in their distribution, irrespective of the fact whetheror not they are needy or indigent; their remunerations shall be paid out of the Zakat funds. Inthis connection it should be noted well that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had declared theZakat funds to be unlawful for himself and for the members of his own family (Bani Hashim).Accordingly, he never received any remuneration for collecting or distributing Zakat funds. Asregards the other members of Bani Hashim, they were allowed to do this service without receivingany remuneration, but otherwise it is unlawful for them. On the contrary, the payment of theZakat dues was obligatory on Bani Hashim if their possessions warranted this under theprescribed limits, but under no circumstances whatsoever were they allowed to accept anythingout of Zakat collected from others.

There is, however, a difference of opinion as to whether they should accept anything out of thecollections made from their own family or not. Imam Abu Yusuf opines that they are allowed toaccept these when they are needy or poor or wayfarers, but the majority of the jurists regardthis also unlawful.

64. A portion of Zakat funds may also be given to win over to Islam those who might be engaged inanti-lslamic activities or to those in the camp of the unbelievers who might be brought to helpthe Muslims or to those newly converted Muslims, who might be inclined to revert to kufr if nomonetary help was extended to them. It is permissible to award pensions to them or give themlump sums of money to make them helpers of Islam or submissive to it or at least to render theminto harmless enemies. A portion of the spoils or other incomes may be spent on them and, ifneed be, also a portion of Zakat funds. In such cases, the condition of being needy or indigentor on a journey etc. is also waived; nay, they might be even rich people or chiefs who areotherwise not eligible for anything from Zakat funds.

All are agreed that during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) pensions and gifts weregiven under the category of winning over people, but there is a difference of opinion whetherthis category of expenditure was abolished or not after his death. Imam Abu Hanifah and hisfollowers are of the opinion that it was abolished during the caliphate of Umar (may Allah bepleased with him), and now it is not lawful to spend anything under this category. Imam Shafiiis of the opinion that something may be given to sinful Muslims under this category from Zakatfunds but not to unbelievers, while other jurists are of the opinion that expenses under thiscategory are lawful even now, if a need arises for them.

The Hanafis base their opinion on an incident that happened after the death of the Prophet (peacebe upon him). Uyainah bin Hisan and Aqraa bin Habis came to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased withhim) and asked him to allot to them a certain piece of land. So he gave them a written order forthis. They took it to some other highly placed companions for further confirmation and some ofthem endorsed this order. But when they took it to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he torethe paper into pieces before their very eyes, saying, it is true that the Prophet (peace be uponhim) used to give something to win over your hearts because Islam was weak at that time, but nowAllah has made Islam so strong that it does not stand in need of people like you. At this theywent to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and complained to him about it and taunted him,saying” Are you the caliph or Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)? But he took no notice ofthis, nor did any of the companions differ with Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) opinion.The Hanafis conclude from this incident that when the number and power of Muslims increased bythe grace of Allah and they no longer stood in need of any support from such people; the reasonfor which expenses under this category were permitted in the first instance remained no longerthere. Therefore the companions unanimously abolished expenditure under this head.

Imam Shafii says that there is nothing to prove that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ever spentanything out of Zakat funds under this category. All the incidents mentioned in the traditionsshow that whatever he spent for the purpose of winning over hearts to Islam, was spent out ofthe spoils of war and not out of Zakat funds.

In my opinion there is nothing to show that the expenses for winning over hearts have been madeunlawful forever up to the Last Day. There is no doubt that the action taken by Umar (may Allahbe pleased with him) was absolutely right, for if and when the Islamic state does not considerit necessary to spend anything under this head, Islam does not make it obligatory to spendsomething for winning hearts. On the other hand, if need for this arises at any time, it isauthorized to incur expenses under this category for Allah has kept a provision for this. Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) and the other companions agreed only on this that there was noneed to give anything for this purpose at that time because the circumstances did not warrantit. But there is no reason to conclude from this that the companions disallowed forever theexpenses that were permitted by the Quran under certain circumstances for the good of Islam.

As regards the opinion of Imam Shafii, it appears to be correct in so far as it is not lawful tospend anything under this category out of Zakat funds, if these expenses can be met out of otherfunds. But if it is necessitated that something should be spent under this category out of Zakatfunds, there is no reason why a differentiation should be made in this regard between sinfulMuslims and unbelievers. For the Quran has not allocated the share because of the faith of theprospective recipients but because Islam required to win their hearts for its own good andbecause this could not be achieved except by giving them a portion of wealth. Therefore theQuran allows the Amir of the believers to spend a part of the Zakat funds to achieve this end,if, when and where the required conditions exist. The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him)did not spend anything from the Zakat funds on unbelievers for this purpose does not mean thatit is unlawful to do so, for he did not spend from this fund because there was enough money inother funds for this purpose. Had it been unlawful to spend anything from Zakat funds onunbelievers, he would have explicitly forbidden it.

65. A portion of Zakat funds may be spent for the ransoming of slaves in two ways. First, helpmay be given to a slave for the payment of the ransom money, if he enters into an agreement withhis master that he will set him free, if the slave pays him a certain amount of money. Thesecond way is that the Islamic government may itself pay the price of his freedom and set him atliberty. There is a consensus of opinion about the first way, but there is difference of opinionabout the second way. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Said bin Jubair, Laith Thauri,Ibrahim Nakhi, Shaabi, and Muhammad bin Sirin, (Hanafis and Shafiis) consider this as unlawfulwhile Ibn, Abbas, Hasan Basri, Malik, Ahmad and Abu Thaur consider this as lawful expenditurefrom this fund.

66. Help may be given out of Zakat funds to such debtors as would be reduced to a state ofpoverty, if they paid off all their debts out of their own possessions, irrespective of the factwhether they are earning any money or not, whether they are indigent in the general sense orwell off. According to some jurists, the only exceptions to this are those debtors who arespendthrifts or involve themselves in debts by spending money on wicked deeds. Help may be givento them only if and when they repent.

67. “For Allah’s cause” is a general term which implies all those good works which please Allah.That is why some jurists are of the opinion that Zakat funds may be spent on every kind of goodwork. But the fact is, and the majority of the earliest Muslim scholars have opined, that herethe ‘Allah’s cause’ stands for Jihad in the path of Allah, that is, the struggle to eradicatethe systems based on kufr and to establish the Islamic system in their stead. Therefore theZakat funds may be utilized to meet the expenses of the journeys the people make, or forprocuring means of conveyance, equipment, weapons and other articles needed for Jihad,irrespective of the fact whether they are so well off or not as to need any help for personalrequirements. Likewise help of a temporary or permanent nature may also be given to those peoplewho devote all of their time and energies, temporarily or permanently, for this work

It should also be noted that there has arisen a misunderstanding regarding the “cause of Allah”for the early scholars usually use for Jihad the Arabic word as (ghazyah) which is synonymouswith “fight”. They, therefore, are of the opinion that Zakat fund may only be used for thepurpose of fighting. But Jihad in the Way of Allah is a much more comprehensive term than merefighting in the Way of Allah. Jihad applies to all those efforts that are made to degrade theword of kufr and to exalt the word of Allah and to establish the Islamic system of life, whetherby propagating the message of Allah in the initial stage or by fighting in the final stage ofthe struggle.

68. Help from Zakat funds may be given to a wayfarer on a journey even though he might be quitewell off at home.

Some of the jurists are of the opinion that according to this verse only that wayfarer who doesnot undertake a journey for a sinful purpose may be helped out of Zakat funds. But no suchcondition has been laid down in the Quran or the Hadith to this effect. Besides this, we learnfrom the fundamental principles of Islam that the sins of a needy person would in no way preventus from helping him. As a matter of fact, such a help may prove very useful in reforming sinfuland depraved persons. For if they get a support in the time of need, it may reasonably beexpected that they would turn towards purifying their souls.

Ala-Maududi

(9:71) The believers, both men and women, are allies of one another. They enjoin good, forbidevil, establish Prayer, pay Zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger.^[80] Surely Allahwill show mercy to them. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.

80. The contrast between the characteristics of the hypocrites (Ayat 67) and of the truebelievers (Ayat 71) clearly shows that the two are entirely different from each other, in spiteof their outwardly similar profession of faith in Islam and obedience to it. The difference liesin their morals, conducts, habits, attitudes and ways of thinking. On the one hand, are thehypocrites whose tongues are never tired of professing faith in Islam, but who are void ofsincere faith, and whose conduct belies their professions. They are, as it were, like bottleswhich have labels of musk, but contain cow-dung which may easily be recognized from itsappearance and unpleasant odor. On the other hand, are the true believers, who are like thosebottles which contain musk which may be tested in any way by its appearance, its smell and othercharacteristics to be the musk. Likewise, though the outward label of Islam apparently makesboth of them one community of Muslims, the real characteristics of the hypocritical Muslims areso different from those of the true Muslims that they have, in fact, become two differentcommunities. The hypocritical Muslims, men and women, form a separate community with those whohave similar characteristics. They all are neglectful of Allah, take interest in evil things anddeviate from all that is good and never cooperate with true believers. In short, they are alliesto one another and practically dissociate themselves from true believers and form a group oftheir own. In contrast to them, the true believers, men and women, have practically become onecommunity. All of them take interest in what is good, and abhor what is evil. They rememberAllah day and night and cannot think of life without the constant remembrance of Allah. They arevery generous in spending in the Way of Allah, and obey Him and His Messenger (peace be uponhim) without any mental reservations. These common characteristics have dissociated them fromthe hypocrites and united them in one community and made them allies to one another.

Ala-Maududi

(9:75) Some of them made a covenant with Allah: “If Allah gives us out of His bounty, we willgive alms and act righteously.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(9:79) He also knows (the rich that are niggardly) who taunt the believers that voluntarily givealms, they scoff at those who have nothing to give except what they earn through their hardtoil.^[87] Allah scoffs at them in return. A grievous chastisement awaits them.

87. This refers to the mean conduct which the hypocrites evinced on the occasion of the appeal ofthe Prophet (peace be upon him) for contributions towards the Tabuk expedition. The well-to-dohypocrites did not themselves make any contributions, but when the sincere Muslims came forwardwith generous contributions according to their means, they began to deride them. If a well-to-doMuslim made a handsome contribution, they would at once accuse him to be guilty of a showoff. Onthe other hand, if a poor Muslim contributed a paltry sum which he could hardly spare aftersacrificing some of the barest necessities of his family, or contributing the small earningsobtained by hard work, they would at once ridicule, saying, “Lo! Here is the farthing that willhelp conquer the forts of the Roman Empire!”

Ala-Maududi

(9:92) Nor can there be any cause for reproach against those who, when they came to you askingfor mounts to go to the battlefront, and when you said that you had no mounts for them, theywent back, their eyes overflowing with tears, grieving that they had no resources to enable themto take part in fighting.^[93]

93. Such people as felt a strong urge for Jihad but could not join it because of some reallygenuine excuse, will be counted by Allah among those who actually took part in it, even thoughthey could not join it in person and do anything practically for it. This is because they weresincerely grieved at their absence from Jihad for no fault of theirs, just as a man of the worldwould be grieved if he were deprived of some lucrative business or of some high profit. Allahconsiders such a one as on duty, because his heart was serving in the Way of Allah, though hehad been deprived of active service on account of some genuine excuse. The Prophet (peace beupon him), while returning from Tabuk, stated the same thing like this: “There are some peopleat Al-Madinah (at this time) who have been traveling and marching all along with you throughevery valley. Naturally the companions to whom he was speaking were wonder struck at this. Sothey asked, “While staying at Al-Madinah?” He replied, “Yes, while staying at Al- Madinah! Thisis because they were compelled by the circumstances to stay behind at Al-Madinah: otherwise theywould certainly have accompanied you.”

Ala-Maududi

(9:103) (O Prophet)! “Take alms out of their riches and thereby cleanse them and bring abouttheir growth (in righteousness), and pray for them. Indeed your prayer is a source oftranquillity for them.” Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(9:104) Are they not aware that it is Allah Who accepts the repentance of His servants andaccepts their alms, and that it is Allah Who is Oft-Relenting, Ever Merciful?

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(12:88) On going to Egypt they presented themselves to Joseph and said to him: “O chief! We andour family are struck with distress and have brought only a paltry sum. So give us corn in fullmeasure, and give it to us in charity.^[65] Allah rewards those who are charitable.”

65. That is, it will be charitable of you if you give us that much grain as we require to fulfillour needs, because the goods we have brought for its barter are of less value than of the grainwe require.

Ala-Maududi

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(22:35) whose hearts shiver whenever Allah is mentioned, who patiently bear whatever afflictioncomes to them, who establish Prayer, and who spend (for good purposes) out of what We haveprovided them.^[66]

66. It means that righteous people spend their lawful provisions in the way of Allah to meettheir own and their dependents’ lawful needs, to help their relatives, neighbors and other needypeople, on public works and propagation of the word of Allah. It does not include expenditure inunlawful ways for unlawful purposes. The Quranic term lnfaq implies neither over spending norbeing miserly and stingy, but spending one’s wealth on himself and others according to his meansand status in society.

Ala-Maududi

(22:41) (Allah will certainly help) those^[84] who, were We to bestow authority on themin the land, will establish Prayers, render Zakah, enjoin good, and forbid evil.^[85]The end of all matters rests with Allah.^[86]

84. Those who help Allah are the people who invite mankind to Tauhid and exert their utmost toestablish the true faith and righteousness. For further explanation see (Surah Aal-Imran, ayat 52) note 50.

85 “If We give them authority”: In this one sentence, the real aim of the Islamic State and thecharacteristics of those who conduct its affairs have been stated concisely but comprehensively.Those who help Allah and deserve His succor behave righteously, establish Salat, makearrangements for the collection of Zakat and use their power and authority to propagate good anderadicate evil.

86. That is, it is Allah Who decides whom to give power in the land and when. This is meant toremove the misunderstanding of the proud and arrogant people who think that the destiny of theland and its dwellers is in their hands, and there is none to depose them from power. But Allahdethrones the most haughty ruler in supernatural ways and gives power to the most humble inorder to show that He is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.

Ala-Maududi

(31:4) who establish Prayer and pay Zakah, and have firm faith in the Hereafter.^[3]

3. It does not mean that the righteous people bear only these three qualities. By using thecommon epithet of righteous for them, it has been pointed out that they refrain from all thoseevils which this Book forbids and practice all those good things which this Book enjoins. Then,the three qualities of the righteous person have been especially mentioned in order to show thatall other good acts depend on these three things. They establish the Salat which engenders Godworship and piety as a permanent habit with them. They pay the Zakat which strengthens thespirit of sacrifice in them, subdues the love of the world and arouses a desire for the goodwillof Allah. And they believe in the Hereafter, which instills the sense of responsibility andanswerability. This does not allow them to live like an animal which is free to graze at will inthe pasture, but allows a man who is fully conscious of the fact that he is not independent butthe slave of a Master before Whom he is answerable for all his activities of life. Owing tothese three qualities, these righteous people are not the kind of the righteous persons whohappen to do good just by chance, who may commit evil as often and as freely as they would dogood. Contrary to this, these qualities inculcate in them an enduring system of thought andmorality owing to which goodness issues forth from them in a regulated and systematic manner,and the evil, if at all committed, is committed just by chance. They do not have any deeprootedmotives, which might be arising from their own system of thought and morality and leading themon to the evil way under their own nature impulse.

Ala-Maududi

(33:35) Surely^[53] the men who submit (to Allah) and the women who submit (toAllah),^[54] the men who have faith and the women who have faith,^[55] themen who are obedient and the women who are obedient,^[56] the men who are truthful andthe women who are truthful;^[57] the men who are steadfast and the women who aresteadfast,^[58] the men who humble themselves (to Allah) and the women who humblethemselves (to Allah),^[59] the men who give alms and the women who givealms,^[60] the men who fast and the women who fast,^[61] the men who guardtheir chastity and the women who guard their chastity,^[62] the men who remember Allahmuch and the women who remember Allah much:^[63] for them has Allah preparedforgiveness and a mighty reward.^[64]

53. Presentation of this theme immediately after the foregoing paragraph contains a subtleallusion to the fact that the instructions given above to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him)wives are not exclusively meant for them but the Muslim society as a whole should reform itselfin accordance with them.

54. Who have surrendered themselves to Allah: Who have accepted Islam as a code of life forthemselves, and have decided to follow it in their lives, and who have no wish to resist theIslamic way of life and thought, but have adopted the way of obedience and submission to it.

55. Who are believing: Whose obedience is not merely outward, nor unwilling but who sincerelyregard the guidance given by Islam as based on the truth. Whose faith is that the way shown bythe Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the only right and straight way. Andin following which alone lies their true success. That which has been declared as wrong by Allahand His Prophet (peace be upon him) is certainly wrong. And that which has been declared asright by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) is certainly right. Also, psychologically andintellectually, they do not regard as improper any injunction that has been enjoined by theQuran and Sunnah, and do not remain on the lookout to change it somehow to suit their owndesires or mold it according to the current trends of the world, avoiding at the same time theblame that they have effected a change in the command given by Allah and His Prophet (peace beupon him). The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has described the true state of faith in aHadith in these words:

“He who reconciled himself to Allah as his Lord and to Islam as his way of Life and to Muhammadas his Messenger, has the true taste of faith.” (Sahih Muslim).

In another Hadith, he has explained it thus:

“None of you becomes a believer until the desires of his self become subordinate to what I havebrought.” (Sharh-as- Sunnah).

56. That is, they do not rest content with mere belief but are obedient practically also. Theyare not the sort of the people who would honestly believe that what Allah and His Messenger(peace be upon him) have commanded was true but would violate it in practice: that they wouldsincerely regard what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden as bad but would go on followingthe same in practical life.

57. That is, hey are truthful in their speech and honest in thou dealings. They do not deal inlies, deceptions, frauds and forgeries. They utter with their tongues only what their conscienceapproves as true. They practice and perform only what they honestly find to be in accordancewith righteousness and truth, and they are honest in all their dealings with others.

58. That is, they patiently and steadfastly bear and face all the obstacles, dangers,difficulties and losses that they might have to encounter in following the right way taught byAllah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and in establishing Allah’s religion in the world;no fear and no temptation and no desire of the self can succeed in diverting them from the rightway.

59. That is, they are free from pride, vanity and haughtiness: they have full understanding ofthe reality that they arc servants and they have no other position than that of servitude.Therefore, their hearts as well as their bodies remain bowed before Allah, dominated by fear ofHim. They never display the attitude which is the hallmark of the lives of those who arefearless of God and arc involved in arrogance. From the sequence it appears that the mention ofKhushu (expression of humility) in particular along with the general attitude of the fear of Godimplies the Prayer, for the mention of the practice of charity and fast has been made just afterit.

60. This does not only imply payment of the obligatory Zakat, but it also includes generalcharity. It means to say that they spend their wealth freely in the way of Allah and they arenot at all niggardly in the matter of helping the servants of Allah as much as they can. Noorphan and no sick or afflicted person, no weak or disabled person, no poor and needy oneremains deprived of their support in their dwelling; and if there arises the need for monetaryhelp for promoting the cause of Allah’s religion, they are never miserly in spending theirwealth for that purpose.

61. This includes both the obligatory and the voluntary fasts.

62. This has two meanings: (1) They refrain from adultery, and (2) they avoid nudity. One shouldalso note that nudity does not only mean being naked but it is also nudity to put on a thindress which shows the body, or is so tight fitting that it reveals all the outlines of the body.

63. Remember Allah much means that one should mention Allah’s name in one way or other at alltimes in every business of life. Man cannot develop such a state of the mind unless the thoughtof God becomes deeply embedded in his heart. When this idea has passed beyond his conscious mindand settled deep in his subconscious and unconscious mind, then only he will remember andmention God’s name in whatever he does and in whatever he says. He will begin with bismillahwhen he eats and say al-hamdu lillah when he finishes. He will remember Allah when he goes tobed, and mention Allah’s name when he gets up. In his conversation also he will again and againpronounce bismillah, al-hamdu-lillalh, insha-Allah, masha Allah, etc. and ask for Allah’s helpin every matter, and thank Him for every blessing. He will seek His mercy in every affliction,and turn to Him in every trouble. He will fear Him on encountering every evil, and ask for Hisforgiveness when he happens to have committed an error and will pray to Him for fulfillment ofevery need. In short, in every state and in every business of life his function will be toremember Allah.

This, in fact, is the essence of the Islamic life. For all other acts of worship there is aprescribed time when they are performed, and one is free when one has performed them. But thisis the worship which has no special time; it has to be performed constantly so that it links upthe man’s life with Allah and His service permanently. The other worships and religious actsthemselves also become meaningful only when the heart of man remains inclined to Allah not onlyat the time when the act is actually being carried out but at all times when the tongue isuttering Allah’s name constantly. In such a state as this worship and religious acts develop andflourish in a man’s life precisely in the same manner as a plant grows in a congenial climateand environment. Contrary to this, the example of the religious services and worships which arecarried out only on special times and occasions in the life which is devoid of this constantremembrance of Allah is of the plant which has been planted in an un-congenial climate, andwhich is growing only due to the special attention and care of the gardener. This very thing hasbeen explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a Hadith, thus:

Muadh bin Anas Juhani relates that a person asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) of Allah, “Whoamong those who fight in the way of Allah will get the highest reward?” He replied: “The one whoremembers Allah the most.” The man asked: “Who among the observers of the fast will get thehighest reward?” He replied: “The one who remembers Allah the most.” The man then asked the samequestion about the performer of the Prayer, the payer of the Zakat and charities and theperformer of Hajj and the Prophet (peace be upon him) in every case gave the same answer,saying: He who remembers Allah the most. (Musnad Ahmad).

64. This verse plainly tells what qualities and characteristics are of real worth in the sight ofAllah. These are the basic values of Islam which have been compressed into one sentence. Asregards these, there is no difference between the man and woman. However, as for their lifeactivity, the two sexes have separate spheres to function. The males have to function in somepartic

Ala-Maududi

(35:29) Surely those who recite the Book of Allah and establish Prayer and spend, privately andpublicly, out of what We have provided them, look forward to a trade that shall suffer no loss;

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(41:7) who do not pay Zakah,^[9] and who deny the Hereafter.

9. Here, the meaning of the word zakat has been disputed by the commentators. Ibn Abbas and hisillustrious pupils, Ikrimah and Mujahid, say that zakat here implies the purity of the soul andself which accrues from belief in Tauhid and obedience to Allah. According to this explanation,the translation of the verse would be: Woe to the mushriks, who do not adopt purity. The othergroup which includes commentators like Qatadah, Suddi, Hasan Basri, Dahhak, Muqatil and Ibnas-Saib take this word here also in the meaning of the zakat on property and wealth. Accordingto this explanation, the verse means: Woe to those who do not fulfill the right of Allah bycommitting shirk and the right of the men by withholding the zakat.

Ala-Maududi

(57:7) Believe in Allah and in His Messenger^[7] and expend^[8] of what Hehas entrusted to you.^[9] A great reward awaits those of you who believe and spendtheir wealth.^[10]

7. The addressees here are not the non-Muslims, but, as is borne out by the whole subsequentdiscourse, the Muslims who had affirmed the faith and joined the ranks of the believers, butwere not fulfilling the demands of the faith and conducting themselves as true believers should.It is obvious that non-Muslims cannot be invited to affirm the faith and then immediately askedto subscribe generously to the cause of jihad for the sake of Allah, nor can they be told thatwhoever would fight and spend his wealth in the cause of Allah before the victory, would attainto a higher rank than him who would perform these services later, For, when a non-Muslim isinvited to the faith, the preliminary demands of it only are presented before him and not theultimate once, Therefore, in view of the context, the meaning of saying: “Believe in Allah andHis messenger,” here would be: O people, who profess to have affirmed the faith and have joinedthe ranks of the Muslims, believe in Allah and Messenger (peace be upon him) sincerely andconduct yourselves as the true and sincere believers should.

8. Here, by spending is not implied spending on public welfare, but, as is clearly borne out bythe words of verse 10, it implies subscribing to the cause of the war effort that was beingwaged at that time under the leadership of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to uphold Islamagainst paganism. Two things, in particular, were such for which the Islamic Government at thattime stood in great need of financial help. First, the war equipment; second, supporting andsustaining the oppressed Muslims, who, due to persecution by the disbelievers had emigrated, andwere still emigrating, to Al-Madinah from every corner of Arabia, The sincere Muslims weretrying their best to render as much help as they could but meeting the entire expenses in thisregard was much beyond their means and resources, and their this same spirit of sacrifice hasbeen commended in verses 10, 12, 18 and 19 below. But among the Muslims there were quite anumber of well-to-do people, who were watching this struggle between Islam and paganism as merespectators and had no feelings whatsoever that the faith they claimed to believe in also imposedcertain rights on their life and wealth. This second kind of people are the addressees of thisverse, They have been exhorted to believe sincerely, and to spend their wealth in the cause ofAllah.

9. This has two meanings and both are implied here. The first meaning is: The wealth that youpossess is not, in fact, your personal property but has been given to you by Allah. You are notits exclusive master and owner. Allah has given you proprietary right over it as His vicegerent.Therefore, you should have no hesitation in spending it in the service of the real Master. It isnot for the vicegerent to withhold the Master’s wealth from being spent for the Master’s ownsake. The second meaning is: Neither has this wealth been with you since ever, nor will itremain in your possession for ever, Yesterday it was in some other people’s possession; thenAllah made you their successor and entrusted it to you, A time will come when it will not remainwith you but some other people will succeed you as its owners, Therefore, in this short-livedownership, when you are its trustees, spend it in the cause of Allah so that in the Hereafteryou may be rewarded for it permanently and eternally. This same thing has been stated by theProphet (peace be upon him) in a Hadith. Tirmidhi relates that once a goat was slaughtered inthe Prophet’s (peace be upon him) house and its flesh was given away to the poor. When he cameto the house and asked: What remains of the goat? Aishah replied: Nothing but a shoulder.Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: Nay, the whole goat but the shoulder. Thatis, whatever has been given away for the sake of Allah, has, in fact, been saved. According toanother Hadith, a person asked: O Messenger (peace be upon him) of Allah, what kind of charitybrings the highest reward? He replied: That you should give away a thing in charity when you arehale and hearty: When you feel it could be saved and may like to invest it in the hope ofearning more. Do not wait till death when you may say: Give this to so and so and that to so andso, for at that time the wealth has in any case to pass on to so and so. (Bukhari, Muslim).According to another Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Man says: My wealth! Mywealth! whereas his own share in his wealth is no more than what he has eaten up, or worn away,or passed on in charity? Whatever remains will leave him and will be passed on to others(Muslim).

10. Here again, spending wealth in the cause of jihad has been regarded as an essential demand ofthe faith and a proof of one’s sincerity in it, as if to say: The true and sincere believer ishe who does not shirk spending wealth on such an occasion.

Ala-Maududi

(57:18) Verily those who give alms^[31] be they men or women, and give Allah abeautiful loan shall be repaid after increasing it many times; and theirs shall be a generousreward.

31. Sadaqah, as an Islamic term, is the charity given sincerely and with a pure intention onlywith a view to seek Allah’s good pleasure without making any show of it, and without theintention of doing any favor to the recipient. The donor should give it only because he has atrue feeling of the service of his Lord. The word is derived from sidq, therefore, sadaqat(sincerity) is of its essence. No charity and no spending of the wealth can be a sadaqah unlessit springs from a sincere and pure motive of spending only for the sake of Allah.

Ala-Maududi

(58:12) Believers, when you come to the Messenger for private consultation, offer some charitybefore your consultation with him.^[29] That is better for you and more conducive topurity. But if you find nothing to offer in charity, then know that Allah is Most Merciful, MostCompassionate.

29. According to Abdullah bin Abbas, this command was sent down because the Muslims had startedrequesting the Prophet (peace be upon him) for private counsel much too frequently, and this puthim to great inconvenience. At last, Allah willed to relieve His Prophet (peace be upon him) ofthis burden. (Ibn Jarir). Zaid bin Aslam says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would neverturn down the request of anyone, who wanted to consult him in private. Whoever desired to haveprivate counsel with him, he would oblige him. Often it so happened that the people would askfor private counsel in matters in which there was no real need. This was the time when all ofArabia was engaged in war against Al-Madinah. Sometimes, after a person had made such a request,Satan would whisper into the ears of the people the idea that he had brought to the Prophet(peace be upon him) the news of invasion by such and such tribes, and this would cause rumors tospread in Al-Madinah. On the other hand, this would give the hypocrites an opportunity to saythat Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a credulous person, who listened to and believed inwhatever anyone told him. Because of this Allah imposed the restriction that anyone who wantedto have private counsel with the Prophet should first give away something in charity. (IbnArabi: Ahkam al-Quran). Qatadah says that some people talked to the Prophet (peace be upon him)in private in order to show their superiority to others.

Ali says when this was enjoined the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him, What should be thequantity of the charity, should it be one dinar. I said: This is more than the people canafford. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked: Should it be half a dinar. I said: This isalso too much. Then he asked what it should be. I said: Gold equal to a barley grain. TheProphet (peace be upon him) remarked: Your advice is for too little. (Ibn Jarir, Tirmidhi,Musnad, Abu Yala). In another tradition Ali says: This is a verse of the Quran which no oneacted upon except me. As soon as it was enjoined, I offered the charity and consulted theProphet about a problem. (Ibn Jarir, Hakim, lbn al-Mundhi, Abd bin Humaid).

Ala-Maududi

(58:13) Are you afraid that you will have to offer charity when you hold private conversationwith the Prophet? But if you are unable to do so and Allah pardons you, then establish Prayerand pay Zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah is well aware of all that youdo.^[30]

30. This second command was sent down some time after the first command, and it concealed theinjunction of giving something in charity. However, there is a difference of opinion as to howlong the injunction remained in force. Qatadah says it remained in force for less than a day andthen was abrogated. Muqatil bin Hayyan says that it remained in force for ten days; and this isthe longest period of its life mentioned in any tradition.

Ala-Maududi

(59:7) Whatever (from the possessions of the towns people) Allah has bestowed on His Messengerbelongs to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to his kinsfolk, and to the orphans, and to theneedy, and to the wayfarer^[13] so that it may not merely circulate between the richamong you.^[14] So accept whatever the Messenger gives you, and refrain from whateverhe forbids you. And fear Allah: verily Allah is Most Stern in retribution.^[15]

13. In the preceding verse what was pointed out was why these properties should not bedistributed among the fighting army like the spoils, and why the legal injunction concerningthem is different from that concerning the spoils. Now in this verse it is being stated as towho are entitled to have a share in these properties.

The first share in these is of Allah and His Messenger. The detail of how the Prophet (peace beupon him) acted on this injunction has been related by Malik bin Aus bin al- Hadathan on theauthority of Umar, thus: The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to take from it necessary expensesfor himself and his family and the rest he used to spend on arranging arms and conveyances forJihad. (Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, Daud, Tirmadhi, Nasai and others). After the passing awayof the Prophet (peace be upon him) this share was transferred to the Public Treasury of theMuslims so that it is spent in the service of the mission which Allah had entrusted to HisMessenger (peace be upon him). Imam Shafai is reported to have expressed the opinion that theshare which was specifically meant for the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) person, is for hiscaliph after him, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) was entitled to it on the basis of hisoffice of leadership and not on the basis of the office of Apostleship. But the view of themajority of the Shafei jurists in this matter is the same as of the other jurists, viz. thatthis share now is reserved for the religious and collective welfare of the Muslims, and not forany particular person.

The second share is of the kinsfolk, and this implies the kinsfolk of the Prophet (peace be uponhim), i.e. the Bani Hashim and the Bani al-Muttalib. This share was set aside so that, besidesmeeting his own and his family’s requirements, the Prophet (peace be upon him) could alsofulfill his obligations towards those of his relatives who stood in need of his help, or whom hefelt like helping. After the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), this ceased to be aseparate and independent source, because like the right of the orphans and the wayfarers and theindigent among the Muslims, looking after the rights of the needy among the Bani Hashim and theBani al-Muttalib also became the responsibility of the Public Treasury. However, they weretreated as superior to others in so far as they had no share in the zakat. Abdullah bin Abbashas related that in the time of Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman, the first two shares were droppedand only the remaining three shares (i.e. those for the orphans and the indigent and thewayfarers) were kept as of those entitled to fai. Then Ali also acted on the same in his time,Muhammad bin Ishaq has related on the authority of Imam Muhammad Baqir that although Ali’spersonal opinion was the same as of the people of his house (that this share should be given tothe relatives of the Prophet, peace be upon him), he did not think that he should act againstthe practice of Abu Bakr and Umar. Hasan bin Muhammad bin Hanafiyah says that after the Prophet(peace be upon him), a difference of opinion arose about these two shares (i.e. the share of theProphet, peace be upon him, and the share of his relatives). Some people said that the firstshare should go to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) caliph, some said that the second shareshould go to the relatives of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and still others said that thesecond share should be given to the relatives of the caliph. At last, a consensus was reachedthat both the shares be spent on the requirements of Jihad. Ata bin Saib says that Umar binAbdul Aziz in his time had started sending the share of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and theshare of the relatives to the Bani Hashim. The opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah and of most of theHanafi jurists is that in this matter the same practice is correct as was being followed in thetime of the righteous Caliphs. (Abu Yusuf, Kitab al-Kharaj pp. 19-21). Imam Sharei’s opinion isthat both the rich and the needy from among the people whose being descended from the BaniHashim and the Bani al-Muttalib is confirmed, or is well known, can be given shares from fai.(Mughni alMuhtaj). The Hanafis say that only their needy people can be helped from this;however, their right to this is greater than that of others. (Ruh al-Maani). According to ImamMalik, there is no restriction on the government in this matter. It can spend on any head thatit deems fit and proper, but the better course is that it should give preference to the peopleof the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) house. (Hashiyah ad-Dusuqi ala-sh-Sharh-al-Kabir).

About the remaining three shares there is no dispute among the jurists. However, the differencebetween Imam Shafei and the other Imams is that according to Imam Shafei the total properties offai are to be divided into five equal parts one part of which is to be spent on theabovementioned heads in such a way that one-fifth of it is spent on the common benefits of theMuslims, one-fifth on the Bani Hashim and the Bani al-Muttalib, one-fifth on the orphans,one-fifth on the indigent and one-fifth on the wayfarers. However, Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifahand Imam Ahmad do not concur with this division. Their opinion is that the whole of fai is forthe welfare and common benefit of the Muslims. (Mughni al-Muhtaj).

14. This is one of the most important verses of the Quran, which lays down the basic principle ofthe economic policy of the Islamic community and government. Wealth should circulate among thewhole community and not only among the rich lest the rich should go on becoming richer day byday and the poor becoming poorer. This policy has not merely been enunciated in the Quran, butfor the same objective the Quran has forbidden interest, made the zakat obligatory, enjoinedthat khums (one-fifth) be deducted from the booty, exhorted the Muslims to practice voluntarycharity, has proposed such forms of different kinds of atonements that the flow of wealth isturned towards the poor classes of society, and has made such a law of inheritance that thewealth left by every deceased person spreads among the largest circle of the people. Apart fromthis, stinginess has been condemned and generosity commended as a noble moral quality, thewell-to-do people have been told that in their wealth there is a definite share of the beggarand the indigent, which they must discharge not as charity but as the right of the concernedpeople, and the law enjoined in respect of a major source of revenue of the Islamic government(i.e. fai) is that its one portion must necessarily be spent on supporting the poor class ofsociety. In this connection, it should also be borne in mind that there are two main sources ofthe revenue of the Islamic government: zakat and fai. The zakat is charged from the Muslims ontheir total extra capital, cattle, wealth, trade goods and agricultural produce, which is overand above the minimum exemption limit (nisab), and most of it is reserved for the poor. And faicomprises all the revenues including jizyah and taxes which are received from the non- Muslims;a major part of this is also set aside for the poor. This gives a clear hint to the effect thatan Islamic government should manage its revenues and expenditure and the financial and economicaffairs of the country on the whole in such a manner that the wealthy and influential people arenot allowed to have their monopoly over the means and resources of wealth, and the flow ofwealth is neither turned from the poor to the rich nor it should remain circulating only amongthe rich.

15. In view of the context the verse means: Accept without question whatever decision the Prophet(peace be upon him) gives about the management of the properties of the Bani an-Nadir, andlikewise about the distribution of fai properties and goods afterwards. One should take whateverthe Prophet (peace be upon him) gives him, and the one whom he does not give anything, shouldneither protest nor demand it. But since the words of the command are general, its applicationis not restricted to the distribution of the fai properties and goods only, but its intention isthat in all matters the Muslims should obey the Prophet (peace be upon him). This intention ofthe command becomes all the more clear when we consider that as against “whatever the Messengergives you” the words used are “whatever he forbids you” and not “whatever he does not give you.”If the object of the command were restricted to call obedience to the distribution of allproperties and goods only, then as against “whatever he gives you” the words should have been“whatever he does not give you.” The use of the forbidding or restraining words in this contextby itself shows that the object of the command is to enjoin obedience to the Prophet (peace beupon him) in whatever he commands and forbids. The same thing has been stated by the Prophet(peace be upon him) himself. According to Abu Hurairah he said: When I command you to do athing, do it as far as you can; and when I forbid you to do a thing, restrain from it. (Bukhari,Muslim). About Abdullah bin Masud it has been related that once during a speech he said: Allahhas cursed the woman who practices such and such a fashion. Thereupon a woman approached him andasked: Wherefrom have you derived this thing? For I have not seen such a thing anywhere in theBook of Allah. Abdullah replied: Had you studied the Book of Allah, you would certainly havefound it therein. Have you not read the verse: Ma ata-kum ar-rasulu fa-khudu hu wa ma nahakumanhu fantahu: Take whatever the Messenger gives you, and refrain from whatever he forbids you.When she said that she had read this verse, Abdullah said: So the Prophet (peace be upon him)has forbidden this act, and has given the news that Allah has cursed the women who practice it.The woman agreed that she had understood the command. (Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, Musnad Ibnabi Hatim).

Ala-Maududi

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(63:10) And spend of what Allah has granted you by way of sustenance before death should come toany of you and he should say: “Lord, why did You not defer my return for a while so that I mightgive alms and be among the righteous?”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(76:8) those who, for the love of Him,^[11] feed the needy, and the orphan, and thecaptive,^[12]

11. Most of the commentators hold the view that the pronoun in hubbi-hi refers to food.Accordingly, they interpret the sentence to mean: “In spite of the food’s being agreeable andtasty and that they need it, they give it away to others.” Ibn Abbas and Mujahid say: They do sobecause of their fondness for feeding the poor (ala hubb-il-it am); and Fudail bin Iyad and AbuSuleman ad-Darani say: They do so out of love for Allah. In our opinion the sentence in the nextAyat “We feed you only for the sake of Allah” supports the last meaning.

12. The custom in the ancient days was that the prisoners were put in fetters and shackles andtaken out daily to go about the streets begging food. Later the Islamic government abolishedthis custom. In this verse, the captive implies every such person who is in bondage, whether heis an unbeliever, a Muslim, a war prisoner, or imprisoned in consequence of a crime, and whetherhe is provided food in that state, or made to beg for it. In any case, to feed a helpless personwho cannot do anything to earn a living is an act of great virtue.