Spend from the Good things you have earned – Tafsīr Suratl-Baqarah by Ibn Kathīr

Benefit:

Concerning His statement;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَن تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ (267)الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ (268) يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَاب

“O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein. And know that Allāh is Rich (Free of all wants), and Worthy of all praise. Shaitān threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahshā (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allāh promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allāh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower. He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding.” [Al-Baqarah 267-69]

▪️ The content of this verse is Allāh calling the believers ordering them with spending in the cause of good, for they are the real beneficiaries of following His commandments, and abstaining from His prohibitions.

(مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ)

“Of the good things which you have (legally) earned”

I.e. from your Halal earnings, He is ordering His slaves with spending, and the intent here is Sadaqah. And Ibn Abbās said: “From the good things from what He has provided them with from their earnings.

(وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ)

“And do not aim at that which is bad from it”

I.e. intend it.

(وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيه)

“(Though) you would not accept it”

I.e. you are not pleased with it for yourselves, and if you were given it you would not take it.

▪️ This is Birr (piety/righteousness) that a man spends from what he loves.

▪️ Every time the spending is something good then Allāh is good and only accepts the good.

▪️ The son of Ādam if he were to own a valley he would hope for another, nothing will fill his stomach except dust, and Allāh accepts the repentance of those who repents as is in the Hadith.

The reason it was revealed

On the authority of Al-Barā:

(وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ)

“And do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it”

He said: It was revealed concerning us the Ansār, We used to be people of date palm trees so a man used to come to his date palm according to how large or small the amount, so a man would come with a bunch of dates or two and hang it on the Masjid, and the people of Suffah didn’t used to have food, so if one of them became hungry he would come to the bunch and hit it with a stick so dates would fall and he would eat it, and there were a people who didn’t crave for good who would come with bad dates or a bunch that is broken and would hang it, so Allāh revealed:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَن تُغْمِضُوا فِيه

“O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein.”

He said: If any of you were gifted what he gave he would not accept it except out of shyness.” He said: “So after that one of us would come with the best that he had with him.” [Reported by Tirmidhi and Our Shaykh Muqbil may Allāh have mercy on him declared it Hasan and it is in Sahih Al-Musnad]

And the earnings of a Muslim shouldn’t be bad, and the intent here is indecent, unsuitable for benefitting from or eating, and the intent is not impermissible (earnings).

(وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ)

“And know that Allāh is Rich (Free of all wants), and Worthy of all praise.”

I.e. even if he orders you with the giving of charity and what is good from it, he is self-sufficient unneedy of it.

Like His statement;

(لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْۚ)

“It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him.” [Al-Hajj, 37]

And His statement;

(ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًاۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيم)ٌ

“Shaitān threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahshā (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allāh promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allāh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.” [Al-Baqarah, 268]

(يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْر)

“Shaitān threatens you with poverty”

I.e. frightens you with poverty, in order for you to withhold what you have so you don’t spend it in the pleasure of Allāh.

(وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآء)

“And orders you to commit Fahshā”

I.e And he orders you with disobediences and sins and harām.

And Al-Fahshā – is everything thing foul in speech or action.

(وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ)

“Whereas Allāh promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty”

I.e. in opposite to what the Shaitān orders you.

(وَفَضْلًاۗ)

“And Bounty”

Opposite to what Shaytān frightens you with of poverty.

And His statement;

(يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ)

“He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases”

Al-Hikmah is pronounced to mean the Sunnah and wisdom and composure, and good speech, and the intent here is not the Sunnah.

▪️ From the best of speech and most beautiful is that of Abū Āliyah: “Al-Hikmah is the Al-Khashyah (fear of Allāh based upon knowledge), for verily Al-Khashyah is the epitome of Al-Hikmah, and in the authentic Hadith;

On the authority of Ibn Mas’ūd may Allāh be pleased with him he said: “I heard the Prophet saying: “Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allāh gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allāh gives Hikmah which he applies and teaches it.”

(وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَاب)

“But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding.”

I.e. none benefits from the admonishment and reminder except those who have insight and intellect, meaning of speech and the meaning of speech.

Benefited from: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him.

Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/3143

Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi