The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Al-Munāfiqūn – Verse 7

هُمُ الَّذينَ يَقولونَ لا تُنفِقوا عَلىٰ مَن عِندَ رَسولِ اللَّهِ حَتّىٰ يَنفَضّوا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ خَزائِنُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ وَلٰكِنَّ المُنافِقينَ لا يَفقَهونَ

They are the ones who say: ‘Do not spend on those who are with the Apostle of Allah until they scatter off.’ Yet to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

EXEGESIS

Khazāʾin (sing. khizānah) derives from the root khazn which means to preserve a thing in a safe.‎[1] Khizānah, like makhzan, is the place where a thing is preserved.‎[2] Although the word khazn was originally coined to denote the storage and preservation of material entities, it was gradually generalised to signify any kind of preservation, such as preserving secrets, and the like.‎[3] The treasuries of the heavens and the earth imply that which God has deposited in them of His provision and the means of sustenance for His creatures.‎[4]

Samāwāt (sing. samāʾ) derives from the root sumuww which signifies highness and elevation. The highest part of something comprising different parts is called samāʾ (high). In Arabic, the roof of the house is also called samāʾ. A cloud is also referred to as samāʾ due to its being high above the earth.‎[5] Thus, anything which is higher than something else in position such that it encloses it, is known in Arabic as samāʾ.‎[6]

Arḍ (pl. araḍūn) is a generic noun which lexically denotes the lower part of a thing, and, as such, it is the opposite of samāʾ.‎[7] Hence, according to some lexicologists, anything located in a higher position is samāʾ in relation to a thing lower to it, and the lower is arḍ in relation to the higher.‎[8]

EXPOSITION

One of the common methods employed by the enemies of Islam throughout history to combat the spread of Islam and defeat the Muslims, has been economic sanction. The materialistic mentality of the hypocrites and the disbelievers dictate that the believers would withdraw their support from the leadership of the Islamic ummah if subjected to economic pressure, with the presumption that they would compromise on their religious principles and values under financial constraint. A practical example of this in history is the presumption of the Quraysh that they would be able to wipe out the Muslim community in Mecca through subjecting them to severe economic pressure.‎[9] On the contrary, according to a monotheistic worldview, the whole universe is in the hands of God: Blessed is He in whose hands is all sovereignty (67:1), and He it is who possesses the riches of the heavens and the earth, and controls them: Yet to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth. Hence, the believers ought not to be terrified by such threats; rather, they need only to rely on God and show perseverance in the way of defending the message of God and His Prophet, and thereafter await divine help: O you who have faith! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet steady (47:7).

Islamic history is replete with awesome incidents of resistance and perseverance by the believers against economic pressure from the enemies of Islam. The three year perseverance displayed by the Muslims in the valley (shiʿb) of Abū Ṭālib against the socio-economic boycott of the Quraysh and their resistance against the enemies of Islam amidst severe economic constraints after the establishment of the Islamic state in Medina, are among the astounding scenes of belief in God and resistance in the way of defending the truth. 

Nonetheless, the Muslim ummah ought to be vigilant lest their enemy tries to influence the internal elements from amongst the believers to reach their objectives. History witnesses that the hypocrites approached the affluent class of the Anṣār and persuaded them to stop financially supporting the needy from among the Muhājirūn.‎[10] The hypocrites tend to target to influence the major players in the economy of the Islamic community so as to safeguard their own interests, and to be able to create a financial crunch on the Muslims, thus manipulating the feelings of the believers against the Muslim leadership and the Islamic system. This verse suffices to warn the Muslim leadership of the potential threat of that group amongst the affluent class in the Islamic society who are drowned in affluence and corruption, as it also reminds the Muslim ummah of the necessity of striving to attain economic self-sufficiency as an important prerequisite in achieving political independence and might.‎[11]

As a result of their superficial understanding, the hypocrites only take into account the apparent material means in their confrontation with the Muslim ummah, thinking that they will be able to defeat the religion of God and disperse the believers around the Prophet of God by inflicting economic blows on them. However, they are incapable of fathoming the reality that the prosperity of the religion of God does not depend on what they possess of worldly wealth;‎[12] rather, whatever they possess, and all the immediate and mediate causes in the universe, are controlled by God, as He alone is the source of all of them: Yet to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

The believers should rely on God alone and fulfil their duties towards Him in all situations. In their individual life also, the believers should have trust and hope in the divine promise to succour those who are God-conscious and mindful of their responsibilities towards Him, for it is He alone who is omnipotent: And whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make a way out for him, and provide for him from whence he does not reckon. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Indeed Allah carries through His command (65:2-3).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. Imam al-Bāqir (a) says: ‘The Prophet of God (s) was offered the keys of the treasuries of the earth three times without any reduction in what God has promised him [of the reward] on the Day of Judgement, but he preferred humbleness towards his Lord.’‎[13]
  2. Imam Ali (a) says: ‘Indeed God, the glorious, has said: If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet steady [47:7], and He has said: Who is it that will lend Allah a good loan, that He may multiply it for him and [that] there may be a noble reward for him? [57:11]. [However,] He has not sought your help out of abasement, nor has He asked you to lend Him a loan due to scarcity; He has sought your help whilst to Him belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and He is the all-mighty, the all-wise; and He has asked you to lend Him a loan whilst to Him belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, and He it is who is the all-sufficient, the all-laudable. [By all this,] He meant to test you as to who among you is the most righteous in his actions, so set out to perform [good] deeds.’‎[14]
  3. In his letter to Imam al-Hasan (a), Imam Ali (a) writes: ‘Know that He in whose hand are the treasuries of the heavens and the earth has permitted you to call on Him, and has guaranteed to answer you. He has commanded you to ask from Him so that He may grant you, and to seek His mercy so that He may have mercy on you.’‎[15]
  4. Part of the supplication which has been recommended to recite on the eve of the Day of ʿArafah reads: ‘O God, make me amongst those of Your servants who receives the best on this night of the good that You distribute, of the affliction that You avert, of the evil that You turn away, of the tribulation that You ward off, of the good that You grant, of the mercy that You spread, and of the well-being that You bestow; for You have power over all things, and in Your hand are the treasuries of the heavens and the earth.’‎[16]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Those who are with the Apostle of Allah either refers to the Holy Prophet and his companions,‎[17] or to the needy believers around the Messenger of God,‎[18] or to the Muhājirūn in general who were given refuge by the Anṣār in the city of Medina,‎[19] or to the poor amongst them,‎[20] or to the Bedouin Arabs who were surrounding the Prophet.‎[21]

Some exegetes maintain that lexically, yanfaḍḍū could also signify the ceasing of their provision; thus the verse would read: Do not spend on those who are with the Apostle of God until their provision ends.‎[22]

With regard to the meaning of the phrase the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, a number of explanations have been offered:

  1. It denotes the infinite power of God to create whatever He wills, and that the heavens and the earth are subject to His power and influence.‎[23]
  2. The treasuries of the heavens signifies the means that support human life on the earth like rain, the rays of the sun, and winds, which positively contribute to the production of human provision; and that of the earth as the precious stones, and what unfolds of positive earthly events, and what God grants His Prophet of triumphs and conquests.‎[24]
  3. The sustenance of all creatures and its distribution.‎[25]
  4. The sustenance and all that exists between the heaven and the earth.‎[26]
  5. The blessings of God are in such amplitude that they can suffice the needs of all His creatures without ceasing.‎[27]

But the hypocrites do not understand: a number of explanations have been given by different exegetes as to what exactly the hypocrites are unable to comprehend:

  1. God possesses the treasuries of the heavens and the earth; had He wished, He would have provided the believers with all that they need. However, He tries them with difficulties and hardships so that they may qualify to attain His great reward in the hereafter. Thus the hypocrites will not be able to do any harm to them even if they stop their financial support to the believers. The hypocrites are ignorant of this reality, and of the divine chastisement awaiting them.‎[28]
  2. Their own actions have veiled them from witnessing the divine act as the sole provider of the whole of creation, as what they possess of worldly wealth has shaded their intellects from beholding the treasuries of God. Hence, they think, out of their ignorance, that they are the ones who give.‎[29]
  3. They do not understand that God possesses the reserves of the heavens and the earth, and is omnipotent to suffice the believers out of His grace.‎[30]
  4. Hypocrisy has blinded them from comprehending the realities of faith and life, hence they lack broadmindedness to fathom the everlasting power and self-sufficiency of God.‎[31]
  5. They have forgotten that the sustenance of all creatures and its treasure is in the hands of God; if one door of provision is closed, another one opens.‎[32]  
  6. The hypocrites are unable to realise that it is from the treasuries of God that they make their living, yet they try to obstruct the provision of the believers thinking that they are the ones who provide for themselves and for others. The divine treasuries of sustenance are for all, and He who provides for His enemies cannot forget His friends.‎[33]
  7. They do not know that All His command, when He wills something, is to say to it ‘Be,’ and it is (36:82).‎[34]
  8. The Holy Prophet had managed to initiate such an independent movement that is unshakable in the face of economic challenges; a reality that remained hidden from the hypocrites as they tend to limit themselves to the material life only. Hence, they assume that the Islamic movement shall come to a halt and the believers will die of hunger if they stop financially supporting them, whereas the ways pursued by them to attain financial well-being can also be equally pursued by the believers to become self-sufficient.‎[35]  
  9. They are under the misconception that richness and poverty revolve absolutely around the apparent means and causes functioning in the universe, thus if they stop supporting the believers they will supposedly not find any other sustainer. However, they do not realise that the treasuries of the entire universe are in the control of God, and He alone is the provider.‎[36] 
[1] Raghib, under kh-z-n.
[2] Bahrayn, under kh-z-n.
[3] Raghib, under kh-z-n.
[4] Bahrayn, under kh-z-n.
[5] Lisan, under s-m-w.
[6] Tahqiq, under s-m-w.
[7] Raghib, under ʾ-r-ḍ.
[8] Raghib, under s-m-w.
[9] Qutb, 6/3579; Nemuneh, 24/163.
[10] Kashif, 7/333.
[11] Mudarrisi, 15/423.
[12] Ibn Ashur, 28/222; Mizan, 19/282.
[13] Mishkat, p. 224.
[14] Nahj, sermon 184.
[15] Nahj, letter 31.
[16] Iqbal, 2/55.
[17] Suyuti, 6/225.
[18] Tibyan, 10/14; Tabrisi, 10/444; Mizan, 19/282; Ibn Ashur, 28/222.
[19] Tabari, 28/72; Thaalabi, 5/436; Shubbar, p. 518.
[20] Safi, 5/178; Alusi, 14/309; Shawkani, 5/277; Kashif, 7/333.
[21] Ibn Kathir, 8/155; Ibn Ashur, 28/220.
[22] Shawkani, 5/277; Zamakhshari, 4/543; Razi, 30/547.
[23] Tibyan, 10/15; Nemuneh, 11/58; Raghib, under kh-z-n.
[24] Muqatil, 4/341; Ibn Ashur, 28/222.
[25] Safi, 5/178; Shawkani, 5/277; Zamakhshari, 4/543; Shubbar, p. 518; Tantawi, 14/410; Qutb, 6/3579.
[26] Tabrisi, 10/444.
[27] Fadlallah, 22/235.
[28] Tibyan, 10/15; Tabrisi, 10/444; Ibn Ashur, 28/222; Ahsan al-Hadith, 11/179; Safi, 5/178; Mizan, 19/282.
[29] Ibn Arabi, 2/343.
[30] Tabari, 28/72; Kashif, 7/333; Shubbar, p. 518.
[31] Fadlallah, 22/235.
[32] Thaalabi, 5/436; Shawkani, 5/277; Zamakhshari, 4/543.
[33] Qutb, 6/3579; Nemuneh, 24/162.
[34] Razi, 30/549.
[35] Mudarrisi, 14/423-424.
[36] Mizan, 19/282.