لِيُنفِق ذو سَعَةٍ مِن سَعَتِهِ ۖ وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيهِ رِزقُهُ فَليُنفِق مِمّا آتاهُ اللَّهُ ۚ لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفسًا إِلّا ما آتاها ۚ سَيَجعَلُ اللَّهُ بَعدَ عُسرٍ يُسرًا

Let the affluent man spend out of his affluence, and let he whose provision has been tightened spend out of what Allah has given him. Allah does not task any soul except [according to] what He has given it. Allah will bring about ease after hardship.

EXEGESIS

Saʿah (affluence) comes from wusʿ, meaning expansive, and it can be utilised for either places, a state, or actions. Here it is definitely used for a state.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 870.} The rich man is in possession of expansive wealth and thus he has saʿah. This meaning of expansiveness is neatly juxtaposed to the straits in the previous verse: and do not harass them to put them in straits. This is the command of God, and one should reciprocate to others what they wish for themselves.

Qudira (tightened) comes from qadar which was explained under verse 3. It is here used in the sense of the specific measure given to all things. Specifically, here it has the meaning of tightness.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 10/37.} Everything occurs by God’s decree, as Allah has set a measure for everything (verse 3).

Clearly, there is also connection to put … in straits in verse 6, and the expansive affluence spoken of in this verse.

Yukallifu (task) comes from kalaf, meaning to spur someone to do something.^{‎[3]Raghib, p. 721.} From that is derived taklīf, meaning a duty imposed upon someone.

The verse is closely linked to the penultimate verse of Sūrat al-Baqarah, Allah does not task (yukallifu) any soul beyond its capacity (wusʿ) (2:286). The words saʿah (affluence) and wusʿ (capacity) are from the same root and their connection is obvious. Just as a person’s innate capacity is a gift from God, so is the success and wealth he gains by utilising that capacity. All of this should be harnessed and used in the proper way according to God’s command. This understanding of innate and God-given capacity is reinforced by the usage of soul (nafs) to describe an individual. See also the commentary on verse 2:286 for more on this topic.

The careful and purposeful linking of words and concepts creates not only a beautiful linguistic interplay, but also brings to the mind of the reader a web of ideas and interconnectedness. Each word and concept is connected to earlier words and concepts. The text thus reflects the subtext: everything is connected in God’s order. There is a plan, and one should carry out their duty and perform their part, relying on God and knowing that any hardship is temporary as God will bring about ease after hardship.

EXPOSITION

This verse lays out a general principle for the amount of upkeep owed to a woman after her divorce. In 2:236 the same rule was mentioned for her upkeep during marriage, Yet provide for them – the well-off according to his capacity, and the poorly-off according to his capacity. The woman cannot demand upkeep according to her wants, but rather it is to be given according to the man’s capability. If he is wealthy, he is capable and is expected to provide more and spend out of his affluence, hence this verse commands us not to forget generosity, even in divorce.^{‎[4]Qaraati, 10/112.} This is followed by a reminder that the wealth he has obtained is only his through proxy, as to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth (63:7), therefore he should not be parsimonious in spending out of what Allah has given him.

Furthermore, if he be poor, he should not compare himself to a wealthy man and think himself spurned.^{‎[5]Qaraati, 10/113.} He should not be of those about whom God says But when He tests him and tightens for him his provision, he says: ‘My Lord has humiliated me’ (89:16). Rather, he should be thankful for what he has been given and acknowledge its source, whilst realising there is a wisdom to the order of God, and it is all part of His tests.

These tests will never exceed one’s capacity, as Allah does not task any soul except [according to] what He has given it. This is, of course, pointing towards a general principle that holds true for both religion and life. God does not hold us to task about anything more than what we are capable of doing,^{‎[6]Tibyan, 10/38.} as God has not placed for you any obstacle in the religion (22:78), nor does He burden a person in life with more than they can bear, unless it be as a punishment. As mentioned earlier, there is a connection between the legislative and cosmological command.

This is also specifically related to the issue of maintenance, in the sense that the man can never be held accountable to provide more than he is capable of giving.^{‎[7]Mizan, 19/318.} We may also note that the previous verse ruled that the father should pay the mother for suckling the child. However, if the father has limited means and cannot afford to pay the standard cost of suckling, it does not mean that the baby is left untended; rather, he should pay what is within his means and the mother should suckle the child.

The verse then ends with a declaration and a promise, that Allah will bring about ease after hardship. The period immediately following divorce is always a difficult one, taking an emotional and financial toll. It can often create feelings of uncertainty about the future and perhaps lead to distress and anxiety. The final reminder in the verse is a gentle promise from God that difficulties will eventually end, and they should not be the cause for losing patience nor lead to abandoning reliance on God. This ties in strongly to the central theme of the surah, which promises that good things will come to those who rely on God.

Many exegetes of course say that this is addressed to the poorer husbands, who may find the maintenance payments difficult, promising them that if they are God-wary and perform their duty, God will bring about ease in their lives.^{‎[8]Tabari; 28/97; Alusi, 14/336.} This is pointing to a general rule of God’s mercy echoed in other verses, such as, Is the requital of goodness anything but goodness? (55:60), or The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is that of a grain which grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah enhances severalfold whomever He wishes (2:261).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Allah does not task any soul except [according to] what He has given it. This statement, along with its twin in 2:286, is used as evidence by Shia scholars that God does not obligate a person to do more than he is capable;^{‎[9]Taklīf bi-mā lā yuṭāq.} whereas Asharite scholars have generally held the opposite view, arguing that God may do so, for example by commanding all people to believe, even though – according to Asharite thought – He has not given that capacity to the faithless, for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see (11:20).^{‎[10] Al-Ashʿarī, al-Ibānah, 1/50-51.}

Makārim Shīrāzī points out that some narrations specify this verse to mean what God has taught a soul and that these narrations link it to knowledge. This in turn has been used to derive proofs in books of legal theory about a person not being held accountable for what he is unaware. Makārim Shīrāzī builds on this though, saying that in fact often ignorance is the cause for a person being unable to perform their duty, and thus the verse has a wide scope, encompassing both the inability to act as well as ignorance of duty (which leads to the inability to act).^{‎[11] Nemuneh, 24/251.}

Makārim Shīrāzī also considers that it is possible that this command to spend is either related to the wages for suckling discussed in the previous verse, or it could be general about the maintenance of a divorced woman during her waiting period. The likeliest option is that it is general, and relates to all the aforementioned commands.^{‎[12] Nemuneh, 24/249.}

Allah will bring about ease after hardship: Rāzī and others say this is a general promise directed to Muslims at the time of the revelation, as most of them at that time were suffering because of poverty and lack. In this way the statement is foretelling the future ease that the Muslims will come to enjoy.^{‎[13] Razi, 30/564; Tabrisi, 10/465; Nemuneh, 24/250.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.^{‎[14] Exodus 30:15.}
2. But servants who don’t know what their master wants them to do will not be beaten so hard for doing wrong. If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better.^{‎[15] Luke 12:48.}
3. You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.^{‎[16] 1 Corinthians 10:13.}
4. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.^{‎[17] 2 Corinthians 8:12.}
5. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.^{‎[18] 1 John 5:3.}

[1] Raghib, p. 870.
[2] Tibyan, 10/37.
[3] Raghib, p. 721.
[4] Qaraati, 10/112.
[5] Qaraati, 10/113.
[6] Tibyan, 10/38.
[7] Mizan, 19/318.
[8] Tabari; 28/97; Alusi, 14/336.
[9] Taklīf bi-mā lā yuṭāq.
[10] Al-Ashʿarī, al-Ibānah, 1/50-51.
[11] Nemuneh, 24/251.
[12] Nemuneh, 24/249.
[13] Razi, 30/564; Tabrisi, 10/465; Nemuneh, 24/250.
[14] Exodus 30:15.
[15] Luke 12:48.
[16] 1 Corinthians 10:13.
[17] 2 Corinthians 8:12.
[18] 1 John 5:3.