Ep. 09: Sincerity for the Sake of Allah | Examples from the Quran

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 265: [“And the likeness of those who spend their substance, seeking to please Allah and to strengthen their souls, is as a garden, high and fertile: heavy rain falls on it but makes it yield a double increase of harvest, and if it receives not Heavy rain, light moisture sufficeth it. Allah seeth well whatever ye do.”] In this example, the Qur’an explains the similitude of people who spend in the path of Allah with the right intentions and the right mindset. Those who spend in their wealth in the path of Allah with two characteristics: seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT), and to muster up the courage to spend with firm conviction within the path of Allah (SWT), even though it may not be convenient, to seek the reward of Allah (SWT) for spending in his path. The example of these people and their spending is like a dense garden. The word used in this verse is “Jannah”, which literally means “cover up”. This is a garden in which the garden is so dense that it is literally covering the ground. “Rabwa”, also used in this verse, means a tract of land that is slightly raised or elevated. This is the definition used in most Arabic dictionaries. Some will give the added description that it is also a plateau – raised but flat. Some Mufassireen have added that it may or may not have its own source of water. Some scholars also say that “Rabwa” here refers to a fertile piece of land in which the soil is dense and it is extremely receptive. This is the view of Imam Razi. Regardless, we are talking about a garden that is ideally placed to give the best fruit.

Now, this garden receives “wabil”. “Wabil” is something of strength – something slightly forceful. We are talking about a heavy downpour of rain. When it receives that heavy downpour, it gives its fruit in double the amount, in other words, double the amount compared to other pieces of land. So, when it receives heavy rain, it is getting double the fruit – but, this garden is so fertile that even if there isn’t a heavy downpour of rain, even a slight drizzle or even a dew is sufficient enough to make this garden give double the fruit of any other garden. Allah (SWT) sees very well what you do. The result of ikhlas is such that a person could be spending a lot of money in the path of Allah and the rewards will be exponential, but even if a person does not have a great deal to spend, like a drizzle, because the ground has been prepared and the heart is pure with the right intention, and because the emotions and sentiments are also correct at that time, just like the drizzle that still brings fruit, the little amount of money spent in the path of Allah (SWT) brings all of the rewards that spending a great amount does. At the end of the day, Allah (SWT) is not looking at the specific amount, but rather, at the intentions and sacrifices that a person makes in order to spend. Like some narrations mention, sometimes 1 Dirham becomes heavier than 100 Dirhams. Why is that? Because a person only perhaps had 2 Dirhams and they spent one of those in the path of Allah. This is more rewarding than a person who had thousands giving one hundred. So, in this example, Allah (SWT) conveys to us the power of the right intentions, and the power of giving under the circumstances that may not be convenient, but with high expectations of reward. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.