Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 153
Socio-economic Peace 153 Extended Boundaries of Expenditure The Holy Quran enlarges the boundaries of what should be spent in the cause of Allah to vast dimensions. An oft-repeated phrase in the Holy Quran, hard to come by elsewhere, is: And the true believers spend in Our cause of whatsoever We Ourselves have bestowed upon them. 20 This covers all faculties, qualities and also, of course, every type of material possession, human relationship and ties. The phrase also covers such values as honour, peace, comfort, etc. In short, nothing conceivable is beyond the domain of the Arabic expression wa mimm a razaqn a hum. Again, it is striking how the usage of the word min (lit. something of, of that) brings the advice within access of everyone. It does not mean that you should spend all or any fixed portion of that We have given you in Our cause. All that is required is that you should spend something of that which God has given you. The scope of something is so variable that even ordinary weak people who do not find the strength to make substantial sacrifices can at least participate to whatever degree they can afford. This is the atmosphere of social services, which Islam endeavours to promote. It belongs partly to the social behaviour of man and partly concerns his economic activities. In an economy where the entire society is possession-oriented and is only concerned with what it can take, it is very hard and impractical to draw a line between what is foul and fair. Such a society is most