The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 345
PT. 2 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 يَسْلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ ۚ قُلْ مَا أَنْفَقْتُم They ask thee what they. 216 shall spend. Say: "Whatever of مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ good and abundant wealth you spend should be for parents and وَالْيَتَى وَالْمَسْكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا near relatives and orphans and تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ the needy and the wayfarer. And whatever good you do, surely Allah knows it well. '222 "2:178; 4:37. from them so that they may invoke it by earnest prayers and supplication. This is a beautiful way by which God manifests His love for the Prophet and his followers. He delights in treating them like children, wishing them to beg of Him so that He may give them. The pathetic cry for help embodied in the words, when will come the help of Allah? Does not denote despair, because an attitude of despair on the part of a Prophet of God and his followers is inconceivable, being inconsistent with true faith (12:88). The words are simply a form of prayer, a way of earnestly beseeching God to expedite His help, and not an expression denoting despair and disappointment. The reply given by God in the words, Yea, surely the help of Allah is nigh, also corroborates this interpretation; for, if the words of the Faithful had been expressive of despair, God would certainly not have answered in that loving manner but would have taken notice of it. 222. Important Words: 2:181. 3 (derived from 3) meaning, one nearer; a near relative (Aqrab). Commentary: pass When the Companions of the Holy Prophet were told that they could not win the pleasure of God and enter Heaven unless they were made to through sufferings and afflictions like those that had gone before, they at once signified their readiness to part with their wealth and property in the cause of God and asked the Holy Prophet to let them know what they should spend in order to win the pleasure of God and attain spiritual progress. They did not wait for the threatened trials to actually overtake them, but were prepared to make every kind of sacrifice in advance. They simply wanted to be told what form their sacrifice should take. In reply to their eager question, God's reply also indicates a sort of eagerness, as if He meant to impart to the Faithful the relevant commandment in its entirety, without waiting for any further question on (good and abundant wealth). See their part; for whereas their question related only "what" they should (near relatives) is the plural of spend, God's answer goes a step 345