The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 566
CH. 17 BANI ISRĀ'ĪL PT. 15 اِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ Surely, “thy Lord enlarges. 31 b His provision for whom He وَيَقْدِرُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا pleases, and straitens it for بَصِيرًان whom He pleases. Verily, He knows and sees His servants full well. 1960 R. 4. وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمُ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ Kill not your children for. 32 نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَاِيَّاكُمْ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ. provide for them and for you كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا fear of poverty. It is We Who Surely, the killing of them is a great sin. 1961 "13:27; 29:63; 30:38; 39:53. 6:152. not be so miserly as not to spend it even when there is a real and genuine need as if his hands are tied to his neck, nor should one stretch forth one's hands so openly as to squander away his wealth purposelessly. One should strike the golden mean. The expression, lest thou sit down blamed or exhausted, means to say that a person who squanders away his money thoughtlessly and without purpose does not have anything left with him, so that when money is required for a real national need, he finds to his regret that he cannot contribute to it. Not only can he then not help the national cause but he loses his self-respect also; and by thus falling in the estimation of his compatriots he becomes permanently deprived of the opportunity to serve his country or community in the hour of its need. 1960. Commentary: The verse means to say that God grants plenty to some and straitens the means of livelihood for others. He does so that He may see whether those upon whom He has bestowed wealth help those who are poor and needy. The verse teaches the supreme lesson that money spent in helping and serving the poor is money well spent. The enlarging of provision by God and the straitening of it by Him do not imply an arbitrary action but refer to a wise system of divine laws. It is worthy of note that these commandments regarding the right use of money were given to Muslims in Mecca at a time when they could not earn even as much as to make both ends meet and when many of them were actually starving. Could such commandments be given to a persecuted and starving people by anyone except the All-Powerful God Who knew that the time was soon coming when those very starving Muslims would become wealthy and powerful? 1774 1961. Important Words: (poverty) is the noun-infinitive