“Ostentatious Charity Followed by Harm” – A Vice In Our Era
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah [The Exalted] said:
قَوۡلٌ۬ مَّعۡرُوفٌ۬ وَمَغۡفِرَةٌ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ۬ يَتۡبَعُهَآ أَذً۬ىۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَلِيمٌ۬
Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than Sadaqah (charity) followed by injury. And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants) and He is Most-Forbearing. [Al-Baqarah. 263]
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:
Allah informed us that kind speech- which all hearts recognise and do not reject; and forgiveness- to pardon the one who treated you badly, are better than charity that is followed by harm. Kind speech is good treatment and charity through speech; and forgiveness is good treatment by way of refraining from retaliation and holding someone responsible. These are two types of good treatments. As for charity followed by harm, it is a good deed that is followed by its nullifier, and there is no doubt that two good deeds are better than a good dead that is nullified. This also includes the forgiveness shown by the person when he encounters some harm and harsh behaviour from the one who he could not fulfil his request; therefore, showing forgiveness to him would be better than giving him charity and then harming him. Speaking kindly to him, refraining (from retaliation) and forgiving him is better for you than giving him charity and then harming him.
Then Allah, The Most High, ended this verse with the mention of two of His Attributes which are suitable for mention in this affair, saying: [وَٱللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَلِيمٌ۬- and He is Most-Forbearing]. Indeed, Allah is not in need of you and nothing (from the benefits of) your charity reaches him, rather all the abundant good in this charity and its benefits returns to you and not to Allah [Glorified and Exalted be He]. Therefore, how can one flaunt through his spending and causes harm while Allah is completely not in need of it and everything else besides it. In addition to this, Allah is forbearing because He does not hasten punishment against the one who flaunts. Allah is completely free from need in every way and He is the One described as One with forbearance, the one who overlooks and forgives, alongside the fact that He bestows His vast favours and ample gifts; then how can one of you harm another person by flaunting and offending, even though what you give is little, and you are weak and poor (in the sight of Allah). Then Allah said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُبۡطِلُواْ صَدَقَـٰتِكُم بِٱلۡمَنِّ وَٱلۡأَذَىٰ كَٱلَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ ۥ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤۡمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِۖ فَمَثَلُهُ ۥ كَمَثَلِ صَفۡوَانٍ عَلَيۡهِ تُرَابٌ۬ فَأَصَابَهُ ۥ وَابِلٌ۬ فَتَرَڪَهُ ۥ صَلۡدً۬اۖ لَّا يَقۡدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَىۡءٍ۬ مِّمَّا ڪَسَبُواْۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهۡدِى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ
O you who believe! Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. [Al-Baqarah 264]
This spender, whose spending has been nullified, is likened to a Safwaan – a rock with a smooth, flat, and slippery surface and with dust on it. Then heavy rain falls on it, washing away the dust and leaving it bare, devoid of any vegetation or growth. This is one of the finest and most profound parables because it draws a parallel between the heart of such a spender, who flaunts and his spending is devoid of belief in Allah and the Last Day, to the rock itself, symbolising hardness, rigidity, and lack of benefit. It demonstrates the impact of charity represented by the fine dust on the rock, and the heavy rain that washes it away, mirroring the nullification and removal of the spender’s charity. Consequently, the spender is unable to reap any rewards from his charity, as it has been nullified and removed.
Another perspective on this is that (even though) someone spends for something other than the sake of Allah, it may seem like they have performed a deed that will be rewarded. So, it seems as if it is made to grow like the grain that is sown in fertile soil and it grows seven ears, and each era has a hundred grains. However, hidden behind this spending there is something that prevents it from gaining anything, just like a rock hidden beneath the soil that stops seeds from sprouting and growing. [An Excerpt from ‘Tareeq Al-Hijratayn. pages 452-454]
The strategy employed by the genocidal Netanyahu and some of his associates involves a constant denial of the starvation occurring in Gaza, which is one of his cruel tactics. When even his allies ramp up their calls for a ceasefire and for sufficient aid to be allowed into Gaza or other areas, a new issue arises. As soon as the Palestinians hear that aid is available at a specific location, they immediately set out in droves to that site. This creates the first hurdle in the aid distribution process, as a starving, terrified, and desperate populace rushes to seize as many supplies as they can. Consequently, this desperation and instinct for survival lead to chaos during the distribution, particularly when aid is left in an area where tens of thousands of people converge to grab whatever they can.
Undoubtedly, this method of distributing aid in such an environment and under these conditions resembles tossing chicken feed to a flock of chickens. Consequently, those who can snatch up more than others will do so, leaving some without their rightful portion. Furthermore, the amount of aid available may be insufficient due to limitations imposed by Netanyahu’s Zionist army. This orchestrated or forced chaos typically does not arise when aid is distributed by organizations independent of Netanyahu’s administration, as it is widely recognized that his Zionist government tends to exploit essential resources while continuing its genocidal actions.
How can one possibly anticipate that aid will be allocated efficiently when every individual in Gaza is deemed a target by the Zionist military, including civil servants? Given that this scenario has become the standard whenever the Zionists meddle with aid distribution, they aim to achieve two objectives simultaneously: they often rationalise their obstruction of food supplies by asserting that the aid would benefit Hamas, thus providing them with a pretext to starve the Palestinians and accomplish their objective of displacing them from Gaza. Concurrently, their media propaganda apparatus, along with numerous supportive writers on websites, Twitter, and various social media platforms, employs diverse arguments to reinforce the notion that Netanyahu’s administration bears no responsibility, which is typically the position of these writers unless they encounter situations where there is no room to obscure the truth or distort its reality.
Every discerning observer understands that the objective of numerous writers within the Zionist Media, along with their supporters, is to manipulate the narrative by utilising various writers who will reiterate the same claims, intertwining some truths with fabrications, exaggerations, misrepresentations, and emotional appeals. This strategy serves to amplify their assertions, undermine the rights of Palestinians, invoke anti-Semitism where it is unjustified, blur the lines of the discourse, distort its realities, and provide cover for the genocidal Netanyahu to perpetuate the slaughter of Palestinians under the pretense of self-defense and retaliation. Those who dare to question this and advocate for an immediate cessation of the killings are labeled as anti-Semites, self-hating Jews, or terrorist sympathizers, yet the slaughter, starvation, and genocide continue unabated. Many Jews, Christians, and others oppose this brutality simply because it is considered repugnant by anyone possessing a modicum of decency, justice, mercy, and common sense.
It is unequivocal that anyone possessing even a modicum of common sense cannot endorse the actions executed by Hamas against defenseless civilians and non-combatants on October 7th. Nevertheless, there can be no justification for Netanyahu’s genocidal measures and the starvation inflicted upon a populace he aims to displace or further subjugate. No one has articulated this matter more clearly or powerfully than Prince Turki Al-Faisal in his remarks regarding both Hamas and Netanyahu’s administration. You may listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3-cWyFcK5w
Any distribution of aid overseen by Netanyahu’s administration, or any organisation that is affiliated with them, is merely a pretentious and deceptive exhibition of compassion, simultaneously inflicting harm and devastation. Allah is all aware of their intentions. Allah said:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَٰرُ
مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ وَأَفْـِٔدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌ
And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day (i.e. the Day of Judgement) when eyes will stare [in horror]. (They will be) hastening forward with necks outstretched, their heads raised up (towards the sky), their gaze returning not towards them and their hearts empty (from thinking because of extreme fear). [Ibrahim 42-43]
It used to be said that whoever perpetrates these three acts will be haunted by them:
Rebellion against Allah’s commandments
Allah [The Most High] said:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
O mankind! Your rebellion (disobedience to Allah) is only against your ownselves. [Yunus 23]
Evil plotting
Allah [The Most High] said:
وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ
But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it. [Faatir: 43]
Breaking pledges
Allah [The Most High] said:
فَمَنْ نَكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ
Then whosoever breaks his pledge only breaks it to his own harm.[Al-Fath: 10]
[Kitaab Uyoon al-Akhbaar by Ibn Qutaybah 1/149