Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And do not aim for the bad of it to spend from it"
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Question:
The questioner says: We ask for an explanation of this verse. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:267] from it [Al-Baqarah 2:267]
Answer:
Yes, in this verse Allah forbids giving charity with bad money. "Khabeeth" here means bad or defective, not forbidden. It means bad. Some people give charity with defective items they do not want, just to get rid of them. They say, "Give it to the poor." If the food is bad, not fresh, and not fit to eat, they say, "Give it to the poor." But as for good, sound food, they are stingy with it. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not want you to do this. He wants you to give charity with good money, meaning money that is useful, money that is delicious, not money that has passed its time, changed, and become inedible except when one is hungry.
And for this reason He said, "You are not taking them [in charity] if you were to give them to them[Al-Baqarah 2:267] you would take them, and you are not pleased with them, [giving them] out of mere social courtesy." Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Ali 'Imran 3:92]. From what you love. As for the thing that you do not love, which you give to another to get rid of it, there is no reward in that. There is no reward in what you do not love. [Al-Insan 76:8]. On their love for it. They love it. They may be hungry. But [Al-Hashr 59:9].
The questioner says: We ask for an explanation of this verse. Allah the Exalted said:
And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending
وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَwhile you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes
وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَن تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِAnswer:
Yes, in this verse Allah forbids giving charity with bad money. "Khabeeth" here means bad or defective, not forbidden. It means bad. Some people give charity with defective items they do not want, just to get rid of them. They say, "Give it to the poor." If the food is bad, not fresh, and not fit to eat, they say, "Give it to the poor." But as for good, sound food, they are stingy with it. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not want you to do this. He wants you to give charity with good money, meaning money that is useful, money that is delicious, not money that has passed its time, changed, and become inedible except when one is hungry.
And for this reason He said, "You are not taking them [in charity] if you were to give them to them
while you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes
وَلَسْتُم بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَن تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِNever will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love.
لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَAnd they give food in spite of love for it
وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِbut give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ
Source
مجالس رمضان 1431هـ - 04 — alfawzan.live (32:19)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.