Exegesis of the verse: “And do not give the foolish your wealth which Allah has made for means of (sustenance) for you; rather spend for them and clothe them and say to them words of appropriate kindness.”

Then Allah the Exalted said: This is the beginning of today’s new lesson. He said: There are two recitations: the first recitation is with two clear hamzas and the second recitation is by deleting one of the two hamzas The first is according to the original, and the second is by lightening it. And likewise His saying: There are two recitations: and and the meaning is the same. Allah Mighty and Majestic says: meaning do not give them, do not give the foolish, and the foolish is the plural of the fool, and he is one who does not manage well, either due to youth or due to a deficiency in his intellect and maturity. This is the fool. Foolishness occurs in wealth and in actions, as He the Exalted said: So whoever desires other than the pure, moderate religion of Abraham, he is a fool, even if he is among the most mature people in his management of his wealth. He says: He attributed the wealth to us, so the scholars differed on whether the meaning is: do not give the foolish your specific wealth, because they will waste it without benefit, so it will be lost for you and lost for them. And some of the scholars said: rather, the intended meaning is their wealth, but it was attributed to us because of the guardianship. So it is as if in our guardianship over this wealth, we own this wealth. And the verse is suitable for both aspects, and among the rules of exegesis is that if a verse is suitable for two aspects that do not contradict each other, it is carried on both. And His saying: means He made it for us a means of sustenance, meaning Allah made it for us a means by which the interests of our religion and our worldly affairs are established. How many a captive was freed with wealth, and how many a necessity was removed with wealth, and how many an orphan’s heart was softened with wealth. So wealth is in reality a means of sustenance for people in their religious and worldly affairs, to the extent that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He prioritizes jihad with wealth over jihad with the self, because the necessity of jihad with wealth is greater than the necessity of the self, even the one who fights with his self needs wealth. What brings him to the battlefield except wealth? For this reason, we find that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He mentions wealth in jihad before mentioning the selves. Provide for them, meaning give them and provision is giving. And His saying: meaning in the wealth. And He did not say: from it, indicating that it is necessary that the guardian earns with the wealth of these foolish people so that the provision is in it, not from it. And there is a difference between provision in it and provision from it, because if he did not trade and earn, the giving would be from it. If we assume it is one hundred, and he gave them an expense of ten riyals, it decreased. Every time he gave them, it decreased. But if he said: in it, the meaning is that the provision is in it, so the wealth is broader than the provision given, and this includes that he trades in it and then gives them from the provision. meaning give them, give them what? Give them food, drink. As for clothing, he said: what they need of trousers, shirts, and the like. What remains for us is bedding and housing, which falls under His saying: . meaning when you give them and clothe them, say to them words of appropriate kindness, meaning words that are soft and easy, and do not belittle them with your noses, and do not favor them, because that is contrary to true guardianship. For example, if the fool comes and says: clothe me, do not say to him harsh words, do not say your food, and the like of ugly words, because the wealth is their wealth, and even if it is your wealth, it is not befitting for you to favor them with what you gave. And among its benefits: the prohibition of giving the foolish wealth, whether theirs or ours, on both aspects, due to His saying: and the prohibition is for prohibition, especially when the prohibition is coupled with what indicates the cause, which is the foolish, as if He said do not give them because of their foolishness, because if you give them and they are foolish, they will waste the wealth. And among its benefits: the condemnation of foolishness, and that it is a cause of preventing a person from his wealth. And among its benefits: that foolishness is a cause for the restriction of a person in his wealth. And the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, divided restriction into two types: a type for the sake of the other, and a type for the sake of the self. As for the first, it is like when a person’s debts consume his wealth, so in this case, his wealth is restricted. Why? For the sake of the other. So if a person has debts more than his wealth and the creditors demand that he be restricted, he is restricted. And if they do not demand it, it is forbidden for him to act in a way that harms the creditor. And if he does, the act is not valid. For this reason, if a person whose debts are more than his wealth endows something of his wealth, the endowment is not valid. Why? Because the right of the other is attached to it. This is the stronger opinion in this issue, and it is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. As for the ambiguous opinion of the school, his act is valid as long as the creditors or some of them do not demand restriction on him. If they demand restriction on him, he is restricted and prevented from acting in his wealth. The second type of restriction: restriction for the sake of the self, and it is what whose cause is foolishness or youth or insanity. So the insane is restricted in his wealth, the young is restricted in his wealth, and the fool is restricted in his wealth which he does not manage well. This is restriction for the sake of the restricted person, not for the sake of the other. So if the restricted person says: this is my wealth, let me act in it as I wish, we say it is not possible, because you are a fool, and if you act, you will ruin the wealth. And among its benefits: that it is not by our giving it to him. So if someone gave an insane person a stick, we say this is forbidden for you, because if you give him a stick, he will go out and hit people with it. And if the fool is prohibited from being given wealth, how much more so the insane. So if someone says: what is the criterion of foolishness that leads to restriction? The answer is that the people of knowledge said: the fool is the one who spends his wealth in the forbidden or in what is not beneficial. So the first is like the one who spends his wealth in intoxicants and narcotics and the like. This is a fool who is restricted. Or in what is not beneficial, like the one who squanders his wealth in fireworks or in bubbles or the like, or buys oil or gasoline and sets it on fire and just watches it. Is this a fool or a mature person? This is a fool, so he is restricted. And among its benefits: the wisdom of Allah Mighty and Majestic in the wealth that Allah gave to His servants, and that it is a means of sustenance for people in their religious and worldly interests. And among its benefits: that if wealth is a means of sustenance for people in their religious and worldly interests, it is forbidden to spend it in what is not a means of sustenance for their religion and worldly affairs, because Allah made it a means by which the interests of religion and the world are established. And among its benefits: that it is obligatory for the guardian of the fool to act in his wealth in a way that achieves benefit, due to His saying: . And among its benefits: that it is obligatory that they be provided with what they need of food, drink, and the like, because the command implies obligation, especially since it is related to the right of the other. And among its benefits: that it is obligatory for the one whom Allah has made a guardian not to be harsh in his speech to him, but to say to him words of appropriate kindness, so that he combines between verbal and practical excellence.