THEY ASK YOU AS TO WHAT THEY SHOULD SPEND. SAY: "WHATEVER GOOD YOU SPEND IS FOR PARENTS, KINS, ORPHANS, THE NEEDY AND THE WAYFARER. AND WHATEVER GOOD YOU DO, ALLAH IS ALL-AWARE OF THAT." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 215)

Part 1

The first consideration is that these verses are not about obligatory Zakat as for Zakat it has been specified how much spare assets one must have before Zakat becomes obligatory upon them (Nasa'ab), and it has also been specified what proportion of their spare assets they must give in Zakat.  Neither of these have been mentioned in these verses. This tells us that these verses are about voluntary charities (Nafl Sadaqah). This also removes the doubt that parents have been included as recipients of spending in this verse, while giving Zakat to parents is not permissible according to the teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. It is because these verses are not about obligatory Zakat.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

THEY ASK YOU AS TO WHAT THEY SHOULD SPEND. SAY: "WHATEVER GOOD YOU SPEND IS FOR PARENTS, KINS, ORPHANS, THE NEEDY AND THE WAYFARER. AND WHATEVER GOOD YOU DO, ALLAH IS ALL-AWARE OF THAT." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:215)

"DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL ENTER PARADISE DESPITE THAT THERE HAVE NOT YET COME UPON YOU CIRCUMSTANCES AS OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY BEFORE YOU? THEY WERE AFFLICTED BY HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING AND WERE SO SHAKEN DOWN THAT THE PROPHET, AND THOSE WHO BELIEVED WITH HIM, BEGAN TO SAY: "WHEN THE HELP OF ALLAH (WILL COME)?" BEHOLD, THE HELP OF ALLAH IS NEAR. (SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 214)

Part 2

The second point which is important to consider here is that the Prophets' and their Companions' asking when Allah's help would come wasn't because they didn't have full faith in Allah Ta'alah, which would have been beneath their station. It was because while Allah Ta'alah has promised to send help, He has not specified its time and place. So the reason they uttered these words in distress was a request to send the help early. Making such a prayer is not contrary to one's trust in Allah (Tawakkul) or the station of Prophethood. In fact Allah Ta'alah favours the earnest supplication of His servants, and who would be more deserving of what Allah likes than the Prophets and the pious.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL ENTER PARADISE DESPITE THAT THERE HAVE NOT YET COME UPON YOU CIRCUMSTANCES AS OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY BEFORE YOU? THEY WERE AFFLICTED BY HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING AND WERE SO SHAKEN DOWN THAT THE PROPHET, AND THOSE WHO BELIEVED WITH HIM, BEGAN TO SAY: "WHEN THE HELP OF ALLAH (WILL COME)?" BEHOLD, THE HELP OF ALLAH IS NEAR. (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:214)

Part 1

This verse seems to suggest that nobody shall enter Paradise unless he has gone through hardships and suffering, although, Quranic statements and sayings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ prove that many sinners will enter Paradise simply because of the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Allah Almighty, and that they shall undergo no hardship either. This is because hardship and suffering have different levels. The lowest degree is to resist against one's own inner self and the Satan, or resisting the enemies of faith in correcting one's beliefs. Every Muslim goes through this degree of hardship. Further to this there are medium and higher levels of hardships. The higher the level of hardship one goes through determines his place in the Jannah (Paradise). In a Hadith Rasool Allah ﷺ has said, "The worst hardships and sufferings are faced by the Prophets of Allah. And then by those who are close to them."

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"ADORNED IS THE PRESENT LIFE FOR THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE, AND THEY LAUGH AT THOSE WHO BELIEVE, WHILE THOSE WHO FEAR ALLAH SHALL BE ABOVE THEM ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION. AND ALLAH GIVES, TO WHOM HE WILLS, WITHOUT MEASURE." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:212)

In this verse the Holy Quran points out to the fact that the folly of considering any Muslim man or woman to be inferior because they are poor, and of ridiculing poor people, will be unmasked on the Day of Judgment.

It has been reported that Sayyidna Ali RAA said: "Any one who considers a Muslim man or woman inferior because of their poverty, Allah Ta'alah will put him to disgrace before a gathering of all the people from the beginning to the end of time on the Day of Judgment. And anyone who falsely accuses a Muslim man or a woman of a sin they did not commit, on the Day of Judgment Allah Ta'alah would put him on a high mound of fire until he admits his falsehood. (al-Qurtubi)

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"O THOSE WHO BELIEVE, ENTER ISLAM COMPLETELY, AND DO NOT FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF SATAN. SURELY, FOR YOU, HE IS AN OPEN ENEMY." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:208)

Part 3

This verse should serve as a warning for those people who have restricted Islam only to mosques and certain Ibadah, and who behave as if they do not consider financial transactions and ways of interacting with people as part of Shariah. This misconception is particularly prevalent in people who appear to be outwardly religious. There are many people who consider themselves religious, who are punctual with Salah and fasting, and who look religious by their outwardly appearance, but a number of these people are completely negligent of the rights of other human beings, people's financial rights, and their social rights. They do not believe these injunctions to be part of Islam, and do not make an effort to either learn or follow these injunctions.

It is very important to understand that there are five facets of Islam. The first is Aqa'id (Beliefs), for example believing that there will be another life after this one, and that people who have done more good deeds than sins will go to Jannah (Paradise) and vice versa. The second is Ibadah (acts of worship) like praying Salah and giving Zakat etc. Many Muslims think that Islam is restricted to only Aqa'id and Ibadah. The third part is Ma'amlat (financial transactions). The core of Ma'amlat is that a person should not earn or consume any money that he has earned unfairly or against the injunctions of Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah (Holy Prophet) ﷺ. The fourth component of Islam is Ma'ashrat which relates to ways of living and how people interact with each other. The fifth part is Akhlaq, or purification of internal attributes. Until a person tries to learn and follow all of these five facets of Islam his islam does not become complete.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"O THOSE WHO BELIEVE, ENTER ISLAM COMPLETELY, AND DO NOT FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF SATAN. SURELY, FOR YOU, HE IS AN OPEN ENEMY." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:208)

Part 2

The previous verses ended with a praise for the sincere (Mukhliseen). Sometimes Ikhlas (sincerity) leads to excess inadvertently, in that the person intends to do more obedience but because of excess that obedience exceeds the limits of Shariah and Sunnah. This can be explained through the example of the blessed Companion Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Salam RAA and others who, before embracing Islam, were known Jewish scholars. In Judaism Saturday was the sacred day of rest (Sabbath), and eating camel meat was unlawful. Once they embraced Islam they thought that they could continue to honour Saturday since Islam did not require dishonouring it, similarly they would consider eating camel meat Halal but in practice would refrain from doing so, thus they would abide by the laws of both Shariah of Moses AS and Shariah of Mohammad ﷺ, something they believed meant showing greater obedience to Allah Ta'alah.

Allah Ta'alah has firmly corrected that thought in this verse stating that Islam is an obligation in its totality. It is total and perfect only when what is not necessary in Islam is not considered to be part of it. In Ibadah and obedience to Allah Ta'alah going beyond the limits set by Shariah and Sunnah is a grave error and is likely to result in more serious consequences than inadvertently doing something which a person does believe to be a sin.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"O THOSE WHO BELIEVE, ENTER ISLAM COMPLETELY, AND DO NOT FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF SATAN. SURELY, FOR YOU, HE IS AN OPEN ENEMY." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:208)

Part 1

According to Arabic grammar this verse can be translated in two ways, though both meanings are very similar to each other.

The first refers to the condition of the believers while entering Islam, which must be 'complete'. This would mean that their entire person, hands and feet, eyes and ears, feeling and thinking, after having embraced the faith, should all be within the parameters of Islam. What shouldn't happen is that while one may be physically carrying out the injunctions of Islam but he doesn't fully believe in its veracity in his heart and mind, or the other way round that while he has full faith and belief in Islam, what he is doing physically is outside the dictates of Islam.

The second meaning would refer to the perfect and complete state of Islam in which the believer must enter. So 'entering Islam completely' would mean that one must accept all injunctions of Islam, and not only the ones that one happens to like. When one enters Islam one must enter all of its facets, whether they be beliefs (Aqa'id) , acts of worship (Ibadah), financial transactions (Ma'amlaat), way of living (Ma'ashrat), or injunctions related to one's inner self (Ikhlaq). One cannot accept some and reject others.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 4

Another reason for reminder of Taqwa at the end of Hajj injunctions is that Hajj is a great act of Ibadah. Once someone has performed Hajj the Satan tries to put thoughts of grandeur and self-righteousness into his mind, which lay waste to all his Ibadah. That is why people were advised at the end of the conversation that just like it is important and obligatory to fear Allah and to keep obeying Him before and during Hajj, similarly one must continue to fear Allah and to keep abstaining from sins even more after completing Hajj so that all the Ibadah that he has performed do not go to waste.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 3

A buzurg (holy man) once said, "When I returned from Hajj I once got an impulse to carry out a sin. I then heard a voice from someone I couldn't see: Haven't you performed the Hajj? Haven't you performed the Hajj? This voice became a barrier between me and that sin, and Allah Ta'alah protected me."

There was another Buzurg who was a disciple of Maulana Jami RE. He was such a pious person that he used to observe a halo of radiance over his head. He went to perform Hajj but after he returned he observed that that halo had disappeared. When he inquired with his spiritual teacher Maulana Jami about it, he said, "Before you went for Hajj you were a humble person. You used to weep before Allah thinking of yourself as a sinner. After doing Hajj you started thinking of yourself as a pious person and a saint, and your Hajj became a source of pride for you. That is why that halo disappeared."

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 2

In a Hadith it has been said that one who returns after having completed his Hajj is so cleansed of his sins as if he was born on that day. That is why those performing Hajj have been instructed to maintain the quality of Taqwa (fear of Allah), as being one who has been purified from sins, they must take all precautions against sinning again so that they can earn the best of both the worlds, the Dunya (this material world) and the Aakhirah (the Hereafter). If a person who has been cleansed of sins after doing Hajj falls prey to sins again, then his previous cleansing of sins would not be of much use to him. Religious scholars have said that the signs of a Hajj that has been accepted by Allah Ta'alah are that such a person finds his heart free of love of Dunya (material world) and attracted to making his Aakhirah (the Hereafter) better. These are signs that a person's Hajj has been accepted, his sins have been wiped clean, and his prayers will be accepted.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 1

This last verse contains the essence of all the Hajj injunctions given in the previous verses. It means that one should keep fearing Allah during the special days of the Hajj refraining from any shortcomings in the prescribed acts of Hajj, and continue to fear Allah after the Hajj as well. One should not feel proud of oneself after performing Hajj, and should continue to abstain from sins, because when the time comes for the deeds to be weighed (Day of Judgment) a person's sins will nullify all of his good deeds.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND THERE IS ANOTHER AMONG THEM WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER AND SAVE US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 3

This verse also corrects the erroneous claim by those ignorant mystics who believe that it is only Ibadah when one prays for the Aakhirah (Hereafter) and claim that they do not care about the mortal world. In reality, such a claim is false, as a human being is dependent upon this mortal world for his existence, his sustenance, and also for performing Ibadah and acts of worship. Without these, fulfilling the objectives of faith would become impossible. Therefore, the practice of the blessed Prophets of Allah Ta'alah has always been that they prayed to Allah for the best of both the worlds. One who thinks that praying to Allah for the good of this world is against piety and sainthood, is ignorant of the great station of prophethood, and ignorant of man's own place in this mortal world. However, this much is true that a person's entire struggle in life should not be devoted exclusively to the pursuit of material wealth, rather he should worry more about what will happen to him in the Aakhirah and keep praying for it.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND THERE IS ANOTHER AMONG THEM WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER AND SAVE US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 2

This prayer is so comprehensive that it covers the whole range of a person's worldly objectives, as well as objectives related to the Hereafter. And if a person keeps praying it InshaAllah it will bring peace and tranquility to him both in this world and the Hereafter. In the end the verse refers to deliverance from the fire of Hell as well. It was for this reason that Rasool Allah ﷺ used to offer this prayer frequently,

ربّنا اتنا فی الدنیا حسنة و فی الآخرة حسنة و قنا عذاب النّار".

"O Lord! give us good in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of Fire."

It is masnun (Sunnah) to say this prayer particularly while doing tawaf. 

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND THERE IS ANOTHER AMONG THEM WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER AND SAVE US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 1

The word حسنتہ (hasanah)in this verse is inclusive of all that is good, internal and external. For example hasanah of this world include one's own and one's family's health, abundance and barakah (blessing) in Halal livelihood, the fulfilment of all needs, virtuous deeds, desirable morals, beneficial knowledge, honour and prestige, strength of faith, guidance towards the straight path, and perfect sincerity (Ikhlas) in Ibadah. Similarly, hasanah in Hereafter includes everything including from being admitted to Paradise and al its endless and countless blessings, to the pleasure of Allah Ta'alah and the privilege of seeing him.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Part 2

Continued from previous post...

This verse is a warning also for today's Muslims who pray only for their material desires even when doing Hajj or visiting the Holy Places. There are many rich people who pray themselves or request others to pray for them, not for Maghfirah (deliverance) on the Day of Aakhirah, but for increase in their wealth, growth of business, or other worldly affairs. There are many who start believing that they are very pious and religious because they do a lot of Zikr and pray a lot, but in reality their sole desire behind all these acts of worship is increase in their wealth. It is not that it is not allowed, or it is not a matter of receiving eternal reward, to pray for one's worldly affairs, but this verse is saying that increase in wealth should not be the sole purpose of going for Hajj and doing Ibadah, to the exclusion of any consideration of what will happen to that person in the Aakhirah.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"۔۔۔NOW AMONG THE PEOPLE THERE IS ONE WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE TO US IN THIS WORLD...;'AND HE, IN THE HEREAFTER, HAS NO SHARE." (Surah al-Baqarah:200)

Part 1
In the days of the Jahiliyyah (ignorance) there were people who, while they did Allah's Zikr (remembrance) and prayed to Allah during Hajj, but all their prayers were focused on their material needs like increase in their wealth, their worldly comforts, and worldly status. They did not pay any attention to the Aakhirah in their prayers. To correct their mistake it has been pointed out in this verse that there are some people who, when doing Hajj, only pray for the fulfilment of their worldly needs, and do not give due importance to the Aakhirah. These people will not earn any reward in the Aakhirah because their behaviour shows that they have gone through Hajj merely as a formality, or have done this to earn prestige in the society. It was not their goal to please Allah Ta'alah and to earn deliverance in the Aakhirah.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND ONCE YOU HAVE FULFILLED YOUR RITES, RECITE THE NAME OF ALLAH, AS YOU WOULD SPEAK OF YOUR FOREFATHERS, OR EVEN WITH GREATER FERVOR. NOW AMONG THE PEOPLE THERE IS ONE WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE TO US IN THIS WORLD...;'AND HE, IN THE HEREAFTER, HAS NO SHARE. AND THERE IS ANOTHER AMONG THEM WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER AND SAVE US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE.' FOR THEM THERE IS A SHARE OF WHAT THEY HAVE EARNED, AND ALLAH IS SWIFT AT RECKONING." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:200-202)

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"THEN FLOW DOWN FROM WHERE THE PEOPLE FLOWED, AND SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM ALLAH. CERTAINLY ALLAH IS MOST-FORGIVING, VERY-MERCIFUL." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:199)

Part 2

This verse of the Quran gives us an important civic lesson that people of a higher social status should not segregate themselves from those of a lower social status, but should intermingle with them and live between them. This creates a feeling of love and affection between people, and breaks down the barriers between the rich and the poor. In the sermon that Rasool Allah ﷺ (the Holy Prophet SAW) gave during his last Hajj he clearly declared for all times to come that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab, and no white person is superior to a black person. Superiority in Islam depends on Taqwa (fear of Allah) and Ita'ah (obedience to His commands).

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"THEN FLOW DOWN FROM WHERE THE PEOPLE FLOWED, AND SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM ALLAH. CERTAINLY ALLAH IS MOST-FORGIVING, VERY-MERCIFUL." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:199)

Part 1

This verse was revealed in a particular context. The Quraysh of Arabia being the custodians of the Ka'abah enjoyed a unique position of influence and distinction in the country. During the days of Jahiliyyah (ignorance), while everyone went to Arafat, the Quraysh would, in order to show that they were superior to and different from everyone else, stop at Muzdalifah and stay there. They said that being the custodians of the Ka'abah and care-takers of the Haram it was not proper for them to go out of the limits of the Haram. As Muzdalifah is situated within the limits of the Haram and Arafat is outside it, they would stay in Muzdalifah and come back from there without going to Arafat. In this verse Allah Ta'alah has pointed out their mistake and commanded them to go where everyone goes, i.e. Arafat, and return from there with everyone else.

Trying to distinguish oneself from everyone else and keep a distance from them is in itself an act of arrogance (Takabbur). Doing it in the days of Hajj where the garment of Ihram  and the sameness of place and purpose teaches the lesson that all human beings are equal, and that the distinction of rich and poor, learned and ignorant, big and small, doesn't exist here, is an even greater sin.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"...LATER, WHEN YOU FLOW DOWN FROM ARAFAT, RECITE THE NAME OF ALLAH NEAR AL-MASH'AR AL-HARAM (THE SACRED MONUMENT) AND RECITE HIS NAME AS HE HAS GUIDED YOU, WHILE BEFORE IT, YOU WERE AMONG THE ASTRAY."(SURAH AL-BAQARAH:198)

Mash'ar al-Haram is a mountain which is situated on the plain of Muzdalifah. When coming from Arafat on the day of Arafah during Hajj it is Wajib (necessary) to offer both Maghrib and Isha' prayers together in Muzdalifah. In the command in this verse, "recite His name as He has guided you," it is perhaps meant to advise us that we should recite the name of Allah and pray as He has guided us, and not devise our own ways of praying according to our own personal opinions. Logically one should worship the Maghrib prayer at the time of Maghrib, and Isha' prayer at the time of Isha', but on that particular day Allah Ta'alah wants us to delay the Maghrib prayers and offer it with Isha'.

From this verse a principle can be derived that the manner of worshipping Allah and reciting His name has not been left to people's personal opinions and wishes, but that real Ibadah (worship) is doing it in accordance with the principles laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah (The Holy Prophet) ﷺ. Allah Ta'alah is not pleased if someone offers prayers earlier or later than prescribed, or if they pray less or even more than prescribed. For example if someone wants to pray more at Maghrib and prayers four Rika'at rather than three, not only his additional Rika'at would not be accepted but it will also lay waste to his earlier three Rika'at as well. Similarly, sometimes people add some rules to Nafl (non-obligatory) Ibadat or voluntary charity by their own opinions, start believing that they are necessary, start criticising people who do not follow their opinions and start considering them to be sinners, without any such conditions laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah SAW. This verse points out their mistake that Ibadat is truly Ibadat if done following the rules laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah SAW, otherwise it is not Ibadat but just pleasing oneself.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND TAKE PROVISIONS ALONG, FOR THE MERIT OF PROVISION IS TO ABSTAIN (FROM ASKING)." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:197)

This verse is a warning for those who leave their homes for Hajj and Umrah without adequate preparation claiming that they do so because they have trust in Allah. Then they end up asking other people for money and provisions, they not only suffer themselves but become a burden on others as well. That is why they have been instructed that they should take the provisions required during Hajj with them when they set out for the journey. This is against Tawakkul (trust in Allah). In fact the very essence of Tawakkul is that one should first acquire and collect all the means and resources provided by Allah Ta'alah to the best of one's ability, and then place their trust (Tawakkul) in Allah. This is how Tawakkul has been defined by Rasool Allah ﷺ. Forsaking all efforts to acquire means of subsistence (tark-al-asbab) and then calling it Tawakkul is sheer ignorance.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"...AND DO GOOD. OF COURSE, ALLAH LOVES THOSE WHO DO GOOD." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:195)

This verse encourages Muslims to do everything nicely. 'Doing something nicely', which has been referred to as 'Ihsan' in the Holy Quran, is of two kinds, the first pertains to Ibadat (acts of worship), the second to social transactions and behaviour.

Rasool Allah (the Holy Prophet ﷺ) has defined Ihsan in Ibadah, in the Hadith of Jibrail, as "worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you can not attain that degree of Ihsan, then you should, at the least believe that Allah Ta'alah is seeing you."

In relation to social transactions and dealings the Holy Prophet SAW has explained Ihsan by saying (as reported in the Musnad of Ahmad on the authority of the noble Companion Mua'adh) that "you should like for others what you like for yourselves, and in the same manner, you should dislike for others what you dislike for yourselves". (Mazhari)

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND SPEND IN THE WAY OF ALLAH AND DO NOT PUT YOURSELF INTO DESTRUCTION..."(SURAH AL-BAQARAH:195)

The blessed Companion Hazrat Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: "This verse was revealed about us. We can explain it best. When Allah gave Islam authority and power, we starting saying that Jihad was not necessary any more, and that we could stay home and take care of our wealth and property." Thereupon this verse was revealed which made it clear that the word 'destruction' in this verse refers to the abandonment of Jihad. This proves that the banishing of Jihad from Muslim lives is the cause of their downfall. This is why the blessed Companion Hazrat Abu Ayyub al-Ansari spent his entire life in Jihad, out of Medinah, his home, and eventually he passed away in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, and was buried there.

Sayyidna Bara ibn Azib said that to lose hope in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah is a path to self-destruction, therefore, losing hope in Allah's forgiveness in Hara'am (impermissible).

Some commentators said that spending so much in the way of Allah that the rights of one's family are breached and wasted, is going for 'self-destruction'. That is why such excess in expenditure is impermissible.

al-Jassas RE has said that all these rules can be inferred from this verse.

From Ma'ariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Re