, for indeed your prayer is a source of comfort for them.﴾ [al-Tawbah: 103]. His words, ﴿The one who gives his wealth to purify himself,﴾ indicate that he neither squanders nor withholds. Rather, he gives his wealth in a manner that brings about purification. The governing principle is what Allah mentions in Sūrat al-Furqān: ﴿Those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but take a middle course between the two.﴾ [al-Furqān: 67].

We find that Allah grants some people wealth, yet they are so miserly and stinting that they fail even to fulfill their obligatory financial duties toward their wives, children, and relatives. We also see people whose provision Allah has restricted somewhat, yet they borrow from others merely to make their homes like those of this person or that, or to purchase a luxury car like this person’s or that person’s. Both paths are unsound: the first falls short, while the second goes to excess. A person must spend according to his means.

Someone may ask: Is it permissible for a person to incur debt in order to give charity?

The answer is no, because charity is voluntary, whereas taking on debt poses a grave danger. Debt is no light matter. If a person dies while owing a debt, his soul remains suspended on account of it until it is paid on his behalf. Many heirs show little concern for the deceased’s debts: they delay and procrastinate, and may never repay them. When a deceased person was brought before the Prophet—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—he would ask, “Did he owe a debt? Did he leave enough to repay it?” If they answered no, he would say, “Pray over your companion.” (1) He—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—also stated that martyrdom in the cause of Allah expiates everything except debt. (2) Debt is therefore a serious matter, and a person may not take it lightly. He then said, ﴿And no one has conferred upon him any