Wherever this loan is mentioned in the Quran, He qualifies it as goodly. This encompasses three things:

First: it must come from the good, wholesome portion of one’s wealth, not from what is inferior or tainted.

Second: one must give it willingly, remaining steadfast when parting with it and seeking Allah’s pleasure.

Third: one must neither remind the recipient of one’s generosity nor cause harm.

The first concerns the wealth itself; the second concerns the giver’s relationship with Allah; and the third concerns his relationship with the recipient.

[Surah al-Baqarah (2): Verse 261]

“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is that of a grain that grows seven ears, each containing a hundred grains. Allah multiplies the reward for whom He wills. Allah is all-Bountiful, All-Knowing.” (261)

Allah, Glorified is He, likens the spending of one who gives in His way—whether this means jihad or all the various avenues of good—to someone sowing seeds, each grain producing seven ears, with each ear containing a hundred grains. Allah multiplies the reward beyond that for whom He wills, according to the giver’s condition, faith, sincerity and excellence, as well as the benefit of his spending, its amount, and how appropriately it is directed.

The reward for spending varies according to the faith and sincerity within the heart, and the steadfastness shown when giving. This means parting with wealth with a steadfast heart, feeling at ease in giving it and willingly letting it go: it leaves his heart before it leaves his hand. Thus, his heart remains steadfast as he gives, without distress or panic, and without yearning after it with trembling hand and heart.

The reward also varies according to the benefit of the spending, how fittingly it is directed, and the wholesomeness and purity of the wealth spent.