2:261 “The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like that of a grain that produces seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains. Allah multiplies for whom He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.”
This verse serves, as it were, to explain and clarify the extent of the manifold increase Allah grants to the lender. He, glorified be He, illustrates it through this parable to bring the image of that multiplication vividly to mind: a grain buried in the earth produces seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains. It is almost as though the heart sees this multiplication with its inner sight, just as the eye sees these ears springing from a single grain. Thus, the evidence of sight joins the evidence of faith drawn from the Quran, strengthening the giver’s faith and making him more willing to spend.
Reflect on how, in this verse, the plural of sunbula (ear of grain) is sanābil, a form denoting abundance, since the context is one of increase and multiplication. Elsewhere, in His words, “And seven green ears of grain and others that were dry,” its plural is sunbulāt, a form denoting a small number, because seven is a small number and nothing in that context calls for an indication of abundance.
Regarding His words, “Allah multiplies for whom He wills,” one interpretation is that Allah grants this multiplication to whomever He wills—not to everyone who spends. Rather, He singles out for His mercy whomever He wills. This reflects differences in the nature of the spending itself, according to the giver’s qualities and circumstances, the urgency of the need, the extent of the benefit, and how well the expenditure is directed. Another interpretation is that Allah multiplies beyond this for whomever He wills: He does not limit the increase to seven hundredfold, but goes beyond that amount many times over.
There is disagreement about what is understood to be omitted from the wording of the verse. One view is that its meaning is: “The example of the expenditure of those who spend in the way of Allah is like that of a grain.” Another is: “The example of those who spend in the way of Allah is like that of someone sowing a grain.” This makes the subject of the comparison correspond to the image with which it is compared.
There are therefore four elements here: a giver, an expenditure, a sower, and a seed. From each side of the comparison, He, glorified be He, mentions the more important of its two elements. On the side being illustrated, He mentions the giver, since the purpose is to describe his condition and circumstances. He leaves the expenditure unmentioned because the wording already indicates it. On the illustrative side, He mentions the seed, since it is what undergoes the multiplication, and leaves the sower unmentioned because mentioning him has no bearing on the loan. Reflect, then, on this eloquence, fluency, and concision, which convey the utmost clarity.