Consider, too, how this surah—the pinnacle of the Quran—concludes with rulings concerning wealth and the different categories and conditions of the wealthy. Consider how He divides them into three groups. The first are those who do good: those who give charity. He mentions their reward, its multiplication, and what awaits them for lending their wealth to the One who is fully able to repay and ever faithful, glorified is He. He then warns them against reminders of their generosity and hurtful treatment, which nullify the reward of their charity and burn it up after it has reached full fruition. He also warns them against showing off, which prevents their charity from bearing fruit in the first place. He then commands them to draw near to Him with the best of their wealth, rather than deliberately selecting its worst and poorest portions.
He then warns them against responding to the one who calls them to miserliness and immorality, and tells them that responding to His own call, glorified is He, and trusting His promise is better for them. He explains that this is part of the wisdom He grants to whomever He wills among His servants, and that whoever is granted it has been granted abundant good: something better and more excellent than the entire world. For He, glorified is He, describes this world as little, saying:
“Say: The enjoyment of this world is little.”
And He, Most High, says:
“Whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good.”
This indicates that the wisdom Allah grants His servant is better for him than this world and everything in it. Not everyone understands this; only someone possessed of sound understanding and a clear intellect does. Thus He, Most High, says:
“None will take heed except people of understanding.”
He then states that whatever they spend, or whatever vows they make to draw near to Him, He knows it all. Nothing is lost with Him. Rather, He knows whatever is done for His sake, and He Himself undertakes to reward it from His boundless bounty. As for someone who acts for another’s sake, He leaves his recompense to the one for whom he acted. Such a person has wronged himself and has no helper.
He then describes those who give charity for His sake, explaining that He rewards them whether they give openly or secretly, provided their charity is sincerely for His sake. He says:
“If you give charity openly, how excellent it is!”
That is, what an excellent thing it is. This praises charity specifically when it is given openly and visibly. Thus, someone giving openly should not imagine that doing so invalidates its benefit and reward, and consequently refrain from giving while waiting for an opportunity to conceal it. That opportunity might pass, obstacles might arise, his heart might be turned away, or he might be prevented from giving. He should therefore not postpone giving charity openly, once its time has come, until