(180) “Let not those who withhold what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty think that it is good for them. Rather, it is bad for them. What they withheld will be placed around their necks on the Day of Resurrection. To Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Aware of what you do.”
That is, let not those who are miserly—who withhold what they possess of the wealth, standing, knowledge, and other things that Allah has bestowed upon them out of His bounty and conferred upon them out of His kindness—think that their miserliness is good for them. Allah commanded them to give His servants from these blessings whatever they could give without harming themselves, yet they withheld them, held them back, and begrudged them to Allah’s servants. Rather, this is bad for them in their religion and worldly lives, both immediately and in the Hereafter: “What they withheld will be placed around their necks on the Day of Resurrection.” In other words, what they withheld will be made into collars around their necks by which they will be punished, as stated in the authentic hadith: “On the Day of Resurrection, the miser’s wealth will be made to appear to him as a bald-headed venomous snake with two black markings above its eyes. It will seize him by the sides of his mouth and say, ‘I am your wealth! I am your treasure!’” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then recited this verse in confirmation of that.
These people thought that their miserliness would benefit and profit them, but the matter was turned against them: it became one of the greatest causes of their harm and a reason for their punishment.
“To Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth.” That is, He Most High is the Sovereign of all dominion. All possessions return to their true Owner, and people depart this world without taking a single dirham, dinar, or any other wealth with them.
Allah Most High says: “Indeed, it is We who will inherit the earth and whoever is upon it, and to Us they will be returned.” Consider how He mentions both the initial cause and the ultimate cause, each of which requires the servant not to withhold what Allah has given him.
First, He states that whatever a person possesses and holds in his hands is a bounty and blessing from Allah. It is not truly the servant’s own property, for had it not been for Allah’s grace and kindness toward him, none of it would ever have reached him. Withholding it therefore amounts to withholding what comes from Allah’s bounty and kindness. Moreover, His kindness calls for showing kindness to His servants, as Allah Most High says: “And do good as Allah has done good to you.”
Whoever truly realizes that what he possesses is a bounty from Allah will not withhold the portion of that bounty whose giving causes him no harm. Rather, giving it benefits his heart and wealth, increases his faith, and protects him from afflictions.
Second, He states that all these things in the hands of ⦗159⦘ people return to Allah. He Most High inherits them, and He is the best of inheritors. There is therefore no point in withholding something that will pass away from you and be transferred to someone else.
Third, He mentions the reason pertaining to recompense, saying: “And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” Since He is fully aware of all your deeds—which necessarily entails a fine reward for good deeds and punishment for evil—no one whose heart contains even an atom’s weight of faith will hold back from spending when he will be rewarded for it, nor will he be content to withhold when doing so incurs punishment.