Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (340)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(58–59) “Among them are those who criticize you concerning the distribution of alms. If they are given some of it, they are pleased; but if they are not given any of it, they immediately become resentful. If only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His bounty, as will His Messenger. Indeed, it is to Allah that we turn with hope.’”

That is, among these hypocrites are those who fault you over the distribution of alms and criticize you regarding it. Their criticism and fault-finding do not arise from any sound purpose or judicious opinion. Their only aim is to receive some of it. “If they are given some of it, they are pleased; but if they are not given any of it, they immediately become resentful.”

Such a state is unbecoming of a servant: his pleasure and anger should not be governed by his worldly desires and corrupt aims. Rather, his desires should accord with what pleases his Lord. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “None of you truly believes until his desires conform to what I have brought.”

He says here: “If only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them”—that is, whatever they were given, whether little or much—“and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us’” ⦗341⦘—that is, Allah is enough for us, so we are content with what He has apportioned to us. They should also hope for His bounty and beneficence toward them by saying, “Allah will give us of His bounty, as will His Messenger. Indeed, it is to Allah that we turn with hope”—that is, beseeching Him to bring us what benefits us and ward off what harms us. They would then have been spared hypocrisy and guided to faith and lofty spiritual states. He Most High then explained how obligatory alms are to be distributed, saying:

﴿٥٨ - ٥٩﴾ ﴿وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَلْمِزُكَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا مِنْهَا رَضُوا وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَوْا مِنْهَا إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ * وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ﴾ . أي: ومن هؤلاء المنافقين من يعيبك في قسمة الصدقات، وينتقد عليك فيها، وليس انتقادهم فيها وعيبهم لقصد صحيح، ولا لرأي رجيح، وإنما مقصودهم أن يعطوا منها. ﴿فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا مِنْهَا رَضُوا وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَوْا مِنْهَا إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ﴾ وهذه حالة لا تنبغي للعبد أن يكون رضاه وغضبه، تابعا لهوى نفسه الدنيوي وغرضه الفاسد، بل الذي ينبغي أن يكون هواه تبعا لمرضاة ربه، كما قال النبي ﷺ: "لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يكون هواه تبعا لما جئت به" وقال هنا: ﴿وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ﴾ أي: أعطاهم من قليل وكثير. ﴿وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ﴾ ⦗٣٤١⦘ أي: كافينا الله، فنرضى بما قسمه لنا، وليؤملوا فضله وإحسانه إليهم بأن يقولوا: ﴿سَيُؤْتِينَا اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ﴾ أي: متضرعون في جلب منافعنا، ودفع مضارنا، لسلموا من النفاق ولهدوا إلى الإيمان والأحوال العالية، ثم بين تعالى كيفية قسمة الصدقات الواجبة فقال: