The third reason is that there was no bond (1) between al-Siddīq and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that prompted him to support him and spend his wealth other than faith. He did not support him out of kinship, as Abū Tālib did. His deeds were wholly sincere for Allah Most High, as He says:

“But only seeking the Face of his Lord, the Most High; and he will surely be pleased.” [Surah al-Layl: 20, 21]

Likewise, Khadīja was his wife, and a wife may spend her wealth on her husband even if he is of lesser standing than the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Had Ali, hypothetically, spent anything, he would have (2) spent it on a relative. These are motives to which such an action might be attributed. By contrast, Abū Bakr’s spending had no motive other than faith in Allah alone. He was therefore among those most entitled, of all the Allah-fearing, to exemplify His statement:

“But only seeking the Face of his Lord, the Most High.”

His statement:

“But the most righteous will be kept away from it—he who gives his wealth to purify himself. No one has bestowed on him a favour that must be repaid, but only seeking the Face of his Lord, the Most High.” [Surah al-Layl: 17–20]

contains a disconnected exception. The meaning is that he does not restrict his giving to those who have done him a favour, repaying them through that gift (3). Such repayment belongs to the justice that people owe one another, like the exchange involved in sales and hire contracts; everyone owes this to others. If, then, no one has bestowed on him a favour that must be repaid, he has no need for this exchange, and his giving is purely for the Face of his Lord, the Most High. This contrasts with someone who owes another a favour that he needs to repay, for he needs