This treatise undertakes a profound and detailed examination of the thirty-sixth verse of Surah Al-Anfal, wherein the conduct of the disbelievers in spending their wealth to obstruct the path of God and the resultant consequencessuch as regret and defeatare depicted. Within this context, the fundamental distinction between the hypocritical spending of the disbelievers and the sincere self-sacrifice of the believers, as the central theme, is meticulously explored. This exegesis, relying on the content of the delivered lectures and presented analyses, seeks to articulate the lofty Quranic meanings in a clear and solemn manner, framed cohesively and spiritually. By employing allegories and literary allusions, an endeavour is made to present the profound concepts of this verse in a manner that is both captivating and conducive to deep reflections on faith, hypocrisy, and altruism.
The core focus of the thirty-sixth verse of Surah Al-Anfal is the spending by the disbelievers with a hostile intention to prevent people from following the path of God. This spending, contrary to the faithful act accompanied by sincerity, is rooted in hypocrisy and pursues no objective other than the destruction of religion and the creation of obstacles on the way of divine guidance.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ
Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder [people] from the way of Allah.
The term يُنفِقُونَ in this verse refers to spending wealth with a destructive purpose. During the early Islamic period, examples of such spending included bribery or financial support of the enemies of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In contrast, the spending of the believers, as indicated in verse 261 of Surah Al-Baqarah, is performed with the intention of drawing closer to God and sincerity, yielding divine blessings. The spending of the disbelievers, however, resembles a seed sown on stone; it not only bears no fruit but also engenders deep regret.
The spending of the disbelievers in this verse is likened to hypocrisy; an act devoid of sincerity and honesty with no purpose other than destruction and creating enmity against God. Such spending is akin to discarding worthless waste which not only yields no benefit but also causes spiritual impurity and pollution. Conversely, altruism is a sincere act rooted in love and piety, accompanied by just and ungrudging distribution.
The allegory provided in the lectures compares hypocritical spending to defecation in a toilet and destructive spending to filth on a carpet. This allegory, conveyed with a humorous yet profound tone, illustrates the worthlessness of insincere spending. Defecation in a toilet is a natural and proper act, whereas on a carpet it is repulsive and harmful. The spending of the disbelievers, like filth on a carpet, is not only useless but also a source of regret and loss.
The thirty-sixth verse of Surah Al-Anfal introduces regret and defeat as the consequences of the disbelievers spending. This regret is a profound remorse resulting from the wastage of wealth and the fruitlessness of their efforts.
فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ
So they will spend it, then it will become regretful to them, then they will be overcome.
Regret falls upon the hearts of the disbelievers like a heavy shadow; much like a father who has laboured and spent wealth for his child's upbringing, but sees him fall into addiction and ruin, thus experiencing deep remorse. This regret stems from the futility of their efforts and expenditures. Defeat (يُغْلَبُونَ) signifies the failure of the disbelievers against the divine will, as indicated in verse 21 of Surah Al-Mujadila: God has decreed that He and His messengers shall be victorious.
The ultimate fate of the disbelievers, following their worldly regret, is their being driven towards Hell. This outcome is the natural consequence of their disbelief and hypocrisy, which manifested in their deeds, including spending with malicious intent.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ
And those who disbelieve will be gathered to Hell.
This verse explicitly outlines the disbelievers eschatological fate. Their spending, carried out with the intent to obstruct the path of God, is not only fruitless in this world but also leads them to punishment in the hereafter. This fate is like a bitter fruit from a tree rooted in hypocrisy and disbelief.
Altruism, as a sincere act full of love, stands in opposition to the hypocritical spending of the disbelievers. Altruism shines like a jewel emanating from the heart of sincerity and is accompanied by equitable and ungrudging distribution. The spending of the disbelievers, however, lacks sincerity and yields nothing but regret and loss.
The Holy Quran praises altruism as a superior act:
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ (Surah Al-Hashr, 59:9)
And they give preference over themselves even though they are in privation. This verse regards altruism as an act performed even in hardship and rooted in sincerity. The spending of the disbelievers, on the other hand, resembles discarding worthless waste that bears no value and causes spiritual impurity.
Regret and misery represent two aspects of the disbelievers loss. Regret is the internal remorse stemming from the wastage of wealth and efforts, while misery is the external punishment manifesting in Hell in the hereafter. Regret is like a sigh rising from the chest of the disbeliever when he realises his wealth was lost fruitlessly; misery is the torment awaiting him.
This perspective aligns with verse 39 of Surah Az-Zumar:
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ
And those who disbelieve their deeds are like a mirage. The deeds of the disbelievers, including their spending, resemble a mirage that calls the thirsty but offers nothing except deception and regret.
The believer, by virtue of faith and acting in the path of God, is safeguarded from regret. They regard every outcome as an act of drawing near to God and face hardships with gratitude and submission. This spirit, as stated in verse 30 of Surah Al-Baqarah, emerges from the believers surrender to God:
وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا
And they said, We hear and we obey. Through this submission, the believer is protected from regret and remorse, and every deed becomes a jewel in the path of God that brings felicity.
The lectures beautifully portray this serenity of the believer with the phrase Hanian lana (Blessed for us). Even amid hardships, the believer perceives God and proceeds towards perfection with gratitude and patience. In contrast, the disbeliever sinks into regret at every failure and is ultimately driven towards Hell in the hereafter.
Insincere spending, such as charity accompanied by resentment, may become a cause of complaint on the Day of Judgement. The Holy Quran, in verse 264 of Surah Al-Baqarah, deems spending accompanied by resentment as void:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَٰتِكُم بِٱلْمَنِّ وَٱلْأَذَىٰ
O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury. Spending done without pure intention is not only unrewarded but may entail eschatological liability.
Conversely, altruism is a noble act performed with sincerity and without expectation. The lectures denounce insincere spending by analogy to giving a paltry amount to the poor and praise altruism as a pure and valuable deed.
Even in daily behaviours, such as greeting, the distinction between altruism and hypocritical spending is evident. A self-sacrificing greeting is accompanied by sincerity, purity, and generosity, while a hypocritical greeting is superficial and lacks sincerity. The lectures, through an example of dialogue between a teacher and a student, emphasise that sincere behaviours, even in simple matters like greeting, must stem from altruism and magnanimity.
This view aligns with verse 2 of Surah Az-Zumar:
فَٱعْبُدِ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ
So worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion. Sincerity is a prerequisite for acceptance of any act, including greeting. A self-sacrificing greeting is like a flower blossoming from the believers heart-garden, whereas a hypocritical greeting is like a sound lost in the wind.
Believers are called upon to ensure their deeds, including spending, are performed with the intention of altruism and sincerity. Altruism is like a spring that originates from the fountain of sincerity and flows into the ocean of divine satisfaction. Hypocrisy, however, is like a swamp in which whatever is cast results only in destruction.
