This is a precise verse in the Book of Allah (swt) that includes elements of righteousness, and we must stop at its facets and its meanings; because it gives the true image of Islam with all its elements (faith, pillars, behaviors and worship).
( لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ ) (Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west): The previous verses have talked a lot about changing the qiblah (direction of prayer for the Muslims) to al-Ka’bah. Allah (swt) wants to show us that Islam is not only concerned with the discipline of movements, but rather with the innermost of the heart in addition to the action of the limbs; because Islam is not just a claim to be said. Islam is belief, faith and work in accordance with the pillars, so Allah (swt) says: “Righteousness is not…”. Righteousness is a collection of all the good, all elements of faith, piety, obedience and kindness, the broad facets of good is righteousness.
( لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ ) (Righteousness is not ….): Righteousness is not expressed by motion, shape or appearance, nor by turning the faces towards the east or the west.
( وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ ) (but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes .): As if the righteousness is an embodied being. This can be clarified in this example: “A person x is fair” this means that he fulfills the limits and acts justly, whereas, when we say “A person x is fairness” this means that fairness is embodied in his essence.
So that Allah (swt) in this verse wants to embody righteousness as a being. Hence, broad good and all elements of faith, piety, honesty and sincerity are included in righteousness. It is as if the righteousness is a human being who has specific qualities that have made him righteousness.
What is righteousness? Is it gained by a large number of prayers, or by the large number of fasting, or by a lot of spending, or by frequent performing of pilgrimage, or by giving a large number of preaches and sermons …?
In this comprehensive verse, Allah (swt) has fully explained the meanings of righteousness.
We know faith as stated in the famous hadith, when Jibril (Gabriel) (PBUH) asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) about faith, and he (saws) told him that faith is:
To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree, both good and bad,” [1]
In the hadith, believing in the Last Day came at last in order whereas in the verse, however, believing in the Last Day has come immediately after believing in Allah (swt), and after believing in the Last Day Allah (swt) says:
( وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ ) (the angels, the Book, and the prophets.): Allah (swt) has reversed the picture, why?
Here is an important point, some people talk about religion and separate it from the Day of Reckoning, and from Paradise and Hell. others may be believers in Allah (swt) and bring up Islam as just pillars, worshiping and transactions, without believing in the Last Day, Heaven and Fire, and the reckoning and torment. Therefore, Allah (swt) wants to show that the complemental of faith in Allah (swt) is to believe in the Day when you will be held accountable by Allah (swt). Hence, human behavior in life would not be correct except by believing in the Last Day.
Suppose that you believe in Allah (swt), angels, books, messengers, prophets and the divine decree, both good and bad and at the same time you do not believe in the Last Day, then, your faith is imperfect and it is not fruitful. The first element in the uppermost top of faith is to believe in Allah (swt), and on the top of applying what Allah (swt) has commanded is the believing in the Last Day even though it came at the very end of the series in the Hadith which mentions the pillars of faith:
“To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree, both good and bad”
in order to control the movement of man in life, to let him comprehend that he accountable for every word and every deed in this world, and so as not to look at the world with a distorted and incomplete view.
Suppose you were in a theatre and you saw just the first part out of its three parts and you did not see the rest of the parts, thereof, all the meanings that you see in the first part would be incomplete, and you would see the events as ambiguous, inaccurate and unclear.
If we do not associate all that we see now in life with the Last Day, the Day of the Resurrection, the Day of Reckoning, the Day of Punishment and Reward, and the Day when all mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds, the view will be defective; because in this worldly life, you may see the oppressor and you see the oppressed, you see the murderer and you see the murdered, you see the rich and you see the poor, you see complex events in life, and you see in them multiple meanings. This image cannot be completed, and you cannot feel the presence of Allah (swt) and believe in Him (swt) unless you believe that there is a complemental for this play of life. So that when you look at the results of the scene, the work will become balanced. So, the peak of faith is belief in Allah (swt), and then belief in the Last Day which is unseen, as are all other elements of faith.
Whenever I talk about faith, I talk about creed; because the tangible visible thing that we can see doesn’t need to be a creed. Creed is the belief in the unseen, which is absent from you, and you need introductions and reasons to hold it and settle it in your heart. However, the visible thing does not need to be referred to as creed; because you see it day and night, and in every minute. I do not say that I believe that there is water in this cup which is in front of me, because I see it, but I believe that there is someone who has built this mosque, although I did not see him, but I can see his evidence, hence, this is an unseen and not visible matter.
All parts of faith are not visible, and the most important unseen part of faith is the Belief in Allah (swt), because we see His effects and manifestations, but we do not see Allah (swt). Allah (swt) for us is unseen, He (swt) sees us and we do not see Him (swt). The Last Day is also unseen, we heard about it, but have not seen it. However, believing in the books and the prophets which are parts of faith are both witnessed. However, you may have seen them, but have not seen the assignment granted to them.
Those who were contemporary of their prophets saw them with their own eyes, but they did not see the revelation on their prophets. We see the Holy Qur’an because it is tangible, but being the words of Allah (swt), thus, it is unseen, because we did not see Gabriel (Jibril) revealing it upon the heart of the Prophet (saws).
Angels and Jinn as well are unseen creatures. The One (swt), whom we believe in, told us about their existence, and as long as we believe in Allah (swt), then we believe in what He (swt) says. We refer in all that we are told about of faith to the One Who told us about them, Allah (swt), Whom you have believed and established faith in, in your mind and heart. You have believed because of the signs of Allah (swt) in his creation. You have believed in the sincerity of prophets in telling about Allah (swt). Hence, when you believe in Allah (swt), you believe in everything He (swt) has told about. Allah (swt) told us that the angels are of His creation:
{لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ }
(they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.) (At-Tahrim: 6)
Allah (swt) also told us that jinn are accountable creatures:
{ وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ }
(And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.) (Ath-Tharyat: 56)
Allah (swt) told us that the prophets are entrusted by Him, so that we believe in the truthful information that are from Allah (swt) and passed to us by the Prophet (saws). Righteousness, goodness, piety and the comprehensive of good things cannot be unless based on a stable creed.
The pillars of creed are fixed: To believe in Allah (swt), His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree, both good and bad, this is our creed.
( وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ ) (the angels, the Book, and the prophets.): Why does Allah (swt) say “the angels, the Book”? And not (Books)? The answer is that whoever believes in this book (the Qur’an), believes in all the heavenly books; because it combines all the books, and all the books are from Allah (swt). Accordingly, once you believe in the Holy Qur’an, you believe in the Bible, the Torah, the Zabour, the scriptures of Abraham, the scriptures of Moses and all that was revealed to the previous prophets (PBUT).
( وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ ) (and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves.): Righteousness is the one who believes …. and gives…… Allah (swt) has put for us the elements of faith, and the first of them is creed.
The order here differs from that was stated by the Prophet (saws) concerning the normal elements of faith; because here it relates to righteousness and to the broad good, that is, the action in this world. Therefore, the conjunction word (and) here indicates that faith is not enough, rather there must be spending and giving, there must be acts that indicate the creed matters.
What does Allah (swt) want from us? Our faith does not increase Allah’s sovereignty, and the disbelief does not decrease it. If Allah (swt) had willed, He would have made all people believers:
{ وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ }
(And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed – all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers?) (Yunus: 99)
The talk now is about righteousness, which is the comprehensive of piety, and good. On the doctrinal matters, the active matters are based, of which is:
“and gives wealth”, because of Allah’s (swt) saying:
{وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا }
(And you love wealth with immense love.) (Al-Fajr: 20)
And Allah’s saying:
{الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا }
(Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life.) (Al-Kahf: 46)
Why does Allah (swt) mentions money before children? Children are dearer, but it is money that brings you the wife, and then the children. Therefore, money is the thing by which the man achieves everything he desires and loves; thus, it is mentioned first.
Thus, the first element of righteousness is to give money in spite of love of it, and to spend money while you need it.
( … …عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ) (… in spite of love for it, …): has two meanings:
– To give money in spite of love for money.
– To give money in spite of love for giving and spending.
“It” in “in spite of love for it” refers to either the money or the spending, both are correct. Thus, no one would say that Islam is limited to worship, bowing, prostration, fasting and praying; rather, it is worshipping matters in which deeds come first. After that Allah (swt) says, and establishes prayer”, although it is known that the prayer (salat) is one of the pillars of Islam and a fundamental of religion, here the talk is not about faith, otherwise they would have been mentioned as pillars of faith as stated in the hadith, on the other hand, had the talk been about Islam, the testimony that there is no God but Allah (swt) would have been mentioned first. But the talk here is about the movement in life, about the good in life, about piety, and about all the good things that Allah (swt) wills them to be inclusive. Allah (swt) does not want the faith to be in a side and the worship, the piety in another sides, rather, Allah (swt) wants faith with the devotional pillars and acts to be combined all to serve the purpose of Islam.
( … … وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ) (… and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, …): It is mostly meant to be the love of money, because Allah (swt) says in another verse:
(And you love wealth with immense love.) (Al-Fajr: 20)
( … … ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ ) (… to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves …): These are not all the channels of spending Zakah (alms) but only part of them. The Prophet (saws) said:
“Indeed there is a duty on wealthy aside from Zakat.”[2] Then he (saws) recited this verse. (177)
Then he (saws) recited this verse. (177)
Why does Allah (swt) mention the orphans and relatives among the elements of righteousness, piety and the broad good? He (swt) does not include them in the verse of zakat (alms), in which the Zakat channels have been specified:
{إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ }
(Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.) (At-Tawba: 60)
Why is it mentioned here in general? Because Allah (swt) wants the good from the human to be first to the orphans and relatives, regardless of the obligation and anything else, that is, the good would be of the human nature, and stemmed from the movement of man in life. It would be out of the human conscience to have an interest in the orphans and relatives.
( … … ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ ) (… to relatives, …): Because man cannot enjoy the pleasures of life while he sees some of his relatives are in need. If every rich man gives the superfluous of his money, which Allah (swt) has gifted him, to his kinship, there will be no poor in society; because Allah (swt) has imposed from the wealth of the rich what is enough for the poor.
You are moving in the life, and there are others connected to you as well. Because Allah (swt) has called man to existence, and guaranteed this existence by livelihood, Allah (swt) calls you to spend:
{مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا}
(Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan?) (Al-Baqara: 245)
You do not loan Allah (swt), but when you give the humanity it would be as if you have lent Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has brought the man to existence, thus, the first whom you should give from what Allah (swt) has given you, are the kin, that is, your relatives and kinship.
This is not just an act of charity and a way of keeping good relations with relatives, but a building of society. Some say: We want to reform the communities by establishing movements and programs and so on… However, if you improve the relationship between you and your parents and your relatives, the society would be reformed. Yet, the problem of the society that we want to reform is that there is a brother who is an enemy to his brother, brothers who disagree over inheritance, brawlers and quarrelsome relatives, and there are disputes and disintegration among families. So how can the society be reformed? If the first cell is corrupted, then how it comes that the rest of the body be repaired. Islam is meant to reform the first cell in society, namely the family and kinship, and then to take care of the orphan who lost the support; his father.
The Holy Qur’an talked about that in a clear way:
{أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ }
(Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?) (Al-Mauun: 1)
Who is this who denies the Recompense?
{فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ (2) وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ }
(For that is the one who drives away the orphan, (3) And does not encourage the feeding of the poor) (Al-Mauun: 2-3)
The whole religion was summed up in a dynamic act: (drives away), and (does not encourage). Between the orphan and the poor, the religion is found.
As such, is this a religion of terrorism or murdering? We must always follow the true religion, which is revealed by Allah (swt), not that which others wanted us to adopt. Accordingly, giving money, despite the need for it, attached to it, and loving it, for the kin and orphans is a proof of truthful faith. The man who gives charity to a non-relative poor, whereas, there is a needy one among his close relatives, this charity may not be accepted; because close relatives come first, as it was stated:
“Almsgiving (to the strangers) is unacceptable when any of the relatives is needy”[3]
( … … والْمَسَاكِينَ ) (… the needy, …): The Arabic word (miskeen) is derived from sukūn (stillness), that is, the one who has no work, or the poor who does not have the sustenance of his day. The scholars differentiate between the needy and the poor, but here they are both in a same situation.
( … … وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ ) (… the traveler, …): The needy traveler who runs out of money.
( … … وَالسَّائِلِينَ ) (… those who ask, …): Who is the asker?
{وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ }
(And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].) (Adh-Dha: 10)
You are better being wrong in giving than being wrong with holding. If a petitioner comes to you, do not scorn or repulse him, following the Qur’anic text. Do not investigate nor judge the petitioner. The beggar is to be given even if he rides a horse.
( … … وَفِي الرِّقَابِ ) (… and for freeing slaves, …): Emancipating a slave that was owned [symbolized by a neck in Arabic in the verse]. Allah (swt) says:
{ فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ }
(But he has not broken through the difficult pass. % And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?) (Al-Balad:11-12)
The difficult pass is something that stands between you and Paradise. In order to pass from it you have to:
{ فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ}
(It is the freeing of a slave.) (Al-Balad:13)
{ أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ % يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ % أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ }
(Or feeding on a day of severe hunger % An orphan of near relationship
% Or a needy person in misery.) (Al-Balad:14-16)
This is our Islam; releasing necks (slaves), and not cutting necks. As for the rulings of slavery and slaves and the possession of the right hand, they have been distorted and interpreted wrongly, and some people linked what they find in our contemporary history with what is stated in the book of Allah (swt). The Qur’anic text is related to certain events, that is when Allah (swt) says: “It is the freeing of a slave” (Al-Balad: 13), that is because there used to be slaves, and Islamic rulings in the Holy Qur’an address an existing case. So, if this case has been suspended, then the rulings related to it would be suspended too. However, why should the ruling not to be annulled? Because we would never know, with the passage of years and time, that slavery may return, since, we see with the passage of days, the decline of values, morality and loyalty to religion. Therefore, there might come days in which slavery returns, and the ruling exists again. It is not permissible to take a ruling relating to slavery, and apply it in the twenty-first century and say there is possession of the right hand and slaves.
( … … وَفِي الرِّقَابِ ) (… and for freeing slaves, …): Islam prevents the enslavement of man to a man. Enough proof of this is the saying of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) in the seventh century before the birth of thousands of philosophers, scholars, human rights men and United Nations institutions … before all that, he said:
“When have you enslaved people and yet their mothers delivered them as free people.”
Umar was a student at the Prophet’s (saws) school.
( … … وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاة) (… [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah, …): Why did not Allah (swt) say after that: “and fasts Ramadan and performs Hajj (pilgrimage)”, as they are of the pillars of Islam? Because it is not about the pillars of Islam. Pilgrimage is imposed on those who are able to undertake the journey, fasting is for those who are accountable and are not travelers or sick, whereas prayer is obligatory and no one is exempted from it, zakaah, on the other hand, is a title because it relates to money, so Allah (swt) says: “[and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah”.
( … … وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا ) (… [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise..): The promise is different from the contract. The contract includes give-and-take, while the promise does not have that, moreover, fulfilling the promise is of faith.
( … … وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ ۗ ) (… and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle..): Although “and” is a conjunction but the word (patient) in Arabic is (Sabereen), not (Saberoon) which is more in line with grammar of this verse, however, this syntax was broken to emphasize the patients because all the deeds that are mentioned in the is verse need patience and patience is half of faith, mentioned in this verse need patience, and patience is the half of faith. Therefore, Allah (swt) says:
{ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ}
(Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.) (Az-Zumar: 10) And He (swt) says:
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ }
(O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.) (Al-Baqara: 153)
Allah (swt) does not say, “Allah is with those who perform prayer”, but says: “Indeed, Allah is with the patient”, because patience is the proof of the correct performance of prayer. If the prayer is fruitful, then it is an evidence that you are patient with the calamity and the test you face. Thereof, Allah (swt) has especially mentioned the patient in this verse.
( … … الْبَأْسَاءِ ) (… in poverty..): Reflects misery and the need for money.
( … … والضَّرَّاءِ ) (… Hardship..): The illness with pain.
( … … وَحِينَ الْبَأْس) (… and during battle..): In adversity, and during meeting the enemy.
( … … وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا) (… Those are the ones who have been true..): They have been honest in saying, “there is no god but Allah”.
If the slave says: “There is no god but Allah”, while he is a liar, this will not save him. You will enter Paradise if you are authentic in saying it. Allah (swt) says to us: Those are the ones who have been true in saying “there is no god but Allah”. But who are they? They are those who do all the things mentioned in this verse.
( … وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ ) (..and it is those who are the righteous..): righteousness or piety in Arabic (taqwa) means to make between you and the thing a barrier. To be pious: is to make between you and Allah’s (swt) attributes of Majesty (Jalal) a barrier. That is, to make between you and His (swt) attributes of the Avenger, the Mighty and the Severe in Penalty a prevention. This prevention is the piety, that is, all pithiness of goodness, then, you will be saved from torment and fire.
[1] Sahih Muslim, the Book of Faith, hadith No (8).
[2] Jami` at-Tirmidhi, the Book of Zakat, Chapter: What Has Been Related About: There Is A Duty On Wealthy Aside From Zakat, No. (660).
[3] Al-Majmou’a, Juz’ 15, Page 335