Allah (swt) legislated everything related to human’s life. You may think that there is disconnect between the verses that is because Allah (swt) was talking about one subject and then He moved to another topic. In fact, there is a unity in this matter; a unity of the man, his life and what he is exposed to in his life. Islam is fully concerned about the humans:

   {وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ }

(And We have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except as a mercy to the worlds.)  (Al-Anbiyaa: 107)

Religion has been willed for to bring happiness to humankind and did not come to to cause misery. The religion is from the Man’s Creator, who knows what is suitable for him. As the Holy Qur’an is the words of Allah (swt), then it includes all that which is connected to the Man and what he will experience in his life and after life. Therefore, the image is clear when you read the word of Allah (swt). You will see the image of this lower life and the upper life which is the hereafter because it is the endless one:

 {وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ }

(And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter – that is the (eternal) life, if only they knew.) (Al-Ankaboot: 64)

When a person dies, people say that he moved from the temporal abode to the eternal abode.  So this worldly life will terminate. The human has to adopt the morals which his Lord has ordered to follow in order to reconcile his behaviour and repair his self and others. Hence, the calling of all the religions is not related only to the life of Man after death, rather, it is also meant to reform the societies’ situations. When the individual is reformed, the community will reform too. The individual represents the first unit and the basic block in building the society. So if the family is established aright, this would be reflected on the whole community as well. The Holy Qur’an educates the individual in all the life’s aspects and directs him through various rules, such as the rules of fasting, money, fighting, civilization way,… What is the civilization guidelines? Where do you find them? The guidelines of Civilization are all the stories of the Holy Qur’an. You know that the stories form the three quarters of the Holy Qur’an, and that the Holy Qur’anic stories are different from human stories: first, the story of the Holy Qur’an are right and true. Second, by the Qur’anic stories Allah (swt) wants to tell us about events and personalities which are similar to those we may see at every time, thus, we learn what can reform our lives economically and socially. As such, you find this movement between verses in the Holy Qur’an from one topic to another, from one rule to another, from a specific subject to another, however, at the end, these topics are all about the life of the individual and the life of the community.

( وَأَنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ َ) (And spend in the way of Allah): There are many interpretations for it. There is a generality in meaning and a specificity of the utterance, which may be the reason for the revelation, for example, it relates to the preparation of fighting, but the general meaning is connected to everything. That is because the Arabic language which Allah (swt) has willed it to be the language of the Holy Book is a special language with words which provide many and multiple meanings. So, If you do not understand the Arabic language, you will not understand the Holy Qur’an.

Islam calls for spending in the way of Allah (swt), Allah (swt) has identified this in the following verse:

{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) (Al-Tawbah-60)

Throughout all the levels and circles of the society, Allah (swt) wanted the able person -who have money- to give the needy one-who does not have money. When Allah (swt) brings any human to existence, He (swt) guarantees his livelihood. Hence, if Allah (swt) grants you with an ability to gain a plenty of money and properties exceed your need, so you have to help whose earnings in life are less and insufficient. As such, spending money has been made a pillar of Islam which is called Zakat. One way of worshipping Allah (swt) is by supporting His (swt) servants. Without paying Zakat – which is to give a defined amount out of your money – you risk ruin of your faith. Consequently, Allah (swt) ordered to spend money in the way of Allah (swt) and specified the spending ways; to the poor, the needy, the travelers ……who have no money….

( وَلَا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ ) (and do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction): To destroy something means to change it out of its functional state that is assigned to it, everything in existence will cease to be including humans, animals and plants:

 {كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ }

(Everything will be destroyed except His Face) (Al-Ankaboot: 88)

How can you avoid destroying yourself? By spending in God’s cause, because spending money is the means to built and maintain a good society. In other words, those who do not spend in the way of Allah, who do not feel with the other’s need, who do not pass goodness to others, they are throwing just themselves in the ruin, not the others.

( وَأَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ) (And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.): The command here is general, covering all aspects of life and all people.

Note that (Allah loves the doers of good.) comes after (Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors), what great religion is this!! How can we accept a man who holds a sword or a gun and raises a slogan of murder while he says (Allahu Akbar) “Allah is the greatest” or that he raises any other Islamic slogan or speaks of Islam!!

What is the excellence (ihsan)? Islam was spread by benevolence (ihsan), not by killing, terror or by force, rather by the good manner (ihsan). Doing good (ihsan) has many various meanings. However, our religion is the religion of benevolence (ihsan) in everything, Allah (swt) says:

 {…ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ ۗ}

(…Repel (evil) by that (deed) which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity (will become) as though he was a devoted friend.) (Fussilat: 34)

Do everything perfectly. If you want to do something, so do it in good manner that your Lord loves you. If you are at your job do it well, if you are in the factory do a good job. if you are cultivating your land do it well, even if you are in a combat, act in a good way…. The Prophet (saws) said:

“Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything”[1]

If this sense becomes popular, doing good becomes a slogan of Islam, which is the truth and is the highest required level. When doing good spread, societies develops. Why the world judges Islam through the deeds of Muslims and does not look at it through the principles of faith that are here between our hands, in the Holy Qur’an. Accordingly, when Sheikh Mohammed Abdu visited London and other Western countries and noticed the disciplines and saw how people stand in queues, committing to the laws and regulations, he said: “I found Islam without Muslims, and when I returned to Egypt – I found Muslims without Islam.” That is because Islam calls to respect others, the law, the disciplines, the love, the benevolence. This is the meaning of doing good (ihsan) in everything. When you do well, you advance regarding science, with technology, with economics, with social movement, and in everything. If the slogan of our religion is the doing good (ihsan), why did we sadly leave it!? Why do some twist the Holy Qur’anic verses to explain it wrongly, such as the verses related to invasions, or the response to aggression or fighting, ignoring all the verses of the Holy Qur’an and go to the place where our enemies want us to go.

Our religion is a religion of doing good (ihsan), excellence is required in everything, we know the doing good (ihsan) in its general and simple sense; that is to give. This verse achieves this meaning, whereas doing good is broader and more wide-ranging as in the following verse:

{ آخِذِينَ مَا آتَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ }

(Accepting what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were before that doers of good) (Adh-Dhaariyat: 16)

But who are the doers of good? They are:

 {كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ * وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ * وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ }

(They used to sleep but little of the night, % And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness, % And from their properties was (given) the right of the (needy) petitioner and the deprived) (Adh-Dhaaryiat: 17-19)

Giving the needy and the deprived does not refer to Zakat, however when Allah (swt) specifies the Zakat, He (swt) says:

  {وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ * لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ  }

(And those within whose wealth is a known right (25) For the petitioner and the deprived) (Al-Ma’aarij: 24-25)

The Prophet (saws) said:

“Indeed there is a duty on wealth aside from Zakat”[2].

Hence, the human is a good doer to everything, to himself by purifying it through worshipping, and he is a good doer as well to others by giving. When the Prophet (saws) was asked about the (ihsan) he (saws) said:

“To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you”[3].

Every believer (swt) has to put in mind that Allah (swt) sees him and watches him. Same as in our life, in the department stores, hotels, airports and important places, surveillance cameras are installed in order to monitor the movement of people, so you are observed in anyplace you enter. Here the prophet (saws) said, “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you.” notice that He (saws) first said; “worship Allah as if you see Him”, not only He (swt) sees you, because when you think He (swt) sees you, your doing will be in the best way. Imagine, for example, that you want to do something in front of whom you love, as your father or mother, your wife, your son, or a wealthy person, certainly you do wear the best clothes, speak the best words and improve your appearance in every possible way. Why? That is because you see him in front of you. So that, when the believer worships Allah (swt) while he feels that he sees Allah (swt) before Allah (swt) sees him, this is exactly the meaning of doing good. Verify, this religion is a religion of doing good, and it cannot be a religion of killing or terrorism. It is the religion of benevolence in everything:

{ وَإِن تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ }

(But if you pardon and overlook and forgive – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.)  (At-Taghaabun: 14)

 {وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُم بِهِ ۖ وَلَئِن صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِّلصَّابِرِينَ }

(And if you punish (an enemy, O believers), punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient – it is better for those who are patient.)  (An-Nahl: 126)

So, every matter is always raised to the level of doing good, pardon, giving, love, mercy, not to the level of killing, spreading hatred, animosity, killing or terrorism at all. Hence, Allah (swt) ends the verse with “Allah (swt) loves the doers of good”, notice Allah’s (swt) saying:

{ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ }

(Allah will bring forth (in place of them) a people He will love and who will love Him (who are.)  (Al-Maaida:54)

Why when we raise our children, we instill in them that Allah (swt) will torment them in the Hell fire? Why do we say to them: Do not do this and do not eat this, if you do not obey your father, if you … Allah (swt) will burn you with fire….. Why do not we use the formulas of love indicated in the Holy Qur’an such as Allah (swt) loves so and so and Allah (swt) does not love so and so. This is how the Holy Qur’an educates the people. Why have we forgotten and left the formulas of love in our discourse with people until they believed that hatred, animosity, frowning of eyebrows are the properties of our religion?! Not at all, love is the attribute of religion. Doing good, ihsan, and giving are the features of religion.

[1] Sahih Muslim, The command to be proficient in slaughtering and killing, and to sharpen the blade, hadith No (1955)

[2] Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Book of Zakat, Hadith No (660)

[3] Sahih al-Bukhari, book of Faith, Hadith No (50)