In the Holy Quran, in the context of spending wealth, Chapter Al-Baqarah (2:265) mentions that believers spend their wealth to please Allah and to stay steadfast on the path of truth. While pleasing Allah is a concept understood by many, how spending wealth helps maintain one’s commitment to truth requires further explanation.
Wealth has always been the mainstay of the world, turning desires and dreams into reality. It enables individuals to surround themselves with worldly blessings and pleasures. However, no one possesses unlimited wealth to fulfill every desire, and the pursuit of accumulating wealth can sometimes blur the lines between what is permissible and what is forbidden.
If a person focuses solely on fulfilling their desires with wealth, they are likely to stray from the path of truth. Conversely, those who spend their wealth on others and in the way of Allah are training themselves to recognize that their wealth serves not only their desires but also the needs of others and the requirements of Allah’s religion.
Thus, the unrestrained desires of the ‘nafs’ (self) can be curbed through the act of spending. By giving to others, one learns that the limits of personal desires end where the needs of others begin. This generosity instills a belief in an afterlife where wealth will be returned up to 700 times. On that day, the tree planted through generosity will bear fruits that will never cease. This is true righteousness, born from selflessness and generosity.
Translated by Ali Zafar