Transliteration:( Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tubtiloo sadaqaatikum bilmanni wal azaa kallazee yunfiqu maalahoo ri'aaa'an naasi wa laa yu'minu billaahi wal yawmil aakhiri famasaluhoo kamasali safwaanin 'alaihi turaabun fa asaabahoo waabilun fatara kahoo saldaa; laa yaqdiroona 'alaa shai'im mimmaa kasaboo; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal kaafireen )
"O you who believe! Do not render in vain your charities by boasting of your favors conferred followed by injury [691], like him who spent [692] his wealth for showing to people and believes not in Allah and the Last Day. Then the example of such a person is like that of a smooth rock upon which is dust [693]; and it is struck by a heavy rain, leaving it a bare stone [694]. They shall have no control [695] on anything of what they have earned, and Allah does not guide the people who disbelieve [696]."
✅ [691] Public Charity that Causes Disgrace Becomes Harmful
This verse hints that charity which publicly disgraces the recipient should be kept private.
If publicizing it leads to shame, it becomes part of the "injury" warned against in this verse.
Hence, even a good deed can be voided if it causes emotional harm to the one in need.
✅ [692] Religious Education as Charity Must Also Be Free from Boastfulness
According to the sages, even imparting religious knowledge is a form of charity.
Therefore, one must not expect reward from the student or taunt them, just as in monetary charity.
✅ [693] Charity for Show Is Like Dust on a Stone
This is the condition of those hypocrites who spend not for Allah’s pleasure, but for worldly fame.
Their charity is rendered null by their taunts and boasting.
However, public charity is commendable if done with sincerity and to encourage others.
Allah says:
“If you give charity openly, then what a good thing it is.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:271)
✅ [694] Hypocrite’s Heart Compared to Stone
The hypocrite’s heart is like a bare rock, and his showy worships—especially charity—are like dust on it.
Just as dust cannot grow seeds on a rock, such worship bears no fruit.
Allah’s rejection of these acts is like heavy rain washing away the topsoil, leaving nothing behind.
This simile powerfully captures the futility of insincere deeds.
✅ [695] Outer Worships Must Rest on Inner Sincerity
The foundation of all good deeds, including charity, is sincere intention.
The more sincere the act, the firmer its reward.
Without it, deeds—even if grand—hold no true value or spiritual permanence.
✅ [696] Faith is Essential for Guidance and Acceptance of Deeds
A disbeliever does not receive divine guidance for righteous actions, as faith is a prerequisite for acceptance.
If guidance had been written for him, he would have repented and engaged in good deeds.
The verse may also refer to those whom Allah has decreed to remain disbelievers—they will never be guided to Islam.
That said, many non-believers have embraced Islam, and Allah has accepted their faith and righteous actions.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 263 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 262 which provides the complete commentary from verse 262 through 264.
(2:264) Believers! Do not nullify your acts of charity by stressing your benevolence and causing hurt as does he who spends his wealth only to be seen by people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day.[303] The example of his spending is that of a rock with a thin coating of earth upon it: when a heavy rain smites it, the earth is washed away, leaving the rock bare;[304] such people derive no gain from their acts of charity. Allah does not set the deniers of the Truth on the Right Way.[305]
303. The desire to display one’s good deeds itself proves that the person concerned does not truly believe in God and the Hereafter. One who does good merely in order to impress people with his righteousness clearly regards those persons as his god. Such a person neither expects reward from God nor is he concerned that his good deeds will some day be reckoned to his credit.
304. In this parable, ‘heavy rain’ signifies charity, and ‘rock’ the wicked intent and motive which lie behind external acts of charity. The expression, with a thin coating of earth upon it’ signifies the external aspect of charity which conceals the wicked intent and motive of a man. These explanations make the significance and purport of the parable clear. The natural effect of rainfall should be the growth of plants and harvest. But if the earth, which is the repository of fertility, is insignificant in quantity, for example only a coating of it on some rock, the result will be that instead of yielding any beneficial result the rainfall may even prove harmful. Similarly, charity has the capacity to generate goodness and benevolence in human beings. Man’s potential for goodness, however, is conditional on sincerity. Devoid of that charity leads to sheer loss and waste.
305. Here the term kafir is used in the sense of the ungrateful person who refuses to acknowledge benevolence. People who either make use of the bounties of God in order to seek the gratitude of God’s creatures rather than God’s good pleasure, or who spend on others and then hurt them by stressing their acts of benevolence and kindness, are ungrateful to God for His bounties and favours. Since such people do not seek to please God, God does not care to direct them to the way that leads to His good pleasure.
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