Tafsir of Al Imran 3:134

( الذين ينفقون ) is in the genitive case, acting as an adjective for "the God-fearing" (al-muttaqin) to praise them. It is also said that it may be a specifier, a substitute, an explanatory phrase, or in the accusative case due to an implied verb, or in the nominative case due to an implied pronoun (hum). The object of "spending" (yunfiqun) is omitted so that it may encompass everything suitable for praiseworthy expenditure, or it is left out entirely, as in the expression: "so-and-so gives."

( في السراء والضراء ) meaning in ease and hardship. This was stated by Ibn Abbas. It is also said: in times of happiness and times of distress. Others say: in life and after death by making a bequest. Others say: in that which pleases, such as spending on children and relatives, and in that which is disagreeable, such as spending on enemies. Still others say: in hospitality to the wealthy—making it easy for them—and in what is spent on the needy and given to them in charity. The origin of al-sarra' (ease) is a state that causes joy, and al-darra' (hardship) is a state that causes harm. The most apparent meaning is that which the scholar (Ibn Abbas) stated, and the intention is either the literal meaning of the words or generalization, as is customary in such instances. That is to say, they are never devoid, in any state, of spending whatever they are capable of, whether it is much or little. It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she gave a grape as charity, and from some of the predecessors that they gave an onion. In the Tradition: "Guard yourselves against the Fire, even if by half a date, and turn away a beggar, even with a burnt hoof."

( والكاظمين الغيظ ) The origin of kazm is the tying of the head of a water skin when it is full. It is said, "a person is kazim," meaning full of grief. Al-ghayz (rage) is the agitation of the temperament upon seeing that which is disliked. The difference between it and anger (al-ghadab), as it is said, is that anger is necessarily followed by the will to retaliate, whereas rage is not necessarily so. It is also said that anger is what appears on the limbs and the skin involuntarily, while rage is not such. Others say they are inseparable, except that anger can be attributed to Allah, whereas rage cannot.

The intention is those who restrain rage, holding it back when their souls are full of it; they do not inflict harm upon those who have harmed them, nor do they reveal what they dislike. Rather, they exercise patience despite their ability to execute and retaliate. This is the praiseworthy action. Abd al-Razzaq and Ibn Jarir narrated from Abu Hurayrah in a marfu’ report: "Whoever suppresses rage while he is able to execute it, Allah shall fill his heart with security and faith."

Ahmad narrated from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever suppresses rage while he is able to execute it, Allah will call him before the heads of all creation until He lets him choose from any of the Houris he wishes." In the first tradition, there is a reward of the same nature as the act, and in the second, there is a reward that is a consequence thereof. This description is coordinated with the one preceding it, and the shift to the active participle form here is to denote continuity. As for spending, since it is a renewed matter, it was expressed with a form that denotes renewal and occurrence.

( والعافين عن الناس ) meaning those who forgo punishing those who deserved to be called to account, provided that doing so does not cause prejudice to the religion. It is also said: [those who pardon] servants when they err, though a general interpretation is better.

Ibn Jarir narrated from al-Hasan that Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: "Let anyone who has a reward with Allah stand up." No one shall stand except those who pardoned. Al-Tabarani narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever is pleased to have his structure elevated and his ranks raised, let him pardon those who oppressed him, give to those who deprived him, and connect with those who severed him."

Al-Daylami narrated in Musnad al-Firdaws from Anas bin Malik regarding this verse: "These are few in my nation, except those whom Allah has protected. They were many in the nations that passed." The exception is munqati’ (disjoined) if the scarcity is taken literally, and muttasil (joined) if it is taken to mean the absence thereof. The fact that some characteristics were common in previous nations does not necessitate their superiority over this nation in every respect. Whoever thinks so has labored in interpreting the hadith, suggesting that the meaning is that those who suppress rage in my nation are few—except by the protection of Allah—due to the prevalence of rage over them. They were many in past nations due to their lack of hamiyyah (zealous defense of honor); thus, commanding the good and forbidding the evil was rare among them. But when this nation became accustomed to anger for the sake of Allah and committed to avoiding sycophancy, executing rage became their habit. They do not suppress it when tested except by the protection of Allah. Therefore, the "few" in the report are those who suppress it due to a lack of zeal, and they were the "many" in past nations, so they have no exclusive merit to suggest a superiority over this nation, even from some aspects. It is not hidden that this interpretation is something the text and the indication reject. A better interpretation—or rather, there is no comparison—is that the "many" refers to the totality of nations, not to each individual nation. It does not harm us that the number of those possessing these qualities is small when viewed against the totality of creation from the time of Adam (peace be upon him) until our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was sent, because this nation as a whole is small when viewed against the totality of nations, to say nothing of its elite. Ponder this.

The mention of these two descriptions, as some researchers have said, gives an indication of the perfect timing of his (the Prophet’s) pardon—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—toward the archers, and his refraining from holding them accountable for what they did in violating his command. He was also urged to refrain from what he had intended regarding retaliating against the polytheists for what they did to Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), until he said, upon seeing how they had mutilated him: "I shall certainly mutilate seventy in your place." Perhaps the use of the active participle here as well, rather than the verb, is because pardon is more similar to suppression than it is to spending.

( والله يحب المحسنين ) This is an appendix (tadhil) to the content of what preceded it. Al (the) is either for the genus, in which case the aforementioned are included primarily, or it is for the covenant (referring specifically to those mentioned). They are described as al-muhsinin (the doers of good) to signify that the listed virtues are a form of ihsan, which is the performance of deeds in the fitting manner—that is, their descriptive excellence which necessitates their inherent excellence. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) interpreted this as: "That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you." It may be said that ihsan here means benevolence toward others in a manner devoid of any ugliness, and they were described with this to indicate that they are benefactors in all those mentioned virtues, not just in spending.

What supports the idea that ihsan here means benevolence is what al-Bayhaqi narrated: A servant girl of Ali bin al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both) was pouring water on him so he could prepare for prayer, and the ewer fell from her hand and wounded him. He raised his head to her, and she said: "Allah says: (And those who suppress rage)." He said: "I have suppressed my rage." She said: "(And those who pardon people)." He said: "Allah has pardoned you." She said: "(And Allah loves the doers of good)." He said: "Go, for you are free for the sake of Allah." Some preferred the "covenant" interpretation over "genus" because it is more emphatic in praise and more appropriate to be mentioned before His saying: ...