Tafsir of Al-Insan 76:8

Surah Al-Insan (The Human Being): Verse 8

(8) And they give food, out of love for Him, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,

None of the great Mu'tazilites—such as Abu Bakr al-Asamm, Abu Ali al-Jubba'i, Abu al-Qasim al-Ka'bi, and Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, and Qadi Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad—mentioned in their exegesis that these verses were revealed concerning 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

However, Al-Wahidi, one of our companions, mentioned in his book Al-Basit that they were revealed concerning 'Ali (peace be upon him). The author of Al-Kashshaf (a Mu'tazilite) mentioned this story, narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):

Arguments against Specificity:

1. The structure of the Surah: The preceding verses state that Allah created creation for trial and testing, then clarified that He guided everyone and removed excuses. Then, He mentioned that people are divided into the grateful and the ungrateful, followed by a warning to the ungrateful, and then a promise to the grateful: {Indeed, the righteous will drink...} (Al-Insan: 5). This is in the plural form, encompassing all the righteous and grateful. Such a description cannot be restricted to a single individual, as the coherence of the Surah from the beginning requires this to be an explanation of the state of all the righteous and obedient. Restricting it to one person would disrupt the order of the Surah.
2. Plural Form: Those described by these attributes are mentioned in the plural form, such as: {Indeed, the righteous will drink * They fulfill their vows * And fear * And give food...} (Al-Insan: 5, 7, 8) until the end of the verses. Restricting this plural description to two meanings (i.e., 'Ali and his family) goes against the apparent meaning.
3. Inclusion, not Exclusion: It is not denied that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) is included in these verses, but he is also included in all verses describing the state of the obedient. Just as he is included, so are other pious Companions and Successors. Therefore, restriction has no meaning whatsoever.
4. General Principle: Unless one argues that the Surah was revealed upon the occurrence of a specific act of obedience by him. However, it is established in the principles of jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) that the consideration is given to the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the occasion of revelation (Sabab al-Nuzul).

Those who hold that the verse is specific to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) say that the meaning of {And they give food, out of love for Him, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive} is what was narrated regarding him feeding the needy, the orphan, and the captive.

Those who hold the verse is general for all the righteous say that giving food is a metaphor (kinayah) for showing kindness to the needy and sympathizing with them in any manner, even if it is not specifically food.

• Justification: The noblest form of benevolence is providing food because the sustenance of bodies depends on it, and there is no life without it. Although one might imagine life without other things, since benevolence is essential, it is used as a metaphor for all forms of benefit.
• This is supported by the fact that "eating" (akl) is used metaphorically for all forms of benefit. For instance, one says, "So-and-so ate his wealth" if he destroyed it in various ways. Allah says: {Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire} (An-Nisa: 10), and {And do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly} (Al-Baqarah: 188).

Regarding {upon His love} ('ala hubbihi): There are two interpretations:

1. The pronoun refers to the food: Meaning, they give food despite their desire and need for it. This is similar to: {Righteousness is not that you turn...} (Al-Baqarah: 177) and {You will never attain righteousness until you spend of what you love} (Al 'Imran: 92). Allah describes them as preferring others over themselves, as stated: {And they give preference to others over themselves, even though they are in need} (Al-Hashr: 9).
2. It means "for the love of Allah": This was stated by Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad. The preposition lam (for) can sometimes stand in place of 'ala (upon), and vice versa.

The Three Categories of Those Needing Sympathy:

Allah mentioned three categories whose needs must be met:

1. The Needy (Miskin): One who is incapable of earning for himself.
2. The Orphan (Yatim): One whose provider has died, leaving him incapable of earning due to his young age, while his provider's earnings are gone.
3. The Captive (Asir): One who has been taken from his people, whose servitude is owned by another, leaving him without support or recourse.

These are the same categories mentioned in Surah Al-Balad: {But he has not ascended the steep path? And what can make you know what is the steep path? * It is the freeing of a slave, * Or feeding on a day of severe hunger, * An orphan of near relationship, * Or a needy person in misery} (Al-Balad: 11-16).

We have already discussed the differences of opinion regarding the Miskin. Regarding the Captive (Asir), there are several opinions:

1. Captives of the Polytheists: Ibn 'Abbas, Al-Hasan, and Qatadah held this view. It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to send the polytheist captives to be guarded and have their rights upheld, as they must be fed until the Imam decides their fate (killing, ransom, or enslavement). It is also possible that the term refers to any captive, whether Muslim or disbeliever, because if a disbelieving captive must be fed, a Muslim captive is more deserving. If it is argued that a captive whose death is obligatory should still be fed, we reply that execution at one time does not prevent feeding at another time. One should not be punished in two different ways; thus, one deserving of retribution (Qisas) should not be subjected to something less than death. This feeding is the duty of the Imam; if he fails, it becomes obligatory upon the Muslims.
2. The Slave (Mamluk): This was stated by Al-Suddi.
3. The Debtor (Gharim): Based on the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Your debtor is your captive, so treat your captive well."
4. The Imprisoned Believer: This is the view of Mujahid, 'Ata', and Sa'id ibn Jubayr. It is narrated in a Marfu' report from Al-Khudri that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {a needy person} (i.e., poor), {and an orphan} (one without a father), {and a captive} (meaning the imprisoned slave).
5. The Wife: Because women are considered "captives" under their husbands, based on the Prophet's saying: "Fear Allah concerning women, for they are your helpers [or captives] with you."

Al-Qaffal said the wording can accommodate all these meanings because the root meaning of Asr is binding with a rope, and the captive was subjected to this to be detained. The term then came to mean detention, even without physical binding.

When Allah mentioned that the righteous show kindness to these needy people, He clarified that they have two objectives:

1. Attaining the Pleasure of Allah: This is meant by His saying: {We feed you only for the Countenance of Allah}.
2. Protection from the Fear of the Day of Resurrection: This is meant by His saying: {Indeed, we fear from our Lord a Day, stern and calamitous}.

Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The Meaning of Their Utterance

The statement {We feed you only for the Countenance of Allah} up to {calamitous} can be interpreted in three ways:

1. Verbal Declaration: These righteous people may have said these words verbally, either to prevent the needy from reciprocating the favor or showing thanks (since their benevolence is solely for Allah, there is no reason to expect reward from creation), or to serve as instruction and clarification for others on how to be sincere to Allah, so that others may emulate them in that path.
2. Intention Only: They intended this meaning internally.
3. Internal Belief without Utterance: This is a clarification and unveiling of their conviction and the soundness of their intention, even if they said nothing. Mujahid reported that they did not speak these words, but Allah knew this from them and praised them for it.

Issue 2: Sincerity vs. Association (Shirk)

Benevolence from others can be:

1. Solely for the sake of Allah (Accepted by Allah).
2. For other than Allah, either seeking reward or seeking praise and commendation.
3. A combination of both (This is Shirk—association—and is rejected).

The first type is accepted by Allah. The latter two types are rejected. Allah says: {O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders [of your favor] or injury, like one who spends his wealth to be seen by people...} (Al-Baqarah: 264), and {And that which you give as a gift to increase in wealth from the people's wealth will not increase with Allah. But that which you give as Zakat, seeking the Countenance of Allah—those are the ones who multiply [their reward]} (Ar-Rum: 39). Seeking thanks is undoubtedly of the same category as reminding or injuring.

When they said, {We feed you only for the Countenance of Allah}, the possibility remained that they gave for the sake of Allah and for other purposes (i.e., association). Therefore, Allah negated this possibility by saying: {We ask from you neither reward nor gratitude}.

Issue 3: The Meaning of Shakur and Kafur

Shakur (grateful) and Kafur (ungrateful) are verbal nouns (Masdar) like Shukr (gratitude) and Kufr (ingratitude), following the pattern of Dukhul (entering) and Khruj (exiting). This is the view of a group of linguists. Al-Akhfash said that you may treat Shakur as a plural of Shukr (like Burud for Burud), or as a singular noun with a plural meaning (like Q'ud for Q'ud).

Issue 4: The Reason for Fear

The statement {Indeed, we fear from our Lord} can mean two things:

1. Our giving to you is out of fear of the severity of that Day, not in desire for your reward.
2. We do not desire reward from you because we fear Allah's punishment for seeking reward in charity.

If it is asked: Allah narrated their fulfillment of vows and attributed it only to the fear of the Day of Resurrection. But when He narrated their giving food, He attributed it to two things: seeking Allah's pleasure and fearing the Day of Resurrection. What is the reason for this difference?

Answer: Fulfilling a vow (Nidhr) is inherently part of seeking Allah's pleasure, as the vow is something one imposes upon oneself for Allah's sake. Therefore, only the fear of the Day of Resurrection was added to it. However, giving food is not inherently part of seeking Allah's pleasure; therefore, seeking Allah's pleasure and seeking refuge from the fear of the Day of Resurrection were both added to it.

Issue 5: Metaphorical Description of the Day

Describing the Day as "stern/frowning" ('abus) is metaphorical in two ways:

1. Describing it with the attribute of its inhabitants (the wretched), similar to saying, "Your day is fasting" (Naharuka sa'im). It is narrated that the disbeliever will be held until sweat like tar flows from between his eyes.
2. Comparing its severity and harshness to a frowning lion or a fierce warrior.

Issue 6: The Meaning of Qamtrir

Al-Zajjaj said that in exegesis, Qamtrir means the drawing together of the face, causing the area between the eyes to contract. He said this is permissible in the language; it is said that a she-camel iqmaṭarrat when she raises her tail, gathers her hindquarters, and lifts her nose. Thus, the meaning of Qamtar in the language is "gathering/contracting."

Al-Kalbi said Qamtrir means "severe," which is the view of Al-Farra', Abu 'Ubaydah, Al-Mubarrid, and Ibn Qutaybah. They said, "A yawm qamṭarir or qamāṭir" means a day that is difficult and severe, the most intense of days and the longest in affliction. Al-Wahidi said this is one meaning, but the first interpretation [frowning face] is the intended one.

{So Allah will protect them from the evil of that Day and will bestow upon them radiance and joy.}