ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ
[Charity is] for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of Allah, unable to move about in the land. An ignorant [person] would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their [characteristic] sign. They do not ask people persistently [or at all]. And whatever you spend of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.
Tafsir
Verse range: 2:273
"For the poor who have been restricted..."
The prepositional phrase [“for the poor”] is connected to an omitted verb. The meaning is: "Direct [your charity] to the poor," and "make what you spend for the poor," similar to His saying: "...in nine signs" (al-Naml: 12). It is also possible that it is the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: "Your charities are for the poor."
"...who have been restricted in the way of Allah..."
They are those whom Jihad has restricted.
"...they are unable..."
Due to their preoccupation with it [Jihad].
"...to travel in the land..."
For the purpose of earning a living. It is also said that they are the Ahl al-Suffah (People of the Bench). They were about four hundred men from the Emigrants of Quraysh who had neither homes nor clans in Medina. They stayed in the Suffah of the Mosque—its shaded porch—learning the Quran by night and cracking date pits by day. They would go out on every military expedition sent by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and whoever had surplus would bring it to them in the evening.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood one day before the Ahl al-Suffah and saw their poverty, their hardship, and the purity of their hearts. He said: "Rejoice, O Ahl al-Suffah! Whoever among my nation remains in the state you are in, content with what he has, he shall be my companion in Paradise."
"...the ignorant person thinks them wealthy because of their restraint..."
Because of their condition, they are thought to be self-sufficient due to their restraint from asking.
"...you will know them by their mark..."
By the paleness of their faces and the shabbiness of their condition.
Al-Ilhaf (importunity) is persistence; it is to cling to someone and not leave them until something is given, derived from the saying: "He gave me from the surplus of his cloak (lihaf)," meaning he gave me from the surplus of what he had.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Verily, Allah the Exalted loves the modest, the forbearing, and the chaste, and He hates the obscene, the beggar, and the importunate."
Its meaning is that if they do ask, they ask with gentleness and do not importune. It is also said that it is a negation of both asking and importunity entirely, similar to the verse: "On a pathless road, whose landmarks cannot be followed," where he intends the negation of both the landmark and the following of it.
