Overall meaning : Allah Almighty addresses His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying: Your companions, Muhammad, ask you about the amount and type of what they should spend and the manner of spending it. In reply to this question, He instructs him to tell them that no specific amount is determined and no particular conditions must be fulfilled in this respect. They may spend any amount, big or small, and those who are more deserving of this are the close relatives, namely the parents and then the rest of the relatives, the next nearest first; then the neediest, namely the orphans who have no source of income; then the poor whose resources do not meet their needs and the travellers who cannot afford travel expenses to return to their homelands. The Almighty then assures the faithful that he is fully aware of all their acts of kindness and keeps count of them and that He will surely reward their good deeds.
He then informs them that He has prescribed fighting for them even though they dislike it, as it naturally involves considerable hardship, injuries, loss of life and a great deal of fear. But the fact of the matter is that its great benefits far outweigh the harm it is bound to cause. Such benefits include, among other things, gaining victory over the enemy, attaining martyrdom for those who fall in battle while anticipating divine reward and receiving a rich and abundant repayment in the hereafter. Conversely, the harm of evading fighting, which people generally have a natural inclination to avoid and to which they have a natural, strong aversion, is far greater than the only benefit of choosing not to fight and lag behind. Enemy domination and forfeiture of the great divine reward are two examples of such harm. In fact, this is the case with all good deeds even if people have an aversion to them, and also with all evil acts even if people tend to like them. However, Allah Almighty knows best what is good for them and is bound to harm them, and so they should obey His command and follow His law.
Then, addressing His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, Allah Almighty says: The believers ask you for guidance on fighting in the sacred months. In reply to this question, He teaches him to tell them that fighting in them is a heinous offence and a great sin due to their sanctity. However, the polytheists’ turning people away from following the right path, disbelieving in Allah, preventing access to Allah’s Sacred House and expelling the believers residing there from it is far graver and more sinful in the sight of Allah. Each such wicked act of theirs is a form of persecution, which is far worse and more serious than the fighting in which some Muslims have engaged in a sacred month. Allah then tells the believers about the bitter and intense hatred the unbelievers feel for them and their religion, stating that they will continue to fight them until they achieve their end, namely to make the believers renounce their faith and become unbelievers like them if they can, but they will never be able to do so. Whoever among the believers renounces his religion and dies an unbeliever, the Almighty warns, will have all his good deeds made null and void—with none whatsoever left to be rewarded in this world or in the world to come, and they will be among those doomed to Hellfire, to remain there forever.
As for the believers who have affirmed and embraced the truth, fled their homes, thereby seeking to break away from unbelievers and polytheists and safeguard their faith, and fought against Allah’s enemies to make His religion reign supreme, these truly hope for Allah’s mercy and honour, and they will surely be granted what they have hoped for; for Allah is All-forgiving, as He will conceal and forgive all their sins; All-Merciful, for having assisted them in doing such righteous deeds and for repaying them according to such good actions in this life and in the life to come.
Allah Almighty then addresses His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying: The believers ask you, Muhammad, about the ruling on intoxicating drinks and gambling. He teaches him to say to them, in reply to this query, that there is great harm and sin in both, including the fact that they stir up enmity and hatred among people and turn them away from remembering Allah and the prayer. They also have some benefits for people, He further adds, such as the feelings of elation wine produces and the material gains gambling can bring; however, a comparison between their benefit and harm would reveal that their harm is far greater than their benefit.
Still addressing His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the Almighty tells him that believers ask him for guidance relative to what they should spend in charity out of their wealth in Allah’s cause, and instructs him to tell them, in reply, that they may spend whatever is surplus to their needs.
Allah Almighty again informs him that they ask him for guidance on the best manner of dealing with orphans, after having found it extremely difficult to take ample precautions concerning their property for fear of doing wrong, so He instructs him to answer their question, saying that the prime aim is to manage it in their best interests by preserving and investing it for them. If they so for Allah’s sake without taking any wages in return, this would be best for them and greater in reward; but if they take some of their property in return for what they have done, such as mixing their property with theirs—concerning a certain crop, for instance—this would be perfectly permissible as long as this does not harm the orphans and their property in any way, because they are their brothers in faith, and brotherhood requires doing what is good for one’s brothers. However, the fact that Allah Almighty has full knowledge of everything serves as a warning to anyone who may be tempted to take anything of the orphans’ property unjustly. He knows the intentions of those who mean mischief and those who mean good, and He will repay them according to their intentions.
Indeed, such legislation and dispensation from Allah Almighty is meant to alleviate His servants’ hardships and remove all manner of difficulty for them even though He can cause hardship for them and make them face difficulty. He is All-Mighty, for nothing whatsoever can frustrate Him; All-Wise who puts things in their right places.