Overall meaning : Would any one of you—you who do good deeds only to be seen and praised by people and remind others of your favours—like to have a garden of palm trees and vines, with rivers flowing through them, and with all sorts of fruits in it, and its owner is stricken with old age, which has made his already intense interest grow even more as a result of being too feeble to earn a living, and he has offspring he is supporting and are still too young to look after themselves. Despite his dire need for this garden, it is stricken by a fiery whirlwind and is utterly scorched. Were the owner to see what has become of his garden, his heart would certainly be overcome with deep grief and sorrow. Such is the case of someone who spends his wealth with the initial intention of seeking Allah’s good pleasure and earns a great reward, then he renders all that reward worthless by following his charitable deeds with demands for gratitude from the recipients and insulting words. He ends up seeing all that reward of which he is so desperately in need after his death simply vanish! Thus does Allah make His signs clear so that people may reflect on them and take heed.
Allah then urges the believers to pay the prescribed charity (zakat) and voluntary charity from the best portion of the wealth they have lawfully earned and from the fruits, crops, minerals and buried treasures which He has brought out of the earth for them. He sternly warns them against giving away worthless things which they themselves would but reluctantly accept and would only take reluctantly and with disdain, all the while reminding them to be certain that He is surely self-sufficient and rich beyond need.
He further points out to His servants that Satan frightens and threatens them with the prospect of poverty if they give charity, and prompts them to be tight-fisted and to commit all sins and abominable acts, while Allah Almighty promises them His forgiveness for what they do and assures them that He will replace whatever they give to charity for them, increase their rewards and bless their worldly provision, for Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing. He grants wisdom to whomsoever He wills of His servants; those whom Allah blesses with wisdom have indeed been granted abundant good. Yet none benefits and takes heed of Allah’s admonitions—and thus call to mind His promise of reward and warning against punishment and do what He commands and avoids what He forbids—but those endowed with lively minds and good sense.
The Almighty then informs His servants that whatever they spend in charity and whatever solemn vows they make are all known to Him, for nothing is hidden from Him, and He will assuredly reward them for their good deeds. As for those who wrong themselves by not spending what they ought to spend and do not honour the solemn vows they make, they will have no helpers to protect them against Allah’s punishment on the Day of Judgement.
He further explains that it is good if they disclose their charity by giving it openly, as long as it is given sincerely to seek His good pleasure and it serves its purpose, but will be best for them if they hide it and give it to the poor in secret. Indeed, Allah erases sins with both open and secret acts of charity. He is well-acquainted with what people do and records all their acts, and according to their deeds, accordingly He will repay.
Then, addressing the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, Allah Almighty teaches him that it is not his responsibility to make people accept the truth. His sole responsibility is to show it and preach to them and leave the outcome with Allah, for it is Allah who truly guides whomever He wishes to His religion. The Almighty then notes that whatever charity people give will only rebound to their own advantage, that the charitable acts that will surely benefit those who give them are those given only for the love of Allah, thereby seeking His good pleasure and that whatever wealth people spend for Allah’s cause will be repaid to them on the Day of Judgement in full and not in the least diminished.
Next, He teaches that charity should be given to those who do not have enough to meet their needs—who are preoccupied with fighting for the cause of Allah and the enemy is lying in wait for them, such that they cannot possibly travel the land in quest of a livelihood and are, therefore, in straitened circumstances. Those who are unaware of their circumstances might think they are well-off on account of the fact that they keep their dignity and self-respect by abstaining from begging. What distinguishes them is that their real condition may be recognised from their faces, which can be perceived only by those who are good at making an accurate judgment of them through their facial features, looks or some of the expressions they use, and they never ever ask people for help in whatever manner, whether persistently or not. The Almighty then informs the believers that He has full knowledge of everything they spend, small or big, that He keeps count of all their good deeds and that He will reward them abundantly for them.
Then He assures those who give to charity at all times, day or night, in private or in public, that they will receive a great reward on the Day of Judgement, and that they will have nothing whatsoever to fear in the hereafter, nor will they grieve for whatever they leave behind in the life of the world.