﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ سِرًّۭا وَعَلَانِيَةًۭ فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴾

“Those who spend their possessions [for the sake of God] by night and by day, secretly and openly, shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.”

The greatest way to spend money for the cause of God is to extend monetary help to those of God’s servants who have devoted themselves wholly to the cause of His religion, thus leaving themselves no time to earn for their personal needs. Just as a successful businessman has little free time for anything except his business, similarly one who serves the cause of religion full time has no time to work to make money for himself. Furthermore, each job shapes in a particular way the thinking of the person involved. One who involves himself in business develops the relevant skills, so that he is able to easily understand the complexities of commerce. But that same person will not be able to understand the nuances of religion’s cause. Similarly, a religious worker will not be able to successfully run a business, for he cannot concentrate on business matters due to his attention being diverted elsewhere. However, a society needs both kinds of activities. The solution to this problem is for those who possess monetary resources to arrange a share for those who, because of their religious commitments, are unable to provide for their own economic needs. This is like a tacit division of labour, which takes place between the two groups purely in order to earn God’s pleasure. The missionary, having devoted himself to God, does not ask anything from others, nor does he expect anything from them. On the other hand, those who are monetarily strong, knowing that they have amassed wealth through not devoting themselves to the cause of religion (which they should have done), think that they should, by way of compensation, give a share of their wealth to their brothers in faith. Spending for a peaceful religious struggle which brings no fame or laurels makes one all the more deserving of God’s blessings. For such spending is only to seek God’s pleasure.