لَنۡ    تَنَا لُو ا   الۡبِرَّ   حَتّٰی  تُنۡفِقُوۡ  ا   مِمَّا   تُحِبُّوۡنَ  ۬ؕ         وَ  مَا  تُنۡفِقُوۡ  ا   مِنۡ    شَیۡ ءٍ    فَاِنَّ   اللّٰہَ    بِہٖ  عَلِیۡمٌ    (۹۲)

You shall never reach righteousness until you spend the thing you love in the way of Allah, and Allah is Aware of whatever you spend.^[1]

Sayyidunā ꜤAbdullah b. ꜤUmar رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا explains what this verse means beautifully: “The spending this verse mentions is general and unconditional. All charity, whether obligatory or voluntary, is included in this definition.”

Sayyidunā Ḥasan Baṣri رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه said, “Anything loved by the Muslims and given sincerely in charity is included in this verse, even if a date fruit.”

In a practical display of what this verse means for Muslims, sayyidunā ꜤUmar b. ꜤAbd al-ꜤAzīz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه would buy sacks of brown sugar and give them all in charity.  When someone asked why, he began to say, “I love brown sugar, so I seek to spend that which I love in the way of Allah.”

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب             صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Dear Islamic brothers! In this verse, notice how Allah encourages us to spend that we love the most in His path. Instead of being stingy, we should give charity generously with sincere intentions. Remember, everything we have is from Allah. If we give charity to please Him from