Help Yourself by Helping Others - Ramadhan Reflections 2019 [Day 21]

 The attribute of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is like the attribute of a grain (of corn) which sprouts seven ears, each ear bearing a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies further for whomsoever He pleases, for Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing. (2:261) Commentary NUMBER 100: Helping the less fortunate people of the society is something which the Quran has emphasized in many verses and is a hall-mark of the message of the Prophet ] from his earliest days in Mecca.  In this portion of Surah al-Baqara, it is not only one or two verses which speak about charity, and giving to others and other such related topics, but rather there are 24 verses back to back which introduce charity, financial assistance, economic equality and other such topics. The above verse which we are focusing on speaks about charity and Allah presents us with a  parable so that we may further appreciate, based on our very simplistic look at our relationship with Allah, that when we give in his way, we get many fold back from Him. Charity is one of the most important topics which Islam has laid emphasis on within the Quran and the statements of the Prophet and his family and we are constantly told that it is not enough to have a celestial connection, but we must also maintain our terrestrial connection and ensure that our family, family and even strangers – Muslims or not - who are in need, are looked after. In this passage, Allah teaches us by means of a parable and tells us that those who give of their wealth in the way of Allah, their comparison is like the planting of a seed in the ground from which sprouts seven ‘shoots’; from every ‘shoot’ there come one hundred seeds – totaling 700. However that is not the end of it as Allah clearly says that He increases (in the reward) of whomsoever He pleases – therefore, our rewards are not limited to a multiplier of 700 – they are endless and Allah is generous in giving and He knows all. If we pay attention to this parable, we will realize that Allah compared the person who gives in His way to be like the seed planted in the ground which gives back so much. However, He “should have” compared THEIR ACTIONS – not the person themselves! This is something to reflect upon and perhaps Allah worded it like this to get us to think about the depths of profundity about giving charity in His way that our actions stem from that which is deep within our souls and the more that our actions take on deeper role in our spiritual heart, in reality, the more we are growing – at a spiritual level. In other words, the Quran is showing us that there is a connection between a person’s actions and the actions themselves and they are ‘two sides of the same coin’. Therefore, it is not only a ‘monetary’ reward which we should be looking forward to, that 700x reward, but rather, a spiritual expanse of 700x of our inner-heart and core.  Point of Reflection When we “give” to others – let us never think that we are “doing them” a favour. Rather, we are doing ourselves a favour by fulfilling our religious obligations for which we ask Allah to not only give us rewards in the life to come, but more importantly, that we can spiritually grow in this world – right now.