سورة البقرة

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): This verse was revealed concerning Ashab al-Suffa (a group of the emigrants who, due to poverty, lived on a stone step in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): They were nearly four hundred men who had neither houses in the city of Madinah nor families and relatives to take refuge with, so they resided in the mosque and said: We will go out with every army the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) sends [and thus leave the mosque]. Allah encouraged people to help them, so whoever ate food and had any left over would take it to them in the evening.

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): The view [of ours, which lies] between jabr (compulsion) and tafwid (delegation), is: testing, trial, and severe examination; according to the capacity and ability that has been given to the servant. The explanation and elucidation of these matters is in the same five examples that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) mentioned (soundness of body, freedom of the road, sufficient time, provision for the journey, and the means of motivation), which [those five instances] gather together all of merit, and I, by the will of Allah, will explain them with statements and evidences from the Quran ... And as for the provision, it means financial capacity and expenses by which the servant can seek help in carrying out the divine duties. As He has said in the Quran: ما عَلَی الْمُحْسِنِینَ مِنْ سَبِیلٍ [There is no way (of blame) against the doers of good] ... [The blame is on those who, despite being wealthy, seek permission to hold back] Do you not see that Allah has accepted the excuse of one who has no wealth to spend, and has not excused those who possess provision and mount for Hajj and Jihad and the like, and likewise has exempted the destitute (regarding zakat) and has established a right for them in the wealth of the rich?! Allah has said: لِلْفُقَراءِ الَّذِینَ أُحْصِرُوا فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ [(Alms are) for the poor who are confined in the way of Allah] ... He has commanded that they [the destitute] be exempted [from financial obligations] and He has not demanded of them readiness to perform duties which they do not have the financial capacity to carry out.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): They are those who do not beg from people importunately, and are content, and preserve their outward appearance (they keep their faces red by slapping them and practise patience). They do not beg from people importunately, and they are unable to travel through the land to secure their livelihood, and out of the intensity of their self-restraint, the uninformed person supposes them to be wealthy.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Considering the statement of Allah the Exalted: لِلْفُقَراءِ الَّذِینَ أُحْصِرُوا فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ لا یَسْتَطِیعُونَ ضَرْباً فِی الْأَرْضِ یَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجاهِلُ أَغْنِیاءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُمْ بِسِیماهُمْ لا یَسْئَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحافاً [(Alms are) for the poor who are confined in the way of Allah — they cannot go about in the land; the ignorant man thinks them to be rich on account of their abstaining (from begging); you can recognise them by their mark; they do not beg from men importunately]; the poor are those who do not ask and beg.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): The poor [in this verse] are those who do not beg or ask anyone, and they endure hardships and rebukes [in order to provide sustenance] for their families, and the sign and distinguishing mark of them is that they are people who do not ask for help or beg.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): There are three types of hands until the Day of Judgement: the exalted hand of Allah, the hand of the generous giver who is asked, and the lower hand of the beggar who asks. If someone begs [and asks for something] while he already has what makes him free of need, his request will appear on the Day of Judgement in the form of insects like mosquitoes, flies, and aphids upon his face. The Imam (peace be upon him) was asked: "What is self-sufficiency?" He said: "Possessing fifty dirhams or its equivalent in gold."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): When Allah revealed the verse لِلْفُقَراءِ الَّذِینَ أُحْصِرُوا فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ [Alms are for the poor who are confined in the way of Allah], Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf sent a large amount of dinars to the People of the Suffa to make them free of need, and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) in the middle of the night sent one camel-load of dates. So the charity of Ali (peace be upon him), out of those two charities, was more beloved to the Lord [because charity at night and in secret is more valuable than charity by day and in the open], and the verse الَّذِینَ یُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِالَّیْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَ عَلَانِیَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لا هُمْ یَحْزَنُونَ [Those who spend their wealth by night and by day, secretly and openly, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve] was revealed.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah has disapproved for you three things. It was said: "What are they?" He said: "Asking and begging much, wasting wealth, disobedience to mothers, and burying daughters alive."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Things are of two kinds: some things are not my provision — they have not been given to me before, and I have no hope of receiving them in the future either. And some things I will not reach until their time comes; even if I seek the help of all the powers of the heavens and the earth to attain them. How astonishing is the affair of man, who rejoices at obtaining something he had not obtained before. If he reflects properly, he will understand that this matter is in the hand and disposition of Allah. For this reason he restricts his effort to what is possible for him, and does not exert himself for what is difficult and beyond his power. As a result, he attains peace of heart in the face of difficulties. For the sake of which of these two things should I spend my life?! Be of those who, though inwardly at the peak of poverty and destitution, are outwardly the best of people. Know poverty and destitution to be the most cheerful of countenances. Allah the Great teaches His believing, knowing servants in the best manner. He has said: یَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجاهِلُ أَغْنِیاءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ، تَعْرِفُهُمْ بِسِیماهُمْ لا یَسْئَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحافاً [The ignorant man thinks them to be rich on account of their abstaining from begging; you can recognise them by their mark; they do not beg from men importunately].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah becomes angry with one who insists greatly [upon people in order to take wealth from them].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah has not apologised to any angel brought near or any messenger prophet, except to the needy among our Shia. It was asked of the Imam (peace be upon him): "How does He apologise to them?" [He said:] "A caller calls out: 'Where are the poor among the believers?' Then a group from among the people rise, and the Lord manifests Himself to them and says: 'By My might, My majesty, My greatness, My blessings, and My exalted station, I did not withhold the pleasures of the world from you in the abode of the world because you were lowly in My sight, rather I stored them up for you for such a day as this.'" The Imam (peace be upon him) added: "Do you not see in His saying 'I did not withhold My blessings from you in the world except…' the manner of apology? [As though Allah says:] 'Rise today and look at the faces of My servants one by one, and whoever you find has done you a favour, even to the extent of giving you a drink of water, requite him on My behalf with Paradise.'"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah [on the Day of Resurrection] apologises to His needy believing servant just as one brother apologises to his brother. Allah says: By My might and majesty! I did not make you poor because you were lowly in My sight. Now open your eyes and see what I have stored up for you in exchange for the world. He opens his eyes and sees what Allah has given him in exchange for the world, and says: "Given these things You have given me in exchange for the world, what You withheld from me has done me no harm."