سورة الحديد

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): مَن ذَا الَّذِی یُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَیُضَاعِفَهُ لهُ ولهُ أَجْرٌ کَرِیمٌ [Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift so He will double it for him, and he shall have an excellent reward]; the meaning is paying money to the Imam (peace be upon him) during the rule of the corrupt.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mu'awiya ibn Ammar said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: مَن ذَا الذِی یُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا [Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift]. He said: "This verse is about silat al-rahim (upholding kinship ties), and what is meant by rahim (kinship) is the kinship of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Nothing is more beloved to Allah than giving money to the Imam (peace be upon him); a dirham that is given to the Imam (peace be upon him), Allah places it in Paradise like Mount Uhud; Allah says: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِی یُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً فَیُضاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَ لَهُ أَجْرٌ کَرِیمٌ [Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift so He will double it for him, and he shall have an excellent reward]; by Allah, this is specific to attending to and connecting with the Imam (peace be upon him).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): O Mayyah! One dirham that is delivered to the Imam (peace be upon him), its reward for the person will be heavier than Mount Uhud.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): One day Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to one of his students: "What have you learnt from me?" He said: "Master, I have learnt eight matters from you." He said: "State them so that I may know." He said: ... The fourth; I saw that everyone who obtains something that is dear to him, strives to preserve it and prevents its loss [and is stingy in spending it], and I saw that Allah the Exalted says: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِی یُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً فَیُضاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَ لَهُ أَجْرٌ کَرِیمٌ [Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift so He will double it for him, and he shall have an excellent reward]; I liked that what I have should be doubled and multiplied, so I spend in the way of Allah so that it may be a treasure for the day of my need. He said: "By Allah, well done to you."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Spend from your wealth, take from your bodies and add to your souls, and do not be miserly in giving, for Allah the Glorified said: 'If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet firm' (Muhammad/7), and He said: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِی یُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً فَیُضاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَ لَهُ أَجْرٌ کَرِیمٌ [Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift so He will double it for him, and he shall have an excellent reward]. His seeking help from you is not out of weakness, and His borrowing from you is not out of need. He has asked your help while the armies of the heavens and the earth are at His disposal, and Allah is Mighty and Wise; and He has sought a loan from you while the treasures of the heavens and the earth belong to Him, and Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy. Rather, He has willed to test you, to see which of you is best in deed. So hasten with your good deeds so that you may be among the neighbours of Allah in His abode, whose companions are the prophets (peace be upon them), and whose visitors are the angels. They are so honoured that they do not hear the faintest sound of the Fire, and no toil or weariness reaches their bodies.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: "I have granted the world in bounty among My servants (that is, they did not have a right to it), so whoever gives Me from it a loan by his own choice (that is, gives a recommended charity), I shall give him for each one of them tenfold up to seven hundred fold, and whatever else I wish beyond that."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): O son of Adam, I have shown you kindness and affection with three things: I concealed from you those deeds of yours which, if your family knew of them, they would shun you; I gave you ample provision, and along with that I sought a loan from you, yet you did not take the initiative in this good deed; and at the time of death I permitted you to dispose of a third of your wealth, yet even from that you did not perform any good deed.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic did not ask His creation for what is in their hands as a loan out of any need He has for it; rather, whatever right Allah has, it belongs only to His wali (guardian).

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): [A good loan (qard al-hasan) must have ten qualities; one is that:] this spending must be from lawful (halal) wealth, for the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: Allah is Pure and accepts nothing but what is pure, ... [another is that:] he should give while he still loves the wealth and hopes for life [not that he waits until he is in his death-throes and only then wants to give his wealth away]....