Translation
If you are niggardly with what God has given you out of His bounty, do not think it is good for you. No, it is a source of evil for you. On the Day of Resurrection, your niggardliness will manifest as a collar around your neck [to shame you] [see also 17:13]. Indeed, God has the inheritance of the heavens and the Earth, and God is fully aware of what you do!
God certainly heard what was said and who said it—“God is poor [2:45], and we are rich.” All is recorded—what was said, who said it, and the killing of prophets without justification [Matthew 23:37, 1 Thessalonians 2:15]. It will be said to them, “Taste the burning in fire for what you have said and done.” God is not the least bit unjust to His creations.223
As to those who say, “God has instructed us not to believe in messengers until they bring offerings consumed by fire,” [pre-Talmudic Jewish law, Lev. 1:9, Deut. 33:10] reply [to them], “Surely messengers came to you before me [Prophet Mohammad] with evidence of truth, which you yourself vouched for. Why did you then kill those messengers, if you are true to your belief?” If these people reject you now [O Prophet Mohammad], so had they rejected other messengers before who came with evidence and exposition of truth, divine revelations of wisdom, and books of enlightenment?224
Interpretation
223. Sharing and distribution of God’s bounty to human beings—materials, intellectual capabilities, natural resources, and so forth—in an equitable manner is an essential part of our humanity and a requirement for God consciousness. Not doing so is a serious moral and ethical crime worthy of serious consequence in this world and on the event of resurrection in front of God Almighty. This is a doctrine that we are failing miserably in the face of continued and widening disparity between haves and have-nots throughout the world and uncontrolled and selfish greed for wealth and material possessions, to the exclusion of others.
224. Rejection of messengers during the long Jewish history and throughout history in general is a stark reminder to all of us, even in our current generation, when we continue to reject truth and social justice in the form of self-centeredness, hoarding of resources by one group to the detriment of others, wanton disregard of environmental purity, constraining people’s freedom to choose and grow, restriction of the resources from God’s gift to all of us in an equitable manner, and continuous misinterpretation and rejections of truth contained in divine revelations (the Qur’an, the Bible, the Torah, and other books of ancient wisdom).
REFLECTION
God is drawing our attention to two fundamental principles of our being—(1) acceptance of truth and justice no matter who the bearer of this message is and (2) an equitable distribution of God-given resources to everyone, irrespective of faith, geography, or ethnicity.
ACTION
Today is the time to start paying attention to and developing a keen sense of what these fundamental principles are and begin a process of gradual internalization and realization in our lives and in our communities with a sense of urgency and a commitment to God and fellow humans.
Key Arabic Terms
69. Zubur: Divinely inspired book
70. Kitabil Munir: Book that illuminates or enlightens