Translation:
Who will give God a good gift that He will multiply back to him many times? God receives and increases (good deeds in value and reward). To Him you (all) return.130
Interpretation:
130 This is a very fundamental lesson of our human existence and a constant reminder of God’s grace on us. Doing good deeds and supporting good causes with money, materials, and personal time and effort are our responsibilities as people of faith and goodwill, yet God takes this effort and selfless giving as gifts to Him and rewards us in two ways: (1) with success, contentment, harmony, peace, and material well- being in this world, and (2) with habitation in Heaven in the Hereafter. God describes Heaven in terms of our own experiences so that we can relate to its surroundings and its goods and services. It is described as a beautiful garden with springs, rivers, and amenities the likes of which none of us has experienced. However, if we do not do good deeds, then failure, enmity, discontent, and lack of safety and security will befall us collectively. As God said in the Qur’an, He gives us what we strive for, irrespective of whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, or Buddhists (92:4–12). Addi- tionally, God said that what matters is not whether we turn to the East or the West (such as in Prayer or in a broader context, where you look for guidance and values) but what we believe in, our doing of good work, exhibiting outstanding human char- acter of charity, personal integrity, patience, truthfulness, and God consciousness, maintaining kinship, and freeing people out of bondage (2:115,177). What that means for us Muslims is that it is not enough for us to say that we are Muslims; our success or failure will be determined by what we do and how we do it and less on what we say.
Despite the spectacular success of the early Muslims and the unprecedented expansion of Muslim influence around the world until the 17th century, the last several centuries have been filled with tremendous misery and failure in the lands and lives of Muslims all over the world. This verse is an uplifting reminder that if we go back to our faith with humility and with having done good deeds we will be successful once again and the people of the world will welcome our success since it will benefit humanity as a whole.
It is important for people with faith to offer the world the gift of faith and good deeds without demanding anything in return. Yet the law of nature, as put into practice by God, says that he who gives will also receive from people and from God. This is as fundamental in Islamic teaching as the theory of cause and effect is in the physical world.
Reflection:
Most Muslims are comfortable having a claim to faith but are unwilling to take on the responsibility of doing good deeds for themselves, for their community, and for their country. Education, civil societies, and the rule of law are lacking in many Muslim lands, and this needs to change before we can truly claim to serve God. In a similar vein, for many Muslims who live in other societies as a minority, it is important to follow the rule of the land and work for the common good while raising their voices and exercising their rights to speak against injustice, prejudice, and hatred based on religion, ethnicity, and race. While many Muslims take strong exception to Switzerland’s attempts to ban minarets in Mosques or to Turkey’s continued ban on women wearing head coverings in public universities, the majority of Muslims are very silent about the injustice, superstitions, and tyranny in their own communities and countries and about the violence done to others in the name of our religion.
Action:
As God said in the Qur’an, each one of us is responsible for what we do, and that we will be questioned individually for our actions should be enough of a reminder for us to quickly begin doing good deeds and contributing to humanity positively in whatever way we can (2:286). I aspire to see a world where people of all faiths will realize that all religious teachings are fundamentally the same. We need to find common ground in order to create a peaceful and balanced world where everyone can pursue happiness and freedom without interference from others all while being true to their own faith.