Al-Furqaan - An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur'an

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67. “And those who when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, and are stationed between the two (extremes).”

The Arabic word /qawam/ means moderation and the word /qiwam/ means something as a help for standing.

Imam Rida (as) announced that moderate prodigality and expenditure is the famous criterion that is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 236:

“...the rich according to his means, and the straitened according to his means, a provision in a fair manner.”1

Imam Sadiq (as) in a tradition said:

“To spend for the sake of the falsehood is extravagance (though it is a little), and to be stingy in the path of the Truth is thrifty and frugal (/’iqtar/).”2

There is another verse that says:

“And do not make your hand to be shackled to your neck nor stretch it to the utmost (limit) of its stretching, so that you should sit down blamed, empty-handed.”3

In this holy verse, the fifth attribute of the servants of the Beneficent, which is moderation and avoiding any excess and defect in jobs and affairs, especially the issue of alms-giving, is mentioned.

It says:

“And those who when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, and are stationed between the two (extremes).”

It is interesting that this verse speaks in a way that it takes the issue of spending something which is certain and exists, so that it does not need mentioning, for it is one of the given duties of any man.

Thus it talks about the way and manner of the spending. It indicates that they have a just spending and are neither prodigal nor grudging. They neither spend so much that their wife and offspring gets hungry, nor they are so economical that other persons do not get help from them, and there is ever a firm station between the two.

Commentators have various opinions about the Qur’anic words /’israf/ (extravagance) and /’iqtar/ (to be economical).

All these opinions say one matter that /’israf/ is to spend too much, undue, and for the sake of none-Allah, and /’iqtar/ is to be less than what is necessary and right.