Al-Mujaadila (The Pleading Woman)

12. O you who believe! When you intend to hold confidential talks with the Messenger, spend something in charity before your private counsel. That will be better and purer for you. But if you fail to afford it, then indeed, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Gracious.

The blessed Verse completes the preceding discussion on holding private counsels, saying that if you want to hold private counsels with Allah's Messenger (S), expend alms in Allah's Cause beforehand.

According to the Occasion of the Revelation of the blessed Verse, some people particularly some among the affluent bothered him by holding private counsels with him such that they annoyed others or aimed to seek privileges in vain. Besides, they wasted the precious time of the Noble Prophet (S). Revelation of the blessed Verse was a trial for them, a source of charitable offerings for the poor, and an efficient means for lessening such troubles.

The blessed Verse further adds:

“It s better and purer for you.”

Expending alms was better for the affluent since it was to the benefit of them as well as the poor. It was purer since expending in the Cause of Allah purifies the hearts of the affluent from cherishing worldly possessions and those of the needy from hatred and grief. When the affluent were supposed to expend alms before holding private counsels with the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) they held less counsels leading to purity for the intellectual and social milieu of the Muslim community.

The blessed Verse says:

“If you fail to afford [expending in Allah's Cause], God Almighty is Oft-Forgiving and Most Gracious,”

thereby the poor were able to hold private counsels with the Noble Prophet (S).

Therefore, those who could afford expending in Allah's Cause, had to pay alms and those who failed to afford it were still able to hold private counsels with the Noble Prophet (S). The majority of Shi‘i and Sunni exegetes maintain that the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (as), was the only one who acted upon the Injunction.

According to a tradition narrated from Imam ‘Ali (as), transmitted by Tabarsi, the Noble Imam (as) said:

“There is a Verse in the Qur’an upon which no one but me has acted or will act. I had a dinar which I converted to ten dirhams and whenever I intended to hold private counsels with the Noble Prophet (S), I expended a dirham before meeting with him.”1