وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍ بِرَبْوَةٍ أَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌ فَآتَتْ أُكُلَهَا ضِعْفَيْنِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُصِبْهَا وَابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ﴿۲۶۵﴾ أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِنْ نَخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَأَصَابَهُ الْكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَاءُ فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿۲۶۶﴾
﴾265﴿ Wa masalul lazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahu mubtighaaa'a mardaatil laahi wa tasbeetam min anfusihim kamasali jannatim birabwatin asaabahaa waabilun fa aatat ukulahaa di'faini fa il lam yusibhaa waabilun fatall; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Baseer
﴾266﴿ Ayawaddu ahadukum an takoona lahoo jannatum min nakheelinw wa a'naabin tajree min tahtihal anhaaru lahoo feehaa min kullis samaraati wa asaabahul kibaru wa lahoo zurriyyatun du'afaaa'u fa asaabahaaa i'saarun feehi naarun fahtaraqat; kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu lakumul aayaati la'allakum tatafakkaroon
﴾265﴿ And the example of those who spend their wealth seeking the pleasure of Allah and to strengthen their souls is like a garden on fertile ground. Heavy rain falls upon it, and it yields its fruits in abundance. And if no heavy rain falls, then a light drizzle suffices. And Allah sees well all that you do.
﴾266﴿ Would any one of you wish to have a garden of date palms and grapevines, with rivers flowing beneath it, in which he has every kind of fruit, and he reaches old age while his children are weak—then a whirlwind with fire strikes it, and it is burned?
In this way, Allah makes clear to you the parables so that you may reflect.
[265] This third example illustrates proper spending.
It refers to one who spends their wealth in rightful ways—excluding things like jihad and da'wah (which are covered in earlier examples)—and here two affirmative conditions are mentioned:
(1) Seeking the pleasure of Allah, not worldly gain or showing off.
(2) Strengthening one’s heart in faith, because charity deepens faith.
The heart of such a person is compared to a fertile high ground—just as such land is rich and productive, their heart is filled with faith.
Their sincerity is likened to a garden that constantly bears fruit.
Heavy rain (wābil) symbolizes abundant charity,
Light drizzle (ṭall) symbolizes limited charity.
In both cases, benefit comes—if both conditions are fully present, the example is like heavy rain; if only one is present or if the conditions are weaker, it is like light rain—but still fruitful.
“Tathbītan min anfusihim” can mean:
They reinforce themselves through righteous deeds.
They firmly believe in Allah’s reward.
[266] This verse presents the fourth example, which applies to those who spend wastefully or unjustly.
The message is this: imagine a man who owns a garden filled with every kind of fruitful tree, and he delights in it—just like someone who spends on sinful acts or innovations and feels pleased when praised by others.
It is like an old man who can no longer earn, just as this person can no longer do good deeds.
His children are weak and in need of what he wastes—thus he is unjust, consuming the rights of others.
As the garden is destroyed by a stormy wind with fire, likewise if such a person dies in that state without repentance, he will be left devastated and sorrowful.
This is also like someone who once performed good deeds, but later engaged in acts of shirk or innovation—thereby losing all the reward of his earlier deeds.