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Quran 2:264

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Quran 2:264
Verse's Information
SuraSura al-Baqara (Qur'an 2)
Verse264
Juz'3
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
Related VersesQur'an 2:263 • Qur'an 2:265


Qur'an 2:264 addresses believers, prohibiting them from rendering their charity (spending) void by reminding recipients of their favors or causing them annoyance. Following a discussion on those who invalidate their good deeds through such conduct, the verse likens them to a hypocrite whose ostentation (showing off) nullifies his actions. A group of scholars cites this verse as evidence for the theological concept of the nullification of deeds.

According to various commentators, the verse employs a parable comparing the charity of an ostentatious person to a smooth, hard rock covered with a thin layer of soil and seeds. When a heavy rain falls, it washes away the soil and seeds, leaving the rock bare. As explained in al-Mizan, while heavy rain typically causes soil to flourish with greenery, the hardness of the underlying surface prevents the water and soil from yielding any benefit. The verse thus illustrates that hypocrites, by showing off their charity, forfeit both their original wealth and the spiritual rewards of the act.

The verse concludes by stating that God does not guide disbelievers. Commentators offer differing interpretations regarding why disbelievers are denied guidance from God. Abdullah Jawadi Amuli, a Shi'a exegete, posits that the disbeliever is deprived of "specific ontological guidance" (guidance that leads to the ultimate goal), a privilege reserved exclusively for believers.

General Points

Shi'a exegetes maintain that Qur'an 2:264 is directed at believers, forbidding them from nullifying their charity by reminding recipients of favors or causing them distress.[1] Exegetes clarify that in such cases, the needy person still acquires ownership of the charity; the prohibition merely renders the act spiritually ineffective for the giver. In other words, legal effects—such as the transfer of ownership and the permissibility of using the wealth—remain intact, even though the reward and blessings for the donor are destroyed.[2]

According to Muqaddas al-Ardabili, a Shi'a jurist, this verse establishes that reminding others of favors, causing annoyance, and practicing ostentation are haram (forbidden), while sincerity in spending is obligatory.[3] In a hadith, Imam al-Rida (a) described the best form of maintaining kinship ties as refraining from annoying relatives, citing the opening sentence of this verse as evidence.[4] Furthermore, a narration from Imam al-Jawad (a) suggests that the "annoyance" mentioned in the verse extends beyond the needy; annoying the angels or the Imam can also nullify one's charity.[5] A group of researchers cites this verse as proof for the concept of the nullification of deeds.[6]

In this context, "Sadaqa" refers to proper spending and charitable acts that fulfill all necessary conditions.[7] Abdullah Jawadi Amuli defines "Mann" (reminding of favors) as enumerating and boasting about a favor with the intent of asserting superiority or humiliating the recipient. He argues that reminding of favors and causing annoyance are major sins that lead to the "Habt" (nullification) of deeds such as charity.[8] By contrast, Qur'an 2:265 provides a parable describing those who spend in the way of God with Faith and Sincerity.[9]

Comparison of Charity with Reminding and Ostentation

Qur'an 2:264 draws a parallel between those who nullify their good deeds through reminding and annoyance and those who practice charity for ostentation. The ostentatious person lacks faith in God or the Resurrection while performing theatrical acts of charity, as his actions are not born of sincere conviction.[10] Jawadi Amuli contends that this comparison highlights the severity of the theological sin of ostentation, which he regards as graver than practical sins such as reminding of favors or causing annoyance.[11]

The Parable and Commentators' Views

There is a divergence of opinion among commentators regarding the subject of the parable in Qur'an 2:264. One group of exegetes holds that the verse uses the metaphor of a smooth, hard rock covered with soil and seeds to describe the charity and actions of an ostentatious person. When a heavy downpour strikes, it washes away the soil and seeds, leaving the rock bare.[12] al-Mizan elaborates that while heavy rain and soil typically foster growth, the hardness of the underlying rock prevents any such fruition.[13]

According to Atyab al-bayan, this parable applies to three categories of people: those who give charity while reminding and annoying, those who spend out of ostentation, and those who disbelieve in God and the Resurrection.[14] Tafsir-i nimuna, however, mentions only the first two groups.[15] Abu al-Futuh al-Razi[16] and Muhammad Jawad Balaghi[17] identify the hypocrite who lacks faith in God as the primary subject of this parable.

al-Shaykh al-Tusi asserts that God presents this verse as a parable for the deeds of both the hypocrite and the person who reminds others of favors. Whenever these individuals perform an act without sincerity or accompany charity with reminding and annoyance, they forfeit any reward.[18] Conversely, some scholars suggest that while their actions initially merit a reward, it is subsequently destroyed by the acts of reminding and ostentation.[19]

Loss of Capital and Reward

Based on the exegetical interpretation of the phrase "they shall not be able to gain anything of what they have earned," ostentatious individuals lose both their original capital and its spiritual rewards after engaging in showing off.[20] Some commentators, however, mention only the loss of the reward.[21]

Non-Guidance of Disbelievers

In Majma' al-bayan, al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi proposes three interpretations for the phrase "and Allah does not guide the disbelieving people":

  • Disbelievers receive no reward for their deeds, as disbelief causes the nullification of actions. God rewards only believers for correctly performed good deeds.
  • God does not guide disbelievers to Paradise on the basis of their deeds, whereas He guides believers.
  • God withholds His grace and special success from disbelievers.[22]

Jawadi Amuli interprets the disbeliever's deprivation of divine guidance as a denial of "specific ontological guidance" (reaching the goal), a privilege reserved for believers. He attributes this exclusion to the inner disbelief of disbelievers and hypocrites.[23] In his view, all humans benefit from "general ontological guidance" based on Qur'an 20:50 and Legislative Guidance based on Qur'an 2:185.[24] 'Allama Tabataba'i posits that an ostentatious person, during the act of ostentation, is classified among the disbelievers, citing the concluding sentence of the verse as evidence.[25] It has also been suggested that this sentence alludes to the classification of annoyance, reminding of favors, and ostentation as attributes of disbelievers; thus, God does not guide those who spend while exhibiting such traits.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 363-364; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnih, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 324.
  2. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, 1378 Sh, vol. 3, p. 41; Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 366.
  3. ↑ al-Ardabilī, Zubdat al-bayān, p. 203.
  4. ↑ Ibn Shuʿba al-Ḥarrānī, Tuḥaf al-ʿuqūl, 1404 AH, p. 445.
  5. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 65, p. 159.
  6. ↑ al-Khūʾī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, 1418 AH, vol. 9, p. 218; Arākī, Kitāb al-ṭahāra, 1413 AH, vol. 1, p. 681; Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 370.
  7. ↑ Bānū Amīn, Makhzan al-ʿirfān, 1361 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 422-423; Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 355.
  8. ↑ Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 338, 343.
  9. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnih, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 325.
  10. ↑ Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 389.
  11. ↑ Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 369.
  12. ↑ Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 390; Shubbar, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-karīm, 1435 AH, p. 87; Sabziwārī Najafī, Irshād al-adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 49; Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 362.
  13. ↑ Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 390.
  14. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, 1378 Sh, vol. 3, p. 42.
  15. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnih, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 325.
  16. ↑ Abū al-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 4, p. 54.
  17. ↑ Balāghī Najafī, Ālāʾ al-Raḥmān, 1420 AH, vol. 1, p. 234.
  18. ↑ al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 336; al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 650.
  19. ↑ al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 336.
  20. ↑ Balāghī Najafī, Ālāʾ al-Raḥmān, 1420 AH, vol. 1, pp. 234-235; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnih, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 325.
  21. ↑ Shubbar, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-karīm, 1435 AH, p. 87; Abū al-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 4, p. 56; Sabziwārī Najafī, Irshād al-adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 49.
  22. ↑ al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 650.
  23. ↑ Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 372-373.
  24. ↑ Javādī Āmulī, Tasnim, 1388 Sh, vol. 12, p. 372.
  25. ↑ Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 390.
  26. ↑ Fāḍil Kāẓimī, Masālik al-afhām, 1365 Sh, vol. 2, p. 63.

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