Transliteration:( Yaqoolu ahlaktu maalal lubadaa )
6. Reason for its Revelation:
This verse was revealed regarding either Walid bin Mugheerah who became the enemy of Holy Prophet ? and gave people bribes to stop them from accepting Islam. But he could not stop the progress of Islam. Eventually he regretfully expressed these words: "I have wasted heaps of wealth." From it we can understand that only that wealth is the mercy of Allah Almighty, which is spent on good things. Spending it on evil things can become the means of regret in the world and disgrace in the Hereafter. From this those people should take lessons who spend extravagantly to obtain membership of social organizations and ministerial posts, as well as irreligious customs during weddings. Or, this verse is revealed regarding Usaid bin Kaleedah who had arrogantly said to the Holy Prophet ? that he had spent a large sum of money in service of man; that he is generous and benevolent. Under such circumstances this verse can prove beneficial that any charity whose object is not to obtain the pleasure of Allah Almighty but for name and fame and to maintain irreligious customs is in reality destruction of that wealth. Observe, Allah Almighty has called this spending destruction of the wealth, an exercise in futility.
The tafsir of Surah Balad verse 6 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Balad ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 10.
(90:6) He says: “I have squandered enormous wealth.”[7]
7. Literally: I have destroyed heaps of wealth, i.e. squandered and wasted it. These words show how proud the speaker was of his wealth. The heaps of wealth, that he spent was so insignificant as against his total wealth that he did not mind squandering it carelessly. And to what purpose did he squander it? Not for a genuine, good cause as becomes evident from the following verses, but for display of his wealth and expression of his pride and glory. Bestowing rich awards on poetic admirers, inviting and feeding hundreds of thousands of people on marriage and death ceremonies, gambling away heaps of wealth, attending festivals with large entourages, trying to excel others in display of glory and grandeur, having heaps of food cooked on ceremonial occasions and throwing invitations to all and sundry to come and eat, or arranging and supplying running meals at the residence so as to impress the people around with one’s generosity and large heartedness; such were the expenditures of ostentation, which in the days of ignorance were regarded as a symbol of man’s munificence and magnanimity, and a sign of his greatness. For these they were praised and admired; on these their praises were sung; and on account of these they prided themselves against the less fortunate.
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