Commenting on the abovementioned blessed Ayah, ‘Allamah ‘Alauddin ‘Ali Bin Muhammad رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has stated in Tafseer Khaazin: ‘expressing favour’ means that after giving something to somebody, mentioning it in the presence of others: I have given you so much and treated you in such a way. Thus to displease someone in this way is called expressing a favour. Hurting someone’s feelings means to make him feel ashamed. For example if it is said ‘you were poor, destitute, compelled, idle, etc. I took care of you’.

He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه further stated: If the beggar is not given anything, so speaking to him kindly and replying politely in such a manner that is not unpleasant for him is better than the Sadaqah after which he is annoyed and favour is mentioned to him. Similarly, if he insists on begging or speaks rudely, [so forgiving him is better than the Sadaqah after which he is annoyed and favour is mentioned to him]. (Tafseer Khaazin, part 3, Al-Baqarah, vol. 1, pp. 206)

Respect of Muslim

Dear Islamic brothers! Please ponder! Islam has greatly considered the respect of a Muslim. No one should hurt the feelings of his Muslim brother by expressing the favour that he does to him financially or by taunting him. A Muslim should respect his Muslim brother because by giving Sadaqah and charity, no one is allowed to defame the honour of a poor Muslim by constantly reminding him of his favours. From such Sadaqah it would have been better that he had not given him anything, but rather would have said something good, would have said sorry or would have sent him to someone else.

Here lies a moral lesson for those who after being excited first help the needy but afterwards taunt and insult them. If they get angry for anything, they instantly begin expressing all the favours that they had done to him. For example it is said:

1     I referred for the job of so and so and today he does not listen to me.

2      When his mother was in great distress in the hospital, I helped him.

3     I arranged his daughter’s wedding, and today he has forgotten all my favours, etc.