Giving charity does not give one the right to remind everyone of their financial favours, or subject the poor to any form of difficulty. It is better to not give charity at all, if a person will go on to commit these forms of improper acts. Rather than doing this, they could have spoken well to the asker, declined them politely or sent them to someone else.

There is a great lesson to be learnt from this. People may initially give charity with great enthusiasm, but go on to remind others of their favours and hurt many hearts in the process. If such people become angry, they instantly begin expressing all the favours that they had done. For example, it is said:

*   He was poor before he met me, but now he speaks to me like he is someone special!

*   When his mother was in great distress in hospital, it was me who helped him.

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

Remember! There is only loss in speaking this way. As you have already given your money, do not lose your reward by taunting and expressing your favours. In verse 264 of Sūrah al-Baqarah, Allah has stated:

یٰۤاَ  یُّہَا  ا لَّذِیۡنَ   اٰمَنُوۡا   لَا   تُبۡطِلُوۡ ا   صَدَ  قٰتِکُمۡ    بِا لۡمَنِّ   وَ  الۡاَذٰی ۙ

O believers! Do not invalidate your charity by boasting of favours and by causing anguish.^[1]

In Tafsīr Madārik, Abū al-Barakāt ꜤAbdullah b. Aḥmad رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes regarding this verse: