Quran Garden

Session 293

Chapter 2

Verse 265

And the example of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s approval, and as an affirmation of their own faith, are like a garden on a hill: heavy rainfalls and it produces double its normal yield; even if no heavy rain falls, it will still be watered by the dew. God sees all that you do.

(Chapter 2: Verse 265)

In the previous verse, Allah gave you the example of a person who gives charity to satisfy his or her ego in recognition.  It is a selfish, self-promoting act, not a selfless one to help others.  In this verse, Allah gives you the opposite example, so you can contrast the difference.  He says: ‘the example of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s approval.’  Seeking God’s approval means that the single intention behind giving is purely for God; other people are not part of the intention in any way. 

The verse continues ‘and as an affirmation of their own faith.’  What does it mean? We answer that ‘affirmation of their own faith’ refers to the struggle within the self.  When you give from your wealth, your faithful self collides with your worldly one.  The faithful self wants you to give, while the worldly self demands that you save and look after your own luxury.  The faithful self wants salvation, while the worldly self wants instant gratification.   When your faithful self overcomes your worldly one, it is an affirmation of faith, and a step towards true success. 

The phrase ‘‘affirmation of their own faith,’ also means that the believer loves him or herself deeply, not foolishly.   Let’s clarify the difference between true and foolish love with an example.  Say that your teenage son comes to you asking for a powerful sports car.  Would buying him a dangerously fast car prove your love or your foolishness? Or would denying the fast car, and buying him a safe, practical car be the true expression of love?  Similarly, helping others for the sake of faith and the hereafter is true self-love, not the foolish kind of indulgence and instant gratification.    

The verse continues: ‘the example of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s approval, and as an affirmation of their own faith, are like a garden on a hill: heavy rain falls and it produces double its normal yield; even if no heavy rain falls, it will still be watered by the dew.’  A garden, translated from the Arabic origin ‘Janna,’ means a place where there are dense greenery and vegetation to the extent that it conceals the people inside it.   ‘Janna’ -the same word used for paradise- means to cover and conceal.  Hence, whoever enters paradise will be covered and protected within its pleasures.

Allah gives you an example highlighting those who sincerely give to charity.  They have pure intentions seeking God’s approval and strengthening their faith against selfish desires.  The example is that of a person who enters a lush garden located at the top of a hill.  Why mention the high location? We answer that when a fertile land is situated higher than its surroundings, it reaps tremendous benefits.  When rain falls, it feeds the higher plants with the perfect amount of water.  Lower grounds, on the other hand, get flooded and oversaturated often causing the plant roots to rot.  These roots are now unable to absorb the necessary food, and the plant withers.  A garden on a hilltop takes in exactly what it requires of rainfall and ground nutrients.   

Another advantage of higher grounds is the cleansing of the leaves of trees.  As you know, leaves to plants are like lungs to humans.  They exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen.  When raindrops hit the leaves, it cleans them of dust and pollutants, allowing the plant to breathe better.  All these pollutants then drain and pool to the bottom of the hill.  God says: ‘heavy rain falls and it produces double its normal yield.’

Higher grounds also have access to unhindered sunlight allowing the plants to thrive through photosynthesis.  Plants on lower grounds have to compete for light and are often undernourished.  Allah taught us all these benefits well before modern science and experimentation proved them true.  Nowadays, scientists concluded that the best method of watering crops is via drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation resembling rain.     

This brings us back to the verse.  Allah teaches you that those who spend their wealth for His sake and to strengthen their faith are like a garden on a prime land being irrigated through the divine method.   It absorbs the necessary amount of water and nutrients and expels pollutants.  It receives the perfect amount of light and has the pure lungs to breathe and thrive. 

The verse continues: even if no heavy rain falls, it will still be watered by the dew.” Even in dry weather, higher grounds are hit by the cool morning breeze which deposits dew on their leaves.  When the sky drizzles, rather than rains, higher grounds are the only ones to catch it.  Either way, a garden on fertile soil on high grounds would give its owners good crops and a healthy yield.