Surah Ali 'Imran, Ayah 184

Allah Warns the Idolators

Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, "When Allah's statement,

مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً

(Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times) 2:245 was revealed, the Jews said, `O Muhammad! Has your Lord become poor so that He asks His servants to give Him a loan' Allah sent down,

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ

(Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those (Jews) who say: "Truly, Allah is poor and we are rich!") 3:181."

This Hadith was collected by Ibn Marduwyah and Ibn Abi Hatim.

In the fifth verse (184), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been comforted by saying that he should not grieve at being falsified by his adversaries for this is something faced by all prophets in the past.

One comes to be called a believer by just repeating some words (kalimah), but so far as God is concerned, the would-be Muslim becomes a believer only when he sacrifices his life and his wealth for His cause. Without such a sacrifice, nobody’s faith is credible in the eyes of God. One thinks that by safeguarding one’s money one is safeguarding one’s worldly future. But man’s real future is that which pertains to the Hereafter. And money amassed for worldly purposes will only prove to be a curse for the hoarder.