The word بِر suggests to always being inclined towards doing good and whenever an opportunity to do good arises, you always grab it. It is like you are always looking for gateways of doing good. It is a natural tendency of a person, an inherent quality to do all kinds of good deeds as if it’s part of their nature. So how do we reach this level? Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala has given us the formula: 'spend from what you love'. In other words, be Selfless, Kind and Generous and give to others without looking for personal gain.
According to the tafseer of this ayah by Al-Sa’adi رحمه الله , this spending includes: • Spending from the fine things / possessions إنفاق نفائس الأموال • Spending when you yourself are in need of it والإنفاق في حال حاجة المنفق إلى ما أنفقه • Spending while being healthy والإنفاق في حال الصحة .
Now, if we honestly scrutinize ourselves, where do we stand in this regard? Do we really give out from our best possessions? Do we give away our prettiest clothes or the old, less desirable ones? Do we give the best portion of fresh food to our housemaids and poor people or a week old stale food and semi-rotten fruits? How often it happens that when you receive an undesirable gift, you just pass it on to someone else? The list goes on…
Let’s Address an even tougher question now, i.e. spending from what you yourself are in need of, not merely what you love! It’s quite possible that you love something but you don’t really need it. It’s just that you are finding it hard to let it go and giving it away would not affect your life in anyway. What if you are actually in need of that thing but find out that someone else also needs it. What will you do? Will you keep it for yourself or give it to someone more needy? It’s easier to spend from the surplus but the real test is when you spend on others from the 'little' that you have. Later in this Surah, among the many qualities of pious people, Allah SWT says:
ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِى ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ... 'those who give, both in prosperity and adversity….' (3:134) Allah has promised such people His forgiveness and the gardens of paradise.
If we summarize the whole point, this appears to be a formula for infinite goodness. As you spend selflessly to please Allah, you will increase in pietyالبِر)). The more you increase in البِر, the more you will be inclined to do good, which means you will spend more and as a result, reach a higher level of piety. Thus, the cycle goes on. والله أعلم بالصواب
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