وَمَثَلُ الَّذِيۡنَ يُنۡفِقُوۡنَ اَمۡوَالَهُمُ ابۡتِغَآءَ مَرۡضَاتِ اللّٰهِ وَ تَثۡبِيۡتًا مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍۢ بِرَبۡوَةٍ اَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌ فَاٰتَتۡ اُكُلَهَا ضِعۡفَيۡنِ​ۚ فَاِنۡ لَّمۡ يُصِبۡهَا وَابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿2:265﴾اَيَوَدُّ اَحَدُكُمۡ اَنۡ تَكُوۡنَ لَهٗ جَنَّةٌ مِّنۡ نَّخِيۡلٍ وَّاَعۡنَابٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُۙ لَهٗ فِيۡهَا مِنۡ كُلِّ الثَّمَرٰتِۙ وَاَصَابَهُ الۡكِبَرُ وَلَهٗ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَآءُ ۖۚ فَاَصَابَهَاۤ اِعۡصَارٌ فِيۡهِ نَارٌ فَاحۡتَرَقَتۡ​ؕ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّٰهُ لَـكُمُ الۡاٰيٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:266﴾

(2:265) The example of those who spend their wealth single-mindedly to please Allah is that of a garden on a high ground. If a heavy rain smites it, it brings forth its fruits twofold, and if there is no heavy rain, even a light shower suffices it.³⁰⁶ Allah sees all that you do. (2:266) Would any of you desire that he should have a garden of palms and vines with rivers flowing beneath it – a garden in which he has every manner of fruit – and that it should then be struck by a fiery whirlwind and be utterly burnt down at a time when old age has overtaken him, and his offspring are still too small to look after their affairs?³⁰⁷ Thus does Allah make His teachings clear to you that you may reflect. 

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Notes

306. ‘Heavy rain’ signifies here charity motivated by a high degree of benevolence and sincerity. ‘Light shower’ refers to charity deficient in sincerity and goodness, though not altogether devoid of them. 

307. It is obvious that a man does not like to see the earnings of his lifetime destroyed in his old age, when he needs them badly and when he can no longer earn. How is it, then, that he can contemplate stepping into the realm of the Hereafter and finding suddenly that he is empty-handed; that he has sown nothing from which he can reap the fruit? In the Next World there will he no opportunity to begin earning anew. Whatever one can do towards ensuring one’s well-being in the Hereafter must he done in this world. If one devotes oneself totally to the pursuit of the riches of this world rather than to the Hereafter, one’s situation will be as pitiable as that of the age-stricken man whose orchard (his source of income in his old age) is reduced to ashes too late for him to produce a new one.