Now we have reached towards the end of Surah Al-Baqarah, which in it, consists of 3 different stories with a same theme.
The first story is about Nabi Ibrahim AS and his debate with Namrud (ayat 258). The debate begins with Nabi Ibrahim AS telling Namrud that,
“My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,”
And he responded by bringing two men and commanded one of them to be killed and the other to let him be.
“See, I can do that too”
Even a kid would understand, that’s not what Nabi Ibrahim meant by “My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death”. I could imagine Nabi Ibrahim standing there with a facepalm, strange by Namrud’s response. Ok fine, you wanna play that game, here’s another question,
“Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.”
Checkmate.
The second story is about Nabi Uzair AS (ayat 259), a person who walks by a ruined town and questioned
“How will Allah bring this to life after its death?”
Thus Allah put him to sleep and eventually revived him back after 100 years. To prove a point again, Nabi Uzair then witnessed how Allah SWT literally sculpted a dead animal from its bone and brought it back to life.
The third story goes back to Nabi Ibrahim AS (ayat 260) but in a different setting. Just like Nabi Uzair, he also asked Allah,
“My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.”
Allah commanded him to
“Take four birds and commit them to yourself. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them; then call them – they will come [flying] to you in haste.”
Thus, based on these 3 stories, Allah is repeating the same message over and over again, hoping that we (the reader) are now convinced and come to believe. That,
There’s a life after Death.
So, if we are now convinced, then the next ayat is for us.
“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” (2;261)
At first, it might seem like the subject of discussion has drastically change. But actually, it’s not. This ayat urges us to make INFAQ in the path of Allah, right after He proves to us the certainty of the next life, the akhirat. Now why is that?
To understand this, we need to understand how we as humans spend our money in the first place. Generally speaking, we spend on things that we deem as important and might give us some benefits, either now (short-term benefits) or in the future (long-term benefits). The benefits could also be physical, such as spending to buy food and water so we can stay alive. But it could also be in the form of emotion such as pleasure. I’m pretty sure you won’t die if you don’t eat any KFC or drink Zus Coffee ever again. But still, you would spend RM 15 for a cup of coffee to fulfill your needs. Cuz for you, it is a necessity, not a luxury. (Bak kata cawan Zus coffee, kantoi salu beli Zus). The opposite is also true. We don’t spend on things that we deem to be unimportant and bring no benefits. Cuz why would we?
“Buang Duit la. Ingat duit tumbuh di pokok ka?.”
The keyword for spending is “Important” and “Benefits”.
Having said that. After going through 3 of stories, the question now is, are we truly convinced that Allah SWT could and will bring us back from the dead? That there is an eternal life, waiting for us on the other side. And on that day, every deed and wrongdoing of ours will be held accountable and as a result, its either Hell-fire or Jannah.
If so, then tell me. What could be more important than that upcoming day? What could be more benefiting than entering Jannah and returning to our Lord? The answer? Nothing. Hence, our logical and natural response after believing in the hereafter should only be,
“What should I do to assure my safety and happiness there?”
The Answer is on ayat 261, INFAQ in the path of Allah.
By accepting the existence of the akhirah, we are now force to shift from our worldly-centric view of life to an Akhirat-centric.
Where we no longer see this world as our greatest purpose, but rather as a means to attain the ultimate goal, Jannah. It’s no longer about fulfilling our temporary satisfaction here but rather achieving a peaceful and happy ending there. And to get that, we have and must INFAQ.
Accepting the fact that everything that we spent here, kalaulah untuk tujuan dunia semata-mata, maka it will eventually turn to dust (bring no benefits in the hereafter).
While everything we give for the sake of Allah in this world, no matter how small or insignificant it might be, will surely be rewarded, even in multiples. Cumanya, kadang-kadang the rewards that we are hoping for might not manifest itself in this life. But Yakinlah! it will surely be rewarded in the next.
All we need to do now is, GIVE. Give in the path of Allah. And the rest is up to Him. Belief Him and know that we will be rewarded. Trust Him and He will never fail to uphold His promise.