Page 73 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar

things sincerely in order to gain the approval of Allah, as is the case
with believers, but to show off to others. The situation of such peo-
ple is described as follows in one verse:
You who believe! Do not nullify your charity by demands
for gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his
wealth, showing off to people and not believing in Allah
and the Last Day. His likeness is that of a smooth rock
coated with soil, which, when heavy rain falls on it, is left
stripped bare. They have no power over anything they have
earned. Allah does not guide disbelieving people. (Surat al-
Baqara, 264)
Such people donate large sums of money to organizations set
up to help the poor or orphans. Yet these donations inevitably take
place in the media spotlight, where hundreds of thousands can wit-
ness this philanthropy. And that is the goal in mind. These people
are in fact very mean and never make the slightest effort to help oth-
ers. With these ostentatious donations, they are actually engaging in
a form of commerce. In return for the money they donate, they are
purchasing a good image in society, which feeds their pride and rep-
resents a kind of capital for even more profitable investments. It is
revealed in the Qur'an that such people are actually very parsimo-
nious and that the alms they donate are given solely for reasons of
show:
As for those who are tight-fisted and direct others to be
tight-fisted, and hide the bounty Allah has given them, We
have prepared a humiliating punishment for those who
disbelieve, and also for those who spend their wealth to
show off to people, not believing in Allah and the Last Day.
Anyone who has made satan his comrade, what an evil
comrade he is! What harm would it have done them to have

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