ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ 3
Translations
Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,
Transliteration
Alladhīna yu'minūna bil-ghaybi wa yuqīmūna as-salāta wa mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the characteristics of the God-fearing believers (al-muttaqūn) mentioned in the preceding ayah: they believe in the unseen (the existence of Allah, the Hereafter, and divine revelation without sensory proof), establish the prayer with consistency and devotion, and spend from the provision Allah has granted them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that these three qualities—faith in the unseen, proper prayer, and charitable spending—represent the comprehensive framework of Islamic practice, encompassing belief ('aqīdah), worship ('ibādah), and social responsibility (mu'āmalāt).
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the opening section of Surah Al-Baqarah (the second surah, revealed in Madinah), which immediately follows the ayah describing those who are heedless. These verses establish the foundational characteristics of righteous believers as a contrast to those who reject faith, setting the spiritual and ethical tone for the remainder of the surah and the broader Quranic message.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best of people are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day' (Sahih Bukhari 3461). Additionally, the hadith 'Wealth and children are adornments of this life, but eternal good deeds are better' (Surah Al-Kahf 18:46, with related hadiths in At-Tirmidhi) emphasizes the spiritual priority of righteous deeds over material possessions.
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith is not merely intellectual assent but manifests through consistent worship and practical compassion toward others; believers demonstrate their sincerity to Allah by maintaining discipline in prayer and generously sharing their blessings, recognizing that all provision comes from the Divine. This ayah teaches that spiritual conviction and moral action are inseparable pillars of a meaningful Islamic life.
Related Ayahs
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـٰقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ ۖ قَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُوا۟ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِهِۦٓ إِيمَـٰنُكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."
وَلَمَّا بَرَزُوا۟ لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, "Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ ٱلْبَقَرَ تَشَـٰبَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ
They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allāh wills, will be guided."