63:10

وَأَنفِقُواْ مِن مَّا رَزَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوۡلَآ أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ قَرِيبٖ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ

Waanfiqoo min ma razaqnakum min qabli an yatiya ahadakumu almawtu fayaqoola rabbi lawla akhkhartanee ila ajalin qareebin faassaddaqa waakun mina alssaliheena

And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous."

Word by word
  1. وَأَنفِقُواْAnd spend
  2. مِنfrom
  3. مَّاwhat
  4. رَزَقۡنَٰكُمWe have provided you
  5. مِّنfrom
  6. قَبۡلِbefore
  7. أَن[that]
  8. يَأۡتِيَcomes
  9. أَحَدَكُمُ(to) one of you
  10. ٱلۡمَوۡتُthe death
  11. فَيَقُولَand he says
  12. رَبِّMy Lord
  13. لَوۡلَآWhy not
  14. أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓYou delay me
  15. إِلَىٰٓfor
  16. أَجَلٖa term
  17. قَرِيبٖnear
  18. فَأَصَّدَّقَso I would give charity
  19. وَأَكُنand be
  20. مِّنَamong
  21. ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَthe righteous
Al-Munafiqun · 63:10Madinah

Give now, before you beg for one more moment.

The wish everyone makes at the end


The last wish
death arrivesunannounced
they ask
"a little longer"just a short delay
to
give charityand be righteous
When to give
later, when I have moreone day
now, from what I havebefore the last wish

Allah tells believers to spend from what He gave them before death comes. Ibn Kathir says everyone who fell short will regret it at death and ask for a short delay to do better. The wish the verse quotes is specific: to give charity.

You keep meaning to set up that monthly donation. You will do it after the car is paid off, after the raise, after the move. The person in the verse said the same. Give the small amount you have today.

I will give more when I have more to spare.

The thing people wish for at death is to have given, so I give now.

Try this

Give any small amount to charity today, even the change in your pocket.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 63:9)

O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers (9)And spend of that with which We have provided you before death comes to one of you, and he says: "My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while, then I should give Sadaqah from my wealth, and be among the righteous (10)And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do (11)

The Importance of not being too concerned with the Matters of the Worldly Life, and being Charitable before Death

Allah the Exalted orders His faithful servants to remember Him frequently and to refrain from being distracted from His remembrance by indulging in their properties and children excessively. Allah informs them that those who engage in this life, its delights and attributes and were busied from the obedience and remembrance of Allah, for which they were created, will be among the losers. They will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Allah encourages the believers to spend in His cause,

وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

(And spend of that with which We have provided you before death comes to one of you, and he says: "My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while, then I should give Sadaqah from my wealth, and be among the righteous.)

Surely, every person who fell into shortcomings will regret it by the time of his death and will ask for respite, even a short period, so that he does better and attains what he missed. No, rather what occurred, has occurred and what is coming, shall indeed come. Each will be held accountable for his mistakes. As for the disbelievers, they will be as Allah said about them,

وَأَنْذِرِ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ الْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رَبَّنَا أَخِّرْنَا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ زَوَالٍ 

(And warn mankind of the Day when the torment will come unto them; then the wrongdoers will say:"Our Lord! Respite us for a little while, we will answer Your call and follow the Messengers!" (It will be said): "Had you not sworn aforetime that you would not leave.")(14:44), and,

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ - لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

(Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "My Lord! send me back. So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.)(23:99-100) Then Allah said;

وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

(And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) meaning, when the time of death comes, no one will be granted respite. Surely, HSe is the Most Knowledgeable and t an what they did before. Allah said,

وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ 

(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.)

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Munafiqun. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and all success and immunity from error come from Him.