Quran Universe
36:47

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ أَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَنُطۡعِمُ مَن لَّوۡ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ أَطۡعَمَهُۥٓ إِنۡ أَنتُمۡ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٖ

Waitha qeela lahum anfiqoo mimma razaqakumu Allahu qala allatheena kafaroo lillatheena amanoo anutAAimu man law yashao Allahu atAAamahu in antum illa fee dalalin mubeenin

And when it is said to them, "Spend from that which Allah has provided for you," those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Should we feed one whom, if Allah had willed, He would have fed? You are not but in clear error."

Word by word
  1. وَإِذَاAnd when
  2. قِيلَit is said
  3. لَهُمۡto them
  4. أَنفِقُواْSpend
  5. مِمَّاfrom what
  6. رَزَقَكُمُ(has) provided you
  7. ٱللَّهُAllah
  8. قَالَSaid
  9. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  10. كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
  11. لِلَّذِينَto those who
  12. ءَامَنُوٓاْbelieved
  13. أَنُطۡعِمُShould we feed
  14. مَنwhom
  15. لَّوۡif
  16. يَشَآءُAllah willed
  17. ٱللَّهُAllah willed
  18. أَطۡعَمَهُۥٓHe would have fed him
  19. إِنۡNot
  20. أَنتُمۡ(are) you
  21. إِلَّاexcept
  22. فِيin
  23. ضَلَٰلٖan error
  24. مُّبِينٖclear
Ya-Sin · 36:47Makkah

Why feed them if Allah could feed them Himself?

Using fate as an excuse not to give

Their excuse
spend on the needythe believers ask
answered
if Allah willedHe would feed them
you are wrong
What Allah's will means
a reason not to help
I am His meansHe feeds them through me

When told to spend on the poor believers, they said if Allah wanted, He would have made them independent. Ibn Kathir explains they claimed to be acting in line with Allah's will. They used fate as an excuse to keep their money.

A man asks for help outside the station, and the thought comes: it is not my problem, someone else will sort it. That thought wears religious clothes sometimes. Maybe you are the one Allah sent to feed him.

Other people's needs are between them and Allah, not me.

Allah provides for people through people. I can be the means He uses.

Try this

Give food or a small amount of money to someone in need today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 36:45)

And when it is said to them: "Beware of that which is before you, and that which is behind you, in order that you may receive mercy. (45)And never came an Ayah from among the Ayat of their Lord to them, but they did turn away from it (46)And when it is said to them: "Spend of that with which Allah has provided you," those who disbelieve say to those who believe: "Shall we feed those whom, if Allah willed, He would have fed? You are only in a plain error. (47)

The Misguidance of the Idolators

Allah tells us how the idolators persisted in their misguidance and in not paying attention to the sins that they had committed in the past or what was to happen to them in the future, on the Day of Resurrection.

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّقُوا مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَمَا خَلْفَكُمْ

(And when it is said to them: "Fear of that which is before you, and that which is behind you...") Mujahid said, "This refers to sins." Others said it is the opposite.

لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

(in order that you may receive mercy.) means, 'so that, if you fear such things Allah will have mercy on you and will save you from His punishment.' The wording implies that they would not respond. Rather that they would turn away and ignore that, as Allah says:

وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ

(And never came an Ayah from among the Ayat of their Lord to them,) meaning, signs of Tawhid and the truth of the Messengers,

إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ

(but they did turn away from it,) means, they did not accept it or benefit from it.

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ

(And when it is said to them: "Spend of that with which Allah has provided you,") means, when they are told to spend of that which Allah has provided to them on the poor and needy among the Muslims,

قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا 

(those who disbelieve say to those who believe) means, about the believers who are poor, i.e., they say to those believers who tell them to spend on the needy,

 أَنُطْعِمُ مَنْ لَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ أَطْعَمَهُ 

(Shall we feed those whom, if Allah willed, He (Himself) would have fed?) meaning, 'those whom you are telling us to spend on, if Allah had wanted to, He would have made them independent and fed them from His provision, so we are in accordance with the will of Allah with regard to them.'

إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ 

(You are only in a plain error.) means, 'by telling us to do that.'