B U S I N E S S N A M E

Reflections
From the Glorious Qur’ān
I S S U E N O . 2 0 1 5 T H S H A W W A L 1 4 3 0

Believers are more generous

ُ َّ ‫َو إِذا قي َل لَهُ ْم أَه ْ ِف ُقوا ِم َّما َرزَ قَ ُ ُُك‬
‫اَّلل‬ the larger community of Vancouver,
Canada. Both studies showed that
possess is, in the end, truly owned
by God. And it is He who entrusted
‫قا َل َّاَّل َين َك َف ُروا ِل ََّّل َين آ َمنُوا أَ ه ُْط ِع ُم‬ those who were religious were likely us with the responsibility of giving a
to give more than those who weren't. portion of our excess wealth to the
‫اَّلل أَ ْط َع َم ُه إ ِْن أَه ُ ُْْت ِإالَّ يف‬
ُ َّ ‫َم ْن ل َ ْو ي َشا ُء‬ Because the head researcher of this
needy.

project, Ara Norenzayan, is a self Some exegetes have drawn atten-

POINTS TO ‫ضَ اللٍ مُبني‬ proclaimed ‘agnostic and secular tion to the reason for mentioning
PONDER When they are told, “Spend out of
humanist’, the results of the experi- the disbelievers explicitly in this
ment were explained in terms of evo- verse instead of referring to them
UPON what Allāh has granted you,” the
lution of religion and reputational simply by pronoun (which would
faithless say to the believers, “Shall we
 Is there any concerns. Another argument made have been suitable since the previ-
feed someone whom Allāh would have
scientific proof was that religious people are more ous verses clearly indicate that the
fed had He wished? You are only in
that those who prosocial not because they have more people being referred to are the
manifest error!”
believe in God empathy, but because they feel some- disbelievers). They say that it is
(YāSīn *36+:47)
are more gener- one is watching them. because this highlights the fact that
ous than those the cause of their coming up with
In this verse of the Qur’an, we see
who don't? such arguments and excuses, in
In 2007, two researchers from the that the disbelievers, when told to
University of British Columbia pub- order to avoid parting with a portion
 What fallacious give alms and charity from their
lished the results of an interesting of their wealth, is their disbelief.
argument is wealth to the poor, respond by giving
given by those social experiment they had conducted. a fallacious argument that if God, who This is the same reason for mention-
who do not The aim of this experiment was to is supposedly Omnipotent and is re- ing the believers explicitly also (i.e.
want to part resolve whether religion increases sponsible for providing sustenance to their willingness to give is because
with their prosocial economic behavior in people all creatures, had wanted to feed of their belief). The interesting thing
wealth? or not. During the research, the par- these people He would have done so. to note is that the act of helping
ticular effects of knowing that God is The fact that He has not fed them and someone in need is understood
 How would you Omnipresent and Omniscient were universally as being a good deed. It
has left them in this condition means
go about an- examined. that they are deserving of being poor is in the innate and primal nature of
swering their
In the two studies conducted, people and destitute. Why should we then human beings. This means that
objection?
were divided into those who believe in give anything to them? disbelief actually leads one to move
away from his inborn and primal
God and those who don't. The results, Rather, it is you (the believers) who
which were published in the Psycho- nature.
are in manifest error for wanting to go
logical Science Journal under the title against the Will of God. He wills them Even today, there are some who
"God Is Watching You" were very to be poor so just let them remain as may feel that the poor must some-
clear. The concept of an Omniscient such! If an all-Powerful God wanted how be responsible for their poverty
God, even when activated implicitly, me to have this wealth, who am I to while they themselves are in some
increased prosocial behavior and go against His will and give it to some- way deserving of their wealth. By
reduced selfishness, even when deal- one else? - This is the argument given acknowledging that they are not
ing with strangers. by the unbelievers and those who are independently responsible for gain-
In the first study, groups of college ungrateful for the blessings that God ing their wealth and by overcoming
students were given the task of acting has bestowed on them. their arrogance, they would find joy
as ‘givers’ in a game and were told in helping others with their wealth.
The polytheists used this argument to
that they would be allotted a sum of poke fun and make a mockery of the In addition, as Muslims we believe
money from which they could take teachings of Islam that encouraged that anything we give to the needy
what they wanted and the remainder the giving of alms and helping the is returned to us manyfold by Allāh -
would be given away. In the second needy. They failed to realize the most as He has promised in numerous
study, the subjects were chosen from basic of truths - that everything we verses of the Glorious Qur’an.