Sura 3, al-Imran, Medina 89

The Quranic text and Ali’s version

وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ...

3:180. And let not those who covetously withhold of the gifts which Allah hath given them of His Grace,

C483. The gifts are of all kinds:

- material gifts, such as wealth, property, strength of limbs, etc., or

- intangible gifts, such as influence, birth in a given set, intellect, skill, insight, etc., or

- spiritual gifts of the highest kind.

The spending of all these things (apart from what is necessary for ourselves) for those who need them, is charity, and purifies our own character.

The withholding of them (apart from our needs) is similarly greed and selfishness, and is strongly condemned.

...هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ ...

think that it is good for them:

... بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُواْ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ...

nay, it will be the worse for them: soon shall the things which they covetously withheld be tied to their necks like a twisted collar, on the Day of Judgment.

C484. By an apt metaphor the miser is told that his wealth or the other gifts which he hoarded will cling round his neck and do him no good. He will wish he could get rid of them, but he will not be able to do so.

According to the Biblical phrase in another connection they will hang like a millstone round his neck (Matt. 18:6).

The metaphor here is fuller. He hugged his wealth or his gifts about him. They will become like a heavy collar, the badge of slavery, round his neck. They will be tied tight and twisted, and they will give him pain and anguish instead of pleasure.

Cf. also 17:13.

...وَلِلّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ...

To Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth;

C485. Another metaphor is now introduced. Material wealth or property is only called ours during our short life here.

So all gifts are ours in trust only; they ultimately revert to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens or on earth. (R).

... وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٨٠﴾

and Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do.

Asad’s version

3:180 AND THEY should not think - they who niggardly cling to all that God has granted them out of His bounty - that this is good for them: nay, it is bad for them. 158 That to which they [so] niggardly cling will, on the Day of Resurrection, be hung about their necks: for unto God [alone] belongs the heritage of the heavens and of the earth; and God is aware of all that you do.