b-kh-l

Description

The Arabic root بخل (b-kh-l) carries the core semantic meaning of withholding what one ought to give, whether wealth, knowledge, or effort, reflecting a character defect of miserliness and selfishness. In the Quranic context, this root appears consistently as a condemned moral trait that prevents believers from fulfilling their obligations to God and community, particularly regarding charity and support for others. The Quran presents stinginess as both a spiritual disease that harms the soul and a social vice that undermines the welfare of the Muslim community, contrasting it with the virtue of generosity that believers are commanded to embody.