لِيُنفِقْ ذُو سَعَةٍ مِّن سَعَتِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُۥ فَلْيُنفِقْ مِمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا مَآ ءَاتَىٰهَا ۚ سَيَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْرًا 7
Translations
Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted - let him spend from what Allāh has given him. Allāh does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it. Allāh will bring about, after hardship, ease [i.e., relief].
Transliteration
Liyunfiq dhu saca'in min saca'atih, wa man qudira alayhi rizquh falyunfiq mimma atahu Allah. La yukalliful-lahu nafsan illa ma ataha. Sayajcalu Allah ba'da cusr yusr.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the principle of proportionate spending according to one's means: the wealthy should spend from their abundance, while the poor should spend from what Allah has provided them, and Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this verse addresses the maintenance obligations of divorced women, establishing a principle of equity and mercy that extends beyond divorce law to all financial obligations in Islam, concluding with reassurance that hardship is always followed by ease.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah At-Talaq, a Medinan chapter dealing with the rulings and ethics of divorce. It comes in the context of verses prescribing how men should maintain their divorced wives during the waiting period ('iddah), reflecting the Quranic emphasis on justice and compassion even in the dissolution of marriage.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their wives' (Jami' At-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari regarding the obligation of nafaqah (maintenance) reinforces this principle of spending according to one's means.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islamic law is fundamentally just and compassionate—obligations are calibrated to individual capacity, and one should never despair in hardship, for Allah promises that difficulty is temporary and followed by relief. For modern readers, it emphasizes that financial commitments should be realistic and merciful, reflecting a balance between responsibility and human limitation.