Chapter 2: Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow), verse 83


Translation:

When we made a covenant with the Children of Israel We said: 'Serve none but God. Show kindness to your parents, to your kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to the destitute. Exhort men to righteousness. Attend to your prayers and pay the poor-due.' But you all turned your backs except a few, and gave no heed.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Man’s first duty to God is to serve Him. In so doing he should ascribe no partners to Him. Secondly, he should show kindness to others. Kindness starts at home, with one’s parents and family, extends to one’s neighbours and relatives, and finally reaches out to everyone with whom one comes into contact. There is only one proper way to deal with others, and that is with justice and benevolence.

Where one is really tested in one’s dealings is with “orphans and the destitute,” that is, with the weaker members of society. As for the strong, their strength itself guarantees that they will be given deferential treatment. It is to the weak, therefore, that one should be especially careful to show kindness. People who are kind to those who wield no worldly power and possess scant resources do so for God’s sake alone, for there is no other incentive at work.

There are various reasons for being less inclined to show kindness when dealing with the weak. Benefactors, frequently feeling themselves to be “superior” persons, are aggrieved when they are not shown what they consider to be due deference and tend to treat people less fortunate than themselves with disdain.  Then the thought of a permanent liability is often so irksome to them that they resort to churlishness to rid themselves of a burdensome obligation. Whatever the reason, they miss the point that in any mission of mercy, whether it be a matter of assistance or outright charity, it is their recognition of the moral worth of the object of charity which is of paramount importance. No man, no matter how humble or defenceless, is devoid of such worth, and, as such, is entitled to be addressed with consideration and respect. Without that, one cannot be a true well-wisher of one’s fellow men. Even extended largesse and fine speeches on public occasions do not compensate for the missing leavening of kindness.