If You Lend Allah a Goodly Loan He Will Multiply It for You — Allah Borrows From His Servant
tadabbur
Level: basic
charity
td-358
إِن تُقۡرِضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا يُضَٰعِفۡهُ لَكُمۡ
— التغابن 17
Verse: "If you lend Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you." (64:17) — Allah describes giving in His cause as a "loan" — a gracious condescension to draw hearts. "Multiply" — from 10-fold to limitless. "And forgive you" = an added fruit: forgiveness. "Appreciative, Forbearing" = He thanks the little and does not hasten punishment. The paradox: Allah needs no loan — He owns everything — yet He wants to give you what you cannot imagine. Lesson: only the one who trusts complete repayment gives generously — miserliness is weak faith.
Source: Ibn Kathir (8/133); Al-Sadi
Question: Why did Allah call spending in His cause a "loan"?
Answer: A gracious condescension to encourage hearts — and a guarantee to the servant that repayment will be multiplied many times over.