The Quran

وَإِذا قيلَ لَهُم أَنفِقوا مِمّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ قالَ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا أَنُطعِمُ مَن لَو يَشاءُ اللَّهُ أَطعَمَهُ إِن أَنتُم إِلّا في ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ

Muhammad Asad

Thus, when they are told, "Spend on others out of what God has provided for you as sustenance,"¹ those who are bent on denying the truth say unto those who believe, "Shall we feed anyone whom, if [your] God had so willed, He could have fed [Himself]? Clearly, you are but lost in error!"

In Qur'anic usage, the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") invariably signifies one's spending on others, or for the good of others, whatever the motive. The ethical importance of this "spending on others" is frequently stressed in the Qur'an, and is embodied in the concept of zakah, which denotes "purifying dues" or, in its broader sense, "charity" (see note 34 on 2:43).