245 Preface مَن ذَا الَّذي يُقرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضعافًا كَثيرَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَقبِضُ وَيَبسُطُ وَإِلَيهِ تُرجَعونَYusuf AliWho is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan,1 which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth (you) Want or plenty, and to Him shall be your return.Spending in the cause of God is called metaphorically “a beautiful loan”. It is excellent in many ways: (1) it shows a beautiful spirit of self-denial; (2) in other loans there may be a doubt as to the safety of your capital or any return thereon; here you give to the Lord of All, in Whose hands are the keys of want or plenty; giving, you may have manifold blessings, and withholding, you may even lose what you have. If we remember that our goal is God, can we turn away from His cause? (Cf. 64:17 and 3:180-181).