17 Preface إِن تُقرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرضًا حَسَنًا يُضاعِفهُ لَكُم وَيَغفِر لَكُم ۚ وَاللَّهُ شَكورٌ حَليمٌYusuf AliIf ye loan to God,1 a beautiful loan, He will double it to your (credit), and He will grant you Forgiveness: for God is most Ready to appreciate (service),2 Most Forbearing,-Cf. 2:245 and n. 276. Our Charity or Love is called a loan to God, which not only increases our credit account manifold, but obtains for us the forgiveness of our sins, and the capacity for increased service in the future.Cf. 14:5, n. 1877; and 35:30, n. 3917. God’s appreciation of our service or our love goes far deeper than its intrinsic merits or its specific expression on our side. His reward is beyond our deserts, and passes over our defects. He judges by our motives, which He can read through and through; see next verse.