OCCASION OF THE REVELATION

      When the prophet was mobilizing his army for the expedition to TABUK, he needed people's help. When he announced that, those who could afford, gave a good amount of alms, or gratis, and offerings without recompense.

      Among the Muslims were also labourers with very little income. Such was the case of ABUAQIL- ANSطRI. He worked overtime all the night to obtain a little amount of dates, half of which he offered to the prophet for the cause, and the other half he gave to his wife and children.

      some of the hypocrites ridiculed him for his small amount of worthless offerings. They also accused those with offerings of large sum, of pretence and mere ostentation. As if their aim was to drive Muslims to despair, and dishearten them in their strive and endeavour.

      The verse was revealed to encourage Muslims, and give value even to small offerings with sincerity.

THE HYPOCRTICAL OBSTRUCTION (VERSE NO. 79 - 80)

      In that expedition of hardship, Muslims contributed whatever they could of financial help. The wealthy offered a relatively large amount, and the poor contributed their labours, and both kinds of offerings were equally valuable for the sincerity and good- will of the giver. But the hypocrites scoffed at the poor, for their little contributions, and also attributed wrong motives like pretence and ostentation, to the giver of large sum! They did that to discourage Muslims in doing good, and to stop the wheels of useful works to turn over and on! The Holy Quran strictly reproaches such inhuman behaviours saying:

      ``Those who criticize the obedient believers in their offerings, and taunt those who find nothing to offer except the fruit of their labour - Allah will scoff at them and will punish them a painful punishment.''

      According to the above verses, the quality of a contribution is more important than its quantity. It is narrated that, when the above verses revealed, the prophet put the little amount of dates offered by ABUAQIL on top of all the other offerings - the offering of a Muslim who had ignored his rest and sleep, and worked overtime up to the midnight; while his heart was filled with a love for God, to obtain that!

THE WIDOW'S OFFERING WAS MORE

      There is a similar story in the Gospel, cited in the books of: MARK 12: 41-44 and LUKE, 21: 1-4 as follows. Jesus saw rich men dropping their gifts in temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in it two little copper coins. Jesus said to his disciples: ``This poor widow put more than all the others. For rich one put in, what they had to spare of their riches, (which was a very small part of their wealth) but she; poor as she is, gave all that she had to live on.''   TRANSLATOR'S NOTE