Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 67

(Ayah 67) {وَ الَّذِيْنَ اِذَاۤ اَنْفَقُوْا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوْا وَ لَمْ يَقْتُرُوْا … :} After mentioning behavior with people and with their Lord, their financial dealings are discussed. Israf applies to spending more than necessary in any matter, for example, spending extravagantly on food and drink, clothing, housing, weddings, etc. (if one bulb is needed, installing more bulbs; if little water suffices, wasting water excessively), or spending beyond one's capacity and means (then continuing to pay off debts or starting to beg). Allah Almighty has forbidden such wastefulness. Then, one type of israf is tabdheer, which means spending without need, for example, keeping bulbs lit in the street during the day, or leaving the water tap open. Similarly, spending on unlawful things is also tabdheer, such as spending even a penny on alcohol, adultery, gambling, music, or fireworks, etc.—spending on such things is haram. The opposite of israf is "qatoor," which is from {’’قَتَرَ يَقْتُرُ} (n, d) {قَتْرًا وَ قُتُوْرًا‘‘}. From the forms "if‘aal" and "taf‘eel," {’’إِقْتَارٌ‘‘} and {’’تَقْتِيْرٌ‘‘ } also come in the same meaning, that is, being stingy in spending, extreme miserliness, that even when able, spending less than necessary and hoarding wealth, being miserly even in legitimate needs of oneself and family. The quality between israf and taqteer is called iqtisaad (moderation), that is, spending as much as is needed and as much as one is able. Allah Almighty has described it with the words {’’ بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ قَوَامًا ‘‘}. {’’قَوَامٌ‘‘} refers to the exact middle between two things. See also Surah Al-An‘am (142), Al-A‘raf (31), and Bani Isra’il (26, 29).