An-Nisa Verse 38 | 4:38

وَالَّذِيْنَ يُنْفِقُوْنَ اَمْوَالَهُمْ رِئَاۤءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ ۗ وَمَنْ يَّكُنِ الشَّيْطٰنُ لَهٗ قَرِيْنًا فَسَاۤءَ قَرِيْنًا ( النساء: ٣٨ )

wa-alladhīna

وَٱلَّذِينَ

And those who

yunfiqūna

يُنفِقُونَ

spend

amwālahum

أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ

their wealth

riāa

رِئَآءَ

to be seen

l-nāsi

ٱلنَّاسِ

(by) the people

walā

وَلَا

and not

yu'minūna

يُؤْمِنُونَ

they believe

bil-lahi

بِٱللَّهِ

in Allah

walā

وَلَا

and not

bil-yawmi

بِٱلْيَوْمِ

in the Day

l-ākhiri

ٱلْءَاخِرِۗ

the Last

waman

وَمَن

and whoever

yakuni

يَكُنِ

has

l-shayṭānu

ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ

the Shaitaan

lahu

لَهُۥ

for him

qarīnan

قَرِينًا

(as) companion -

fasāa

فَسَآءَ

then evil

qarīnan

قَرِينًا

(is he as) a companion

Wallazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahum ri'aaa'an naasi wa laa yu'minoona billaahi wa laa bil Yawmil Aakhir; wa mai yakunish shaitaanu lahoo qareenan fasaaa'a qareenaa (an-Nisāʾ 4:38)

Sahih International:

And [also] those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allah nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is a companion – then evil is he as a companion. (An-Nisa [4] : 38)

1 Mufti Taqi Usmani

and (for) those who spend their wealth only to show people, and do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. Anyone for whom Satan is companion, evil he is as a companion.

2 Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

3 Ruwwad Translation Center

4 A. J. Arberry

5 Abdul Haleem

6 Abdul Majid Daryabadi

7 Abdullah Yusuf Ali

8 Abul Ala Maududi

9 Ahmed Ali

10 Ahmed Raza Khan

11 Ali Quli Qarai

12 Ali Ünal

13 Amatul Rahman Omar

14 English Literal

15 Faridul Haque

16 Hamid S. Aziz

17 Hilali & Khan

18 Maulana Mohammad Ali

19 Mohammad Habib Shakir

20 Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

21 Muhammad Sarwar

22 Qaribullah & Darwish

23 Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

24 Wahiduddin Khan

25 Talal Itani

26 Tafsir jalalayn

27 Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَالَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ رِيَـاء النَّاسِ

And (also) those who spend of their wealth to be seen of men,

Allah first mentions the punished misers who do not spend, then He mentions those who spend to show off to gain the reputation that they are generous, not for the Face of Allah.

A Hadith states that;

the first three persons on whom the fire will feed are a scholar, a fighter and a spender who shows off with their actions. For instance,

يَقُولُ صَاحِبُ الْمَالِ مَا تَرَكْتُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ تُحِبُّ أَنْ يُنْفَقَ فِيهِ إِلاَّ أَنْفَقْتُ فِي سَبِيلِكَ فَيَقُولُ اللهُ كَذَبْتَ إِنَّمَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يُقَالَ جَوَادٌ فَقَدْدِقيل

The wealthy will say, "I did not leave any area that You like to be spent on, but I spent on it in Your cause."

Allah will say, "You lie, you only did that so that it is said, `He is generous.' And it was said..."

meaning you acquired your reward in the life, and this is indeed what you sought with your action.

This is why Allah said,

وَلَا يُوْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الاخِرِ

and believe not in Allah and the Last Day,

meaning, it is Shaytan who lured them to commit this evil action, instead of performing the good deed as it should be performed. Shaytan encouraged, excited and lured them by making the evil appear good.

وَمَن يَكُنِ الشَّيْطَانُ لَهُ قَرِينًا فَسَاء قِرِينًا

And whoever takes Shaytan as an intimate; then what a dreadful intimate he has!

Allah then said