The Children of Israel
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE[17:26]
And give his due to the near of kin, as well as to the needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander [thy substance] senselessly.

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* v.26 : In this instance, “his due” evidently refers to the loving consideration due to one’s relatives (Zamakhsharī and Rāzī); those of them who are in a state of want are included in the subsequent mention of “the needy” (al-miskīn).
* Regarding this expression, see sūrah 2, note 145.
* Lit., “with [utter] squandering” (tabdhīran) i.e., senselessly and to no good purpose. It is to be borne in mind that the term tabdhīr does not relate to the quantity but, rather, to the purpose of one’s spending. Thus, Ibn ‘Abbās and Ibn Mas‘ūd (both of them quoted by Tabarī) defined tabdhīr as “spending without a righteous purpose” or “in a frivolous (bātil) cause”: and Mujāhid is reported (ibid.) to have said, “If a man were to spend all that he possesses in a righteous cause, it could not be termed squandering; but if he spends even a small amount in a frivolous cause, it is squandering.”