O Ye who believe expend out of the good things which ye have earned and out of that which We have brought forth for you from the earth, and seek not the vile thereof to expend, whereas ye yourselves would not accept such except ye connived thereat. And know that Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy. 267 The devil promiseth you destitution and enjoineth on you lewdness. But Allah promiseth you forgiveness from Himself with bounty. Allah is All-Embracing, All-knowing. 268 God gives wisdom to anyone whom He wants. Whoever is given wisdom, certainly, has received much good. Only people of reason can grasp this. 269 Whatever you spend and whatever vows you make are known to Allah. The harmdoers shall have none to help them. 270 It is not bad to give alms in public. However if you give them privately to the poor, it would be better for you and an expiation for some of your sins. God is Well-Aware of what you do. 271 ۞ It is not for thee [O Prophet] to make people follow the right path, since it is God [alone] who guides whom He wills. And whatever good you may spend on others is for your own good, provided that you spend only out of a longing for God's countenance: for, whatever good you may spend will be repaid unto you in full, and you shall not be wronged. 272 (If the recipients of charity are) the poor whose poverty, because of their striving for the cause of God, has become an obstacle for them, and who do not have the ability to travel in the land, they seem rich compared to the ignorant, because of their modest behavior. You would know them by their faces. They would never earnestly ask people for help. God knows well whatever wealth you spend for the cause of God. 273