Anonymous Charity is Better For Our Souls (2:270 – 2:271)
Quran Talk Blog · Article · February 23, 2015
Anonymous Charity Better
2:270 Any charity you give, or a charitable pledge you fulfill, GOD is fully aware thereof. As for the wicked, they will have no helpers.
2:271 If you declare your charities, they are still good. But if you keep them anonymous, and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and remits more of your sins. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.
Who is this referring to that they declare it?
This is referring to announcing our charity either to the receiving party or other individuals. When we give to charity secretly it shows that we are doing it 100% to please God and not for the accolades or acknowledgement of others.
This verse also shows that charity needs to be done both publicly and secretly. When we give publicly we encourage others to give. People are apt to behave in similar manner based on how a community behaves in the public.