O you who acknowledge, if you wish to hold a private meeting with the messenger, you shall offer a charity before you do so. This is better for you, and purer. If you cannot afford it, then God is Forgiver, Compassionate.
Translation endnotes
[58:12] Muhammed was appointed by God as a messenger and was accepted by muslims, with their free will, as a messenger of God. Muhammed was also elected as a leader of a constitutional city-state government by a diverse community comprising of Christians, Jews, and Pagans, beside muslims. Muhammed is no longer alive, yet the rule applies to our leaders and governments. Democracies suffer greatly from the corrupting influence of lobbies that promote special interests, usually of the most powerful segments of the population. Financial contributions and favors provided by lobbies create a quid pro quo relationship between the lawmakers and the wealthy. Big governments allied with big corporations create one of the worst governments: the governments of the wealthy, by the wealthy and for the wealthy, which we are asked to avoid (59:7). Such governments may drag an entire nation to unjustified wars of aggression to benefit big corporations, especially the weapons industry and the contractors who profit from such adventures, adventures that usually cost the lower class in terms of blood and higher cost of living. Thus, this verse recommends those who wish to lobby to pay some charity to the needy before asking for a conference with their elected leaders. This financial contribution for public good, not the valet of the elected officials, is a reminder to the parties that their conference should not betray the publicly declared interest of the people.