«يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلْ مَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ»
“They ask what they should spend. Say: whatever good you spend is for parents ...” (al-Baqarah 2:215, excerpt)
«وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ»
“They ask what they should spend. Say: the surplus.” (al-Baqarah 2:219, excerpt)
The question has the same outward form in both passages, yet the responses illuminate different dimensions of giving. The first specifies recipients, while the second specifies what may be given.
Thus “what” can be interpreted by the type of answer the context calls for. Identical phrasing does not always require identical explanatory emphasis.