Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 111

(Ayah 111) ➊ {اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اشْتَرٰى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اَنْفُسَهُمْ … : ’’ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوْا۠ ‘‘ ’’اَلْاِسْتِبْشَارُ‘‘} Such tremendous joy whose effects are even visible on the face, i.e., the countenance. With the addition of "seen" and "taa," "bushraa" greatly intensifies the meaning of glad tidings. Some scholars have said that you will not find a better or more effective encouragement for jihad in any verse than this, because it is presented in the form of a transaction and contract, a deal with the Lord of Might. The goods of the deal are the lives and wealth of the believers, and its price is so precious and unparalleled that no eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, and no human heart has even imagined it. This deal and contract is not only for those who are killed, that they will receive the reward, but also for those who kill the disbelievers for the support of Allah’s religion and to raise His word—they too will receive the same reward. Then, this contract has been formally recorded (registered) in the heavenly books: the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. What greater written proof of the firmness of the deal could there be than this? Then, by declaring it as Allah’s true and firm covenant, it is said: Who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? So, His credit is greater than all other cash, and His credit—the promise of Paradise—is certain. Besides this verse, see Surah Hadid (21), Surah Saff (10 to 12), and Surah Tawbah (20 to 22). And if any life remains, it too is not devoid of His boundless reward. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah has guaranteed that whoever strives in His path, and nothing drives him out except striving in My path and believing in My words, then I will admit him to Paradise, or return him to the home from which he left, with reward or spoils.” [ بخاری، فرض الخمس، باب قول النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : أحلت لکم الغنائم : ۳۱۲۳ ]
Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his fellow Mujahideen went to Iran for jihad. The general of Kisra asked the Muslim envoy, Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Who are you people?” After introducing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Islam, he said: “Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conveyed to us the message of our Lord: Whoever among us is killed will go to such blessings of Paradise as no one has ever seen, and whoever among us remains will become the master of your necks.” [ بخاری، الجزیۃ والموادعۃ، باب الجزیۃ والموادعۃ …: ۳۱۵۹ ] For the countless virtues of jihad, see the books of hadith.
➋ {وَ ذٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيْمُ:} In this, for restriction, the pronoun {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is brought, and by bringing "al" on the predicate {’’ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيْمُ ‘‘}, it is made clear that the great success is only this; besides this, there is no great success, rather, all else is trivial and insignificant.
➌ It is narrated from Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: Look at the grace of Allah—the lives are given by Him, the wealth is granted by Him, then He is making a deal with us that we will spend in His path, and in return, He will not only admit us to Paradise but will make it our possession. {’’ لَهُمُ ‘‘} coming first gives the meaning of restriction {’’ بِاَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ‘‘} that Paradise is only for them.

111. 1 This is a statement of Allah’s special grace and favor: He has granted Paradise to the believers in exchange for their lives and wealth, which they spent in the way of Allah, even though these lives and wealth are also His gifts. Then, the price and compensation He granted—namely Paradise—is extremely precious.

111. 2 This is an emphasis of the same transaction: Allah has made a true promise in the previous scriptures as well as in the Quran. And who can be more faithful to a promise than Allah?

111. 3 This is being addressed to the Muslims, but this joy can only be celebrated when the Muslim also accepts this transaction, meaning they do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives and wealth in the way of Allah.

111. Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth in exchange for Paradise [124]. They fight in the way of Allah, so they kill and are killed. This is a true promise upon Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. And who is more faithful to his promise than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made, for that is the supreme success.

[124]
The Meaning of Selling Life and Wealth:

One meaning is already clear from the translation itself, that is, those who strive in the way of Allah with their lives and wealth—whether they are martyred or return safely—in any case, they will surely receive Paradise. Here, it is worth noting that in reality, Allah Almighty is the true owner of everything, including the lives and wealth of the believers, but He has entrusted these things as a trust and has also given humans the authority to use them. The price for relinquishing this authority and making it subservient to Allah’s pleasure is that Allah will grant them Paradise. And since this price, that is, Paradise, is not given immediately but is deferred and will only be received after death, therefore, this assurance has also been given. This promise of Allah is present in all revealed books, especially the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. Furthermore, it has also been clarified that who can be more faithful to His promise than Allah? Therefore, for the believers, there is no reason to doubt this promise.

And the second meaning is that the people of faith have sold all rights of disposal over their lives and wealth into the hands of Allah, and when needed, to offer life and wealth as a sacrifice and to participate in jihad in the way of Allah, then to be martyred or to return safely—these are all temporary matters and are only a part of the original contract of sale. The real contract of sale is that the believer will use his life and wealth only according to Allah’s will. This contract of sale continues until a person’s death. Before that, it cannot be known whether a person has fulfilled this contract throughout his life or not. And when death comes, at that moment he immediately receives its price, that is, Paradise. In this case, the question of deferment does not arise. According to this meaning, the result is that if a person never gets the opportunity for jihad throughout his life, but he has kept his life, his wealth, and his authority of disposal under Allah’s will, then the promise of Paradise is also for him.