Surah Al-Ankaboot (29) — Ayah 6

(Ayah 6) ➊ The meaning of { وَ مَنْ جَاهَدَ فَاِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهٖ: ’’جَهَدَ يَجْهَدُ‘‘} is to strive, and in {’’ جَاهَدَ ‘‘} (mufa‘alah) there is also the sense of opposition and of emphasis, that is, to exert full effort in opposition to someone. A believer has to struggle against many things in order to adhere to the commands of Allah Almighty; he has to contend with his own self, which constantly tries to enslave him to his desires, with Satan, who has sworn enmity against him, and with all those people in the world, starting from his own home, who try to prevent him from the path of truth. He even has to fight in this struggle, in which he kills the enemy and is himself killed. In the Qur’an and Hadith, the word jihad is often used in this sense. Its highest rank is when a person sacrifices everything in the way of Allah. Abdullah bin Hubshi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates (it is a long hadith): [ قِيْلَ فَأَيُّ الْجِهَادِ أَفْضَلُ ؟ قَالَ مَنْ جَاهَدَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ بِمَالِهِ ، وَنَفْسِهِ، قِيْلَ فَأَيُّ الْقَتْلِ أَشْرَفُ ؟ قَالَ مَنْ أُهْرِيْقَ دَمُهُ ، وَعُقِرَ جَوَادُهُ ] [ مسند أحمد : 411/3، ۴۱۲، ح : ۱۵۴۰۷، قال محقق المسند إسنادہ قوي۔ أبوداوٗد : ۱۴۴۹، قال الألباني صحیح ] “(The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked) which jihad is best?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “The one who strives against the polytheists with his life and wealth.” It was asked: “Then which killing is of the highest status?” He replied: “The one whose blood is shed and his fine horse is slain.”

➋ He said, whoever exerts his utmost effort against his own self, Satan, or any enemy, its benefit is for himself; Allah Almighty neither benefits from anyone’s worship nor is harmed by anyone’s sin. Rather, if someone is granted success, he should be even more grateful to Allah Almighty. For verses on this subject, see Surah Ha Meem As-Sajdah, verse (46): «{ مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهٖ وَ مَنْ اَسَآءَ فَعَلَيْهَا }» “Whoever does good, it is for himself, and whoever does evil, it is against him.” And Surah Bani Isra’il, verse (7): «{ اِنْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ لِاَنْفُسِكُمْ وَ اِنْ اَسَاْتُمْ فَلَهَا }» “If you do good, you do good for your own souls, and if you do evil, it is for them.”

➌ { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ :} Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) related from his Lord, the Exalted—a long hadith—in which it is stated: [ يَا عِبَادِيْ ! لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوْا عَلٰی أَتْقٰی قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ مَا زَادَ ذٰلِكَ فِيْ مُلْكِيْ شَيْئًا، يَا عِبَادِيْ ! لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوْا عَلٰی أَفْجَرِ قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا نَقَصَ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِيْ شَيْئًا ] [مسلم، البر والصلۃ، باب تحریم الظلم : ۲۵۷۷ ] “O My servants! If the first of you and the last of you, the humans among you and the jinn among you, all become like the most pious man among you, that would not increase My dominion in the least. And O My servants! If the first of you and the last of you, the humans among you and the jinn among you, all become like the most wicked man among you, that would not decrease My dominion in the least.”

➍ The commentator Razi said, in this verse there is both glad tidings and warning. Warning, because when Allah Almighty is free of need from all the worlds, if He destroys all His servants with His punishment, there is none to question Him. And glad tidings, because if He gives all that He has created to any one of His servants, nothing is diminished from Him, because He has no need of any of it; He is free of need from all the worlds. Then, by saying {’’كُنْ‘‘}, He can create as much as He wills, and this is very encouraging and a great glad tiding.