Commentary

Sequence

Previous verses carried a condemnation of those staying behind without a valid excuse and missing the Jihad. The present verses take up the merit of mujahidin.

The background of revelation

As explained by the majority of commentators, these verses were revealed about the participants of Bai'atul-'Aqabah (the pledge of allegiance to the Holy Prophet ﷺ at al-'Aqabah) which was taken from the Ansar of Madinah before Hijrah in 'Makkah al-Mukarramah. Therefore, despite that the entire Surah is Madani, these verses have been termed as Makki.

'Al-'Aqabah' is part of a mountain. Here, it refers to the 'Aqabah that forms a part of the mountain along the Jamratu al-'Aqabah (the stone pillar of 'Aqabah) in Mina. (In our time, due to the increased number of Hujjaj [ Hajj pilgrims ], this part of the mountain has been leveled to form a smooth surface with the only exception of Jamarah [ the stone pillar ] which still stands there). It is on this 'Aqabah that a pledge of allegiance بیعۃ (bai'ah) was taken from the people of Madinah thrice. The first pledge came in the eleventh year of the Prophet's advent. Six persons embraced Islam, gave the pledge and returned to Madinah. When they arrived there, Islam and the Prophet of Islam became the talk of the town. Next year, it was during the Hajj season that twelve people assembled at the same place. Out of these, five had taken part in the first pledge while the other seven were new. All of them took the pledge. By that time, the number of Muslims in Madinah had increased to more than forty. They requested that someone should be sent to teach Qur'an to them. The Holy Prophet ﷺ sent Sayyidna Mus` ab ibn ` Umair ؓ . He taught Qur'an to Muslims present there as well as conveyed the message of Islam around, as a result of which major groups of people in Madinah entered the fold of Islam.

After that, in the thirteenth year of the Prophet's advent, seventy men and women assembled at the same place. This is the third Bai'atu al-'Aqabah - and the last. Generally, when reference is made to Bai'atu al-'Aqabah, it means this very Bai'ah (pledge of allegiance). This pledge made it binding on participants that they would uphold the basic beliefs (` aqa'id عقَایٔد ) and deeds (a` mal اَعمَال ) of Islam, and would particularly be ready to take part in Jihad against the disbelievers, and protect and support the Holy Prophet ﷺ when he migrates and reaches Madinah. In this connection, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Rawahah ؓ submitted, ` ya rasulallah, a compact is being made at this time. If there are any conditions regarding your Lord or regarding yourself, let these be mentioned there clearly.' He said, ` As for Allah Ta` ala, I lay down the condition that all of you shall worship Him - and worship none but Him. As for myself, the condition is that you shall protect me as you protect your own lives, wealth, property and children.' They asked, ` if we fulfill these two conditions, what shall we get in return?' He said, ` you will get Jannah جَنَّت .' All in delight, they said, ` we are pleased with this deal, so pleased that we shall never request on our own that it be cancelled nor shall we like it to be cancelled.

At this place, since the pledge took the apparent form of a transaction of give and take, this verse (111) was revealed in the terminology of a business deal: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ اشْتَرَ‌ىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ. (Surely, Allah has bought their lives and their wealth from the believers, against which Paradise shall be for them). After hearing this verse, Sayyidna Bara' ibn Ma` rur, Abu al-Haitham and As'ad ؓ عنہم were the first ones who placed their hands on the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . They were promising in effect that they were readily agreeable to this deal and they would protect the Holy Prophet ﷺ as they protected their family and would stand by him to face any challenge, even if it came from the combined forces of the blacks and whites on this Earth.

This is the very first verse of Jihad

Injunctions of Jihad did not exist during the early Makkah period. This is first verse about fighting and killing which was revealed in Makkah al-Mukarramah itself, though its implementation began after Hijrah. After that, came another verse: (Permission [ to fight ] has been given to those who are being fought against - al-Hajj 22:39). When this Bai'atu al-'Aqabah (pledge of 'Aqabah) was concluded in secret from the disbelievers of Makkah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ordered his noble Companions to migrate from Makkah to Madi-nah. Groups of them started migrating gradually. The Holy Prophet ﷺ remained behind waiting for the permission from Allah Ta` ala. When Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ decided to migrate, he held him back so that he could accompany him. (This whole event has been described in Tafsir Mazharl with relevant references)

We can now move to the second sentence of the verse (111): يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَ‌اةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْ‌آنِ (They fight in the way of Allah, and kill and are killed ... a promise on His part which is true (as made) in the Torah and the Injil and the Qur'an). This verse tells us that fighting in the way of Allah was a commandment also revealed for past communities in their Scriptures. As for the popular assumption that there is no injunction of Jihad in the Injil, it is possible that, as part of the changes made by people who came later, the injunctions of Jihad were expunged. Allah knows best.

At the end of the verse (111), it was said: فَاسْتَبْشِرُ‌وا ِبَيْعِكُمُ (So, rejoice in the deal you have made). The agreement arrived at with the Holy Prophet ﷺ in this event of the Bai'atu al-'Aqabah had, on the surface, turned into a sort of buying and selling deal. Therefore, it was expressed through the word: شراء (Allah has bought) at the beginning of the verse. In the present sentence, Muslims were told that they had struck a good deal which will bring blessings for them. The reason was that they had tendered their life and wealth that were mortal while that which they received in return was eternal. If we come to think about it, we would realize that wealth was the only thing they spent out. As for life, that is, the essential spirit, that will remain even after death, and remain forever. And if we were to look deeper into the reality of wealth, that too happens to be nothing but the gift of Allah Almighty. When born, human beings visit the world empty-handed. It was He who made them own everything around them and it was He who made His own gift the price of eternal blessings and gave them Paradise. Therefore, Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ said, ` this is a strange deal where the commodity and the price have both been given to you!'

The sage, Hasan al-Basri (رح) said, ` Behold, what a profitable business is this that Allah has thrown open to every believer!' And he also said, ‘It is Allah who has blessed you with wealth and property. Spend a little out of it and buy Paradise.' (Mazhari)