۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِۦ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَٱسْتَبْشِرُوا۟ بِبَيْعِكُمُ ٱلَّذِى بَايَعْتُم بِهِۦ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ 111
Translations
Indeed, Allāh has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allāh, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’ān. And who is truer to his covenant than Allāh? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.
Transliteration
Inna Allaha ishtara mina al-mu'minina anfusahum wa amwalahum bi-anna lahumu al-jannah. Yuqatilun fi sabil Allah fa-yaqtulun wa-yuqtalun. Wa'dan alayhi haqqan fi al-Tawrah wa-al-Injil wa-al-Qur'an. Wa-man awfa bi-'ahdihi mina Allah. Fa-istabshiru bi-baya'ikum alladhi baya'atum bihi. Wa-dhalika huwa al-fawz al-'azim.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah employs the metaphor of a transaction (bay'ah) between Allah and the believers, wherein Allah 'purchases' their lives and wealth in exchange for Paradise. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this establishes a sacred covenant wherein believers commit themselves to fighting in Allah's cause, accepting both victory and martyrdom. The ayah emphasizes that this promise is recorded in the previous scriptures (Torah and Gospel) and confirmed in the Qur'an, affirming its absolute reliability and the certainty of Allah's fulfillment of His covenant.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Medina during the period of Jihad (9 AH), this surah was revealed after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and addresses the obligation of fighting against those who broke covenants. The ayah contextualizes the struggles believers face in the path of Allah, reframing sacrifice and martyrdom as a profitable transaction with the Divine.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who fight in the way of Allah' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the Prophet (ﷺ) stated regarding the mujahideen: 'Whoever dies fighting in the way of Allah is guaranteed Paradise' (Sahih Muslim 1876).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that dedicating oneself to Allah's cause—through sincere intention, sacrifice, and steadfastness—is not a loss but the greatest profitable transaction imaginable. Modern readers should understand that ultimate success (al-fawz al-'azim) comes through complete submission to Allah's will and unwavering commitment to His path, whether through physical struggle or spiritual striving.
Related Ayahs
أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Allāh has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally. That is the great attainment.
وَإِذَا مَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ إِيمَـٰنًا ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
And whenever a sūrah is revealed, there are among them [i.e., the hypocrites] those who say, "Which of you has this increased in faith?" As for those who believed, it has increased them in faith, while they are rejoicing.
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْأَحْبَارِ وَٱلرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of Allāh. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allāh - give them tidings of a painful punishment.
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
The mosques of Allāh are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allāh and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakāh and do not fear except Allāh, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.