۞ 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
يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَرْضَوْا۟ عَنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَرْضَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
They swear to you so that you might be satisfied with them. But if you should be satisfied with them - indeed, Allāh is not satisfied with a defiantly disobedient people.
وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَىٰٓ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَىٰ قَبْرِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
And do not pray [the funeral prayer, O Muḥammad], over any of them who has died - ever - or stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allāh and His Messenger and died while they were defiantly disobedient.
ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـٰنَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسِيحَ ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَـٰهًا وَٰحِدًا ۖ لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allāh, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنَكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ إِنِ ٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْكُفْرَ عَلَى ٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief over belief. And whoever does so among you - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.