وَما لَكُم أَلّا تُنفِقوا في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ ميراثُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ ۚ لا يَستَوي مِنكُم مَن أَنفَقَ مِن قَبلِ الفَتحِ وَقاتَلَ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ أَعظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِنَ الَّذينَ أَنفَقوا مِن بَعدُ وَقاتَلوا ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الحُسنىٰ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِما تَعمَلونَ خَبيرٌ
Why should you not spend in the way of Allah, while to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal [to others] are those of you who spent and fought before the victory. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. Yet Allah has promised the best reward to each and Allah is well aware of what you do.
EXEGESIS
The Arabic word mīrāth (heritage) is commonly used for inheritance that one leaves for others upon death. The words, to Allah belongs the heritage therefore means, besides the fact that To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth (verses 2 and 5), additionally, everyone eventually perishes (55:26) and all things return to God again, the only true owner, whether one is charitable with what they are temporarily entrusted with, or not. One of God’s beautiful names is also al-wārith (the Inheritor), derived from verses such as this one, and, more directly, verses like and We were the [sole] inheritors (wārithīn) (28:58).
Not equal [to others] are those of you who spent and fought before the victory (fatḥ) refers to the liberation (fatḥ) of Mecca (8 ah/630 ce). See the Review of Tafsīr Literature for other interpretations of the victory.
The words and fought joined to the words those of you who spent also tell us that the spending refers to spending in jihad and not in charity in the general sense.
Khabīr, from khabbara and takhbīr, signifies knowing the internal and true state of something,[1] knowing all its hidden aspects,[2] with accuracy and precision.[3] The term also carries the meaning of information, and hence, khabar (pl. akhbār) is also understood as news (27:7, 28:29, 99:4). Those who know matters intimately are called ahl al-khubrah (the people of awareness). They do not simply possess knowledge; they are also deeply aware of matters pertaining to their field of expertise.
That is perhaps why the verse, And how can you have patience about something you are not in the know of (khubra)? (18:68) uses khubr and not ʿilm, because it is not referring to knowledge in the general sense, but to deep, hidden insights that transcend the apparent. See also 9:94, 18:91, and 47:31 where khubra or akhbār is used for the true state of affairs.
If God is al-ʿalīm (all-knowing) in the widest and most unrestricted sense of knowledge and omniscience, then He is al-khabīr (all-aware) with respect to His in-depth knowledge of the realities of what He brings into creation (67:14). Nothing escapes Him, hidden or manifest, moving or at rest. He is aware of the subtlest of matters and hence He is often described as al-laṭīf al-khabīr (the all-subtle,[4] the all-aware) (6:103, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34, 67:14).
EXPOSITION
In verse 8 it was said: Why should you not have faith in Allah … In the same style and format, the second major theme of the surah is now introduced, also with a rhetorical question: Why should you not spend in the way of Allah … Whereas in the first case the faithful is being told: you have no excuse not to have faith when God has sent His Apostle with all the proof you need, including this miracle, the Quran. And in this case, he is told: why should you be stingy when He is asking you to spend what is His in the first place, and of which you are only custodians (verse 7)?
These opening words: Why should you not spend in the way of Allah, while to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? also imply that if one willingly spends in the way of God, one derives benefit from it, and if not, the property still returns to God, but one derives no benefit. On the other hand, should you spend, He will repay whatever you may spend, and He is the best of providers (34:39), and That which is with you will be spent but what is with Allah shall last (16:96). ‘So one who trusts God,’ says Ibn Kathīr, ‘and does not fear being abandoned by the Lord of the Throne, will spend in God’s way.’[5]
Those who spent and fought before the victory … are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards because the former did so when times were harder, Muslims were in a minority, and greater sacrifices were required, whereas the latter did so in times of comparative ease as, after the victory: ‘Islam spread quickly throughout Arabia and it became politically advantageous to donate to its cause.’[6] The dedication and sincerity of the former, in seeking God’s pleasure solely, is obvious.
Yet Allah has promised the best reward to each is a consolation to those who spent and fought later, though they were slower to come forward in their generosity, or perhaps circumstances did not permit them to do so sooner. They are not left without hope and are assured of the best reward too.
And Allah is well aware of what you do, meaning He knows of the intentions and value of all the matters mentioned in this verse. It is an oft-repeated statement in the Quran.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- The Prophet is reported to have said concerning those who spent and fought before the conquest: ‘If one of you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uḥud [a mountain on the outskirts of Medina] in gold, it would not reach the extent of what one of them did, not even half of it.’[7]
Note: A similar tradition is reported from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī but it places the Prophet as saying this in the year of Ḥudaybiyyah (6 ah),[8] but as explained under the Review of Tafsīr Literature, that is unlikely, and the victory referred to in this verse is the conquest of Mecca (8 ah).
- Husayn ibn Zayd said: ‘I heard Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) saying: “There shall come a man from the children of my son, Mūsā, his name shall be the name of the Commander of the Faithful [Ali], peace be on him, in the land of Ṭūs, which is in Khorasan. He shall be poisoned and buried there [alone as] a stranger. One who visits him, knowing his right, shall be given by God, the mighty and glorious, the reward of one who spent and fought before the victory.’[9]
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Exegetes have said the victory (fatḥ) mentioned in this verse could either refer to the treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (6 ah) or the liberation of Mecca (8 ah). The Ḥudaybiyyah treaty because it was on that occasion that God revealed, Indeed We have inaugurated for you a clear victory (fatḥan mubīna) (48:1), and again later, in the same surah, a victory (fatḥ) near at hand (48:27). And the liberation (fatḥ) of Mecca because of the words, fought before the victory … and fought afterwards, which cannot be applied to Ḥudaybiyyah, which was devoid of fighting.
Rāzī and Thaʿālabī have said the Prophet himself referred to the liberation of Mecca as the victory in his famous statement: ‘There is no migration after the victory (lā hijrata baʿd al-fatḥ),’[10] whereas Thaʿlabī and Ṭabarī have quoted a report saying the victory is Ḥudaybiyyah because the companions of the Apostle of God asked him: ‘O Apostle of God, is it a victory (fatḥ)?’ and he confirmed this replying: ‘A great blessing (niʿam ʿaẓīm).’[11]
The association of this verse to Ḥudaybiyyah however, must be treated with suspicion. Firstly, because it potentially revises history and gives the ṭulaqāʾ,[12] and in particular their Umayyad leaders like Abū Sufyān and his son Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, equal status to the early sincere faithful. Secondly, it is quite clear that the verse refers to the liberation of Mecca since it was only thereafter that people submitted grudgingly.
Tabatabai also notes that though the verse compares those who spent and fought before and after the victory, if we regard the comparison as just one example, then the message applies to all other battles before and after as well, meaning: those who rush to spend and support the fight for God’s cause before any battle, out of conviction and loyalty, are of higher rank than those who hold back and wait for the outcome, spending only after there is victory.[13] This verse is comparable to 4:95-96 that contrasts those who sit back with those who wage jihad in the way of Allah … the latter hold a degree over those who sit back; yet to each Allah has promised the best reward, and Allah has graced those who wage jihad over those who sit back with a great reward: ranks from Him, forgiveness, and mercy. This clearly shows that not all the faithful are equal and there is a gradation of rank amongst them based on their commitment and sincerity to their faith (Cf. 9:100).
The best reward (al-ḥusnā), also mentioned in 4:95, is paradise, according to Thaʿālabī[14] (cf. 18:88 and 41:50 for al-ḥusnā).
This verse also makes it clear that the surah’s addressees are the Muslim faithful and not the Jews, Christians, or Meccan polytheists, as some exegetes have suggested. It draws a clear comparison between those of you who spent and fought before the victory and their being greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. There is no indication that the addressee in, for example, verses 7-8 have now changed in this verse.
Several early exegetes have also attributed this verse and verse 7 to specific individuals. Thaʿālabī, for example, attributes the words, Those of you who have faith and spend in verse 7 as a reference to ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf.[15] Others have argued the words, those of you who spent and fought before the victory refers to Abū Bakr.[16] Rāzī, in particular, discusses and argues this extensively.[17]
Ibn Kathīr however regards such reports as weak.[18] Mufīd also regards these attributions as unreliable, especially if they are credited to individuals whose fleeing from battle was known and established in historic sources.[19] Furthermore, many of these reports are removed from time and place as they speak of the generosity of individuals in the early days of Islam, when they offered all their wealth, stood up to defend the Prophet, and were almost beaten to death.[20] This verse’s context is clearly the fighting in battle and spending before or after the victory in 8 ah, towards the last years of the Prophet’s life. These were the Medinan years when jihad was permissible and not the early days of Islam in Mecca,[21] and numerous battles were fought in those six to eight years after the migration in which thousands of Muslims fought, giving of their wealth generously. Otherwise, the Prophet’s first and most beloved wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, stands out for having given all of her enormous wealth for Islam and the upkeep of Muslims in Mecca during the periods of hardship and sanctions against the Muslims.
What can be agreed on, however, is that where both the qualities of those who spent and fought are not found in one individual, the ones who risked their lives are of greater rank than those who simply donated generously (cf. 9:19-20). The mention of spending before fighting is not to show precedence in rank but only because spending is preparatory and a prerequisite to engagement with the enemy.[22] As well, since generosity with large sums of money is only possible by the rich, it would be an unfair comparison to those who were poor. In contrast, offering one’s life for one’s faith was accessible to all and is, therefore, a fairer measure of merit and rank.
[1] Lane, kh-b-r.
[2] Raghib, kh-b-r.
[3] Tahqiq, kh-b-r.
[4] Or ‘the Knower of all subtleties’. And there are other meanings for al-laṭīf as well, including the Gentle, the Extraordinarily Kind, and the Gracious.
[5] Ibn Kathir, 8/45.
[6] Nasr, p. 1333.
[7] Ibn Kathir, 8/46, from Bukhari and Muslim.
[8] Suyuti, 6/172; Tabari, 27/127.
[9] Uyun, 2/258, h. 3; the prophecy being concerning Imam al-Riḍā (a).
[10] Razi, 29/452; Thaalabi, 5/379. These words of the Prophet are widely quoted in Sunni hadith sources including Bukhari, 6/45 and 6/219; Muslim 3/1487; Abu Dawud, 2/6; Nasai, 7/146; Tirmidhi, h. 1590; Ahmad, 1/266.
[11] Thalabi, 9/232; Tabari, 27/287.
[12] Ṭulaqāʾ (lit. the emancipated) were a group of the Quraysh, inimical to the Prophet, who were given amnesty by the Prophet after the Conquest of Mecca. Abū Sufyān and (his son) Muʿāwiyah were the most prominent members of the ṭulaqāʾ. In his battle with Muʿāwiyah, Imam Ali (a) characterised the ṭulaqāʾ as people who always fought with Islam and converted to it reluctantly. During her captivation in Syria, Lady Zaynab, the elder daughter of Imam Ali (a), referred to Yazīd as the son of ṭulaqāʾ. Some historians refer to the Banī Umayyah as ḥizb al-ṭulaqāʾ (party of the emancipated). According to Balādhūrī, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb believed that the ṭulaqāʾ and their children were not qualified for governmental positions.
[13] Mizan, 19/153.
[14] Thaalabi, 5/380.
[15] Thaalabi, 5/378.
[16] Razi, 29/452; Ibn Kathir, 8/47-48; Qurtubi, 17/240; Wahidi, p. 406.
[17] Razi, 29/452.
[18] Ibn Kathir, 8/47.
[19] Mufid, p. 517.
[20] Razi, 29/452.
[21] Nemuneh, 23/320.
[22] Nemuneh, 23/320.