O You Who Believe

83)

"O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment?"

[Al-Saff 61:10]

Allah explains this great trade that will never fail, the trade that will earn one what he wishes and saves him from what he dislikes.

A transaction or bargain is something in which a person employs his wealth, time, labor and talent in order to earn a profit. In the same sense the faith and jihad in the cause of Allah have been called a bargain, as if to say: If you exert all your powers and spend all your resources in the way of Allah, you will get the profits that are being mentioned in the following verses.A transaction or bargain is something in which a person employs his wealth, time, labor and talent in order to earn a profit. In the same sense the faith and jihad in the cause of Allah have been called a bargain, as if to say: If you exert all your powers and spend all your resources in the way of Allah, you will get the profits that are being mentioned in the following verses.

"Have faith in Allah and His Messenger and strive in the Way of Allah with your possessions and your lives. That is better for you if you only knew."

[Al-Saff 61:11]

When the believers are asked to believe, it automatically gives the meaning that they should become sincere Muslims: they should not rest content with oral profession of the faith but should be ready and willing to make every sacrifice in the cause of their faith.

That is, this bargain is far superior for them to every worldly bargain as Allah is offering it. In turn for this bargain, Allah offers a reward that never ends or falls short.

"He will forgive you your sins and will admit you to Gardens beneath which rivers flow. He will lodge you in excellent mansions in the Gardens of eternity. That is the supreme triumph."

[Al-Saff 61:12]

The real profits of the bargain that they will attain in the eternal lift of the Hereafter are:

(1) Immunity from the punishment of Allah.

(2) Forgiveness of sins.

(3) Entry into the Paradise the blessings of which are eternal and everlasting.

Even at the slight mention of Jannah, the hearts of a true believer yearn and wish to have it and it's delight. This is because it is the supreme triumph. But in the long run of life, all humans tend to forget their purpose in life as well as their destination. The solution to that is the regular recitation of Qur'an and pondering on  the meaning behind it's words. By doing that, believers are reminded of the beautiful gardens of Jannah and their wish of entering there. The purpose of regular recitation itself is to remind the believers of things they forget.

Allah mentioned in Qur'an:

"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers."

[Qur'an 51:55]

Hence, one of the main reasons Qur'an was revealed on Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) was that the humans would be reminded of their chance to settle for the best final destination.

Next, Allah further elongates the rewards of the transaction in the following verse;

"He will also grant you the other favour that you desire: help from Allah and a victory that will come soon. Give glad tidings of this to the believers."

[Al-Saff 61:13]

Although victory and success in the world is a great blessing of Allah, yet for the believer the thing of real importance is not this but the success of the Hereafter. That is why the gain of the worldly life has been mentioned as second and the result accruing in the Hereafter first.

Another reward of the trade with Allah is that Allah also grants us more favors that we like.

After that, Allah reassures of the help from Allah and a near victory meaning, if you fight in Allah's cause and support His religion, He will grant you victory. Allah the Exalted mentioned elsewhere,

"O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm."

[Surah Muhammad 47:7]

Allah also says,

"Verily, Allah will help those who help His (cause). Truly, Allah is All Strong, All-Wise."

[Surah Al-Hajj 22:40]

Allah's statement about the near victory means, it will come sooner, and this is the increased favor that is earned in this life and continues, becoming the delight of the Hereafter. It is for those who obey Allah and His Messenger and support Allah and His religion. For those who support Allah's cause and religion, Allah sends glad tidings to them about the eternal reward in the Hereafter, the near victory, forgiveness and granting of other wishes.

Things we learnt:

> Allah addresses the believers directly and informs them about such a transaction/trade that delivers the believers from the punishment of the Hereafter.

> The 3 portions of this transaction are that believers must; have absolute faith in Allah; have faith in Prophet Muhammad salAllahu alayhi wasallam and; they should strive in Allah's cause (by means of their possessions and their lives).

> As Allah is the Guide and Knower of all, Allah tells the believers that this transaction is better for the believers themselves.

> The rewards of the trade with Allah are; Allah forgives the sins of the believers and enters them in the gardens of Paradise which are eternal and rivers flow underneath those gardens along with excellent mansions to recline in. These are the rewards for the next world and as for the rewards of this life, they are that Allah accepts the du'as and wishes of those believers who take part in this trade and grant them His help and assures them victory.

> At the end, those believers are given glad tidings.

May Allah guide us to the right path.
Ameen.
Wama alayna illal balaghul mubeen.