In this ayah, Allah tells us about a true promise of the greatest business deal ever!
إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah ? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment. (Surah At-Tawbah: 111)
Allah has made a transaction with the believers, where he has purchased their lives and their wealth, in exchange for which they will have Jannah.
And what is Jannah?
Jannah is Allah’s Masterpiece. It is such an immense and supreme reward that Allah has prepared for the believers. In Jannah there is every kind of happiness, every kind of delight, every kind of joy and every kind of blessing, bringing coolness to their eyes, comforts to their hearts and pleasure to their bodies!
But Jannah is not free. It comes at a price. And that is our lives and our wealth. That we now spend our lives and wealth striving in the Cause of Allah and exhausting ourselves in the way of the Deen! And the one who has sold himself to Allah, using both his life and his wealth in the service of the Deen – this will only bring him happiness upon happiness, blessing upon blessing!
Now if you take any commercial transaction, generally there’s a Buyer and a Seller. And before the Buyer purchases an item, he inspects it. Here Allah is Buying. And when a person claims to be a seeker of Jannah, Allah will test and inspect him to see whether he is worthy to be bought for Jannah!
Once the item is sold, the Seller cant’t take it back or do whatever he wants with it. If he did, then he is breaching the terms of the sale.
So as believers, after making this transaction with Allah, how can we do whatever we want with our lives then? How can we cross His Limits, disobey His Commands and still claim to want Jannah?
Remember to go to Jannah, you need to abide by the terms & conditions of this contract. You need to pay the price, and the price is your life and your wealth.
However, if you think about it, Allah doesn’t need to make this contract with us. He is after all our Malik (Owner) and He is the Khaliq (Creator) of every single thing.
So why make this deal then?
It is simply to honour us, to honour the believers!
This is similar to when you buy something from someone, but you don’t really need that item. You’re just doing it, so that the seller makes a profit!
So Allah has created us and bestowed on us wealth, yet he purchases it from us, in exchange for which we will get Jannah. How Merciful is our Rabb!
Jannah and receiving the Pleasure and Approval from Allah is the greatest attainment! There is no success that is grander or greater than this.
So we have to use this “one” life Allah has blessed us with. So ask yourself, how you’re spending it? How are you using the skills and talents that Allah has given you? Today our Jihad is with the Qur’an – the ultimate Book of Guidance – learning it, implementing it, imparting the knowledge to others, and inviting people to this beautiful Deen of ours.
So don’t waste your life in useless pursuits and endevours, don’t waste your life in vain things that will bring you no benefit. Remember that Jannah – which is Allah’s Grandest Masterpiece – can only be acquired through this one life you have been given. So strive with your self and your wealth, and don’t settle for anything less than Jannah
Who are these believers mentioned in this ayah, what are their qualities. Click here for part 2.
