Quran Universe
9:111

۞إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱشۡتَرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمۡ وَأَمۡوَٰلَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلۡجَنَّةَۚ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقۡتُلُونَ وَيُقۡتَلُونَۖ وَعۡدًا عَلَيۡهِ حَقّٗا فِي ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةِ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلِ وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِۚ وَمَنۡ أَوۡفَىٰ بِعَهۡدِهِۦ مِنَ ٱللَّهِۚ فَٱسۡتَبۡشِرُواْ بِبَيۡعِكُمُ ٱلَّذِي بَايَعۡتُم بِهِۦۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ

Inna Allaha ishtara mina almumineena anfusahum waamwalahum bianna lahumu aljannata yuqatiloona fee sabeeli Allahi fayaqtuloona wayuqtaloona waAAdan AAalayhi haqqan fee alttawrati waalinjeeli waalqurani waman awfa biAAahdihi mina Allahi faistabshiroo bibayAAikumu allathee bayaAAtum bihi wathalika huwa alfawzu alAAatheemu

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.

Word by word
  1. ۞إِنَّIndeed
  2. ٱللَّهَAllah
  3. ٱشۡتَرَىٰ(has) purchased
  4. مِنَfrom
  5. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَthe believers
  6. أَنفُسَهُمۡtheir lives
  7. وَأَمۡوَٰلَهُمand their wealth
  8. بِأَنَّbecause
  9. لَهُمُfor them
  10. ٱلۡجَنَّةَۚ(is) Paradise
  11. يُقَٰتِلُونَThey fight
  12. فِيin
  13. سَبِيلِ(the) way
  14. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  15. فَيَقۡتُلُونَthey slay
  16. وَيُقۡتَلُونَۖand they are slain
  17. وَعۡدًاA promise
  18. عَلَيۡهِupon Him
  19. حَقّٗاtrue
  20. فِيin
  21. ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةِthe Taurat
  22. وَٱلۡإِنجِيلِand the Injeel
  23. وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِۚand the Quran
  24. وَمَنۡAnd who
  25. أَوۡفَىٰ(is) more faithful
  26. بِعَهۡدِهِۦto his promise
  27. مِنَthan
  28. ٱللَّهِۚAllah
  29. فَٱسۡتَبۡشِرُواْSo rejoice
  30. بِبَيۡعِكُمُin your transaction
  31. ٱلَّذِيwhich
  32. بَايَعۡتُمyou have contracted
  33. بِهِۦۚ[with it]
  34. وَذَٰلِكَAnd that
  35. هُوَit
  36. ٱلۡفَوۡزُ(is) the success
  37. ٱلۡعَظِيمُthe great
At-Tawbah · 9:111Madinah

Allah bought what He already gave you, and paid Paradise.

The sale every believer carries

The transaction
the believeroffers self and wealth
sold to
Allahwho gave them in the first place
for
Paradisea promise He keeps
What it says about your worth
giving is losingI end up with less
He raised the pricebought you and raised your worth

In the setting of Tabuk, Allah describes a sale: the believers' lives and wealth for Paradise. Ibn Kathir calls it His favor and generosity, since He accepts as payment what He already owns. Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: Allah bought them and raised their worth.

Shimr bin Atiyyah said every Muslim has a sale on their neck, to fulfill or leave unfinished. Yours might be the hours you give your sick mother, the salary you share, the energy you spend on what Allah loves. Every bit of it is part of the deal.

What I give up for Allah leaves me poorer.

Allah takes what He gave me and pays me Paradise for it.

Try this

Choose one thing you will spend today purely for Allah: an hour, a sum, an effort.

Related4:874:122
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties for (the price) that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's cause, so they kill and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Tawrah and the Injil and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success (111)

Allah has purchased the Souls and Wealth of the Mujahidin in Return for Paradise

Allah states that He has compensated His believing servants for their lives and wealth – if they give them up in His cause – with Paradise. This demonstrates Allah's favor, generosity and bounty, for He has accepted the good that He already owns and bestowed, as a price from His faithful servants. Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah commented, "By Allah! Allah has purchased them and raised their worth." Shimr bin 'Atiyyah said, "There is not a Muslim but has on his neck a sale that he must conduct with Allah; he either fulfills its terms or dies without doing that." He then recited this Ayah. This is why those who fight in the cause of Allah are said to have conducted the sale with Allah, meaning, accepted and fulfilled his covenant. Allah's statement,

يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ

(They fight in Allah's cause, so they kill and are killed.) indicates that whether they were killed or they kill the enemy, or both, then Paradise will be theirs.

The Two Sahihs recorded the Hadith,

وَتَكَفَّلَ اللهُ لِمَنْ خَرَجَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَا يُخْرِجُهُ إِلَّا جِهَادٌ فِي سَبِيلِي وَتَصْدِيقٌ بِرُسُلِي بِأَنْ تَوَفَّاهُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ، أَوْ يَرْجِعَهُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ الَّذِي خَرَجَ مِنْهُ، نَائِلًا مَا نَالَ مِنْ أَجْرٍ أَوْ غَنِيمَةٍ

(Allah has made a promise to the person who goes out (to fight) in His cause; 'And nothing compels him to do so except Jihad = in My Cause and belief in My Messengers. ' He will either be admitted to Paradise if he dies, or compensated by Allah, either with a reward or booty if He returns him to the home which he departed from.)

Allah's statement,

وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ

(It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Tawrah and the Injil and the Qur'an.) affirms this promise and informs us that Allah has decreed this for His Most Honorable Self, and revealed it to His Messengers in His Glorious Books, the Tawrah that He sent down to Musa, the Injil that He sent down to 'Isa, and the Qur'an that was sent down to Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be on them all. Allah said next,

وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ

(And who is truer to his covenant than Allah?) affirming that He never breaks a promise. Allah said in similar statements,

وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَدِيثًا

(And who is truer in statement than Allah?)[4:87], and,

وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ قِيلًا

(And whose words can be truer than those of Allah?)[4:122].

Allah said next,

فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

(Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success.), meaning, let those who fulfill the terms of this contract and uphold this covenant receive the good news of great success and everlasting delight.