وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ
“What is the matter with you that you don’t believe in Allah”.
Surah Al-Hadid · The measure of sacrifice
Spend before victory.
Allah calls believers to spend in His path while every possession ultimately returns to Him. Sacrifice made before strength, security, and victory carries a greater rank, while the best reward remains promised to all who spent and fought.
10
وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أَنفَقُوا مِن بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
“And what is the matter with you that you don’t spend in the path of Allah whilst to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth. Not equal among you are those who spent before Al-Fat’h (Conquest) and fought. Those are greater in degree (or rank) than those who spent after and fought. And to all Allah has promised the best [reward]. And Allah, with what you do, is fully Acquainted”.
01 · The call to spend
Belief is immediate. Capacity to spend may come later.
The expression used for spending carries an added grammatical element that can push its meaning into the future.
وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
“What is the matter with you that you don’t spend in the path of Allah”.
أَلَّا combines أَنْ and لَا. Some grammarians hold that the added أَنْ can carry the meaning forward: “What is wrong with you that you will not be spending in the path of Allah”. Everyone can hold Iman, while not everyone can spend at the present moment. A person unable to spend now may gain the capacity to spend later.
02 · The path of Allah
A path laid down by Allah, pleasing to Allah, and leading to Allah.
The mission in the Prophetic context
Ustadh Nu’man holds that the path of Allah in the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ is the Prophet’s mission to liberate the Ka’bah from idols and restore the legacy of Ibrahim (as). The events of the Seerah serve that primary objective.
01A path laid down by Allah
02A path pleasing to Allah
03A path leading to Allah as its destination
Applications for all mankind
The Qur’an addresses mankind until the Day of Judgement. The path of Allah therefore includes every avenue pleasing to Allah.
- Caring for orphans
- Furthering education of the Deen
- Helping the poor and deprived
- Giving Da’wah to non-Muslims
- Other avenues pleasing to Allah
03 · Ownership and return
Everything begins with Allah and returns to Allah.
Inheritance passes to another after a life ends. Allah remains when creation and all human possession are gone, and He is the final owner of the heavens and the earth.
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Possessions are placed at human disposal
وَأَنفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ
“And spend from that which We have made you successors or recipients in”. -
Human life and possession end
People and everything held by them pass away.
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All ownership returns to Allah
The inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah alone.
The First and the Last
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ
“He is the First and the Last”. At the beginning, people are given things. At the end, those things return to Allah. The movement of possession reflects what Surah Al-Hadid declares about Allah at its beginning.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ الْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ
“No doubt, We will inherit the earth and whoever is on it and to Us they will be returned”
Surah Maryam · 40
04 · Before and after Al-Fat’h
Sacrifice before strength carries the greater rank.
Spending and fighting while the Muslim community was weak required a calibre of commitment distinct from sacrifice made after its position became strong and consolidated.
لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ
They spent and fought in weakness
They sacrificed before victory, before strength was secured, and before the Muslim position was consolidated.
They are greater in degree and rank.
They spent and fought after victory
Their spending and fighting remain acts for which Allah promises the best reward, but their degree is not equal to those who preceded them.
The delayed comparison foregrounds the first group
The expression “Not equal” usually places two groups together, as in Surah Al-Hashr:
لَا يَسْتَوِي أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ
“Not equal are the companions of the fire and the companions of Paradise”
Surah Al-Hashr · 20
In 57:10, the second group does not appear immediately beside the first. This construction places the initial focus on those who spent before the conquest and fought. They belong to a different calibre. Their distinction reinforces Allah’s favour upon those who are first and foremost, السَّابِقُونَ, in struggling and sacrificing for the Deen.
05 · The scope of Al-Fat’h
Victory marks a decisive change in the cost of sacrifice.
The Treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah as Al-Fat’h
Ustadh Nu’man holds that الفَتْح, “the victory or conquest”, refers to the treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah rather than the Conquest of Makkah.
Entire tribes began entering Islam after the treaty. Al-Hudaibiyah laid the foundation for the opening of Makkah, while the Conquest of Makkah was the last domino to fall.
“The treaty was the opening (Fat’h) that led to the greater opening (Fat’h); the Conquest of Makkah”.
Al-Qurtubi
The Battle of Badr and early sacrifice
Ustadh Nu’man holds that the fighting mentioned here probably concerns the Battle of Badr because victory looked unlikely and spending was much harder.
After Badr, spoils of war improved the economic situation, and confidence grew in the Muslims’ ability to win future battles. Those willing to sacrifice and spend before entering Badr are therefore greater in rank in this reading.
The Conquest of Makkah
The vast majority of Mufassireen hold that Al-Fat’h here explicitly refers to Fat’hu Makkah, the conquest and opening of Makkah. A smaller number hold that it refers to the treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah.
The ayah’s structure encompasses spending and fighting before Al-Fat’h and spending and fighting after it. The earlier category therefore includes the full range of sacrifice before that opening rather than the Battle of Badr alone.
Prophetic war and the mission of revelation
Ustadh Nu’man describes Al-Hadid and the Surahs that follow as addressing “Prophetic war”. Some Prophets received missions that could not be completed without war, and those missions required spending. Their work included Da’wah and conveyance of the message, as well as the material struggle necessary to fulfil the Prophetic mission.
06 · Promise and knowledge
Different ranks. A promise of the best to all.
الْحُسْنَىٰ
The best and the most beautiful
وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ declares that Allah has promised Al-Husnaa to all who spent and fought.
Al-Husnaa contains the meanings of “The best” and “The most beautiful”. The reward is not specified. Its mystery remains, while Allah guarantees that it is the best and most beautiful reward.
Allah is intimately acquainted with every deed
خَبِيرٌ conveys intimate knowledge and complete acquaintance with what people do.
خَبَر Khabar: news or information about something or an incident.
خِبْرَة Khibrah: experience.
Placing بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ, “concerning what you do”, before خَبِيرٌ gives it special emphasis: “And Allah is ‘especially’ concerning what you do, Khabeer (fully acquainted)”.
The movement of the ayah
Capacity, sacrifice, return, rank, and reward.
1 Spend when capacity arrives. Inability now does not remove the call to spend later.
2 Spend in Allah’s path. Wealth supports the work that pleases Allah and advances His cause.
3 Sacrifice before security. Early commitment in weakness carries a greater degree.
4 Know where all things return. Allah inherits every possession and knows every deed intimately.