Surah Al Imran 3:157
ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ ﳜ ﳝ ﳞ ﳟ ﳠ ﳡ
And if you are killed in the cause of Allah or die - then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than whatever they accumulate [in this world].
Tafsir of Al Imran 3:157
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 3:157
"And if you are killed, O believers, in the way of Allah—that is, in Jihad—or if you die a natural death while you are engaged in it, either in action or by intention, then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than what they accumulate—that is, the disbelievers, in terms of worldly benefits and pleasures for the duration of their lives."
This is an encouragement for the believers toward Jihad, emphasizing that it is something for which competitors should strive. It also serves as consolation and comfort for them regarding what befell them in the cause of Allah the Exalted, following the refutation of anything that might discourage them from elevating the word of Allah the Exalted.
The first lam serves as the muta'ah (preparatory particle) for an oath, and the second occurs in response to the oath. The response to the conditional clause is omitted, as the response to the oath indicates it and suffices for its meaning. Maghfirah (forgiveness) is the subject (mubtada'), and min Allah is connected to an implied descriptor acting as its attribute; it is described as such to show concern for it and to symbolize the certainty of its occurrence. Many have suggested an additional implied attribute, meaning "forgiveness for you from Allah." The attribute for "mercy" is omitted because the aforementioned mention suffices for it. The tanween (nunation) in both terms denotes the smallness of the amount, yet this does not contradict what the description indicates.
The establishment of the fundamental superiority of what the disbelievers accumulate, as required by the superlative form (af'al at-tafdeel), is either based on the fact that what they accumulate in this world may be lawful wealth—which is considered good in itself—or it is stated according to their own speech and belief that such wealth is good.
It is permissible for ma (in "what they accumulate") to be relative (mawsulah) or an indefinite noun modified by an adjective (nakirah mawsufah), with the pronoun referent omitted, or for it to be a source-particle (masdariyyah), in which case the object is implied: "what they accumulate of wealth."
Nafi' and the people of Kufa, other than 'Asim, recited mit-tum (you died) with a kasra (i/e vowel), and Hafs concurred with them in all other instances except here. The others recited it with a damma (u/o vowel) on the meem. According to the first, it is from mata-yamatu (to die), like khiftum (you feared) from khafa-yakhafu. According to the second, it is from mata-yamutu (to die), like kuntum (you were) from kana-yakunu.
Hafs from 'Asim recited yajma'un (they accumulate) with a ya (third-person prefix), while the others recited tajma'un (you accumulate) with a ta (second-person prefix), the pronoun referring to the believers.
Being killed is placed before dying because it carries more reward and is greater in the sight of Allah the Exalted; thus, the forgiveness and mercy that follow it are more profound. The opposite is presented in His (the Glorified One's) saying: [Continuing with the commentary].