Surah Al-Baqarah 2:244
ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ
And fight in the cause of Allah and know that Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:244
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 2:244
Al-Baqarah: (244) And fight in the cause of Allah...
There are two sayings regarding this verse:
The First Saying: This is an address to those whom Allah revived. Al-Dahhak said: Allah revived them, then commanded them to go forth for Jihad because Allah had only caused them to die due to their aversion to fighting.
It must be understood that this saying is incomplete without supplying a missing phrase, which would be: "And it was said to them: Fight!"
The Second Saying (Preferred by the Majority of Verifiers): This is a new address to those present, containing the command for Jihad. However, out of His grace and mercy, the Exalted One preceded the command to fight by mentioning those who left their homes. This was done so that people would not recoil from Allah's command due to the love of life and fear of death. It is also so that everyone knows that whoever refrains from fighting does not trust in being safe from death, just as He said: {Say: "Never will fleeing benefit you if you flee from death or killing; and then you would not be allowed to enjoy [life] except for a little while"} (Al-Ahzab: 16). Thus, they are encouraged toward fighting, which promises one of two excellent outcomes: either immediate victory over the enemy, or the eternal reward of bliss in the Hereafter, reaching what souls desire and eyes delight in.
As for His saying, {in the cause of Allah}: Sabil (cause/way) means the path. Acts of worship are called a path to Allah the Exalted because a person treads upon them and reaches Allah the Exalted through them. It is known that Jihad strengthens the religion, so it is an act of obedience, and consequently, the one who strives (Mujahid) is fighting in the cause of Allah.
Then He said: {And know that Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing}. This means He hears your words when you encourage others to fight and when you discourage others from it. And He knows what is in your chests of motivations and intentions—whether that fighting is for the sake of religion or for immediate worldly gain.