Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:78

{وَجَاهِدُوا}: A command to engage in military expeditions (ghazw) and to struggle against the self (nafs) and desires (hawa), which is the "Greater Jihad." It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ) that upon returning from one of his expeditions, he said: "We have returned from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad."

{فِي اللَّهِ}: That is, for the sake of God’s Essence and for His cause. It is said: "He is a true scholar" (haqq 'alim) and "a serious effort" (jidd 'alim), meaning: a scholar in truth and in seriousness. From this is the phrase: {حق جهاده} (the right of His struggle).

If you ask: "What is the basis of this genitive construction (idafa), when the standard form would be 'the right of the struggle in Him' or 'the right of your struggle in Him,' as He said: {وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ}?"

I say: The genitive construction is valid through the slightest association or specification. Since the struggle is specified to God in that it is performed for His Face and for His sake, its attribution to Him is valid. It is also permissible to treat the adverbial phrase (zarf) broadly, as in the poet's saying: "And a day we witnessed Salīm and ‘Āmir."

{اجْتَبَاكُمْ}: He chose you for His religion and for supporting it.

{وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ}: He opened the door of repentance for the sinners and provided latitude through various concessions (rukhsa), expiations (kaffarat), blood money (diyat), and indemnities (urush). Similar to this is His saying: {يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ} (God intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship) [Al-Baqarah: 185]. The nation of Muhammad (ﷺ) is the "Merciful Nation," marked as such in the preceding scriptures.

{مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ}: The word millata (creed/religion) is in the accusative case (nasb) due to the implication of what preceded it. It is as if it were said: "He has expanded your religion with the expansion of the creed of your father," then the noun being possessed was omitted and the possessor took its place. Or, it is for specification (ikhtisas), meaning: "I mean by the religion, the creed of your father," just as you say: "Praise be to God, the Praiseworthy."

If you ask: "Was Abraham not the father of the entire nation?" I say: He is the father of the Messenger of God (ﷺ), and thus he was the father of his nation, because the nation of the Messenger is in the status of his children.

{هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا}: The pronoun "He" refers to God Almighty. It is also said: It refers to Abraham. The reading of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b supports the first view: "God named you."

{مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا}: That is, before the Quran in all the other scriptures, and in this [Quran]. Meaning: He favored you over other nations and named you with this most noble name.

{لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ}: That he has conveyed the message to you.

{وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ}: That you testify that the messengers have conveyed the message to them. Since He has singled you out for this honor and preference, worship Him, trust in Him, and do not seek victory or guardianship from anyone but Him; for He is the best Guardian and Helper.

From the Messenger of God (ﷺ): "Whoever recites Surah Al-Hajj is given the reward of a Hajj performed and an ‘Umrah performed, equal to the number of those who have performed Hajj and ‘Umrah in the past and those who will perform them in the future."