Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:74

It carries the meaning of both buying and selling. Ibn Mufarrigh said: "I bought a cloak; would that I had been an owl after the cloak."

Those who "buy" the worldly life with the Hereafter are the laggards. They were admonished to change the hypocrisy within them, to sincerely believe in Allah and His Messenger, and to strive in the way of Allah with true striving. Those who "sell" are the believers who prefer the eternal life over the fleeting one and exchange the latter for the former. The meaning is: If those whose hearts are diseased and whose intentions are weak turn away from fighting, then let the steadfast and the sincere fight. The one who fights in the way of Allah—whether he is victorious or martyred—is promised a great reward for his exertion in strengthening the religion of Allah.

There are two interpretations:

1. It is in the genitive case (majrur), linked to "in the way of Allah" (fi sabil Allah), meaning: "in the way of Allah and in the liberation of the oppressed."
2. It is in the accusative case (mansub) as a specification (ikhtisas), meaning: "He has specified from the way of Allah the liberation of the oppressed," because while the "way of Allah" is a general term for all good, the liberation of the oppressed Muslims from the hands of the disbelievers is the greatest and most specific of good deeds.

The "oppressed" were those who embraced Islam in Mecca, and the polytheists prevented them from migrating. They remained among them, humiliated and weak, suffering severe harm. They would call upon Allah for deliverance and seek His aid. Allah facilitated the departure of some to Medina, while others remained until the Conquest, at which point Allah provided them with the best Guardian and Helper: Muhammad (ﷺ). He took charge of them in the best manner and aided them with the strongest support. When he left, he appointed Attab ibn Asid over the people of Mecca, and they saw from him the guardianship and support they had desired. Ibn Abbas said: "He would support the weak against the strong, until they became more powerful through him than the oppressors."

If you ask: Why were the children (wildan) mentioned? I say: To record the extremity of their oppression, as the harm reached even the children who were not yet legally responsible, out of spite toward their fathers and mothers. Also, because the oppressed used to include their children in their supplications, seeking to draw down the mercy of Allah through the prayers of their little ones who had not yet sinned—just as the people of Jonah did, and as the Sunnah has established regarding bringing them out for the prayer for rain (istisqa). Ibn Abbas said: "I and my mother were among the oppressed—from the women and the children." It is also permissible that "men and women" refers to free men and women, and "children" refers to male and female slaves, because a slave is called walid and a female slave walida. The term wildan (children) is used to prioritize the masculine over the feminine, just as one says "fathers" and "brothers."

If you ask: Why is the word "oppressor" (zalim) used when its descriptor (the town) is feminine? I say: It is a description of the town, but it is attributed to its inhabitants. Therefore, it was given the inflection of the town because it is its attribute, and it was mentioned in the masculine because it is attributed to the inhabitants—just as you say, "This is the town whose inhabitants are oppressive." If it were feminized to zalima (oppressive), it would be permissible—not because of the feminine descriptor, but because the word "inhabitants" (ahl) can be treated as masculine or feminine. If you ask: Is it permissible to say "from this town, the oppressive (zalimin) are its inhabitants?" I say: Yes, just as you say "those who oppressed its inhabitants" according to the dialect of those who say "the fleas ate me" (akaluni al-baraghit).

From this is: "And they concealed their private counsel—those who did wrong" (Hud: 78).

Allah encouraged the believers and emboldened them by informing them that they only fight in the way of Allah; therefore, He is their Guardian and Helper. Their enemies fight in the way of Satan, and they have no guardian but Satan. The plot of Satan against the believers, compared to the plot of Allah against the disbelievers, is the weakest and most fragile of things.