كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿۲۴۲﴾ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ اللَّهُ مُوتُوا ثُمَّ أَحْيَاهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿۲۴۳﴾ وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۲۴۴﴾ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً وَاللَّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿۲۴۵﴾
﴾242﴿ Kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu lakum aayaatihee la'allakum ta'qiloon
﴾243﴿ Alam tara ilal lazeena kharajoo min diyaarihim wa hum uloofun hazaral mawti faqaaala lahumul laahu mootoo summa ahyaahum; innal laaha lazoo fadlin 'alannaasi wa laakinna aksarannaasi laa yashkuroon
﴾244﴿ Wa qaatiloo fee sabeelil laahi wa'lamooo annal laaha Samee'un 'Aleem
﴾245﴿ Man zal lazee yuqridul laaha qardan hasanan fayudaa 'ifahoo lahoo ad'aafan kaseerah; wallaahu yaqbidu wa yabsutu wa ilaihi turja'oon
﴾242﴿ Likewise, Allah clarifies His rulings for you so that you may use your intellect.
﴾243﴿ Have you not seen those who left their homes, though they were thousands, out of fear of death? Then Allah said to them, “Die,” then He brought them back to life. Indeed, Allah is full of grace toward the people, but most people do not give thanks.
﴾244﴿ And fight in the path of Allah, and know that indeed Allah is All-Hearing and All-Knowing over everything.
﴾245﴿ Who is it that will give Allah a goodly loan (with sincerity), so He will multiply it for him many times over?
And Allah constricts and expands provision, and to Him alone you will be returned.
[242] This ruling emphasizes the implementation of the previous commands. It stresses that these rulings are not merely advisory but are obligations, and it is essential for those of understanding to fulfill them.
[243] From this verse up to verse 253 is the fourth section.
After addressing matters of order and governance, the encouragement here is toward jihad, using the incidents of the Children of Israel as examples.
The first incident points out that one should not abandon jihad out of fear of death.
The second incident teaches not to fear having few supporters.
This section also addresses the selection of a leader, the qualities of a commander, the truthfulness of the Messenger, and the wisdom behind fighting.
"أَلَمْ تَرَ" (Have you not seen?) is used in places where a lesson must be drawn from a story.
"الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا" (those who went out): According to the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah, the exact identity of this group is not definitively stated.
The common view is that they were also from the Children of Israel, and the prophet Ezekiel (peace be upon him) was sent to them.
"الْمَوْتِ" (death): it was caused by a plague or by battle.
"مُوتُوا" (Die!): This death was a form of punishment, similar to what is mentioned in verse 55.
"أَحْيَاهُمْ" (He brought them back to life): They were revived by the prayer of their prophet.
This is the third event in this surah in which people are brought back to life in this world.
[244] The term "loan" applies to any righteous deed, but it is most commonly used in reference to spending wealth.
قَرْضًا حَسَنًا (a goodly loan) refers to spending with sincerity and in accordance with the sunnah.
This is an encouragement to spend in the cause of jihad, and the use of the word "loan" implies that it will certainly be repaid.
[245] “Loan” (قرض) refers to any good deed, but it is most commonly used for spending wealth.
“Qarḍan ḥasanan” (a good loan) means spending with sincerity and in accordance with the sunnah.
This is an encouragement to spend for the sake of jihad.
The use of the word “loan” implies that a return is guaranteed.