and within it also lies the essence of sincerity, for we are speaking of the one who strives in the path of Allah—not in the path of prestige, nor of wealth, nor of tribal zeal. This description applies only to him who fights so that the word of Allah may be exalted and so that the entire religion belongs to Allah (1).

The highest degree of sincerity is to surrender both one’s life and one’s property to the One who is worshipped, as the Most High says: “Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth in exchange for Paradise: they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed.” ⦗al-Tawbah 9:111⦘.

Paradise is the name of the abode that contains every form of bliss—at its summit the vision of Allah Himself, and below that everything the souls may desire and the eyes may delight in, whether we already know of it or not. Allah, Exalted is He, has said, as His Messenger relates from Him: “I have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never occurred to a human heart” (2).

Thus some of the reasons for opening this surah in this manner have become clear.

He, Exalted, then said: “O you who believe, remember Allah’s favour upon you when hosts came against you, and We sent against them a wind and hosts you could not see; and Allah is ever watchful of what you do.” ⦗al-Aḥzāb 33:9⦘.

The summary (3) of the story is that all of the polytheists who surrounded the Muslims banded together (4) against them and came