Regarding His words: “And among people there is one who sells his own self, seeking the good pleasure of Allah” (Q 2:207). Ibn Khuyz Mandad comments: If a man charges at one hundred foes, or at an entire army, or at a band of thieves, insurgents, or rebels, the ruling depends on two scenarios. 1. If he knows—or deems it highly probable—that he will kill those he attacks and escape, the act is commendable. 2. If he knows—or strongly suspects—that he will be killed, yet will nonetheless inflict heavy damage, weaken the enemy, or leave an effect that benefits the Muslims, it is likewise permissible. It has reached me that when the Muslim forces met the Persians, the Muslims’ horses panicked at the sight of the elephants. One man fashioned a clay elephant and accustomed his horse to it until the animal became used to it. At dawn his horse no longer shied away, so he charged the lead elephant. People said, “It will kill you.” He replied, “No matter if I am killed, so long as victory comes to the Muslims.” The same happened at al-Yamama: when Banu Hanifa barricaded themselves in the garden, a Muslim said, “Place me in a shield-basket and throw me over to them.” They did so; he fought them single-handedly and opened the gate. A similar case is reported of a man who asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, “If I am killed in the path of Allah, steadfast and seeking reward, what is my fate?” He replied, “Paradise is yours.” The man then plunged into the enemy until he was killed. Muslim relates from Anas b. Malik that at Uhud the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was left with seven men of the Ansar and two men of Quraysh. When the enemy closed in on him he said, “Who will repel them from us—his reward is Paradise, or he will be my companion in Paradise.” An Ansari stepped forward and fought until he was killed. The enemy pressed again; the Prophet repeated the call, and another Ansari advanced and was killed. This continued until the seven were slain. The Prophet then said, “We have not been fair to our companions.” The transmitted wording is naṣafna (with a sukun on the f) aṣḥābanā (with a fatḥa on the b), meaning: we did not give them their due support and they were killed. Another reading vocalises the f with fatḥa and raises the b; in that case the pronoun refers to those who fled and left him—Allah knows best. Muhammad b. al-Hasan said: If a single man attacks a thousand idolaters alone, there is no harm provided he hopes either to survive or to harm the enemy. If neither is probable, the act is disliked, for he exposes himself to destruction without benefit to the Muslims. However, if his aim is to embolden the Muslims so that they imitate him, its permissibility is not far-fetched, for that yields benefit; likewise if his intention is to terrify the enemy and show the Muslims’ steadfastness in faith. Whenever the action profits the Muslims and a man loses his life to exalt Allah’s religion and weaken disbelief, he occupies the noble rank praised by Allah in His words: “Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives…” (Q 9:111) and in other verses lauding those who sacrifice themselves. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 2/363–364.