I say: Jihad is one of the greatest means by which Allah grants them life—in this world, in the barzakh, and in the Hereafter.
• In the present world, their strength and their ability to subdue the enemy come through jihad.
• In the barzakh, Allah says, “Do not think of those who are killed in the path of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, well-provided for” (3:169).
• In the Hereafter, the portion of life and bliss allotted to the mujahidin and the martyrs surpasses that of all others.

For this reason Ibn Qutaybah (1) said that the phrase “that which will give you life” refers to martyrdom.
Some exegetes said it refers to Paradise, for it is the Abode of Life and the dwelling of everlasting, wholesome living; this was reported by Abu ʿAli al-Jurjani.

The verse, in fact, embraces all of these meanings. Faith, Islam, the Quran, and jihad revive hearts with a goodly life, while the perfection of that life is in Paradise. The Messenger calls to faith and to Paradise; therefore he calls to life in both this world and the next.

Human beings are in absolute need of two kinds of life:

1. The life of the body, through which one perceives benefit and harm and prefers what benefits over what harms. When that life is diminished, pain and weakness befall a person in proportion to the loss. Hence the life of one who is ill, grief-stricken, anxious, fearful, poor, or humiliated is inferior to the life of one who is free from such afflictions.
2. The life of the heart and spirit, through which one distinguishes between truth and falsehood, error and right guidance, so that he chooses truth over its opposite. This life grants a powerful discernment between benefit and harm in matters of knowledge, will, and action, and it bestows the strength of faith.