(34-35) “Indeed, those who disbelieve and bar others from the path of Allah, then die as disbelievers—Allah will never forgive them. * So do not weaken and call for peace while you have the upper hand. Allah is with you and will never deprive you of the reward of your deeds.”
This verse and the verse in al-Baqara—“Whoever among you renounces his religion and dies as a disbeliever, their deeds will have come to nothing in this world and the Hereafter”—qualify every unrestricted text stating that disbelief nullifies deeds: such nullification is conditional upon dying in that state. Thus, He says here: “Indeed, those who disbelieve” in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day, “and bar” people “from the path of Allah” by making the truth appear unattractive to them, calling them to falsehood, and making it seem appealing, “then die as disbelievers,” without having repented of their disbelief, “Allah will never forgive them,” whether through intercession or otherwise. Punishment has become inevitable for them, they have forfeited the reward, eternal residence in the Fire has become their due, and they are shut out from the mercy of the Most Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving.
The verse also implies that if they repent of this before their death, Allah will forgive them, have mercy upon them, and admit them to Paradise—even if they had spent their lives disbelieving in Him, barring people from His path, and boldly committing acts of disobedience against Him. Glory be to Him who opened the gates of mercy to His servants and did not close them to anyone so long as he remains alive and able to repent.
And glory be to the Forbearing, who does not hasten to punish the disobedient but grants them well-being and provides for them as though they had never disobeyed Him, despite His power over them.
Then the Exalted says: “So do not weaken”—that is, do not falter in fighting your enemy or allow fear to overcome you. Rather, remain patient and steadfast, and steel yourselves for battle and fierce combat, seeking your Lord’s pleasure, supporting Islam with sincerity, and enraging Satan.
Do not call for peace and a cessation of hostilities between you and your enemies merely to seek relief, “while you have the upper hand. Allah is with you and will never deprive you”—that is, diminish anything—“of your deeds.”
Each of these three considerations calls for patience and the avoidance of weakness. First, they have the upper hand: all the means of victory are available to them, and they have received Allah’s unfailing promise. A person only weakens when he is at a disadvantage to his opponent, inferior in numbers and equipment, and weaker in both internal and external strength.
Second, Allah is with them because they are believers, and Allah is with the believers through His aid, victory, and support. This necessarily strengthens their hearts and emboldens them against their enemy.
Third, Allah will not diminish the reward of any of their deeds. Rather, He will grant them their rewards in full and give them even more from His bounty. This is especially true of the worship of jihad, for expenditure made in it is multiplied up to seven hundredfold and many times beyond that. The Exalted says:
“That is because they suffer neither thirst, fatigue, nor hunger in the cause of Allah, nor do they take any step that enrages the disbelievers or inflict any loss upon an enemy, without a righteous deed being recorded for them on its account. Indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost. Nor do they spend anything, small or great, or cross any valley, without it being recorded for them, so that Allah may reward them according to the best of what they used to do.”
When a person knows that Allah the Exalted will not allow his deeds and jihad to be lost, this inspires him with vigor and prompts him to exert every effort in that which brings reward and recompense. How much more so when all three considerations are combined? They inspire complete vigor. This is part of Allah’s encouragement to His servants: He spurs them on and strengthens their resolve to pursue what brings their well-being and success.