(100) “Whoever emigrates in the cause of Allah will find on earth many places of refuge and abundance. Whoever leaves his home emigrating to Allah and His Messenger, and death then overtakes him, his reward is assured with Allah. And Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
This verse encourages migration, urges people toward it, and explains the benefits it contains. He whose promise is true has promised that whoever emigrates in His cause, seeking His pleasure, will find many places of refuge on earth and abundance. Places of refuge secure the interests of religion, while abundance secures worldly interests.
Many people imagine that migration will bring separation after companionship, poverty after wealth, humiliation after honor, and hardship after ease.
Yet this is not so. As long as a believer remains among the polytheists, his observance of religion remains severely deficient, both in personal acts of worship, such as prayer and the like, and in acts whose benefit extends to others, such as striving by word and deed and all that this entails, because he is unable to perform them. He is also liable to be tempted away from his religion, especially if he is oppressed.
When he emigrates in the cause of Allah, however, he becomes able to uphold Allah’s religion, strive against Allah’s enemies, and defy them. Defiance here is a comprehensive term for everything said or done that infuriates Allah’s enemies. He likewise attains abundance in his provision. This has indeed come to pass just as Allah Most High stated.
Consider the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. When they emigrated in the cause of Allah and left their homes, children, and wealth for His sake, their faith was thereby perfected. They attained such completeness of faith, mighty striving, and support for Allah’s religion that they became leaders for all who came after them. They also received the conquests and spoils resulting from this, through which they became the wealthiest of people. Likewise, until the Day of Resurrection, whoever does as they did will attain what they attained.
He then says, “Whoever leaves his home emigrating to Allah and His Messenger”—that is, intending to reach his Lord and attain His pleasure, out of love for His Messenger and in support of Allah’s religion, rather than for any other purpose—“and death then overtakes him,” whether through being killed or otherwise, “his reward is assured with Allah.” That is, by Allah Most High’s guarantee, he receives the reward of the emigrant who reached his destination. This is because he formed the intention, firmly resolved upon it, and actually embarked upon the deed. Out of His mercy toward such people, Allah grants them their reward in full even if they do not complete the deed, and He forgives their shortcomings in migration and other matters.
For this reason, He concluded the verse with these two noble names: “And Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” He forgives the believers for the sins they commit, especially those who repent and turn back to their Lord. ⦗197⦘
He is “Most Merciful” toward all creation with a mercy through which He brought them into being, granted them health and well-being, and provided them with wealth, children, strength, and other blessings. He is especially merciful toward the believers: He guided them to faith, taught them the knowledge by which certainty is attained, facilitated for them the means of happiness and success and all by which they attain the greatest gain. They will behold such mercy and generosity from Him as no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no human heart has ever conceived. We therefore ask Allah not to deprive us of His goodness because of the evil within us.