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3:157 - And if ye are slain or die in the way of Allah forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better
than all they could amass. 470
470 Notice a beautiful little literary touch here. At first sight you would expect the second person here ("you could amass"),
to match the second person in the earlier clause. But remember that the second person in earlier clause refers to the
man of faith, and the third person in the last line refers to the Unbelievers; as if it said: "Of course you as a man of
faith would not be for hoarding riches: your wealth,-duty and the mercy of Allah,-is far more precious than anything the
Unbelievers can amass in their selfish lives. " (3.157)
3:158 - And if ye die or are slain Lo! it is unto Allah that ye are brought together.
3:168 - (They are) the ones that say (of their brethren slain) while they themselves sit (at ease): "If
only they had listened to us they would not have been slain." Say: "Avert death from your own
selves if ye speak the truth."
3:169 - Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay they live finding their
sustenance in the presence of their Lord. 477
477 A beautiful passage about the Martyrs in the cause of Truth. They are not dead: they live,-and in a far higher and
deeper sense than in the life they have left. Even those who have no faith in the Hereafter honour those that die in
their cause, with the crown of immortality in the minds and memories of generations unborn. But in Faith we see a
higher, truer, and less relative immortality. Perhaps "immortality" is not the right word in this connection, as it implies a
continuation of this life. In their case, through the gateway of death, they enter, the true real Life, as opposed to its
shadow here. (3.169)
3:195 - And their Lord hath accepted of them and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the
work of any of you be he male or female: ye are members one of another; those who have left
their homes or been driven out therefrom or suffered harm in My cause or fought or been slain
verily I will blot out from them their iniquities and admit them into gardens with rivers flowing
beneath; a reward from the presence of Allah and from His presence is the best of rewards."
500501
500 In Islam the equal status of the sexes is not only recognised but insisted on. If sex distinction, which is a distinction in
nature, does not count in spiritual matters, still less of course would count artificial distinctions, such as rank, wealth,
position, race, colour, birth, etc, (3.195)
501 Here, and in iii. 198 below, and in many places elsewhere, stress is laid on the fact that whatever gift, or bliss will
come to the righteous, its chief merit will be that it proceeds from Allah Himself. "Nearness to Allah" expresses it better
than any other term. (3.195)
4:74 - Let those fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. To him
who fighteth in the cause of Allah whether he is slain or gets victory soon shall We give him a
reward of great (value). 591
591 It is not every one,-least of all, poltroons and faint-hearted persons-who is fit to fight in the cause of Allah. To do so is
a privilege, and those who understand the privilege are prepared to sacrifice all their interests in this life, and this life
itself; for they know that it is the sacrifice of something fleeting and of little value, for the sake of something
everlasting, and of immense value. Whether (in appearance) they win or lose, in reality they win the prize for which
they are fighting,-viz., honour and glory in the sight of Allah. Note that the only alternatives here are Death or Victory!
The true fighter knows no defeat. (4.74)
9:111 - Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their good; for theirs (in return) is
the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause and slay and are slain: a promise binding on
Him in truth through the Law the Gospel and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his
covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the
achievement supreme. 13611362
1361 In a human bargain both sides give something and receive some advantage. In the divine bargain of Allah with man,
Allah takes man's will and soul and his wealth and goods, and gives him in return ever-lasting Felicity. Man fights in
Allah's Cause and carries out His will. All that he has to give up is the ephemeral things of this world, while he gains
eternal salvation, the fulfilment of his highest spiritual hopes,-a supreme achievement indeed. (9.111)
1362 We offer our whole selves and our possessions to Allah, and Allah gives us Salvation. This is the true doctrine of
redemption: and we are taught that this is the doctrine not only of the Qur-an but of the earlier Revelations,-the
original Law of Moses and the original Gospel of Jesus. Any other view of redemption is rejected by Islam, especially
that of corrupted Christianity, which thinks that some other person suffered for our sins and we are redeemed by his
blood. It is our self-surrender that counts, not other people's merits. Our complete self-surrender may include fighting
for the cause, both spiritual and physical. As regards actual fighting with the sword there has been some difference in
theological theories at different times, but very little in the practice of those who framed those theories. The Jewish
wars were ruthless wars of extermination. The Old Testament does not mince matters on this subject. In the New
Testament St. Paul, in commending the worthy fruits of Faith, mentions Gideon, Barak, and other warriors of the Old
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