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A Profitable Trade (Ribh ul-Bay')SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2009 11:22

Allah says:

"Indeed, Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their wealth, that for themis Paradise. They fight in the way of Allah, so they kill and are killed. A true promise[binding] upon Him in the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur'an. So who is truer in his

promise than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. That isthe great success."[at-Tawbah, 9:111]

This is the only verse that The Most Glorified put jihad of the self in front of jihad with the wealth,in contrast to the rest of the verses, and that was to explain the greatness of the contract.

This contract is from the greatest and most profitable deals that the believer can make in his life.Allah is the buyer and the believer is the seller. As for the goods, they are thebeliever's own self and wealth. Paradise is the price; a price which does not suit the goods,

however it is from Allah's kindness and favour.Al-Hassan al-Basri and Qatadah said: "Allah bought from them, and He appreciated their price".

Look to Allah's generosity. He is the creator of their self and their wealth and He is the owner ofboth. Except that he is generous to the believer, who does not own a thing, with this trade, bymaking him a party to it.

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated that if al-Hassan read this verse: "Verily Allah has bought from thebelievers their selves and their wealth"would say "the selves are creation and the wealth is

provision"

Al-Qurtabi said: "the basis of sale between mankind is that they exchange what comes out oftheir hands with what is most beneficial to them...Allah Most High bought from the worshippersthe loss of themselves and their wealth in obedience to Him, and their destruction in seekingHis pleasure. Then Allah Most Glorified gave them Paradise in exchange if they did that. It is agreat compensation, the compensated is not indebted by it and no comparison can be made it.So what they know of buying and selling is used here as a metaphor; from the worshipper is hishanding over of himself and his wealth, and from Allah is the reward and gift, so it is calledbuying."

So this verse that came with this profitable trade, according to what al-Qurtabi mentioned, wasrevealed regarding the second pledge of allegiance, known as the larger bay'at ul-Aqabah. Itwas the one in which the men of al-Ansar were more than seventy, the youngest of them beingAqbah bin Amru. They met with Allah's Messenger at Aqabah, where Abdullahbin Rawaha said to the Prophet "Set whatever conditions you like on behalf

of yourself and your Lord." So the Prophet said: "I place the condition of myLord that you worship Him and make nothing in partner with Him. I place the conditionfor myself that you protect me as you protect your own selves and your wealth." Theysaid: "If we did that, so what is for us?" He said "Paradise." They said: "Aprofitable trade (Ribh ul-bay')! We will not annul nor ask to be annulled." So, the versewas sent down "Indeed, Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their wealth,that for them is Paradise"

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The Ansaar, may Allah be pleased with them, took this deal and said: "A profitable trade (Ribhul-bay')! We will not annul nor ask to be annulled." i.e. we will not turn back on thiscontract', then they got up to pledge allegiance on that to the Messenger ,knowing that they are not pledging allegiance on an simple matter; rather they were sure ofgreat troubles in front of them, that all of the Arabs would go to war with them, and that theywould not be greeted with a safe life during the battle with ignorance. However, they compared

the luxuries of this life to those of Paradise, chose the latter and said: "A profitable trade (Ribhul-bay')! We will not annul nor ask to be annulled."

Verily, it is Paradise that no one has wished for before, whoever he may be. Its luxuries are thereal luxuries. Merely being denied it is the grievous torment. Our Prophet described it and itsluxuries with eloquent words when he said: "In it is what no eye has seen, no ear has heardand what has never occurred to any heart of mankind." Like this did the Messenger of Allahsum up Paradise for us; rather Paradises whose width are the heavens and the earth. So, allthat eyes have seen of luxury, from Adam until Allah inherits the earth and whoever is on it, it isless than the luxuries of Paradise. The same can be said for what the ears have heard. Not onlythat; rather whatever the whole of creation has imagined with the wildest of imaginations andwhatever their souls have desired from luxuries, it is less than the luxuries of Paradise that

awaits the God-fearing.Allah has told us that this promise that he promised to the mujahadeen in the way ofAllah, and to the ones who stand up for His matter, is a firm promise established "in the Torah"as it was established in the Qur'an. Then He said "So who is truer in his promisethan Allah?" as breaking promises is deplorable.

So the promise is Allah's promise, He is the buyer and He is the one who promisedthe price, an old promise in all of His books: "A true promise [binding] upon Him in theTorah, the Gospel and the Qur'an."

"So who is truer in his promise than Allah?" Truly, there is no one more fulfilling of hiscontract nor truer in his promise than Allah, as He is able to fulfil, and Heis the truest of promisers and the most faithful of contractors.

His saying: "So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted" is at theextremes of confirmation, as the glad tidings (bisharah) that gleams with its coming intoexistence, i.e. delight appears with it and the extremes of happiness are felt when you made asale to end all sales.

"That is the great success." i.e. victorious at getting the complete profit and exultation at thetrade which putting aside sin and entering Paradise.

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