Transliteration:( Wa maa lakum allaa tunfiqoo fee sabeelil laahi wa lillaahi meeraasus samaawaati wal-ard; laa yastawee minkum man anfaqa min qablil fat-hi wa qaatal; ulaaa'ika a'zamu darajatam minal lazeena anfaqoo min ba'du wa qaataloo; wa kullanw wa'ad allaahul husnaa; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Khabeer )
"And what reason have you, that you do not spend in the way of Allah, whereas Allah's is the heritage [27] of the heavens and the earth altogether? Those of you who spent and fought [28] before the victory (of Makkah) are not equal to those who spent and fought afterwards. They are exalted in rank [29] more than those who spent and fought afterward [30]. And Allah has promised [31] to all the reward of Paradise. And Allah is Aware of your deeds."
✅ [27] A Call to Spend from What Truly Belongs to Allah
This verse kindles the desire for charity among the Noble Companions—and by extension, all believers—by reminding them that everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Humans are only temporary custodians of wealth. If ownership is ultimately Allah's, then why hesitate to spend in His cause? Giving in the path of Allah is not loss but an investment in the hereafter.
✅ [28] Preference for the Early Sacrificers – Especially Abu Bakr (RA)
This portion was revealed in honor of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA)—the first to accept Islam, spend in Allah’s cause, and serve the Prophet ﷺ with unshakable loyalty. Though revealed for him specifically, it also includes all those Companions who accepted Islam and supported the Prophet ﷺ before the conquest of Makkah. Their sacrifices were made when Islam was weak and dangerous to follow—making their deeds even more noble.
✅ [29] Unique and Unmatched Rank of the Early Companions
This verse establishes that no believer can ever equal the early Companions. Their sacrifices—made when faith came at great personal cost—have been divinely acknowledged and accepted. Their companionship with the Prophet ﷺ and role in building the foundation of Islam sets them apart for all time.
✅ [30] Timing Matters – Rewards Vary with Conditions
Deeds done during times of hardship, risk, or trial carry far more reward. This principle is illustrated in this verse. Just as the worship in Ramadan, or in times of struggle, brings greater reward than when done in ease, likewise the contributions made before the victory of Makkah are weightier in value.
✅ [31] Promise of Paradise to All the Companions – A Seal of Divine Approval
Though ranks differ, Allah has promised Paradise to all—early and later Companions alike. This reinforces two essential points:
All Companions are just, pious, and rightly guided. Paradise is not promised to the impure or sinful. Thus, any negative reports against them must be rejected, as the Qur’an confirms their uprightness.
Those who supported Islam in its most difficult phase—like Hazrat Abu Bakr and Sayyidah Khadijah (RA)—hold a special, exalted status. Their early sacrifices were vital in the preservation and rise of the faith.
The tafsir of Surah Hadid verse 10 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hadid ayat 7 which provides the complete commentary from verse 7 through 11.
(57:10) How is it that you do not expend in the Way of Allah when to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth?[13] Those who spent their wealth and took part in fighting before the Victory cannot be equated (with those who spent their wealth and took part in fighting afterwards). They are higher in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards.[14] But to each Allah has promised a good reward. Allah is well aware of all that you do.[15]
13. This has two meanings:
(1) Your wealth is not going to stay with you forever. One day you will leave it behind; then Allah alone will inherit it. Thus the best thing would be that you should spend it yourself in the cause of Allah so that your reward for it is guaranteed with Allah. If you do not spend it yourself, it will in any case return to Allah, but then you will not be entitled to any reward from Him.
(2) You should have no fear of indigence and poverty when you spend it in the cause of Allah, because Allah for Whose sake you would spend your wealth is the Owner of all the treasures of the heavens and the earth. He possessed not only what He has bestowed on you today but has much more to bestow on you tomorrow. This same thing has been expressed at another place, thus:
O Prophet, say to them: My Lord gives abundantly to whomever of His servants He wills and sparingly to whomever He wills. Whatever you spend, He replenishes it by other provisions: He is the best of Providers. (Surah Saba, Ayat 39).
14. That is, although both are entitled to the reward, yet the former are necessarily higher in rank than the latter, for they faced greater risks for the sake of Allah in difficult circumstances, which the latter not. They spent their wealth at a time when there appeared no remote chance of victory that would compensate for their expenditure, and they fought the disbelieves at a critical time when there was an ever present apprehension that the enemy might overpower and crush the followers of Islam completely. Mujahid, Qatadah and Zaid bin Aslam, from among the commentators, say that the word victory in this verse has been used for the conquest of Makkah, and Amir Shabi says that it refers to the truce of Hudaibiyah. The former view has been adopted by most of the commentators, and in support of the latter this tradition from Abu Saeed Khudri is presented: During the time when the truce of Hudaibiyah was concluded, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to us: In the near future there will appear the people whose deeds will make you look upon your own deeds as mean and trifling, but even if one of them possessed a mountain of gold and he spent all of it in the cause of Allah, he would not attain to your spending two pounds, or even one pound of it. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, Abu Nuaim Isfahani). Furthermore, it is also supported by the Hadith which Imam Ahmad has related on the authority of Anas. He says: Once a dispute arose between Khalid bin Walid and Hadrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf, in the course of which Khalid said to Abdur Rahman: You people assume your superiority over us on account of your past services. When this thing came to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) notice, he said: By God in whose hand is my lift, even if you people spent gold equal (in weight) to Mount Uhud, or equal to other mountains, you would not attain to the deeds of these people. From this it is argued that in this verse victory refers to the truce of Hudaibiyah, for Khalid bin Walid had embraced Islam after this truce and had participated in the conquest of Makkah. However, whether victory in this particular case is taken to imply the truce of Hudaibiyah or the conquest of Makkah, in any case the verse does not mean that the distinction of the ranks is confined to this one victory alone, but as a general principle it shows that those who fight and spend in the cause of Islam at the time when disbelief and disbelievers appear to be dominant and Islam seems to have no remote chance of victory, are far superior in rank to those who make sacrifices after the conflict between Islam and paganism has been decided in favor of Islam.
15. That is, Allah does not bestow His favors blindly. He sees who has performed what deeds, under what kind of circumstances, and with what motive and then determines the rank and the reward of the deed of each person with full justice and awareness.
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