Overview (Verses 119 - 121)

A Reward for Every Little Thing

The element of truth is highly significant in the story of those three Companions of the Prophet. To give this element its due importance, all believers are advised to fear God and to align themselves with those truthful people of the early believers. On the other hand those people in Madinah and the surrounding desert who stayed behind are strongly criticized. This is followed by a promise of generous reward to those who strive for God’s cause: “Believers, have fear of God and be among those who are truthful. It does not behove the people of Madinah and the bedouins who live around them to hold back from following God’s Messenger, or to care for themselves more than for him; for, whenever they endure thirst, stress, or hunger for the sake of God, or take any step which would irritate the unbelievers, or inflict any loss on the enemy, a good deed is recorded in their favour. God does not suffer the reward of those who do good to be lost. And whenever they spend anything for the sake of God, be it little or much, or traverse a valley [in support of God’s cause], it is recorded for them, so that God will give them the best reward for what they do.” (Verses 119-121)

The people of Madinah were the ones who rushed to support the Islamic message, which meant that they were truly its basic core of supporters. They had given shelter to God’s Messenger, pledged their total loyalty to him and constituted the hard nucleus of the Islamic faith in the Arabian Peninsula. The bedouin Arabs in the surrounding area, having also adopted Islam as a faith and a way of life, formed the outer belt of defence. Hence those two groups could not refrain from joining the Prophet or spare themselves from any risk to which they might be exposed. When God’s Messenger set out to attend to a certain task that served Islamic interests, then the people of Madinah, the vanguard of the Islamic message, and those of the surrounding area could not but join him. Whether this happened to be in the burning summer heat or the extreme winter cold, in times of strict hardship or easy affluence, it does not behove them, being so close to the Prophet, to try to spare themselves a difficulty that God’s Messenger is undertaking. They could not excuse themselves by protesting ignorance or lack of awareness of the real task in hand.

The sūrah appeals to them to fear God and to join the truthful believers who have never entertained any thoughts of staying behind and who have maintained their strong commitment to their faith at times of hardship. Those were the cream among the early believers and those who followed in their footsteps: ‘Believers, have fear of God and be among those who are truthful.” (Verse 119)

The sūrah follows this appeal by a strong censure of the very thought of staying behind when God’s Messenger is setting out: “It does not behove the people of Madinah and the bedouins who live around them to hold back from following Gods Messenger, or to care for themselves more than for him.” (Verse 120) The statement implies a strong reproach. No Companion of God’s Messenger can be reproached in a stronger way than by saying that he puts his own safety ahead of the Prophet’s. How could he when he is the Prophet’s Companion and follower? The same applies to the advocates of Islam in all generations and periods. It does not behove a believer to try to spare himself a risk that the Prophet himself was willing to undertake for the cause of Islam. How could he when he claims that he is an advocate of the cause of Islam, and a follower of the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him)?

Taking up such a responsibility is a duty imposed by God’s order and emphasized by our love of the Prophet that makes any believer too ashamed to put himself ahead of him. At the same time it earns a very generous reward indeed: “Whenever they endure thirst, stress, or hunger for the sake of God, or take any step which would irritate the unbelievers, or inflict any loss on the enemy, a good deed is recorded in their favour. God does not suffer the reward of those who do good to be lost. And whenever they spend anything for the sake of God, be it little or much, or traverse a valley [in support of God’s cause], it is recorded for them, so that God will give them the best reward for what they do.” (Verses 120-121)

Every feeling is rewarded, be it thirst, hunger or mere stress and tiredness. Taking up a position which irritates the unbelievers and inflicting any loss or damage on them is credited as a good deed. When a believer goes out on a jihād campaign, he is included among those who do good. God will not suffer the reward of such servants of His to be lost. Furthermore, any financial contribution, be it little or much, and the mere walking across a valley are also rewarded as God rewards the best of His servants. By God, this is a rich reward indeed. It is a reward by God whose generosity is beyond any limit. How embarrassing to us all that such a great reward is given for something that is much less than the hardship suffered by the Prophet himself for the cause of Islam. It is the advocacy of this cause that we should now assume. Most certainly, we must be true to our trust.