So when the praise of their actions and their words was complete, He mentioned what that caused them in terms of reward. He said, 'So Allah gave them.' The All-Encompassing in knowledge and ability, 'the reward of this world,' meaning: by accepting their supplication for victory, and wealth through the spoils of war, and other than that, and good mention, and ease of heart, and the removal of the doubts of evil.

And when the reward of this world is as it is, it must be mixed with hardship and accompanied by trials, for it is the abode of hardships. He stripped it of the description of beauty and specifically endowed the Hereafter with it. He said: ﴿And the best reward of the Hereafter﴾; meaning: metaphorically, by guiding them to the means in this world, and truly in the Hereafter. For they have done good in this action and in this saying, because they did not seek by their worship anything other than the face of Allah. So He loved them for their goodness; ﴿And Allah﴾, the All-Encompassing in attributes of perfection, ﴿loves the doers of good﴾; all of them. He is deserving of doing every beautiful thing for them. Therefore, He elevated their status and did not make their reward partial, as He did with those who worshiped for the sake of seeking reward. He said: ﴿We will give him of it﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 145]; it has become clear that this verse is a reference to what was commanded to the companions - may Allah be pleased with them - in a manner of intertwining and confusing exposition. The negation of weakness is an allusion to those referred to in the verse: ﴿And indeed, you used to wish for death﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 143]; and the love of the patient is an allusion to those who did not exercise patience. His saying: ﴿And He knows the patient﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 142]; and similar to that; and the praise of their saying is an encouragement for them to do like what He urged them to in His saying: ﴿They remembered Allah and sought forgiveness for their sins﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 135]; and the firmness of the feet is an indication of: ﴿And you will be the uppermost if you are believers﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 139]; and that the firmness of the foot for victory over the enemies of Allah occupied them from turning to anything else; and it is an allusion to those who turned towards the spoils and left the pursuit of the enemy, for the completion of victory, which is referred to in the verse: ﴿And whoever desires the reward of this world, We will give him of it﴾ [Aali 'Imran: 145]; and the giving of reward is related to the prohibition of usury and what is included in its category; and to the command to hasten to Paradise and what is associated with it; and an indication that whoever acts like them will attain what they attained; and whoever leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate him with better than it, for His knowledge encompasses all things, and His generosity is limitless, and His treasures do not diminish; rather, they do not decrease. Then He concluded it with what He concluded with, to encourage the adoption of the attributes of the righteous. It has become clear without ambiguity that the intended meaning of this verse - which is the announcement of giving them the reward - is the indication that the most important matters and the most deserving of initiation is to embody what they were advised before the story was recounted. There is no doubt that in praising others there is an additional provocation for the stirring of their souls, and the movement of their aspirations, and the awakening of their enthusiasm, and the boiling of their determination, out of their zeal that no one - while they are the best nation brought forth for mankind - should have a higher aspiration, a stronger determination, a more intense resolve, a firmer stance, a more steadfast pillar, a more composed heart, a more frequent remembrance of Allah, a greater desire for what is with Him, and a greater detachment from what He has turned away from than them.