And when these admonitions reached the aware hearts to a level that prepared them for acceptance, He, glorified and exalted is He, approached them with the command and said: ﴿Go forth, lightly and heavily﴾. What is meant by lightness is everything that would be a cause for the ease of jihad and enthusiasm towards it. And by heaviness, everything that causes delay from it. And Abu Hayyan said: Lightness and heaviness here are metaphorical for those who can travel easily and those who can travel with difficulty. As for those who cannot, like the blind and the like, they are excluded from this. End of quote.

Al-Baghawi said: Al-Zuhri said: Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, went out for jihad while one of his eyes had gone. It was said to him: You are ill and a person of harm. He said: Allah has commanded the light and the heavy to go forth. If I cannot fight, I will increase the numbers and preserve the belongings. And Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili narrated in his Musnad with a sound chain from Anas that Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, recited Surah Al-Bara'ah and came upon this verse and said: I do not see my Lord commanding me to go forth as a young man and an old man! Prepare me! He died and they did not find a place to bury him except after seven days, and he did not change.

﴿And strive﴾ means: exert your effort so that the effort of the disbelievers may occur.

And when this verse was in the context of reprimanding those who hesitated to the earth from jihad at the time of the call to arms in the Battle of Tabuk, and the reason for the hesitation was what was at that time of hardship in wealth and the severity of the heat, and what was of the pleasant shade in the lands of Paradise at the time of the ripening of the fruits - as is well-known in the biographies; the situation here necessitated prioritizing wealth and self, contrary to what had passed; for the discourse was about the preference between jihad in the way of Allah and serving the House and those who perform Hajj to it in this surah, which coincided with the time of its revelation after instances of jihad and the long separation from wealth and children. Wealth was prioritized because the consideration of it is from two aspects: its scarcity, and the love of residing in gardens, preferring enjoyment of it and fearing its loss, although it is the sustenance of the souls. Thus, the consideration of it became the driving force towards being miserly with the souls. So Allah, the Most High, said: ﴿With your wealth and your selves﴾ meaning: with both of them together as much as you can, or with one of them ﴿in the way of Allah﴾ meaning: the Most High King, meaning: so that nothing remains as an obstacle from it. ﴿That﴾ meaning: the great matter ﴿is better﴾ meaning: in itself, it is attained ﴿for you﴾ meaning: specific to you. And it is permissible that it is a comparative form meaning that the worship of the mujahid in jihad is better than the worship of the one who sits without it, regardless of what it is, as he, blessings and peace be upon him, said to one who asked him: Is it possible to attain the rank of the mujahid? He said: Can you stand and not tire, and fast and not break your fast? And he concluded the verse with His saying: ﴿If you know﴾ indicating that this matter, although it is general, only benefits those with clear minds and complete understanding. For knowledge - and knowledge is not considered knowledge except that which is beneficial - encourages action and its improvement with sincerity of intention and rectification of objectives and strengthening of determination, and the like, while its opposite leads to its opposite.