His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

"And if you are killed in the way of Allah or die, then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than what they gather." "And if you die or are killed, to Allah you will be gathered." "So by a mercy from Allah, you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude in speech and harsh in heart, they would have dispersed from around you."

The 'lam' in His saying, the Most High: "And if you are killed" is the one indicating the coming of the oath, and the 'lam' in His saying: "then forgiveness" is the one receiving the oath. The meaning is: By Allah, there is forgiveness.

And death is arranged before killing in His saying: "They did not die and they were not killed" [Al-Imran: 156] in consideration of the order of striking in the land and the raids. He has preceded death, which corresponds to the previously mentioned, which is striking, and He has preceded killing in His saying, the Most High: "And if you are killed" because it is the beginning of a report. He has presented the more honorable and important. The meaning is: or you die in the way of Allah, thus your reward is upon Allah. Then He preceded death in His saying, the Most High: "And if you die or are killed" because it is a verse of admonition about the Hereafter and gathering, and a verse of discouragement in this world and life. The death mentioned in it is an absolute death, whether in the way or at home, and however it may be, it has been presented for its generality and that it is the most common among people than killing.

Nafi', Hamzah, and Al-Kisai read: "you die" with a kasrah on the 'm' and "we died" and "you died" with a kasrah in all of the Qur'an. Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr, and Ibn Amer read with a dammah on the 'm' in all of the Qur'an. Abu Bakr narrated from Asim that he read with a dammah on the 'm' in these two places: "or you die" and "And if you die" only, and he read with a kasrah on the 'm' wherever it occurred in all of the Qur'an. Abu Ali said: The dammah on the 'm' is the more famous and more correct, as "you died" is like: "you said" and "you circumambulated". The kasrah is rare in analogy, even if it has been used frequently, and it is not like the rarity of analogy and usage as the rarity of "the one who is cut off" and similar. And the analogy of "you died" with a kasrah on the 'm' is: "he excels" with a kasrah on the 'd' in the correct form, and they recited:

I mentioned Ibn Abbas at the door of Ibn Amer, and I have not mentioned in my lifetime what I excelled.

And His saying, the Most High: "then forgiveness" is raised by the beginning, and "and mercy" is a conjunction to forgiveness, and "better" is the news of the beginning. The meaning is: The forgiveness and mercy that follow from killing or dying in the way of Allah are better. Thus, the word forgiveness is mentioned in an indefinite form, indicating that the slightest part of it is better than the world, and that it is sufficient for the success of the believing servant. The verse may imply that His saying "then forgiveness" refers to killing or dying in the way of Allah, as He has named that forgiveness and mercy since they are associated with it. The estimation is: For that, there is forgiveness and mercy, and the forgiveness is elevated over the news of the estimated beginning, and His saying: "better" is a description for the news of the beginning.

The majority of people read "tajma'oon" with the 'taa' indicating address, which is more complex in speech. A group among them, including 'Aasim' as narrated from 'Hafs', read "yajma'oon" with the 'yaa'. The meaning is: from what the hypocrites and others gather.

Then Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the gathering to Him, and that it is the ultimate end for everyone who is killed or dies. In this verse, there is a belittlement of worldly matters and an encouragement to seek martyrdom. That is, if the gathering is in both matters, then proceeding towards it in the state of martyrdom is preferable.

And His saying, "So by a mercy from Allah" means: by a mercy from Allah, and "ma" has been stripped of the meaning of negation, and it has entered for emphasis, and it is not extra in the absolute sense, it has no meaning. Sibawayh referred to it as the name of increase in the sense that its action has been removed. This is akin to His saying, "So by their breaking of their covenant" [An-Nisa: 155]. Al-Zajjaj said: The 'baa' is, by consensus of grammarians, a connection and it has the meaning of emphasis. The meaning of the verse is: a reprimand for all who fell short on the Day of Uhud in their position, meaning they deserved blame from you, and that you should not be lenient with them. But Allah had mercy on all of you, O Muhammad, by making you of great character, and sending you to complete the virtues of morals, and they are to be softened for you. You were given these qualities because Allah, the Exalted, knew of their righteousness, and if you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you.

The harsh one is the one who is rough in his speech and mannerisms. And in the description of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in the revealed books: he is not harsh, nor hard, nor loud in the markets. And the maidens said to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab: You are harsher and tougher than the Messenger of Allah.... the hadith. The harshness of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was only utilized by him as a means for supporting the truth and being firm in religion. Harshness is the roughness in companionship, in word and action, and from this is the saying of the poet:

I fear the harshness of an uncle or the roughness of a brother ∗∗∗ And I feared for her from the harm of words.

And hardness of heart is an expression of frowning of the face, lack of emotional response to desires, and lack of compassion and mercy. From this is the saying of the poet:

We are cried over, but we do not cry over anyone ∗∗∗ For we are tougher-hearted than camels.

And dispersal is the separation of crowds, and from it is the breaking of a seal.