The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "And in the Cause of Allah"

The Shaykh : in the cause of Allah
The student: In His Cause

The Shaykh : "And in the Cause of Allah." The word *sabil* means "path," and the Cause of Allah is the path that leads to Allah. This includes all paths of good, but the restriction derived from His saying prevents us from intending this broad meaning. If we said that the meaning of "in the Cause of Allah" is all paths of good, what would remain for the restriction? There would be no benefit to the restriction. However, the restriction indicates that the entitlement is established only in these eight categories. So what is meant by "in the Cause of Allah"? It refers to the mujahideen who fight so that the word of Allah is the supreme word. Pay attention, my brother, this condition is necessary: that they fight so that the word of Allah is the supreme word, and only that. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who fights out of tribal loyalty, fights out of bravery, and fights out of showing off so that his status is seen. Which of these is in the Cause of Allah? He gave a comprehensive and decisive answer, saying: These mujahideen in the Cause of Allah are given from the zakah what they need to assist them in fighting. Also, according to the stronger opinion, weapons are purchased for them from the zakah. Thus, the expenditure of zakah in jihad in the Cause of Allah includes the mujahideen and the weapons of the mujahideen, of any type of weapon. Even if a type of weapon requires a large amount of money, we pay from the zakah what is needed to provide that type of weapon for the mujahideen.