Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their wealth in return for Paradise. … [W]ho is truer to his contract than Allah? Rejoice then in the bargain you have made. That is the great victory.
In the verse quoted above, Allah reminds the faithful to share good tidings with one another. The faithful's source of joy and good humor is that Allah has set them on the true path which will lead to "the great victory." The faithful are those whose selves and wealth are at the disposal of Allah, and who vow to behave virtuously that they may reach Paradise. This is the smartest bargain one can make in the life of this world, and the one with the best reward.
The believers experience this joy that arises from their faith at every stage and every moment of their lives, because Allah is the friend of the faithful, and He has given them the good news that He will always come to their aid, see all their affairs to a favorable conclusion, and shower blessings upon them, and He has promised them Paradise in the afterlife. The faithful, who know that Allah never breaks His covenant, interpret all that they experience in the life of this world according to this knowledge. For this reason, they are certain that everything which they experience is for their benefit. They can see blessings and the positive aspects of difficulties which they face, and in when speaking of these developments they always do so in a way which is optimistic and encouraging. Within themselves they have the peace and security of their reliance on Allah, as well as their trust in Him. They receive their reward for their extraordinary patience through these difficulties and problems. Thinking of their noble reward in Heaven, as recompense for this patience, they are heartened with the good news. Consequently, whatever happens is good news for the faithful, because everything that takes place is brought about by Allah, and He is the friend and guardian of the faithful. Whatever comes from Allah is both beautiful and blessed. Indeed, it is impressive that the faithful can speak of "excellence" even when faced with an event such as a death: Say:
"Do you await for us but one of two most excellent things [i.e., martyrdom or victory]? ..."
The faithful greet death as something good because, for those who have lived their lives sincerely, pledging themselves wholeheartedly to Allah, it is not an end but a new beginning. In the afterlife, Allah will recreate believers in the most beautiful form, and give them blessings of a wonder and variety not to be compared with those of the life of this world. As a result of their living their lives in the type of submission of which Allah approves, He has promised His servants the greatest and most wonderful blessings. For that reason, the joy and contentment of the faithful is unconditional. No matter what difficulties they encounter, their manner of speaking is always such to reflect their gratitude to Allah. However, it is necessary to add that the ability of the faithful to see the good and positive side of things is not a cop-out. They exercise their wisdom to the best of their ability, in order to be able to see the good in everything they experience, as well as to be able to overcome the difficulties which they encounter. Where the morality expounded in the Qur'an is not adhered to, it is difficult to encounter a pleasant manner of speaking, even in the best of times. For whatever reasons, some people make a habit of finding the negative in everything and speaking pessimistically. They do not know how to be happy about anything, and try to find things to grumble, complain and moan about. They make a habit of being bearers of bad news and prodding others into discontent. Their spiritual state is somber and they provoke one another into thinking negatively about everything, and lead each other into despair.
Not speaking joyfully is one of the most important characteristics in determining those who are of a hypocritical nature who try to find a place for themselves amongst the faithful. Hypocrites carefully avoid giving good news which will bring joy to the faithful, or speaking of events in a positive and cheerful way. They do not want to even listen to good news in the believers' favor. When such news is given them, either they do not respond to it, or they try to dampen the joy of the faithful and take away their pleasure by finding in it something negative. But, they are never successful through such efforts. On the contrary, the ability to avoid these hypocrites, by seeing them for who they are, is a mercy and another yet more good news for the faithful.
Giving good and happy news, and interpreting every event positively despite the pessimistic provocations of the soul, or of Satan, keeps the faithful enthusiastic and cheerful. Their speaking in this way angers the hypocrites and unbelievers, because it renders void their attempts to harm the faithful. While they themselves sink into despair and hopelessness for the minutest reason, they observe with envy the faithful who are not in the least affected by the turn of events which to them are seen as negative. Because they do not understand that the source of the believers' disposition is faith, they do not discern the source of their strength.
Talk imbued with good news and positivity may enable those whose faith is weak, and who easily fall into despair, to find strength, to see the truth and to fortify their faith. The faithful, who manifest their contentment with Allah and their submission to Him with their cheerful and joyful way of speaking, hope, through this manner of devotion, to earn Allah's contentment and approval. This reward as Allah promThe Aspects of the Muslim Way of Speaking ises to the believers is described in the Qur'an as follows: The forerunners—the first of the Muhajirun [i.e., migrants] and the Ansar [i.e., supporters]—and those who have followed them in doing good:
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared Gardens for them with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever and ever. That is the great victory.
