The Quran

Preface

وَما لَكُم أَلّا تُنفِقوا في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ ميراثُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ ۚ لا يَستَوي مِنكُم مَن أَنفَقَ مِن قَبلِ الفَتحِ وَقاتَلَ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ أَعظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِنَ الَّذينَ أَنفَقوا مِن بَعدُ وَقاتَلوا ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الحُسنىٰ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِما تَعمَلونَ خَبيرٌ

Yusuf Ali

And what cause have ye why ye should not spend in the cause of God.- For to God belongs¹ the heritage of the heavens and the earth. Not equal among you are those who spent (freely) and fought, before the Victory,² (with those who did so later). Those are higher in rank than those who spent (freely) and fought afterwards. But to all has God promised a goodly (reward). And God is well acquainted with all that ye do.

To God belongs the heritage of. . . : see n. 485 to 3:180; also n. 988 to 6:165; and n. 1964 to 15:23.
This is usually understood to refer to the Conquest of Mecca, after which the Muslims succeeded to the power and position which the Pagan Quraish had so misused at Mecca. Thereafter the Muslims had the hegemony of Arabia, and in a few centuries, for a time, the hegemony of the world. But the words are perfectly general, and we must understand the general meaning also: that the people who fight and struggle in God’s Cause and give of their best to it at any time are worthy of praise: but those are worthy of special distinction who do it when the Cause is being persecuted and in most need of assistance, before victory comes.