Nor—and this is pivotal—were those who undertook jihad obligated to have sincere or pious intentions.‡ The cold, businesslike language of the Koran makes this clear. Whoever wages jihad makes a “fine loan to Allah,” which the latter guarantees to pay back “many times over,” always commensurate with their efforts (e.g., Koran 2:245, 4:95). Simply put, “Allah has bought from the believers their lives and worldly goods, and in return has promised them Paradise: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall kill and be killed.… Rejoice then in the bargain you have struck, for that is the supreme
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