Waman jahada fa-innama yujahidu linafsihi inna Allaha laghaniyyun AAani alAAalameen (surah Ankabut: 6)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(29:6) Whosoever strives(in the cause of Allah) does so to his own good. *8 Surely Allah stands in no need of anyone in the whole Universe. *9

Wa man jaahada fainnamaa yujaahidu linafsih; innal laaha laghaniyyun `anil `aalameen

*8) The word mujahadah means to struggle and exert one's utmost against an opponent , and when the particular opponent force is not pointed out, the word implies an all-out, many-sided struggle. The struggle that a believer has to make in the world, is of this very nature. He has to fight against Satan, who frightens him every moment of the possible losses he thay have to incur for the sake of good and allures him with the benefits and pleasures of the evil. He has to fight his own self also, which exerts to make him the slave of its lusts. He has also to fight all those men, from home to the world outside, whose ideology, trends, morality, customs way of life and social and economic principles may be in conflict with his Faith; and he has to fight that state too, which enforces its laws independent of obedience to Allah, and employs its forces to promote evil instead of the good. This struggle is not of a day or two, but of a lifetime, of every moment of the day and night. And it is not a struggle in one field only but on every front of life. It is about this that Hadrat Hasan Basri has said: "Man exerts in the way of Allah, even though he may not strike one sword at any time."
*9) That is, "Allah is not asking you to exert your utmost because he stands in need of any help from you to establish His Godhead and keep it established and sustained. But He instructs you to enter this conflict because this opens the way to your own progress.Through this way only you can get rid of the evil and follow the way of truth; through this way alone you can develop the ability and power to rise as the standard-bearers of goodness in the world and become worthy of Allah's Paradise in the Hereafter. By waging this war you will not do any favour to AIlah. but will only be helping your own selves. "