"Radiyallahu Anhu" does it really mean that Allah is pleased henceforth they are going to Jannah?

Question

I have found some discrepancies in using this term "Radiyallahu Anhu" does it mean:

1) May Allah be pleased with him (A dua to Allah)

OR

2) Allah is pleased with him (A statement about whom Allah is pleased with)

I want the answer to be based on the meaning in Quran 9:100, if it means the former(1) (A dua to Allah) then what is the arabic expression for the latter(2) i.e Allah is pleased with him ?

Also if it means the latter(2) then shouldn't such a statement be used only by Allah , since ALLAH alone knows whom he is pleased with which he explicitly mentions in 9:100.?

9:100:

And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

Answer 1

First let's look at the words in Arabic: رَّضِيَ عن = He was pleased with (and it is used in the past tense)

Adding the pronouns "ه" and "هم" respectively mean "He" and "Them". I don't want to go into the 14 forms of the pronouns here :)

Thus the literal/linguistic meaning of "رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ" means "Allaah was pleased with THEM" and they were pleased with HIM". Whenever Allaah mentions tese words, this is what is meant. And the ones He is pleased with are the companions (Sahaaba).

However, when we mention the names of companions, we use it as a du'a. As in a number of du'as, this is used in the past tense but we mean "May Allaah be pleased with him" (رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ). It is somewhat similar to words we use when thanking someone "جزاك الله خيرا" where Jazaaka is in the past tense but we mean "may Allaah reward you".

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

In response to the comment about the use of "may", please note that we should not try to translate between languages word-to-word. Rather we take the implied meaning. Thus the meaning when translated implies 'may'.

Simliarly in other cases... For example, when someone praises Allaah after sneezing, we say:

"يرحمك الله" (yarhamukallaah).

If we look at it linguistically or literally, it means "Allaah will have rahmah (mercy) on you". But we mean "May Allaah have mercy on you".