Appearance
Verses 15–29
This section outlines commands and prohibitions pertaining to Islamic jihad as relating to the story at hand. It urges reverence towards God and warns of transgressing against God and His Messenger, lest one incur divine wrath. It alludes to some of the happenings at the Battle of Badr, including God’s gifts and assistance towards the believers.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ١٥
(8:15) O you who believe! When you meet (laqītum) the rejectors arrayed for battle (zaḥfan), do not turn your backs (tuwallūhum al-adbār) to them.
Laqītum comes from the word root l-q-y. It is conjugated as laqiyā, yalqī and lāqī, yulāqī; the verbal noun is liqāʾ. According to al-Rāghib in Mufradāt al-Qurʾān:
Liqāʾ means “to encounter” or “to come face-to-face with”. It is used for a mutual encounter; that is, each side encounters the other. It takes a direct object and is conjugated as laqiyahu, yalqāhu, liqāʾan, luqyan, and luqyatan. It is also used to mean perceiving something with the senses, sight, or insight. God says: You had wished for death before you met it (talqawhu) () and We have met (laqaynā) fatigue in our journey ().
“Meeting with God (mulāqat Allah)” is an expression for the Resurrection—reaching one’s destination with Him, as in: Know that you shall meet Him (mulāqūhu) () and Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet (mulāqū) their Lord, and that they are to return to Him ().
Liqāʾ also means mulāqāh (“meeting”). God says: Those who hope not to meet Us (liqāʾanā) () and Toiling towards your Lord, thereby meeting Him (mulāqīhi) ().
Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
Both liqāʾ and ijtimāʿ mean “meeting”. However, liqāʾ denotes “meeting up close”, whereas ijtimāʿ does not require that. Therefore, the words liqāʾ and ijtimāʿ are not interchangeable.
It also says:
Zaḥf means “nearing, little by little”. Tazāḥuf means “both sides approaching each other”. It is conjugated as zaḥafa, zaḥfan. The expression “azḥafat lil-qawm” is used to mean “approaching with firm resolve to fight a group of people”.
Al-Layth says:
A zaḥf is a contingent which swarms towards (yazḥifūn) the enemy in one fell swoop. Its plural is zuḥūf.
Tuwallūhum al-adbār means to put one’s back to the enemy and turn one’s face towards defeat; that is, to flee.
This verse is general. That is, it is not limited to specific individuals, situations, or battles. Although some exegetes aver that it applies specifically to the Battle of Badr, and, therefore, the prohibition against fleeing an advancing army only applies to the Battle of Badr, there are no grounds for this view. This is particularly the case since, as discussed above, the context of the verses indicates that they were revealed after the Battle of Badr, not during it, and that these verses finish up the chunk of verses beginning with They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger… (). There is a bit more than can be said about this; we shall discuss it in the section on narrations, God willing.
وَمَنْ يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًا لِقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا إِلَىٰ فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ ١٦
(8:16) Whoever turns their backs to them on that day—unless it be a stratagem of battle (mutaḥarrifan) or to withdraw (mutaḥayyizan ilā fiʾah) to another company—shall earn (bāʾa) Allah’s wrath. His abode shall be hell—an evil end!
Mutaḥarrif means “angling away from what is centermost or upright”. The related word ḥarf is used for the edges of a thing. Here, it denotes a fighter in the thick of battle who veers this way and that as part of an ambush. Mutaḥayyiz means “taking a place”. A fiʾah is a group of people. Mutaḥayyizan ilā fiʾah denotes a fighter who avoids fighting the enemy alone by joining a contingent and fighting with them.
Bawāʾ means “returning to a place and staying there”. For that reason, al-Rāghib says:
The original meaning of bawāʾ is for all of a place to be level, in contrast to nabwah, which means that all of the place is not at the same level.
Here, it means that, when they returned, they would have been accompanied by God’s wrath.
Together, these two verses ( and ) mean: “O you who believe! When you meet the army of the rejectors, or they are advancing towards you for battle, do not flee! Anyone who flees—whensoever—shall return accompanied by the wrath of God. His true destination will be Hell; what an evil destination! An exception is those who withdraw from battle for the sake of a stratagem or to join another company; there is no harm in that.”
فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ١٧
(8:17) So you did not slay them; it was Allah who slew them. You did not throw; it was Allah who threw, so that He could try the faithful, a beautiful trial from Himself. Allah is hearing, knowing.
Reflecting on this verse leaves no doubt that it is referring to the Battle of Badr. It refers to how the Prophet threw a handful of gravel at the enemy, and how the faithful won a rapid victory. The latter part of the verse—so that He could try the faithful, a beautiful trial from Himself—reminds them of God’s blessings upon them and makes the true actor God, rather than them or the Prophet.
From all this, it can be deduced that the intent behind So you did not slay them; it was Allah who slew them. You did not throw; it was Allah who threw is to show that their victory at the Battle of Badr was not due to natural cause and effect. How could a puny band which—according to narrations—had but a horseman or two, a few pieces of armor, and a handful of swords vanquish a well-equipped army with horsemen, weaponry, fighters, provisions, and animals? The enemy far outnumbered them and outmatched them in strength and power. The enemy had the means to defeat them, and were ready to do so.
However, God sent down angels to make the believers firm and strike terror into the hearts of the polytheists. He cast defeat onto the enemy through the handful of gravel that the Prophet threw at them. Thus the believers routed them, felling and capturing them. Thus their plots were foiled, they were silenced, and their bells ceased to toll.
Thus, one should attribute what happened—the victory at the hands of the faithful, as well as the handful of gravel that scattered their forces and cast defeat onto them—to God, not the faithful themselves.
By attributing these acts to God rather than to the conventional chain of cause and effect, the verse conveys divine care and oversight. This, however, does not mean that natural or known causes were not involved; that is, the faithful were actually fighting, and those who felled enemies did so themselves. Similarly, the Prophet himself threw the handful of gravel. There is no conflict between these two levels of cause and effect.
So that He could try the faithful, a beautiful trial from Himself (minhu): The pronoun -hu in minhu comes across as referring to God. The sentence itself provides an explanation for what preceded it. Grammatically, it is appended to something left unstated which, if written, would mean approximately: “God enacted these things—including killing them and throwing that at them—for a greater good, known to Him, and in order to try the faithful in a good way, or to grant them the boon of the eradication of their enemies, uplifting the word of monotheism, and freeing them from need by granting them the spoils of war.”
Allah is hearing, knowing: This, in truth, provides an explanation for so that He could try the faithful, meaning that God tried them because He hears their pleas and knows their condition. Thus, he gave them a beauteous trial.
The conjunction fa- at the beginning of the verse (fa-lam taqtulūhum—So you did not slay them…) links it to the contents of the previous verses, beginning with [Remember] when you sought aid from your Lord (). These verses enumerate God’s blessings upon them: God sent down the angels; aided them with the angels; cast drowsiness upon them; sent down rain; and revealed to the angels that they should assist them, set their feet firm, and terrify their opponents. After all this has been mentioned, this verse then begins with the conjunction fa- to sum it up as: So you did not slay them; it was Allah who slew them….
With this in mind, one can therefore say that verses (O you who believe! When you meet the rejectors arrayed for battle…) are a stylistic interpolation, and relate back to: “…Then strike above their necks and their every fingertip” (). Either that, or it relates to a similar meaning which is understood from the sentences altogether, and So you did not slay them… is connected to what comes before it.
Other possible views have been mentioned here with respect to the arrangement of these verses:
Although God commands them to fight in the previous verse, He then speaks of their victory over the polytheists as being due to divine aid, to remind them of God’s blessing. This is the view of Abū Muslim.
After they were commanded to fight, some of them said, “I killed so-and-so” and “I did this-and-that”. Therefore, this verse was revealed to admonish them so that they would not take pride in their deeds.
Possibly, it can also be said that the conjunction fa- in So you did not slay them acts solely to link the sentences together [with no other grammatical purpose, and does not denote causality].
However, the correct view is the one we mentioned first.
ذَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَافِرِينَ ١٨
(8:18) Thus it is and Allah (dhālikum wa anna Allāh) weakens the schemes of the rejectors.
Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
Dhālikum is in nominative case, as is anna Allāh. It means: “The matter is like that, and the matter is that Allah is that God is the one who weakens.” A similar thing can be said for the usage of dhālikum here as can be said for its usage in the verse: Taste this. The faithless shall have punishment in the fire (). Those who say that dhālikum is the subject and taste this (fa-dhūqū) is its predicate are wrong, since a predicate cannot begin with the conjunction fa-. For instance, it is incorrect to say Zayd fa-munṭaliq (“Zayd is so he is freed”) or Zayd fa-aḍrib-hu (“Zayd is so strike him”) unless the pronoun hādhā is used. That is, one could say: Hādhā Zayd fa-aḍrib-hu (“This is Zayd, so strike him”).
The verse means: It is as We said—[and, in short,] God weakens the plots of the rejectors.
إِنْ تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتْحُ ۖ وَإِنْ تَنْتَهُوا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ تَعُودُوا نَعُدْ وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ١٩
(8:19) If you demand victory, victory has come to you. If you desist, it would be better for you. If you return, We shall return, and your forces shall avail you naught, no matter how many they are. And know that Allah is with the faithful.
Altogether, with its three parts following the same pattern (if you demand…if you desist…if you return), the context of this verse indicates that it is wholly addressed to the faithless, not the faithful. It has a sarcastic tone by switching the pronoun, which suits the expression Allah weakens the schemes of the rejectors ().
It means: If you, idolaters, ask God to award victory in the conflict between you and the faithful, know that God has already awarded victory to the faithful. This happened on the day of Badr, when the truth was made manifest. The faithful had the upper hand over you. Now, you had ought to stop plotting against God and His Messenger. If you do not cease and desist, then God will also not cease or desist in weakening your plots. Your numbers will not avail you, though they be very many, just like they did not help you that time. God is with the faithful, and those whom God is with will never be vanquished.
This view lends support to what is narrated:
On the day of Badr, when the two sides lined up for battle, Abū Jahl said, “O God! Muḥammad has cut ties with his kinfolk far more than we have, and he has brought us something we do not recognize. Grant us victory over him!”
In some narrations—and this fits better—in sources such as Majmaʿ al-Bayān, it is related from Abū Ḥamzah that Abū Jahl said, “O God, our lord! Our religion is ancient, and Muḥammad’s religion is newfangled. Grant victory today to the followers of whichever religion pleases You more!”
Some exegetes do hold that this verse is addressed to the faithful. However, they deduce this from the contents of the verse in a manner which is not at all acceptable to someone of sound taste. We shall not belabor this point here; those who wish to acquaint themselves with their views can consult the relevant tomes.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَوَلَّوْا عَنْهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ٢٠
(8:20) O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him while you hear [him].
From the context, it can be understood that the pronoun him in from him refers to the Prophet; that is, they should not turn away from the Prophet while they are listening to him present to them the true call along with the commands and prohibitions that will improve their worldly and otherworldly lives.
This exhortation pertains to the rules of war, although the wording is in general terms.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ ٢١
(8:21) Do not be like those who said “we hear” (samiʿnā), but heard not (lā yasmaʿūn).
The meaning of this verse is clear. However, it should be said that this verse chides the polytheists for claiming that they were listening when they really weren’t. A later verse also bespeaks of this: When Our signs are recited to them, they say, “We have heard. If we pleased, we could say something similar” (). However, they were lying. Had they actually been listening, they would have responded positively. This is similar to the verse: they have ears that hear not (). God says of those burning in hell: And they said, “If only we had listened or understood, we would not be stationed in the fire!” ()
The first occurrence of the verb “hear” (samiʿnā) means for the actual sound of the voice of the person speaking the word of truth to arrive at their ears. The second occurrence of the verb “hear” (yasmaʿūn) refers to actually listening to the word of truth—that is, yielding to what is heard.
Like the previous verse, in which the idolaters plead for victory, this verse is framed as an address to the idolaters. However, it is still part of the series of verses directed at the faithful. These verses convey the message that the word of faith shall always overcome the word of faithlessness, and that the invitation to truth shall overcome the invitation towards falsehood. Thus it addresses the party of truth—that is, the faithful—commanding them to obey God and the Messenger, and warning them from turning away from him after hearing the word of truth, lest they become like those who said “we hear” but heard not.
Possibly, this verse refers to a specific group of Meccans who professed belief in the Prophet. Although their hearts were free from doubt, they went out to war against the Prophet at Badr along with the idolaters. Therefore, they were afflicted by the same things that beset the idolaters from the Quraysh. As it says in a narration:
A group of the Quraysh had accepted Islam in Mecca, but their fathers confined them there. Thus, they marched out with the Quraysh on the day of Badr. They were Qays ibn al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, ʿAlī ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf, al-ʿĀṣ ibn Munabbih ibn al-Ḥajāj, al-Ḥārith ibn Zamʿah, and Qays ibn al-Fākah ibn al-Mughīrah. However, when they saw how few Muslims there were, they said, “The poor things! Their religion has duped them.”
A few verses later, God refers to them:
When the hypocrites and the sick-hearted said, “Their religion has duped them...” ()
Some might also put forward the view that those who said “we hear” but heard not are the Jews of Banū Qurayẓah and al-Naḍīr. However, this is unlikely.
إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ٢٢ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَأَسْمَعَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوْا وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ ٢٣
(8:22-23) The vilest of beasts before Allah are the deaf and dumb bereft of understanding. Had Allah known of any good in them, He would have made them hear. But if He had made them hear, they would have turned away in rejection.
This condemns the faithless rejectors who were mentioned previously. This can be inferred from the context as well as the pronouns, both relative and personal, which denote sentient beings. With that in mind, the definite article al- in al-ṣumm al-bukm is the type of al- that attaches to a noun that was previously mentioned (lām al-ʿahd al-dhikrī). This understanding renders the meaning as follows: The worst creatures creeping and crawling on earth are those who are deaf and dumb and hence cannot understand since there is no way for the truth to enter their brains. They neither hear nor speak.
Then God says that He has tried them with deafness and muteness, such that they neither hear nor speak the word of truth. In short, He has forbidden them from the blessings of hearing and accepting. This is because God did not find any good in them; had He found inside them the capacity to accept the truth, He would not have blocked their ears and would have allowed them to accept it. However, had they heard, they still would have turned away from the truth.
From this, it can be understood that good (khayr) means having a good inner self, ready to accept the truth and confess to it in the heart. Furthermore, if He had made them hear means “if He had made them hear while that inner capacity was absent”. Upon deep contemplation of the verse, you will realize that there is no basis for the possible objection that, had God allowed them to hear and accept the truth, goodness would have been found inside them, and they would have had no reason to turn away. This is because if He had made them hear is predicated on them not having any goodness inside themselves in the first place.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ٢٤
(8:24) O you who believe! Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. Know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered.
After He calls them by the expression Obey Allah and His messenger… ()—to heed the true call and not turn away from it after hearing it, He now emphasizes it by telling them again to respond to the call of the Messenger by presenting the truth of the divine command, and the pillar on which his call rests—namely, enlivening the human being by taking him from the pits of destruction and extinction, and that his position in existence is such that God is closer to him than his own heart, and that he would be presented before God. Thus, they should be perspicuous—be firm in their resolve, determined to have a good end with God!
Discourse
The discussion “The Inner Human Nature (Fiṭrah)” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
Commentary continues:
The l- in to that which gives you life (li-mā yuḥyīkum) means “towards”; this is a common usage. What the Messenger is calling towards is the true religion—that is, Islam, which the Qur’an explains as following the call of one’s innate nature (fiṭrah) towards beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.
Discourse
The discussion “The Concept of Life in the Qur’an” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
Commentary continues:
Know that Allah intervenes (yaḥūl) between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered: Yaḥūl means “to intervene” or “to be in the middle of”. Heart (qalb) takes on its conventional meaning.
The heart is mentioned many times in the Qur’an as the human organ which perceives, or in which appear, the deductions of his inner emotions, such as love, hate, fear, hope, longing, and confusion. It is what sorts them out. It is what loves and hates, hopes and fears, wishes for things, and is happy and sad. It is, in truth, the human soul (nafs) which is moved by the inner powers (quwā) and inner emotions which it is equipped with.
The human being—like other created beings which populate the world—is a compound being, made up of an agglomeration of various capacities, powers (quwā), and innate tools which he possesses and may use to carry out the purposes behind his existence. All of those different dimensions and parts of the human being—though they be very many—are tied together into a single whole, and acts or refrains from acting, moves or is at rest as single unit.
However, since God is the creator of man and is the creator of each one of the parts of his existence and the differentiation of his powers and tools, he is the one who surrounds him and every one of the parts of his existence
However, since God has created the human being, and has created each and every part of it, along with their varying capabilities, His knowledge encompasses each and every part of its existence and its subordinate. He possesses all of them in the truest sense, meaning that he can employ them however he wills, He disposes of it as He likes, and a person possesses whatever of it as He likes. Thus He is the intermediary between a human being and his body parts, and every single subordinate related to him. He stands between the human being and his heart, between the human being and his hearing, between the human being and his sight, between the human being and his body, and between him and his self. He employs them by creating them and uses them by giving human being domination over them however He wills, gives him whatever He wills, and keeps from Him whatever He wills.
Other creatures are similar to the human being in that regard. They have an essence and things which obey that essence, with their own capabilities, effects, and actions. However, God has final authority over them all on an existential level. He is the true owner of their essence and its subordinates and He is the one who has made them possess all that, and stands between them and their essence, between them and their limbs, between them and their capabilities, between them and their effects, and between them and their actions.
Thus, God stands as the intermediary between the human being and his heart. All that the human being owns or is linked to is closer to Him than anything else; as He says: We are closer to Him than his jugular vein ().
This is alluded to in the verse: Know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered (). Because He is the owner of everything, including man, He is the real possessor, and there is no real owner other than him, thus He is closer to the human being than his own self and has dominion over the potentialities of the human self. Thus He is an intermediary between him and his parts or what is linked to him; contemplate this.
For that reason, this verse ends with and that to Him you shall be gathered. Upon the Resurrection, it shall become glaringly apparent that the one with true dominion is God alone, with no partner. Anyone else’s apparent or purported authority shall be abolished in favor of the one true king, glorious be His praise. As God says:
Who holds dominion today? Allah, the One, the Overpowering. ()
The day when no soul will exert ownership over itself, and all matters will rest with Allah. ()
It is as if the verse is saying: Know that God is the true ruler over you and your hearts. He is closer to you than anything else. He shall gather you before Himself, and it shall become apparent that He is your true king and sultan. On that day, nothing shall avail you before Him.
The beginning and end of the verse—namely, between and Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life—are linked due to the fact that God stands between the human being and his heart. This plucks the roots of all excuses for not answering the call of God and His Messenger when he calls them to what will bring them life—that is to say, tawḥīd, which is the reality of the true call. For since God is closer to the human being than all things, even his heart, which he uses to perceive the oneness of God before all things, He is more knowable to the human being than his heart which is his organ of perception and the way to understand Him.
Thus, he understands God alone, with no partner, as a deity, before comprehending that he has a heart or anything that he comprehends via his heart. While it may doubt or waver on some matters, it does not doubt that there is a single Lord over all things, and so it will never misguide anyone in identifying the true Word.
And this call, the call to truth, is to the Word of truth, the religion of tawḥīd, which brings life to those who respond to the call. Thus it is upon him to respond to the caller to God. He has no excuse to spurn it on the grounds that he doesn’t know whether or not he is being called to the truth, or whether some of it is true and some of it isn’t, or because he is perplexed by the varying approaches (madhāhib). This is because God is the clear truth, and nothing hides that. Anything that hides God is a presumption, whereas God is the closest thing to a human being. Even though a heart may be beset with disquiet or devilish insinuations, God still stands between the human being and the heart, which is a container. Thus, no way remains for a human being to be ignorant of God or to have doubt in His oneness.
Additionally, since God stands between a human being and his heart, He is nearer to him than his heart. Similarly, since God is nearer to him than his heart, His intervention is close than either of these two things. Since God is the nearest thing to the human heart, He knows better what is in it than the human being himself.
Therefore, when the human being is summoned to the call to truth, which enlivens him from the truth, it behooves him to answer this call with his heart just as he answers it with his tongue. He should not hide in his heart that which disagrees with what he utters with his tongue. That is hypocrisy, whereas God knows best what is in his heart. When He resurrects him, He shall inform him of the truth of his deeds and tell him of what crossed his heart. God says:
One the day when they shall be laid bare. Not a single thing concerning them shall be hidden from Allah. ()
Allah hides no words or events. ()
Furthermore, since God intervenes between man and his heart, and He is the true owner of the heart in the truest sense, He can direct the heart wherever He wishes, and only after that does the human being have that ability. Therefore, when a human being experiences faith or doubt, hope or fear, tranquility or disquiet, and so forth, which may be attributed to him by choice or compulsion, he must first understand that this is God directing his heart to where He wills, since He is closer to it than anything else, whether He directs towards things which come across as benevolent, or not. That is, part of the divine tutelage is to direct the heart however He wills and to exert unhindered, uncensured power over the heart as part of how He exerts His decree. As He says:
Allah decrees, and none can contravene His decree. ()
His is the decree and the praise; He has power over all things. ()
It would be ignorance for a human being to rely only on what he finds in his heart with respect to faith in the truth or lack thereof, resolving to do good, or concern over goodness and piety. That is, it would be ignorant for him to see himself as the master of his heart. For the heart is held in the fingers of the Merciful, who turns it wheresoever He pleases. He is the true owner, in the truest sense; He encompasses it in the truest sense of the word. God says:
We turn their hearts and eyes, just as they did not have faith the first time. ()
Therefore, it is necessary for a person to believe in the truth and resolve for good out of fear of God—that God might turn him from happiness towards misery, intervening in his heart in such a way that would cause devolution and deterioration. He should not consider himself secure from God’s stratagems, for the only ones who consider themselves to be secure from God’s stratagems are the losers.
Similarly, if a human being finds that his heart is not amenable towards the truth, or if he finds that his heart is not set upon goodness and right acts, he must hasten to respond to God and His Messenger in what they call him to that will enliven him. He should not be defeated any despair or hopelessness which assaults him from his heart. For God intervenes between the human being and his heart. He has the power to rectify what is inside him and to direct His heart towards what is best for him, to enwrap him in divine succor and mercy. The matter rests with Him. God says:
None despair of Allah’s succor except the rejecting folk. ()
None despair of Allah’s mercy except the astray. ()
Thus, you can see that this verse is one of the most comprehensive verses of the Qur’an, and contains veritable divine truths on the topic of God’s intervention with the human being. This topic cuts short the excuses of the rejectors and polytheists who disregard cognizance of God. It plucks out the weeds of hypocrisy from the root by turning the hypocrites’ souls towards the status of their Lord—for He knows best what lies in their hearts. It presents a psycho-spiritual reality to the Muslims who are on the path of faith in God and His signs: they are not independent owners of their hearts, separate from their Lord in that regard. This understanding removes many a great vice from those who see themselves as independent masters over their own selves. Those who witness faith and reverence in their hearts will not be deceived, nor shall they suffer from despondence and despair over the One who encompasses their hearts; they shall not be assailed by whims or battered down by accidental material causes. Rather, sluggishness towards true faith and accepting the truth begets despondence and despair.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the clause Know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart… explains the clause Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life in every imaginable way.
It is also clear that the verse has a broader meaning than exegetes usually admit to. These are some of the views which limit the meaning of the verse:
Saying that God is closer to the heart than a person himself is similar to saying that God is closer to a person than his jugular vein (); this is a heavy warning.
The heart is mentioned to show that no word or deed is hidden from God, since God is closer to the heart than the human being. Therefore, whatever a person knows about his heart is also known to God.
God intervenes between a person and his ability to act upon his heart upon death. It is not possible for him to procrastinate until death and then right what went wrong by hastening to obey God due to this barrier. Therefore, this verse urges people to obey God before the great barrier of death descends.
God controls the vagaries of the heart as it shifts from one state to another. It is as if they fear fighting. Since God knows this, He will calm their fear and shift away their hearts from terrifying thoughts, for He moves the heart from one state to another.
A Shi‘i narration says that verse means that God prevents the human being from seeing truth as falsehood, or falsehood as truth. This shall be discussed in the section on narrations, God willing.
وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ٢٥
(8:25) And fear sedition which may not smite (lā tuṣībanna) only those of you who are unjust. And know that Allah is severe in retribution.
According to Majmaʿ al-Bayān, this verse was recited as la-tuṣībanna by Imām al-Sajjād, Imām al-Bāqir, Zayd ibn Thābit, Rabīʿ ibn Anas, Abū al-ʿĀliyah, with both the l- and -n for emphasis. That is, they recited it as “it shall truly smite!” instead of “it shall not smite”, in which lā is a particle of negation, and which is the common recitation.
Either way, this verse warns all the faithful of a calamity about to befall the wrongdoers among them. It is not warning the rejectors or the polytheists. It specifically pertains to the wrongdoers among the faithful. By warning the masses to guard against that, it shows that what one sector of society does impacts everyone else; the negative consequences will be borne by everyone. Know that Allah is severe in retribution warns all about the severity of the consequences. There is no textual evidence indicating that this warning pertains only to the worldly life or worldly misery, such as civil strife, violence, corruption, insecurity, or that sort of thing.
Therefore, it can necessarily be concluded that all the people must guard against sedition (fitnah), even if it arises only from a particular group. They must root it out and extinguish its flames as God has commanded them to—through preventing evil and commanding good.
This verse boils down to a warning to the Muslims: do not go easy on factionalism and partisanship which threaten their unity, which would split them and their united stance apart. They should not be victims of divide and conquer, lest crookedness overtake the word of Truth and the upright religion, which the Muslims share.
This sedition shall be led by a specific group of them—the wrongdoers; however, the effect of that shall be borne by everyone. They shall all face the threat of degradation, impoverishment, and all the ills which civil unrest begets. They will all be responsible before God, and God is severe in punishment.
God glosses over what precisely this sedition is. It is left unspecified, apart from the overall description that it centers on a group of the wrongdoers. However, Allah is severe in requital clarifies that it involves Muslims bickering with each other over something, and that all the Muslims actually know which side is in the right. A group will run wild, galloping forth from truth towards evil. There will then be no defense against tyranny and no end to distress.
This is not a commentary on any and every type of wrongdoing; rather, it refers specifically to that sort of wrongdoing which balloons from a small group of Muslims into the whole, and which all of the society must therefore guard against. It involves things such as rebelling against the true Islamic government, making common cause to destroy the clear provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah, which is one of its rights.
In any case, civil strife did beset the core of Islam and shatter its unity, just the verse says. Factionalism rose, and strength faltered; might and bravery waned. Fighting arose. People were taken captive and plundered; honor was violated; the Book was abandoned, and the Sunnah was forgotten. Like the Messenger said: “O Lord, my people have abandoned this book!”
One of the biggest disasters is that, since the Muslim ummah was warned about this, there is no way for them to escape divine torment due to their remissness towards God.
Whenever they try to flee the punishment… they shall return to it, and taste the burning torment. ()
One exegete has put forward the clever view that the verse warns the ummah about the consequences of factionalism; however, he confines the effects of that to the world realm. However, the verse speaks about punishment unilaterally; and how could they [escape] from a far-off place [hell]? ()
The difference in meaning between the two readings: In the recitation of the family of the Prophet and Zayd—la-tuṣībanna instead of lā tuṣībanna—la- denotes an oath, and -anna is for emphasis. In this reading, the verse means: O listeners (that is, O believers)! Fear sedition which—I swear—would smite the wrongdoers among you exclusively. Remember what happened before.
Here, the word exclusively (khāṣṣatan) describes “sedition”. The verse is addressed to “those who believe”. We said previously that, in the Qur’an, the expression “those who believe” (alladhīna āmanū) is used as an honorific to denote those who accepted faith at the beginning of the Prophetic mission and assisted in spreading the Prophetic call, unless the context indicates otherwise. Then the verse mentions sedition at the core of Islam and concludes [in the next verse] by speaking about those who were present at Badr. In any case, the verse commands all the believers to beware sedition stirred up by a group, the evil consequences of which will be felt by all, as discussed above.
As for the common reading lā tuṣībanna: lā means “not”, and -anna emphasizes “not” (as if to say, “absolutely will not!”). The expression lā tuṣībanna is not part of the series of commands. (That is, it does not say “beware…and do not”.) Rather, it continues the phrasing of the verse. The construction here is similar to what is found in Sūrah al-Naml:
O ants! Enter your houses, so that Solomon will not smash you and your hordes. ()
Thus, it says first beware of sedition and then continues with which may not smite only those of you who are unjust; that is, the two clauses are connected in meaning.
Some grammarians have proffered that lā tuṣībanna is a command (“do not strike!”) in response to the first command. In their view, it is as if it is saying: “Beware Zayd! Do not let him strike you.” That is to say: “Beware Zayd! If you keep your guard up, he shall not strike you.” Furthermore, there is no objection to the emphatic particle -anna being used in a predicate.
Other possible views:
The lā is superfluous (zāʾidah), so the clause means: Beware sedition that should strike you….
Lā tuṣībanna is really an expanded form of la-tuṣībanna; the fatḥah in la was expanded and gave rise to alif. The expansion of alif occurs frequently in poetry; for instance:
Fa-anta min al-ghawāʾil ḥīna tarmī
wa min dhamm al-rijāl bi-muntazāḥi
And so you, from disasters when they strike,
And from the blame of men, are far.
By muntazāḥ is meant muntazaḥ.
However, both of these views are unlikely, and neither befits God’s Word. Furthermore, as you can see, they render the meaning the same as in the reading la-tuṣībanna.
As you can see, the verse advises Muslim society at large, as bolstered by the phrasing of the previous verse, which is also addressed to all the faithful: O you who believe! Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life… (). Since the call of God is towards what brings life, it is also a call towards unity through the rope of God, the establishment of the religion, and avoiding factionalism. As God says:
Hold fast to the rope of Allah together, and do not factionalize ().
Establish the religion, and do not disunite about it. ()
This is My straight path, so follow it and do not follow the ways which would cause division among you from His Way. ()
This reinforces some of what was mentioned previous about when He calls you to that which give you life () and Know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart (). The verse is contextualized, although its import is broader than that and can be taken independently of the context. A critical researcher will not have any trouble discerning that, and God is the guide.
وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ أَنْتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ٢٦
(8:26) Remember when you were few, deemed weak (mustaḍʿafūn) in the land, fearing (yatakhaṭṭafakum) that people might snatch you away. He sheltered you (fa-āwākum) and strengthened you (ayyadakum) with His aid, and provided you with wholesome things, that you might be grateful.
“Deeming something weak” (mustaḍʿafūn) means to make light of it. The verb yatakhaṭṭafakum—from the root kh-ṭ-f—means to snatch something away. The verb āwākum means to give a person shelter or a haven he can return to. Ayyadakum derives from the verbal noun ayd which means “strength”.
The context indicates that when you were few, deemed weak in the land refers to the time before the migration when the Muslims were confined to Mecca, and they were few and weak, fearing that people—the Arab polytheists and the heroes of the Quraysh—might snatch you away. He sheltered you—in Medina—and strengthened you with His aid—the blessings that were showered upon them at Badr—and provided you with wholesome things—the spoils of war.
Although the verse specifically refers to the Emigrants, not the Helpers, it overall speaks to both the Emigrants and the Helpers, since they are a single community, united by one faith.
This is especially since divine aid and wholesome sustenance are things which relate to all. Although the verse is set in the context of the Battle of Badr, on its own, it addresses all Muslims. The later Muslims inherited the victory of the early Muslims, who were few and fearful in Mecca, wary of the people. Thus God sheltered them in Medina, bolstered their numbers through the Anṣār, aided them at Badr and elsewhere, and granted them goodly sustenance, spoils of war and otherwise, so that they might be thankful.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ٢٧ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ٢٨
(8:27-28) O you who believe! Do not betray (lā takhūnū) Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts. Know that your possessions and your children are a test, and that with Allah is an immense reward.
“Betrayal” (takhūnū, from khiyānah) is the antonym of “faithfulness” (amānah), which means to adhere to the provisions of a pact, inheritance, or something similar. Al-Rāghib says:
Betrayal (khiyānah) and hypocrisy (nifāq) mean the same thing. However, khiyānah is used in matters of contracts and property (ʿahd and amānah), whereas nifāq is used for religious matters. However, they can be used interchangeably, insofar as khiyānah involves violating a right and secretly going against an agreement. The antonym of khiyānah is amānah.
One may say: “I betrayed a person” (khintu fulānan) or “I betrayed the person’s trust” (khintu amānat fulān). Similarly, God says: Do not betray (lā takhūnū) Allah and His Messenger, nor betray (takhūnū) your trusts.
Nor betray your trusts: It is possible that this is in the jussive (majzūm) and conjunct to the previous use of betray (takhūnū), meaning: “Do not betray your trusts.” It could also be accusative (manṣūb) with an implied particle an, meaning: “That you betray your trusts.” The second interpretation is reinforced by the following phrase: “knowingly” (wa antum taʿlamūn, lit. “while you know”).
Only intentional betrayal can be prohibited; one cannot prohibit betrayal committed in ignorance. Knowledge is one of the preconditions of religious responsibility (taklīf). Therefore, on the surface, there does not seem to be any reason to specify that this is knowing betrayal, unless the phrase knowingly omits some implied words, and is taken to mean “while you know that it is betrayal”. This is unlike what some exegetes say; some exegetes say that it means “while you know the evils of betrayal, the dire consequences, and how God has forbidden it.” There is no evidence for this in the text or the context.
Therefore, the correct view is that this sentence means “that you betray your trusts”. The entire phrase—do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts—is a single prohibition, prohibiting treachery towards God and His Messenger. This is exactly the same thing as betraying the trusts of the faithful themselves, since part of God’s trusts lie in the people—for instance, the sharīʿah rulings, or the beauteous conduct (sīrah) of the Messenger. Then there are the trusts that people entrust to each other, such as wealth or secrets. And some trusts are shared jointly between God, the Messenger, and the faithful. These are matters which God enjoins, the Messenger carries out, and which benefit the people. They undergird society—for instance, political secrets or war plans; were they to be publicized, it would unsettle the religion and undermine the Islamic government, thereby violating the right of God and His Messenger, and ultimately harming the faithful.
Therefore, this type of treachery is a betrayal of God, the Messenger, and the faithful. Such a traitor betrays God and the Messenger, should he be aware that this betrayal is of himself and his faithful brethren. No rational person would betray his own self; since the God-given human intellect acknowledges the ugliness of betrayal, how could a person then betray himself?
Thus, the intended meaning behind nor knowingly betray your own trusts—and God knows best—is double-crossing God and His Messenger while knowing that these are also their own trusts which they are betraying. A rational person never betrays himself knowing that the harm will ultimately turn back to no one but himself. Therefore, ending the verse with knowingly is to provoke the rightful fidelity and the judgment of the inner self (fiṭrah), not to postulate one of the preconditions for religious responsibility.
It seems that some of the Muslims were publicizing some of the Prophet’s decisions, which he had kept hidden from the polytheists, or spilling secrets. Thus, God spoke of this as “treachery” and forbade it, considering it to be treachery towards God, His Messenger, and the faithful.
This view is reinforced by the following verse: know that your possessions and your children are a test…, for the context indicates that the two verses relate to each other, rather than being independent. Together, the exhortation about their possessions and children, and the adjuration against treachery against God and His Messenger, indicate that some of them were letting the polytheists in on matters kept secret by the Messenger. They did this in an attempt to placate them out of fear, since they had left some of their wealth and children behind in Mecca after migrating to Medina. Thus, they told them about these things to try to gain favor with them, so that their wealth and children would be safe, or for similar reasons; for instance, in the case of Abū Lubābah with respect to the Banū Qurayẓah.
This view is also reinforced by what has been narrated with respect to why the verse was revealed. That is, Abū Sufyān left Mecca with a large amount of wealth. Gabriel informed the Prophet of his departure and indicated that he should go after him, but that this should be kept secret. However, someone wrote to him telling him of this. Thus, God revealed: O you who believe! Do not betray (lā takhūnū) Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts (). There are also other narrations with respect to why the verse was revealed; they shall be discussed in the section on narrations, God willing.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ ٢٩
(8:29) O you who believe! If you revere Allah, Allah shall grant you a distinction (furqān), absolve your wrongs, and forgive you. And Allah is possessed of tremendous bounty.
A furqān is something which distinguishes between one thing and another. The context and the fact that the furqān is mentioned as a succedent to having reverence (taqwā) indicates that this furqān distinguishes between truth and falsehood, whether it be in matters of belief—that is to say, distinguishing between faith and rejection—guidance and misguidance, acts of obedience or disobedience, or anything that would please or displeases God. There is also the view that this furqān distinguishes between right and wrong. All of this is the fruit of the tree of reverence (taqwā). However, furqān is used unconditionally here. The previous sentences mentioned forms of good and evil, all of which require a furqān to be distinguished.
A verse which is similar in meaning is:
When someone is reverent towards Allah, Allah shall make a way out for them and grant them sustenance from whence they expect not. Allah suffices whoever trusts in Him. ()
The meaning of “absolving wrongs” (takfir al-sayyiʾāt) and “forgiveness” (maghfirah) has already been discussed. This verse acts as a summary of the commands and prohibitions outlined in the preceding verses. That is, if you are reverent towards God, you shall not be confused over things that are pleasing and displeasing towards God with respect to the matters that were mentioned. Furthermore, God shall absolve your misdeeds and forgive you; and God holds an enormous grace.
Examining Narrations
- In al-Kāfī, it is related via a chain of narration from ʿAqīl al-Khuzāʿī that the Commander of the Faithful [Imām ʿAlī] said:
Fear of warring against those who deserve it and those who band together to misguide others is itself a form of misguidance in religion, and a worldly loss, accompanied by humiliation and degradation. Those who flee advancing armies at the time of battle merit hellfire. God says: O you who believe! When you meet the rejectors arrayed for battle, do not turns your backs to them. ()
- In Man Lā Yaḥduruhu al-Faqīh and ʿIlal al-Sharāʿiʾ, via a chain of narration from Ibn Shādhān, it is related that Imām Riḍā received a letter containing religious enquiries. In part of his reply, he wrote:
God forbade fleeing from the enemy army, for this weakens the religion, and disesteems the messengers and imams of justice. He has also forbidden you from abandoning them in the face of the enemy. Abandoning the call to affirm Lordship, manifest justice, leave tyranny, and destroy corruption merits punishment, for this emboldens enemies against the Muslims, and results in them being taken captive or killed, the abolition of the religion of God—Mighty and Glorious—and other forms of corruption.
Author’s comments: Many narrations from the Imams of the household of the Prophet say that fleeing from battle is one of the greater sins which lands a person in hell. Some of these narrations have been mentioned in the discussion on the greater sins as part of the exegesis of this verse: If you leave aside the greater [sins] which you are forbidden, We will do away with your small sins… ().
Furthermore, in many Sunni narrations, such as in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Muslim, wherein Abū Hurayrah relates that the Prophet said: “Leave aside seven things which would beget hellfire.” They [the Companions] asked: “What are they, O Messenger of God?” He said, “Associating partners with God, unjust killing, sorcery, consuming interest, consuming the property of an orphan, fleeing battle, and impugning chaste or careless married female believers.” Other narrations from Ibn ʿAbbās and others treat fleeing from battle as one of the greater sins.
True, God says: Now, Allah has lightened your burden for you. He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are a hundred patients ones of you, they shall overcome two hundred… (). This verse puts a condition on the absolute prohibition of fleeing battle when their numbers in battle are one to less than three.
It is also related in Sunni narrations from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Saʿīd al-Khidrī, and others such as in al-Durr al-Manthūr that the prohibition of fleeing from battle in this verse was specifically for the day of Badr.
It could be justifiable to say that the verse was revealed on the day of Badr, and that the adverbial phrase on that day (yawmaʾidhin) in whoever turns their backs to them on that day… () refers to the day of Badr. However, as you have seen, the context of the verses bears witness to the fact that the verses were revealed after the day of Badr, and that on that day was on a day of retreat, not the day of Badr.
However, even if one does assert that it was revealed on the day of Badr, that does restrict the injunctions of the verse to that day, just as the other verses are general in import even though a specific cause spurred their revelation.
The author of Tafsīr al-Manār says in this regard:
“If this verse was revealed before the onset of battle—which goes against the majority of exegetes’ views—then one could argue that it is for a specific case, since the Battle of Badr was unique in some ways. For instance, it was the first battle of Islam, and if the Muslims had been defeated, it would have caused a great crisis. Additionally, the Muslims were aided and made steadfast by the angels, and God promised to aid them and to cast fear into the hearts of the enemies.
When we look at all of the details and contextual evidence regarding the prohibition, the fact that the prohibition coupled with the severe threat in the verse is specific to it is justified.
I would add to that, that God tried the companions—may God be pleased with them—through fleeing and retreating in battle twice, while the Prophet was among them. Once was during the Battle of Uhud, about which God says:
Those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met, only Satan sought to cause them to make a slip on account of some deeds they had done, and certainly Allah has pardoned them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing ().
God also says on this subject:
Allah helped you in many battlefields and on the day of Ḥunayn, when your great numbers made you vain, but they availed you nothing and the earth became strait to you notwithstanding its spaciousness, then you turned back retreating. Then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and sent down hosts which you did not see, and chastised those who disbelieved, and that is the reward of the unbelievers. ()
These verses do not deny that fleeing in battle is impermissible or that it is one of the greater sins. However, it does not say that anyone who flees battle—unless it is for one of the two exceptions mentioned in Sūrah al-Anfāl—incurs severe divine wrath, and their place shall be the hellfire; and what an evil place it is. Rather, it may be less than that; since it is restricted by a later verse which provides an exemption for weakness, and the verse which forbids people from casting themselves into destruction in general as is mentioned in Sūrah al-Baqarah and as shall soon be discussed.
- Aḥmad and the authors of the sunan works, apart from al-Nasāʾī, relate from Ibn ʿUmar:
I was on a battle-expedition with the Messenger of God in which the people fled. I was one of those who fled. We said, “What should we do since we have fled from battle and earned divine wrath?” Then we said, “What if we go back to Medina and stay overnight there?” Then we said, “What if we present ourselves to the Messenger of God? Either there will be a way to repent, or else we will leave.”
So we came to him before the morning prayer. He came out and asked, “Who are the ones who fled?”
We said, “We are the ones who fled.”
He said, “No, you are the ones who returned back; I am your contingent and the contingent of the Muslims.”
We came forward and kissed his hand.
Abū Dāwūd relates it in the following words:
We said, “What if we enter Medina and stay overnight there, then leave with no one seeing us?”
Then we said, “What if we present ourselves to the Messenger of God? Either there will be way of repentance, and we shall do it; and if it is otherwise, we will leave.”
So we sat before the Messenger of God before the dawn prayer, and when he finished, we stood before him and said, “We are the ones who fled….”
Some take this narration as an expansion of the meaning of withdraw to another company (), in which case the threat loses its meaning and no ruling remains. Regarding it, al-Tirmidhī says: “It is ranked as an acceptable (ḥasan) narration. We only know it to come from Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād.”
However, my view is that there are disagreements about it. Many have ranked it as a weak (ḍaʿīf) narration. Ibn Ḥibbān says:
This narrator is honest. However, when he grew old, his memory faltered, at which point he began narrating wrong things. Therefore, only what he narrated before his memory began to deteriorate is sound (ṣaḥīḥ). In sum, this narration has no weight on this matter, neither in terms of its chain of narration nor in terms of its content. A narration with a similar meaning has been related from ʿUmar which is even more baseless, and should not be given consideration in this matter.
Author’s comments: According to various angles and evidence, it is incorrect to say that the injunction not to flee battle was limited to the Battle of Badr. Evidence for this is as follows. First, the Battle of Badr was the first battle of Islam. Second, the Prophet was among them there. Other battles had similar conditions, such as Uḥud, Khandaq, Khaybar, and Ḥunayn; in those days, Islam was in desperate need of fighters who would stand firm against the enemy, while the Prophet was among them. God promised to aid them and sent down in some of them angels to assist them and cast fear into the hearts of the enemies.
As for what is said regarding the verses that descended regarding fleeing battle during the battles of Uḥud and Ḥunayn, there is no evidence in them implying that the threat in the verse of Al-Anfal does not include them. The verse is absolute and there is no evidence to restrict it.
It is astonishing that the author of Tafsīr al-Manār admits that fleeing battle on those two occasions was forbidden, but then says: “However, it does not say that anyone who flees battle—unless it is for one of the two exceptions mentioned in Sūrah al-Anfāl—incurs severe divine wrath, and their place shall be the hellfire; and what an evil place it is. Rather, it may be less than that.” However, the major sins which merit hellfire are the forms of disobedience that God has promised hellfire for.
Even more astonishing is when he says: “Rather, it may be less than that; since it is restricted by a later verse which provides an exemption for weakness, and the verse which forbids people from casting themselves into destruction in general”. However, the exemption for fleeing is when a certain ratio of fighters to the enemy is no longer present.
If the verse forbidding people from casting themselves into destruction implies, in its general sense, anything more than permission of escape in times of weakness, then the verse of anfāl is rendered meaningless and no instance could be found for it. Similarly, if withdraw to another company (), is interpreted according to what is reported from by Ibn ʿUmar, it requires canceling the verse as mentioned by the author of al-Manār. In short, there is no escape from taking the verse as general and unconditioned.
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, regarding the verse to withdraw to another company (), it is related from Imām al-Kāẓim:
Unless it be a stratagem of battle () means digressing with the intention to carry out an attack. Or to withdraw to another company () means that they retreat to their own contingents without withdrawing from the battle; whoever retreats beyond the line of his contingent shall earn Allah’s wrath ().
Author’s comments: The narration indicates an important point in the wording of the verse—namely, “turning your back” can mean a number of things, not just being routed in battle. The two actions that are exempted—that is, turning away from fighting as part of a stratagem, or joining another contingent—do not pertain to flight and defeat. However, other forms of deserting battle are prohibited. Any form of flight from the enemies of the faith is prohibited unless they exceed twice their number.
- In Tafsīr al-Burhān, regarding the verse you did not throw (), Ibn Shahrāshūb relates from Ibn ʿAbbās:
The Prophet said to ʿAlī, “Give me a handful of pebbles.”
He gave it to him, and then he cast them in the faces of the Quraysh; not a single one was left whose eyes were not filled with pebbles.
Author’s comments: This is also related in al-Durr al-Manthur from al-Ṭabarānī, Abū al-Shaykh, and Ibn Mardawayh from Ibn ʿAbbās. It is also related by al-ʿAyyāshī in his explanation of the hadith of munāwilah from Muḥammad ibn Kulayb al Asadī, from his father, from Imām al Ṣādiq, and in another narration from ʿAlī.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Jarīr relates that both Muḥammad ibn Qays and Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb—may God be pleased with them both—said:
When the two sides approached, the Messenger of God took a handful of dust and cast it into the faces of the people, saying, “Humbled be their faces.” It entered all of their eyes. The Companions of the Messenger of God came forward to fight, and the enemy was defeated due to what the Messenger of God had thrown. Then God revealed: You did not throw; it was Allah who threw, so that He could try the faithful through it a beautiful trial from Himself. Allah is hearing, knowing ().
Author’s comments: When it says the verse was revealed then, it means that the verse was revealed later, but speaks of what happened at that time, not that it was actually revealed at that moment. This commonly occurs in narrations on the causes of revelation.
In his biography of the Prophet, Ibn Hishām says that the Prophet threw dust at them, then commanded the Companions to attack, and this was how they conquered them.
Ibn Hisham has mentioned in his biography that the Prophet pelted them with dust then commanded his companions to attack and that was their defeat.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Ibn Abī Shaybah, Aḥmad, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn Mandah, al-Ḥakim, and al-Bayhaqī (who considers it authentic in his al-Dalāʾil) from Ibn Shihāb from ʿAbdullāh ibn Thaʿlabah ibn Ṣaʿīr:
Abū Jahl faced the people and said, “O God! He has severed his ties with his kin and brought us something unknown. So obliterate him tomorrow!” This was his plea for victory. Then, the verse was revealed: If you demand a victory, victory has come to you. If you desist, it would be better for you. If you return, We shall return, and your forces shall avail you naught, no matter how many they are. And know that Allah is with the faithful ().
- In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, regarding the verse the vilest of beasts before Allah…, Imām al-Bāqir said:
It refers to the Banū ʿAbd al-Dār. None of them accepted Islam except for Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr and one of their allies called Suwaybiṭ.
- In Jāmiʿ al-Jawāmiʿ, it is related that Imām al-Bāqir said:
They are the Banū ʿAbd al-Dār. None of them accepted Islam except Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr and Suwayd ibn Ḥarmalah. They used to say, “We are blind, deaf, and dumb towards what Muḥammad has brought.” They all fought at Uḥud, in which they were the flag-bearers.
Author’s comments: This is narrated in al-Durr al-Manthūr, and something of similar meaning in related from Ibn ʿAbbas and Qatādah. The narration is of the type wherein a specific example is given of the verse, although the verse itself is general and not limited to that situation.
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says regarding O you who believe! Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life ():
“Life” means “Paradise.”
- Al-Kāfī relates from Abū al-Rabīʿ al-Shāmī, via its chain of narration:
I asked Abū ʿAbdillāh [Imām al-Ṣādiq] about the verse O you who believe! Answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life ().
He said, “It was revealed about allegiance towards and the authority of ʿAlī (wilāyat ʿAlī).”
Author’s comments: This is narrated in Tafsīr al-Burhān from Ibn Mardawayh, without a full chain of narration, from Imām Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Bāqīr. It is also related from Abū al-Jārūd from him, just as al-Qummī narrates it in his Tafsīr. This and the previous narration are examples of specific applications of the verse; as we have discussed in our exegesis, the import of the verse is general.
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is related from Abū al-Jārūd from Imām al-Bāqir regarding know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart ():
It means that God stands between a person and a sin that would lead him to the Fire, and that God stands between the faithless and an act of obedience that would replenish their faith. Know that deeds are in accordance with their ends.
- In al-Maḥāsin, from a chain of narration from ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥakam, from Hishām ibn Sālim, it is related that Imām al-Ṣādiq said regarding know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart ():
He intervenes so that a person does not think falsehood is truth.
Author’s comments: Al-Ṣadūq also relates this in Maʿānī al-Akhbār from Ibn Abī ʿUmayr from Hishām ibn Sālim from the Imām.
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is related from Yūnus ibn ʿAmmār that Imām al-Ṣādiq said:
The heart will never affirm that truth is falsehood, or that falsehood is truth.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Ibn Mardawayh that Ibn ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with them—said:
I asked the Prophet about the verse Allah intervenes between man and his heart ().
He said, “He stands between the faithful and faithlessness (kufr), and between the faithless and guidance.”
Author’s comments: Something similar is related by Abū al-Jārūd from Imām al-Bāqir in Maʿānī al-Akhbār.
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is related from Ḥamzah al-Ṭayyār from Imām al-Ṣādiq regarding the verse Allah intervenes between man and his heart ():
While a person may desire something with his ears, eyes, tongue, or hand, he does not actually partake of it—even though he wants it—because his heart dislikes it and does not accept it, for he knows that it is not right.
Author’s comments: Al-Barqī also relates this in al-Maḥāsin via a chain of narration from Ḥamzah al-Ṭayyār from Imām al-Ṣādiq. Something similar is also related by al-ʿAyyāshī in his Tafsīr from Jābir from Imām al-Bāqir. The meaning of this narration derives from the meaning of the previous two narrations (the one from Hishām ibn Sālim and the one from Yūnus ibn ʿAmmār, from Imām al-Ṣādiq).
- It is related in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī from al-Ṣayqal:
Imām al-Ṣādiq was asked about the verse: And fear sedition which may not smite only those of you who are unjust (). He said: “I have been informed they were the people at the Battle of the Camel.”
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says:
This was revealed about Ṭalḥah and Zubayr when they fought the Companion of the Faithful and wronged him.
- In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, it is related from al-Ḥākim with a chain of narration from Qatādah from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib from Ibn ʿAbbās:
When the verse And fear sedition… () descended, the Prophet said, “Whoever wrongs ʿAlī—my successor after my death—is like someone who fought against my prophethood, and the prophethood of all the prophets before me.”
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Ibn Abī Shaybah, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād in al-Fitan, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Abū al-Shaykh, and Ibn Mardawayh from al-Zubayr, may God be pleased with him:
For a long time, we used to recite this verse And fear sedition which may not smite only those of you who are unjust () without realizing that it was about us.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related about this verse from Ibn Jarīr and Abū al-Shaykh from al-Saddī:
This was revealed exclusively about those who participated in the Battle of Badr. They were struck at the Battle of the Camel, where they fought. Among those killed were Ṭalhah and Zubayr, both of whom were at the Battle of Badr.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Aḥmad, al-Bazzāz, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, and Ibn ʿAsākir from Maṭraf:
We said to Zubayr, “O Abā ʿAbdillah, you have laid the caliphate to waste to the point where it has come to fighting. Now you come seeking revenge [for ʿUthmān]?”
Zubayr, may God be pleased with him, said, “During the time of the Prophet, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with them—we recited the verse And fear sedition which may not smite only those of you who are unjust (), but we never guessed that we would be among those people, until what happened among us happened.”
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related about this verse from ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd and Abū al-Shaykh that Qatādah, may God be pleased with him, said:
By God, those Companions of the Prophet with perspicuity knew that there would be civil unrest.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Abū al-Shaykh, Abū Nuʿaym, al-Daylamī in Musnad al-Firdawsī, from Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with them, regarding the verse Remember when you were few, deemed weak in the land, fearing that people might snatch you away… ():
Someone asked, “O Messenger of God, who are those people?”
He said, “The Persians.”
Author’s comments: This narration does not fit the context of the verse.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related regarding the verse O you who believe! Do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts () from Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Abū al-Shaykh from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, may God be pleased with him:
Abū Sufyān left Mecca, whereupon Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, “Abū Sufyān is in this-and-that place, so follow him and keep it secret.”
However, one of the hypocrites wrote to Abū Sufyān that the Prophet was after him and advised him to be careful. Then God revealed: O you who believe! Do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts… ().
Author’s comments: This narration is close to the exegesis of this verse which we mentioned already.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Jarīr relates that al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah said:
This verse was revealed about the assassination of ʿUthmān, may God be pleased with him.
Author’s comments: This does not fit the context of the verse at all.
- In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, it is related from Imām al-Bāqir, Imām al-Ṣādiq, al-Kalbī and al-Zuhrī:
This was revealed about Abū Lubābah ibn ʿAbd al-Mundhir al-Anṣārī. The Messenger of God was besieging the Jews of Banū Qurayẓah, and it was the twenty-first night of the siege. They asked the Messenger of God to make a peace treaty, on the same conditions as it had been done with their brethren from Banū al-Naḍīr—that they would migrate to their brethren in Syria at Adhraʿāt and Arīḥāt. However, the Messenger of God refused unless they agreed to accept arbitration by Saʿd ibn Maʿādh.
They said, “Send Abū Lubābah to us.” They said this because he was amenable to them since his family, wealth, and children were among them.
So the Prophet sent him. They came to him and said, “What do you think, Abū Lubābah? Should we subject ourselves to the judgment of Saʿd ibn Maʿādh?”
Abū Lubābah gestured to his throat. That is, they would be slaughtered, and should not do that.
Then Gabriel came to the Prophet and told him what had happened.
Abū Lūbabah said, “By God, my feet had barely moved from their place when I realized that I had betrayed God and His Messenger.” Then the verse was revealed about that.
After it was revealed, he tied himself to one of the pillars of the mosque and swore, “By God, I shall neither eat nor drink until I die, or until God forgives me.” He remained there for seven days, neither eating nor drinking, until he fell unconscious. Then God forgave him, and someone told him, “Abū Lubāah, God has forgiven you.”
He said, “No, by God, I shall not untie myself unless the Messenger of God himself unties me.” Then he came to him and untied his hands, at which time, Abū Lubābah said, “To complete my penitence, I must forsake my people who caused me to sin and divest myself of my wealth.”
The Prophet said, “It suffices for you to give a third of it in charity.”
Author’s comments: The story of Abū Lubābah and his penitence is authentic and acceptable as an application of the contents of these two verses. However, it happened long after the Battle of Badr, whereas these two verses and all of the previous verses come across as referring to a single situation which occurred shortly after the Battle of Badr.
Both versus start with dhālikum. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, they could not migrate to Medina with the Prophet. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, as rather than [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, in the common recitation, it takes the meaning of which may not smite (lā tuṣībna) only those of you who are unjust, whereas in the alternative recitation presented here, it takes the meaning of which may smite only those of you who are unjust. [Trans.] ↩︎
Ibn Shahrāshūb relates this from al-Thaʿlabī from Ḍaḥḥāk from ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbās. [Trans.] ↩︎
A reference to his role in the assassination of the third caliph ʿUthmān. [Trans.] ↩︎