Appearance
Verses 55–66
These verses lay down rules for war, peace, treaties, and breaking treaties. The first part of the verses are in agreement with and can be applied to the situation regarding the Jewish tribes in and around Medina. After migrating to Medina, the Prophet made a treaty with them that they would not harm him, betray him, or aid enemies against him. In return, they would retain their religion and be safe. However, they broke this agreement time and time again, until God decreed war against them, and what happened, happened. Some narrations about this will be mentioned in the section on narrations, God willing.
With this in mind, the first four verses were not revealed at the same time as the verses preceding them. They have no link to them, as shown by the context. However, it is not clear whether or not the next seven verses are linked to the first four verses, or whether or not they are linked to the verses preceding this section.
إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٥٥
(8:55) The vilest of beasts before Allah are those who reject [Him]; they will not believe.
This declares them to doubtlessly be the worst of living beings, since the expression is conditioned by the phrase before Allah (ʿind Allāh), which expresses the divine decree, and the divine decree is inerrant: My Lord neither errs nor forgets ().
This section commences by calling them the vilest of beasts because the verses are aimed at getting their shields up. The vilest shows that no good can be hoped for from them. Therefore, they must defend against them in any suitable, possible way. It is befitting to embark upon this discussion by classifying them as the vilest beasts as a prelude to the next verse: So if you come upon them in war, use them to scatter those who will come after them ().
Those who reject [Him] (alladhīna kafarū) and they will not believe (fa-hum lā yuʾminūn) is a subject-predicate combination, in which the conjunction fāʾ denotes cause and effect. It is because of their rejection (kufr) that they will not believe, not the other way around; that is, faithlessness does not necessarily engender rejection (kufr), unless it is already so firmly rooted in the soul that it cannot be weeded out. Should that happen, there is no hope of them attaining faith in the heart. This is the situation with respect to the two opposites of rejection (kufr) and faith (īmān).
From here, it is clear that those who reject [Him] refers specifically to those people in whose hearts rejection (kufr) is established. Hereupon, the meaning of this verse refers back to its sister-verses beforehand:
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. ().
In addition to that, since both verses indicate that the worst beings before God are this specific group, the first verse says that they will never have faith—ever. From this, it can be understood that when the second verse speaks about those who reject [Him]; they will not believe, it is also speaking about that specific group; that is, it is saying that rejection (kufr) is so affixed in their hearts that it can never be uprooted.
الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتَ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ٥٦
(8:56) Those whom you make an agreement with (minhum), then they break their agreement each time, and are not wary.
This verse either expands upon those who reject in the previous verse, or else discusses the same people by identifying a subset of them [the treaty-violators]. Thus, min in minhum is partitive (tabʿīḍiyyah) meaning: “the specific group among the rejectors whom you made a treaty with.” The possibility of min to mean ma’a (with) making the sentence to read as “those you made a treaty with,” or being superfluous, is insignificant.
Each time means that, time and time again, the “allies” violated the pact. When they violate their agreements, they fear neither God nor yourselves. They are not afraid to break their treaties. This indicates that they violated these pacts repeatedly.
فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ٥٧
(8:57) So if you come upon them (fa-immā tathqafannahum) in war, use them to scatter those (fa-sharrid bihim) who will come after them, that they might be reminded.
According to Majmaʿ al-Bayān, thaqaf means “to vanquish and come upon them speedily”, and tashrīd means “to scatter in panic”.
So if you come upon them (fa-immā tathqafannahum): The root expression here is in tathqafahum. Mā is then added to in—which is a conditional particle—for emphasis so that the emphatic -n suffix can be added to the conditional expression, thereby making it emphatic.
Scatter those who will come after them: Means, to give them a sound wallop to teach a lesson to the next lot, so they will quake in their boots and disperse. Their resolve will weaken, as will their unity of intent to slay the faithful and obliterate the word of truth.
With this in mind, that they may be reminded expresses the hope that they might think twice about breaking treaties, running amuck in the land, and diverging from the word of truth—that they might take heed of the ill consequences. For God does not guide a hypocritical folk, nor does He support traitors’ plots.
The verse hints at a command to fight them, then pummel them, then harangue them upon victory. It hints that others like them are on their way, who will break their treaties and lay ambushes against the truth and its devotees.
وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِنْ قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً فَانْبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَاءٍ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَائِنِينَ ٥٨
(8:58) And if you fear treachery from a people, then throw back [their covenant] to them so as to be on equal terms. Allah loves not the treacherous.
According to Majmaʿ [al-Bayān], khiyānah means “to break a treaty that has been ratified”. This meaning is only for treaties and pacts. In a general sense, khiyānah can be used with respect to violating the provisions of any sort of covenant or guarantee of security. Nabdh means “to throw”, and is used in the verse: they cast it behind their backs (). Sawāʾ means istawāʾ (“fairness”, “equity”).
And if you fear parallels so if you come upon them in the previous verse. Fear (khawf) is defined as the appearance of signs that danger is about to befall: get your guard up! Allah loves not the treacherous elaborates on throw back [their covenant] to them so as to be on equal terms.
This verse means: If you make a treaty with a group of people and fear that they will renege on it, throw it back at them. Let them know the treaty has been abolished, so you can be on equal footing. It is only fair that you both treat each other the same way. However, if you attack them before the treaty has been abolished, this would be treachery, and God does not love traitors.
These two verses () summarize divine strictures regarding fighting those who you do not have any sort of treaty with (that they might then break), as well as the rejectors who you made a treaty with but fear they will break it, since they have not upheld any prior agreement. It is thereby incumbent upon the rightful leader (walī al-amr) to deal them a harsh blow. If you fear treachery from them, and that they will not adhere to the terms of their agreement, then let them know that it has been abolished; then, fight them. But do not start fighting them before informing them that the treaty has been abolished; otherwise, this would be treachery. However, if you make a treaty with a group, and they do not violate it or give you any cause to think that they will violate it, then you must respect the terms of that treaty. God says: Observe the treaty with them to the end of the term () and Fulfill your pacts ().
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَبَقُوا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُونَ ٥٩
(8:59) Let not those who disbelieve think (yaḥsabanna) they shall take the lead (sabaqū); they shall thwart nothing (lā yuʿjizūn).
The more common recitation of this verse says taḥsabanna, and the less common says yaḥsabanna. The common recitation of taḥsabanna, beginning with t- denoting the second person, is addressed to the Prophet to gladden his soul and strengthen his heart, like some previous verses, such as: O Prophet! Allah suffices you and the faithful who follow you. () This is similar to the succeeding verse telling the Prophet to urge on the faithful: O Prophet! Urge the believers to fight ().
Sabaq means “to outrace” or “to come out ahead”. Iʿjāz means “being incapacitated”. They shall thwart nothing explains let not those who disbelieve think. It means: O Prophet! Do not think that those who reject faith will outrace Us, and We shall not reach them. They are not able to incapacitate God, since He has power over all things.
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ ٦٠
(8:60) Prepare against them (wa aʿiddū lahum) what force (quwwatin) you can, and horses tethered (ribāṭ al-khayl), to frighten thereby (tarhabūna bihi) the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them, whom you do not know. Allah knows them. Whatever you spend in Allah’s way will be paid back to you fully, and you shall not be treated unjustly.
Iʿdād means to ready the accoutrements needed to accomplish an aim (in this case, victory): to find what one needs to actualize one’s goals. For instance, one might gather wood and fuel for a fire in order to cook. Quwwah is anything that can be used to carry out an act. In war, it can be used for mounts, armor, weaponry, trained soldiers, and wartime pacts—whatever is necessary. Ribāṭ is the intensive form of rabṭ (“tying”), meaning “binding”. Grammatically, it is conjugated as rabaṭahu, yarbiṭahu and yarbuṭahu, raṭb, rābaṭahu, yurābiṭahu, murābiṭah, and ribāṭ. Rabṭ and ribāṭ mean the same thing, except that ribāṭ means to tie more firmly. Khayl means “horses”. Irhāb is similar in meaning to takhwīf (“frighten”).
Prepare against them (wa aʿiddū lahum) what force (quwwatin) you can, and horses tethered: This is an overarching command for the faithful to amass their war-strength—their equipment, manpower and whatever else they need to face down an enemy, whether that enemy be present yet or not. It expresses the reality that humankind is always comprised of various individuals and groups of bickering natures and ideologies. Furthermore, there will always be another society working against its greater good and opposing its ways. Unable to coexist freely forever, eventually, war will break out, and one side will win.
Thus, there is no escape from the fangs of war or the clashes impelling it. We witness this impulse in the nature of the human being, in that the human being has inbuilt faculties that serve no purpose except for defence, such as anger, bulky muscles, and the ability to plot and connive for victory. Therefore, the Islamic society must naturally muster its defences: it must ready its forces, its armies, and its tethered horses in case an enemy decides to attack the righteous society.
As for what God has chosen for the Islamic society—through revealing the inborn (fiṭrī) religion, which is the right religion—it is a means of managing human society which protects the rights of each and every individual in the society. It observes the best interests of the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the free and the slave, the man and the woman, the individual and the group, the part and the whole. It does this equally, rather than devolving to despotism and the whims of a tyrant shedding the blood of his people and tinkering with their wealth. It is also not a situation of majority rule, where half the population can deprive the other half and work against their best interests, if they just add one person to their numbers.
Possibly, this is the secret behind Prepare against them what force you can (). This verse is addressed to the people, whereas the previous verses were addressed to the Prophet, such as So if you come upon them in war, use them to scatter those who will come after them () and then throw back [their covenant] to them so as to be on equal terms (), as are the succeeding verses, beginning with If they incline to peace, incline to it ().
This is because the Islamic government is a human government, meaning that it looks after each individual, and honors and respects their will. That is to say, it does not act solely on the basis of a single ruler, or the majority view.
Therefore, when enemies loom, they threaten the best interests of each and every individual in the society. Therefore, each and every individual must rise in defense, mustering whatever power they can to avoid being laid waste. Even though governments are really the ones that can amass mighty armies, there are things that individuals can do, such as learning military science and training in martial arts. Therefore, it is in fact a responsibility on all.
To frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them, whom you do not know. Allah knows them: This elaborates on prepare against them, meaning: ready your forces against them to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy of God, and your enemy. They are called the “enemy of God” because this is the reality; also, it urges them to act on this.
Others besides them, whom you do not know: This shows that the first group of people who are mentioned are the known enemies of the faithful. However, this expression—others beside them, whom you do not know—when taken literally, indicates that the faithful must also be wary of other enemies, such as the hypocrites, who clad themselves in the garb of faith. They make a show of praying, fasting, performing hajj, and doing jihad. Apart from the hypocrites, they must also be on the lookout for those who are against the faith (the kuffār) and who are ceaseless in their enmity.
Scaring off the enemy is done through a show of force. Building this strength is a suitable goal, in and of itself. However, the verse also says: Whatever you spend in Allah’s way will be paid back to you fully, and you shall not be treated unjustly. This latter part indicates that there are combined aims and objectives behind this injunction.
This is because the true goal behind building the maximum possible military strength and defensive forces and protecting society, lives, women [from assault], and wealth from looming enemies is to protect the religion by extinguishing the flames of corruption which destroy the word of truth and fell the edifices of the innate religion (dīn al-fiṭrah), through which God is worshipped on His earth, and through which justice is establish among His servants [that is, human beings].
This is a matter which benefits every member of the Islamic society. Whenever an individual or group spends in the way of God—that is, for jihad in order to keep the religion alive—whatever they spend will be returned to them, even if it is in a different form. So if they offer wealth, status, or any blessing of this sort, they are really spending on the necessities of life and will find it paid back to them quickly, in addition to its growth that will follow in this world and the hereafter. If they give their lives in the way of God and become martyrs, they enjoy a true eternal existence for which everyone should strive. This is what Islam teaches about what happens after martyrdom. However, this is not true if they give their lives for the sake of glory or fame, in order for their names to remain alive in this world. So, even if they are aware today of this Islamic teaching, and that society is like a single soul whose members share in the benefits and harms that are related to it, but they failed in their path and the matter became ambiguous for them in the identification of human perfection which is enjoyment of the eternal bliss: something which is demanded by their inner nature (fiṭrah) and invites them to social life. They are confused about that perfection and took it for the current life, and the path became straitened for them in matters like sacrificing one’s self in order for others to enjoy the pleasures of the material life.
Therefore, amassing military strength is serves a practical purpose of protecting the rights of the Islamic society and making a defensive show of force against the enemy, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah. From this angle, building defenses serves the society. However, whatever you spend in Allah’s way will be paid back to you fully, and you shall not be treated unjustly is a reminder that whatever anyone spends in the way of God does not go to waste and is not lost; rather, it is returned back to the spender, so that no one’s right is lost.
Therefore, whatever you spend in Allah’s way is a more general expression than the verse and whatever you spend for good shall be repaid to you (). This is because the word khayr here denotes wealth and does not include offering one’s life. However, whatever you spend in Allah’s way is more comprehensive.
وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ٦١
(8:61) If they incline (janaḥū) to peace (salm), incline to it and trust in Allah; He is the hearing, the knowing.
According to Majmaʿ al-Bayān,
Junūḥ means “inclining”. The word janāḥ is used for birds’ wings because they use them to incline from one side to the other. The expression lā junāḥ ʿalayh (“there is no sin on him”) means that the person is not inclining towards a sin.
Salm and silm mean peace.
Trust in Allah: This wraps up the command to incline [towards peace]. Altogether, it is one command [to incline to peace, while trusting in God]. It means: If they incline towards reconciliation and mutual harmony, then incline towards that and trust in God about that. Do not worry that they will secretly plot against you while you are heedless and unprepared, for God is the Hearing, the Knowing. He is not unaware of what happens via natural causes, and He is not rendered ineffective by deception. Rather, He shall aid and suffice you. This is what He affirms in the next verse: If they intend to deceive you: Allah suffices you. He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers ().
Previously, we said that “trust in God” (tawakkul ʿalā Allāh) does not mean to abandon visible, natural causes. Rather, it means that one should not rely absolutely on the visible, natural causes, since the human being only sees part of the picture, not all of it. The fullest cause (al-sabab al-tāmm) involved in an effect is everything that exerts the divine will.
Trusting in God means relying on the fact that universal causes (asbāb ʿāmmah) rotate around the axis of His will. This does not mean that the one who is trusting in God should neglect the natural causes; that would be embarking on ignorance.
وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا أَنْ يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٦٢
(8:62) If they intend to deceive you: Allah suffices you. He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers.
This verse is linked to what comes before it. It answers an implied question that could be put forward. That is, God is telling the Prophet to incline towards peace, but what if the enemy is just being treacherous and only pretending to want peace? Treachery is part of human reality, and God dislikes traitors. Thus, the command to incline towards peace is given with the assumption of this lurking suspicion. God answers that by telling them to trust in Him. If the other side tries to deceive them, God will suffice them. God says: Whoever trusts in Allah, Allah suffices him; Allah attains His purpose ().
This also indicates that hidden causes lie behind natural, ordinary causes. These hidden causes support the best interest of the servant who trusts in God, even if he is betrayed through natural causes and not aided in seeking his right.
He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers: This provides a rationale and evidence for Allah suffices you. That is, God has already aided him [the Prophet] and the faithful, and united their warring hearts.
وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ٦٣
(8:63) And united (allafa) their hearts. Had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them; He is mighty, wise.
Al-Rāghib says:
Ilf [the root of allafa] means “to unite with love.” One can say ullifat baynahum (“goodwill was put between them”). The word ulfah (“friendship”, “harmony”) comes from it. The words ilf and ālif mean maʾlūf (“accustomed”, “familiarity”). God says: when you were enemies, and Allah united (allafa) your hearts ().
In one fell swoop, God proves how He suffices those who trust in Him. He sufficed His prophet by uniting the hearts of the faithful and aiding them. It is an axiomatic statement which applies to all of the faithful, even if the verse is presented in the context of the Helpers, through whom God aided His Prophet, since they sheltered and helped him, and God made them amenable to His religion. Age-old wars had ravaged them, such as the Battle of Bughāth between the Aws and the Khazraj tribes, until, upon the advent of Islam, their houses reconciled, and, by the grace of God, they became brethren.
In several parts of the Qur’an, God emphasizes how He united the hearts of the Muslims and declares the magnitude of this, such as in: Had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them; He is mighty, wise ().
This is because the human being is born with a love of worldly boons which he uses for his life. In truth, he wants nothing else. He seeks nothing but the things that will benefit himself. Sometimes, he may also wish to help someone else. However, scrutinizing this impulse deeply reveals that he still, ultimately, is looking out for himself. He loves acquisition and hates deprivation.
The human being navigates life through these two instinctive tendencies, love and hate. Were he to love everything, even opposites at odds with each other, life would cease. And were he to hate everything, even conflicting opposites, life would also cease. God placed this instinctive nature (fiṭrah) in the communal life of human being since human beings lack the individual strength or tools to take care of all of their needs in life. Therefore, it is necessary for people to form communities, and this must necessarily result in differentiation. As a result, each individual lacks certain things that he might want but which others enjoy, such as wealth, prestige, adornment, handsomeness, and all the other things that human nature impels people to wrangle over, or the things which take his fancy and which one can enjoy more or less of.
This is the root of enmity between hearts and miserliness between individuals. Then, this spread among them through various forms of deprivation: tyranny, aggression, and mutual hatred; bloodshed, theft of property and virtue, and the other things which people eagerly grapple over. All this hatred and aggression leaves an impact on the inner self.
These characteristics and instincts reside in the group. Before long, they manifest in their actions and come into contact between each other as they progress throughout life, leading to grief, strife, and social upheavals. People die; crops and generations are lost—an age-old story.
Whenever a society assumes that its only goal in coming together was material prosperity which is limited to the life of this world, it becomes impossible to uproot this corruption. For the world is the abode of competition, and—as we said—societies necessarily lead to differences between individuals. Individuals have varying capacities, and are affected by accidents, influences, and inner and outer circumstances, which then impact their lives and their livelihoods. God says:
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament, Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him, And niggardly when good befalls him. ()
Most surely (man’s) self is wont to command (him to do) evil ()
And they shall continue to differ. ()
Other verses say similar things.
When attempting to instill goodwill between people who would otherwise be at each other’s throats, the highest possible goal is for people to be content with their own circumstances, or else to be at peace with the idea of handing over what they love—wealth, position, and other worldly things—to others. This helps to alleviate individual cases of differences. However, there is no way to wholly erase deep-set animosity through giving, since it does not uproot the burning instinct to acquire and hoard, which all people have, as we see from the way people treat each other.
Furthermore, some things—like kingship or top leadership—can only be by enjoyed by a single individual. Even high-class, sophisticated civilizations could not cure this ill and tame the lust for power so that the smoking remains of their societies could get relief from it. When people hate the king, because he is the only one who can be king—this hatred flares up in their hearts and eats them alive.
This is with respect to what happens internally in a society. As for other societies, they do not take an interest in their material well-being unless it is also in their best interest, even if they are beset by hardships and disasters.
God blessed the Muslim nation through removing hatred from people and uniting their hearts through knowing the divine. He taught that to them and spread among them the teaching that the human life is eternal, not limited to these few days which soon perish, after which the human being disappears and is forgotten. Happiness in this eternal life does not depend on material pleasures or consumption. Rather, it is a true life with true sustenance, in which the human being subsists in the honor of worshipping God, the Exalted, basking in nearness to Him. He makes use of the worldly provisions which come to him through serendipity, or hard work, knowing the rights upon these blessings. Then he returns to his Lord and enters His pleasure, mixing there with the righteous servants of God. He thus lives a true life. As God says:
The life of this world is nothing but fleeting enjoyment. ()
And this life of the world is nothing but amusement and play. The next abode is the real life—if they only knew. ()
Therefore, a Muslim must have faith in his Lord and develop himself through the educational process of the divine teachings. He must gather his resolve make his desire for that which is with his Lord. For a sharp servant of God knows that he does not control benefit or harm, death or life, or the resurrection. A person who is like this has no concern but his Lord, in whose hands are good and ill, benefit and harm, riches and poverty, death and life. He must tread the path of life with beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. When he receives things that he likes in this world, he understands that it is a gift from his Lord. When he is deprived of something, he knows that there is recompense for it with his Lord, and that what is with his Lord is more lasting and better.
This does not negate the importance of natural causes or the instinct to work and earn which, through spurring thinking and will, impels people to work hard to get their lives in order. Natural causes are linked to earning and attaining wholesome goals. We have discussed this in various sections throughout our book.
If Muslims follow this divinely ordained path, and try to turn their hearts’ desires from mere material pleasures and aims to spiritual enjoyment and provisions—which there is no competition over and there is no deprivation in—enmity will be lifted from their hearts, and their souls will be purified of avarice and wrangling over whims. By the blessing of God, they shall become brethren. They shall be truly victorious. God says:
O you who believe! Mind Allah with the care which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims. And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it, thus does Allah make clear to you His communications that you may follow the right way. ()
Whoever is preserved from the miserliness of his soul, these it is that are the successful ones. ()
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَسْبُكَ اللَّهُ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٦٤
(8:64) O Prophet! Allah suffices you and the faithful who follow you.
This is to uplift the Prophet’s spirits. Previously, God said: He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers (). Here, “God sufficing you” means—and God knows best—that God aided the Prophet and his faithful followers. It does not mean that there are two sufficient causes or a sufficient cause with two parts consisting of one sufficient cause, since that would be against Qur’anic tawḥīd.
Possibly, it could be said that it means Allah suffices you, and that the faithful who follow you is appended to suffices via the conjunction and.
In any case, both the context of the verse and external evidence situate this verse in the context of urging them to fight, since the first thing that springs to mind when considering the impact of God sufficing them is that it relates to the battlefield.
Some exegetes say that the verse was revealed in the desert before the Battle of Badr. Therefore, it is not linked with the verses after it, and it is also not certain that it is linked to the verses before it.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ ۚ إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ ٦٥
(8:65) O Prophet! Urge (ḥarriḍ) the believers to fight. If you have twenty patient ones, they will overcome two-hundred, and if you have one hundred, they shall overcome one thousand of those who reject faith, because they are a people who do not understand.
Taḥrīḍ, taḥḍīḍ, targhīb, ḥaḍḍ, and ḥathth all mean the same thing (“urging”, “prodding”, “encouraging”, “inciting”, “exhorting”).
If you have twenty patient ones, they will overcome two-hundred: Meaning, they will overcome two-hundred of the faithless. Next, it speaks of a thousand of the faithless.
If you have one hundred, they shall overcome one thousand of those who reject faith: Meaning, a hundred of the faithful, just as twenty of the faithful were referred to previously.
Because they are a people who do not understand: Rhetorically, the bāʾ expresses causality (sababiyyah) or through what means it was done. The clause itself explains why they shall overcome; that is, why twenty patient people will overcome two hundred of the faithless, and why one hundred patient people shall overcome a thousand of the faithless. It is because they are a people who do not understand.
The faithless being bereft of understanding, and the faithful being the opposite, is why one of the faithful equals ten of the faithless, as the verse prescribes. For the faithful are gifted certain things through their faith, such as unparalleled, unshakable strength—a different kind of strength stemming from a true understanding which grants them virtues such as bravery, gallantry, boldness, rectitude, solemnity, tranquillity, trust in God, and certainty that they will meet one of two good ends: either they will be killed and end up in Paradise, or shall fight and end up in Paradise, whereas the faithless see death as the final end, although there is no evidence for that.
However, the faithless rely on their own fancies and set store in Satan’s delusions. Those who trust in their own fancies cannot reach their ultimate aims, even if they sometimes reach their aims, for the shade of death—in their mind, extinction—always looms over them. How rare it is for a soul to stand firm in the face of these delusions: to free itself from the shadow of death while insisting on this mode of thought! Rather, flaps to and fro at the slightest wind, especially the face of terror and fright. History shows this with the defeat of the polytheists at Badr: after seventy of them, they turned heel, even though there were a thousand of them—nearly a one to fourteen ratio. Fourteen men fled on account of one man. This is only because of the understanding that the faithful had, which brought with it knowledge and faith, whereas the ignorance of the faithless brought with it faithlessness and futility.
الْآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا ۚ فَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ٦٦
(8:66) Presently, Allah has lightened your burden, and knows there is weakness among you. So if you have a hundred patient ones, they shall overcome two hundred, and if you have a thousand, they shall overcome two thousand, by the permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.
Meaning that if you have a hundred patient men, you shall overcome two hundred of the faithless, and if you have a thousand patient men, you shall overcome two thousand of the faithless, in accordance with what was said in the previous verse.
And knows there is weakness among you: “Weakness” here refers to spiritual weakness; that is, weakness of faith. For certainty in the truth is what bestows all the virtuous traits which lead to victory, such as bravery, patience, and right thought. It does not refer to weakness in numbers or military strength since, during the time of the Prophet, the faithful were continuing to increase in numbers and military strength.
By the permission of Allah: This qualifies they shall overcome, meaning that their victory is subject to God’s will, and also that they must be patient men. For that reason, it is clear that and Allah is with the patient explains permission [in by the permission of Allah].
In the previous verse, because they are a people who do not understand explained the ruling [for the battlefield ratios]. Similarly, Allah… knows there is weakness among you and Allah is with the patient also explain the ruling. Lack of understanding, spiritual weakness, and lack of patience are external causes which doubtlessly impact victory. This shows that the ruling in these two verses is found upon the spiritual traits of both sides: the faithful and the faithless. While, in the first verse, the inner strength of the faithful is such that one faithful man vanquishes ten of the faithless, after some time, the second verse announces that Allah has lightened your burden. This is because, by that time, the average faithful man had lost eighty percent of his inner strength, and thus the numbers “twenty” and “two hundred” are changed to “one hundred” and “two hundred”, and “one hundred” and “one thousand” are changed to “two hundred” and “two thousand”.
A discerning look into the underlying causes of spiritual traits in human societies leads to the conclusion that settled societies and groups assembled for a specific material or religious goal initially meet obstacles and difficulties which obstruct their development from all sides. Therefore, they gird themselves to fight to achieve their goals. Their inner selves wake up to defend against these threats, and they sacrifice themselves and their wealth in the way of their aims.
They continue fighting, putting themselves on the line night and day. They gain strength and momentum, until they achieve some measure of independence in their lives. Then, when circumstances improve, their numbers and territory swell, and they establish themselves, they begin to reap the outcome of their efforts, and they taste ease and security, their inner flames which had impelled them to act begin to dampen.
Even if a community has few members, its members will still vary in their degrees of faith and noble spiritual dispositions: some will be stronger and some will be weaker. When the population increases, weakness of faith also increases, as do the number of those with a sickness in the heart. There will also be more hypocrites. Thus, the average level of spiritual strength among the common man will diminish. The scale, which once weighed heavy, will now swing light.
In this respect, there is no difference between religious or secular (aḥzāb) communities or alliances; this phenomenon is part of human nature and affects all societies equally. Experience shows that when groups form to carry out an important aim, while they are few in number, they are fiercer against rivals and intruders. Trials beset them, and trials are unparalleled in spurring people into action. However, when their numbers increase, their opponents decrease, and the barriers between them and their goal fall, they settle down and become less alert, less sharp.
Deep deliberation on the Prophet’s battles sheds light on this. The Muslims won the Battle of Badr while they had only three-hundred odd raggedly outfitted men, whereas the faithless of the Quraysh boasted weapons and power. Each of the faithless had three or more times the clout, might, and warlust. But then, the Battle of Uḥud transpired as it did, followed by the Battles of Khandaq, Khaybar, and Ḥunayn, which was the most astounding of all. God speaks of it in such a way that leaves no doubt to the researcher:
When your great numbers made you vain, but they availed you nothing and the earth closed in on you notwithstanding its spaciousness, then you turned back retreating. ()
So the verse indicates, firstly, that the more that Islam outwardly grew in might and glory during the time of the Prophet, the spiritual prowess and level of faith, of the common Muslim shrank, as did their noble inner spiritual virtues, until it reached the point—a short or long time after the Battle of Badr—that these things diminished to a fifth of what they were, as alluded to in verses such as this:
It is not for a prophet to take captives until he subdues the land. You desire the fleeting things of this world, while Allah desires the hereafter [for you], and Allah is mighty, wise. Were it not for an ordinance from Allah that had already gone forth, an awful doom would have befallen you because of what you took. ()
Secondly, these two verses () appear to have been revealed simultaneously, even though they discuss the situation of the faithful at two different times. This is indicated by the second verse: presently, Allah has lightened your burden. However, the two verses measure the spiritual clout of the faithful at two separate times [and are not only intended to provide the two rulings about battle-numbers]. The second verse is in the context of the measurement given in the first verse, and does not stand separately. The presence of two distinct rulings for two different times in the two verses does not necessitate that the two verses were actually revealed at different times.
Yes, were the verses restricted to pronouncing the ruling, then one would assume that the second was revealed after the first.
Thirdly, presently, Allah has lightened your burden—as we discussed—is in the context of two rulings, the first heavier than the second. Although the sentences are, grammatically, presented as statements, they act as commands. That is, the first verse tells the believers to fight the faithless as long as they have at least a one to ten ratio, whereas the second verse tells them to fight as long as they have at least a one to two ratio.
Although it is possible to dispute the principle which says “mitigation is valid when there is already a duty”, there is no doubt here about the implication of the two verses. They convey two different rulings following each other in time, one of them mitigating the other verse.
Fourthly, the first verse says that the ruling is due to understanding, and the second verse says that the ruling is due to patience, although, both verses qualify the faithful fighters as being patient. This indicates that patience is a trait which allows one person to equal two, whereas understanding is a trait that allows one person to equal five of his like. If a person has both patience and understanding, that person would equal ten of his like! Patience is never absent from understanding, although understanding can be absent from patience.
Fifthly, patience is a must during combat, in any case.
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Bayḍāwī, regarding Those whom you make an agreement with, then they break their agreement each time (), it says:
They are the Jews of Banū Qurayẓah. The Messenger of God made a pact with them that they would not back his enemies. Then, they shunted weapons to the polytheists, and said, “We forgot.”
He made another pact with them, and they broke it and aided the enemies against him during the Battle of Khandaq, while Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf rode to Mecca and made an alliance with them.
Author’s comments: This is also related from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid. It is also related from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr that this verse was revealed regarding six Jewish clans, one of whom was Ibn Tābūt.
In order to shed full light on what the verse is alluding to when it speaks of the Jews breaking agreements with the Prophet time and time again, and the ordeals they caused him, it is necessary to consider all that transpired between them and the Prophet, from the time he went to Medina to seven years after that.
Groups of Jews had migrated from their lands to the Ḥijāz, settled there, and build fortresses and citadels. Their numbers and wealth flourished, and they became influential. In the exegesis of (And when there came to them a Book from Allah verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them that which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him…), we mentioned some narrations about how they had migrated to the Ḥijāz, settled around Medina, and predicted that the Prophet would arise there.
However, when the Prophet migrated to Medina and invited them to Islam, they disdained to have faith in him. Therefore, he made a written peace treaty with the Jews of Medina. They were comprised of three clans surrounding Medina: Banū Qaynuqāʿ, Banū al-Naḍr, and Banū Qurayẓah.
As for the Banū Qaynuqāʿ, they broke the treaty during the Battle of Badr. Then, the Prophet came to them twenty-odd days later—in mid-Shawwāl in 2 AH—and staunchly besieged their fortress for fifteen days. Then, they surrendered themselves, their wealth, their women, and their children to the Prophet, who ordered that they be tied up. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abū ibn Salūl spoke to the Prophet on their behalf and said they were his allies, so the Prophet ceded them to him and told him to take them out of Medina and that they were not allowed to re-enter it. So he took them, their women, and their children to Adhruʿāt (Darʿā) in Syria. He took their wealth as spoils of war. They had six hundred fighters who were among the bravest of the Jews.
As for the Banū al-Naḍīr, they plotted against the Prophet when he went to them with some of his companions a some months after the Battle of Badr and asked them to help pay the blood-money for one or two men from the Kilābī tribe whom ʿAmr ibn Umayyah al-Ḍamrī had killed. They said, “Consider it done, O Abū al-Qāsim! Sit here until we take care of it.” Then they conspired to kill him and chose ʿAmr ibn Jaḥāsh to clobber him on the head with a millstone. However, Salām ibn Mishkam warned them, “Do not do that, for, by God, he knows what you are planning, and this has broken the pact between us and them.”
Then, revelation came. When his Lord told him what they were scheming, he leaped up and headed for Medina. His companions followed suit, asking what he was doing. He told them about the plot by Banū Naḍīr. Then, from Medina, he sent them a message, saying: “Leave Medina and do not live near me in it. I give you a short respite. If I find any of you here after that, I will strike his neck.” They stayed for a few days, preparing to leave.
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy, the hypocrite, send them a message saying: “Do not leave your homes, for two thousand men are with me. They will enter your fortress with you and die for you. The Banū Qurayẓah and their allies from the Ghaṭafān will also come to your aid.” This mollified them.
So their chief, Ḥuyayy ibn Akṭab, sent a message back to the Prophet, saying: “We will not leave our homes. Do whatever you want.” The Prophet sounded the takbīr, as did his companions. He told ʿAlī to fly the banner and march towards them. So they swarmed around their dwellings. However, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy betrayed them: neither the Banū Qurayẓah nor their allies from the Ghaṭafān came to their aid.
The Prophet had ordered that their date palms be cut down and burnt. Anxiously, they said, “O Muḥammad, do not cut them down; if they are yours, then take them, and if they are ours, then leave them to us.”
Then, after a few days, they said, “O Muḥammad, we will leave your land; give us our property.”
He said, “No, go. However, each of you can take a camel-load [of your property and wealth] with you.” They did not accept that and remained for a few days neither here nor there. Then, they asked him the same thing again. He said, “No. Go, and do not take anything at all with you. If we find any of you carrying anything, we will kill him.” So they left. Some went to Fadak and Wādī al-Qurā, and others to Syria. Their property became fiʾah for God and His Messenger, rather than being ceded to the Muslim army. Their story is mentioned in Sūrah al-Ḥashr, as is the plot of Banū al-Naḍīr against the Prophet to ally the Quraysh, Ghaṭafān, and others against him.
As for the Banū Qurayẓah, they remained at peace with the Prophet until the Battle of Khandaq. Ḥuyayy ibn Akhṭab, the chief of the Banū al-Naḍīr, had ridden to Medina and instigated the Quraysh against the Prophet. Alliances were formed. Then, he rode to Banū Qurayẓah and came to them in their homes, tempting them and blandishing them and haranguing them. He spoke with their chief, Kaʿb ibn Asad, about that, about breaking the alliance [with the Prophet], and about fighting against the Prophet, until they agreed to that on the condition that he enter their fortress and share their fate. So he did.
Thus, they broke their pact with the Prophet, sided with the confederation which had surrounded Medina, insulted the Prophet, and caused other damage.
When the Prophet had finished with the allied forces, Gabriel came to him and revealed that God was commanding him to march towards them. So he moved towards the Banū Qurayẓah, while ʿAlī carried the banner, and they locked themselves into their fortress. He then besieged them for twenty-five days.
When their situation grew dire, their chief, Kaʿb ibn Asad, proposed three options: they could profess Islam and join the religion of Muḥammad; or they could kill their children, then rush out, swords drawn, and make a last stand—either they would win or every last one of them would be killed; or they could attack the Muslims on the Sabbath, when the Muslims felt they were secure.
However, they did not accept any of those options. Instead, they sent a message to the Prophet saying, “Send us Abū Lubābah ibn ʿAbd al-Mundhir. We shall take counsel with him regarding this situation.” Abū Lubābah had their best interests in mind, since his wife and children were from their tribe, and his wealth was in their hands.
So they sent him to them. When they saw him, they stood, wailing, and said, “Should we surrender to Muḥammad?”
He said, “Yes,” but he gestured towards his throat as if he was slitting it—they would be slaughtered.
[Later] Abū Lubābah said, “By God, my feet had barely moved from their place when I realized that I had betrayed God and His Messenger.” Then God revealed to the Prophet what Abū Lubābah had done.
Full of regret, Abū Lubābah tied himself to a pillar in the mosque of Medina, begging God for forgiveness. He swore that he would die there unless the Prophet himself untied him. News of this reached the Prophet and he said, “Leave him there until God accepts his repentance.” Then God revealed that his repentance had been accepted, so the Prophet untied him.
Then, the Banū Qurayẓah surrendered to the Prophet. Since they were allies (mawālī) of the Aws tribe, the Aws interceded for them and it was concluded that they be subjected to the judgment of Saʿd ibn Maʿādh al-Awsī. The Prophet agreed to that and brought Saʿd, although he was wounded.
When he spoke to Saʿd, may God have mercy upon him, about their matter, he said, “The time has come for Saʿd to pay no heed to anyone who lays blame on him in the way of God.” Then he [Saʿd] ruled that their men should be killed, their women and children taken captive, and their wealth confiscated. Saʿd’s verdict was carried out. Their necks were struck. Six or seven hundred men were killed; some say more. No one was spared apart from a group who had professed faith beforehand. ʿAmr ibn Saʿdī fled; he had not joined them in breaking the pact. All their women were taken captive apart from a single woman who was killed; she was the one who threw a millstone at the head of Khallād ibn al-Suwayd ibn al-Ṣāmit and killed him.
Then the Prophet expelled the Jews from Medina. Then he marched towards the Jews of Khaybar after they were scheming to rile up all the Arab tribes and form a coalition against him. He descended on their fortress and besieged them for some days. Then the Prophet sent Abū Bakr and a group of companions to fight them, but they were unvictorious. Then he sent ʿUmar and a group of companions, but they were unvictorious.
At that, the Prophet said, “Tomorrow, I shall give the banner to a man who loves God and His Messenger, and whom God and His Messenger love. He shall be fierce and persistent, and he shall not flee; he shall not return until God brings victory through his hands.” The next day, he gave the banner to ʿAlī and sent him to fight. He approached them and killed Marḥab, the famous horseman, defeated them, and with his bare hands tore off the gate of their fortress. God made them victorious at his hand. This was after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah in Muḥarram, in the seventh year after the migration.
Then the Prophet expelled the remainder of the Jews. Before that, he had advised them to sell their property and take its equivalent in coins.
Thus concludes our overview of what transpired between the Jews and the Prophet.
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, regarding the verse The vilest of beasts before Allah… (), it is related from Jābir:
This was revealed regarding Banū Umayyah. They are the worst creations of God. In the deeper interpretation of the Qur’an, they are those who reject [Him], and they are the ones who will not believe.
Author’s comments: Al-Qummī relates something similar from Abū Ḥamzah, from him. It is part of the inner meaning of the Qur’an which is related through narrations, not the surface level understanding.
- In al-Kāfī, it is related in a chain of narration from Sahl ibn Ziyād, from “some of our companions”, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sinān, that Imām al-Ṣadiq said:
The Messenger of God said, “Three traits make a person a hypocrite, even if they fast, pray, and swear they are a Muslim. First, when they are trusted with something, they betray it. Second, when they speak, they lie. Third, when they make a promise, they break it. God, the Mighty and Glorious, said in His Book: Allah loves not the treacherous (). And He said: the curse of Allah is upon whoever lies (). And He, the Mighty and Glorious, said: And mention Ismāʿīl in the Book; he kept his promises and was a messenger sent ().
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, regarding Prepare against them what force you can (), it says:
Weaponry.
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is related from Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā, from someone unspecified, that Imām al-Ṣādiq said regarding this verse ():
Swords and shields.
- In al-Faqīh, it is related without a chain of narration that Imām al-Ṣādiq said regarding this verse ():
Part of it [the preparations] is dyeing with a black dye.
- In al-Kāfī, it is related via a chain of narration from Jābir from Imām al-Bāqir:
A group of people went to al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī [Imām al-Sajjād] and saw that he was using black dye. They asked him about that, so he touched his beard and said, “In one of the battles, the Messenger of God commanded the fighters to use black dye to intimidate the polytheists.”
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is related from Jābir al-Anṣārī that the Messenger of God said:
Prepare against them what force you can ()—arrows.
- It is related in al-Kāfī, Rabīʿ al-Abrār, and al-Durr al-Manthūr:
I heard the Messenger of God saying, “When a single arrow is fired, God shall put three people in Paradise: the one who made it (if he had a good intent), the one who equipped him with it for the sake of God, and the one who fired it in the way of God.”
And he said, “Shoot [a bow] and ride; archery is better than horsemanship.”
And he said, “Anything that amuses the son of Adam is futile, except for three things: archery, training horses, and enjoying one’s self with one’s spouse, for these things are rightful. Whoever learns how to shoot an arrow, then loses that skill, has denied a blessing [of God].”
Author’s comments: Other narrations share the same meaning, especially regarding horses and archery. In any cases, these narrations [do not specify the specific reason why the verse was revealed by rather] are applications of its meaning.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that the Prophet said regarding others besides them, whom you do not know ():
They are the jinn. Satan does not rob a person of his senses if he has a seasoned battle-horse on his property.
Author’s comments: Other narrations express the same idea. In short, the narrations link others beside them, whom you do not know () with horses tethered (). This is an application of the verse but is not its main meaning (tafsīr) in any way. The verse is clearly speaking about human enemies, like the faithless and the hypocrites.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Ibn Mardawayh, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abzā:
The Prophet used to recite: And if they incline towards peace (wa in janaḥū lil-silm) ().
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Abū ʿUbayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and Ibn Mardawayh relate from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding and if they incline towards peace, incline to it ():
This was abrogated by the verse: Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection. ()
Author’s comments: It is also narrated that verse was abrogated by slay the idolaters wherever you find them (, the verse of barāʾah or repudiation). Verse is not bereft of a hint at another forthcoming ruling when it says if they incline to peace, incline to it and trust in Allah; He is the hearing, the knowing ().
- In al-Kāfī, it is related via a chain of narration from al-Ḥalabī, regarding the verse if they incline to peace, incline to it ():
Imām al-Ṣādiq was asked, “What is peace?”
He replied, “They become loyal to us [the Imams].”
(Another narration says, “They become loyal to you [that is, what you are loyal to; that is, wilāyah to the Imāms].”)
Author’s comments: This is an example of the application of the verse.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn ʿAsākir relates from Abū Hurayrah:
On the [divine] throne, it is written, “There is no God but Me—alone, with no partner. Muḥammad is My servant and messenger. I aided him with ʿAlī.” That is the import of the verse: He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers ().
Author’s comments: Al-Ṣadūq relates this in Maʿānī al-Akhbār with a chain of narration from Abū Hurayrah, as does Abū Nuʿaym in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, with a chain of narration from him. Ibn Shahrāshūb also relates it via a chain of narration from Anas, from the Prophet.
- In Tafsīr al-Burhān, it is related that Sharaf al-Dīn al-Najafī said:
In Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, Abu Nuʿaym mentions its deeper interpretation with a chain of narration from Abū Hurayrah. He said: “This verse (He it is who strengthened you with His help and with the believers, ) was revealed about ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib; the believers refers to him.”
Author’s comments: The wording of the verse does not support this unless “following” (in the faithful who follow you, ) speaks only of the one who followed the Prophet absolutely, with no quarrel whatsoever [that is to say, ʿAlī], and min is partitive rather than descriptive—if the context supports that.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, al-Bazzār relates that Ibn ʿAbbās said:
When ʿUmar accepted Islam, the polytheists said, “Today, they [the Muslims] have taken vengeance on us.” Then, God revealed: O Prophet! Allah suffices you and the faithful who follow you. ()
Author’s comments: Another narration conveys a similar meaning. However, reflecting on the statement does not bolster it, since at the time when ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭab converted to Islam, the Muslims could not have been addressed in such a manner (O Prophet! Allah suffices you and the faithful who follow you, ). It was a time of hardship and trials. This persisted for years. The Prophet, at that time, was not in need of military support. Furthermore, narrations indicate that ʿUmar was the fortieth or forty-fourth person to convert to Islam.
In any case, the verse appears to have been revealed in Medina, along with the other verses of Sūrah al-Anfāl.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Isḥāq and Ibn Abū Ḥātim relate from al-Zuhrī regarding O Prophet! Allah suffices you and the faithful who follow you ():
This was revealed regarding the Helpers.
Author’s comments: The context of the verse does not lend support to this interpretation, as with the previous two narrations—O God!—unless it means to say that it was revealed on the day that the Helpers professed belief and swore allegiance to the Prophet. However, the apparent meaning of the verse indicates it was revealed to gladden the spirit of the Prophet through all of the faithful alongside him, both the Helpers and the Migrants. It paves the way for the next verse, which commands and urges the faithful to fight.
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says:
In the early years of the prophethood, the companions of the Prophet were commanded to fight the faithless with a one-to-ten battle-ratio. Anyone who fled was a deserter; a hundred could overtake a thousand. Then God knew that some of them were weak and could not bear that, so God revealed: Presently, Allah has lightened your burden, and knows there is weakness among you. So if you have a hundred patient ones, they shall overcome two hundred… (). Thus, they were commanded to fight if there was a one-to-two battle-ratio or better; anyone who fled situation was a deserter. If there were three enemies per Muslim and they fled, this was not deserting.
Author’s comments: In Tafsīr al-‘Ayyāshī, something similar is related from al-Ḥuysan ibn Ṣālih, from [Imām] al-Ṣādiq, from ʿAlī. Something similar is also related in al-Durr al-Manthūr, through several chains of narration, from Ibn ʿAbbās, and others.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from al-Shīrāzi (in al-Alqāb), Ibn ʿUday, and al-Ḥakim (who declares it to be authentic) that Ibn ʿUmar said:
The Messenger of God used to recite the word weakness (dāʿf) in presently, Allah has lightened your burden, and knows there is weakness among you () in the nominative case.
Yaḥsabanna is the recitation of Ḥafṣ, Ibn ‘Āmir, Ḥamzah, and Abu Ja’far al-Bāqir. The rest have recited taḥsabanna. [Ed.] ↩︎
The best defense is a good offense! [Trans.] ↩︎
Also known as the Battle of Buʿāth. The Battle of Bughāth, or Buʿāth, was the last battle between the Aws and the Khazraj and took place southeast of Medina around 617 CE. It involved an alliance of the Khazraj, their Bedouin allies, and the Jewish Qaynuqāʿ, and an alliance of the Aws, their Bedouin allies, the Jewish Naḍīr and Qurayẓah, and two smaller Jewish tribes, the Thaʿlaba and the Zaʿūrāʾ, both of Ghassānid origin. [Trans.] ↩︎
In Volume 1 of the Arabic edition. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Kafī, is related via a chain of narration from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mughīrah, who attributes it without to the Prophet without a further chain of narration. It is related by al-Zamakhsahrī in Rabīʿ al-Abrār from ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, from the Prophet. It is related by al-Suyūṭī in al-Durr al-Manthūr, from Aḥmad, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Abū al-Shaykh, Abū Yaʿqūb Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, and al-Bayhaqī, from ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī, from the Prophet. In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, al-Ḥākim (who declares it authentic), and al-Bayhaqī, from ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī, from the Prophet. [Trans.] ↩︎
It is related from Saʿd, al-Ḥarith ibn Abī Usāmah, Abu Yaʿlā, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Qāniʿ in al-Muʿjam, al-Ṭabarānī, Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mandah, al-Rūyānī in his Musnad, Ibn Mardawayh, and Ibn ʿAsākir from Yazīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Gharīb, from his father, from his grandfather, from the Prophet. [Trans.] ↩︎