النص المفهرس

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 42 - 44
أَمْرًّا كَانَ مَفْعُوْلاً ﴿ لِيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحِى مَنْ حَىَّ
عَنْ بَيِنَةٍ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَسَمِيْعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢﴾ إِذْ يُرِيُكَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِىُ
مَنَامِكَ قَلِيْلًا، وَلَوْ آَرْبكَهُمْ كَثِيْرًا لَّفَشِلُهُمْ وَلَتَنَازَعُهُمُ فِى
الْآَمُرِ وَلكِنَّ اللَّهَ سَلَّمَ، إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوُرِ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَإِذٌ
يُرِيُكُمُوْهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَبْهُمْ فِىَّ أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِبْلًا وَبُقَِّّلُكُمْ فِىٌ
اَعُيُنِهِمْ لِيَقُضِىَ اللَّهُ أَهْرًّا كَانَ مَفْعُلَاء وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ
الْأُمْوُرُ (٤٤)
And (remember) when you were on the nearest cliff,
and they were on the farthest one, and the caravan was
downwards from you. And had you re-arranged it with
each other, you would have deviated from the appoint-
ment. But (it happened like this) so that Allah might
accomplish what was destined to be done, so that
whoever is going to die may die knowingly, and whoev-
er is going to live may live knowingly. And Allah is in-
deed All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [42]
And when in your dream, Allah showed them to you
few in number. And if He had shown them to you many
in number, you would have been demoralized and
would have disputed in the matter, but Allah saved
(you). Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what lies in the
hearts. [43]
And when, at the time you met each other, He showed
them to you few in number in your eyes, and reduced
your number in their eyes, so that Allah might accom-
plish what was destined to be done. And to Allah all
matters are returned. [44]
Commentary
The battle of Badr was the first confrontation of Kufr and Islam
which registered a practical proof of the superiority and veracity of Is-
lam, even visibly and materially. Therefore, the Holy Qur'an has taken
special steps to describe its details which appear in the verses cited
above. Besides the many considerations of wisdom behind these de-
tails, one such consideration is to assert that there was just no possi-
bility, either visibly or technically, that Muslims will win and that the

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disbelievers of Makkah will be defeated. But, the unseen power of Al-
lah Ta'ala overturned all superiority of men and materials as well as
its obvious causes. To give a clear picture of this event, the Holy
Qur'an has virtually outlined in these verses a whole map of the bat-
tlefront at Badr. Now, before we explain these verses, let us glance
over the lexical explanation of some words.
The word: ale ('udwah) refers to a side and the word: us (dunya) is
derived from: Bi (adna) which means nearer. When compared to the
Hereafter, this world of ours is also called: us (dunya) because, as re-
lated to the universe of the Hereafter, it is closer at hand for human
beings. And the word: قُصُرى (qu swa) is a derivation from: اقصى (aqsa)
which means farther.
In verse 42, death has been mentioned against life. The Arabic
words used here do not carry the outward sense of death and life. In-
stead, meant here is spiritual death and life, or destruction and salva-
tion. Spiritual life is Islam (belief in Allah and the Messenger) and
'Iman (faith), and spiritual death is Shirk (polytheism) and Kufr
(disbelief). The Holy Qur'an has used these words at several places in
this very sense. For instance, earlier in Surah al-Anfal, it was said:
◌َآَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلّهِ وَ لِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِماَ يُحْبِيْكُمُ
O those who believe, respond to Allah and the Messenger
when He calls you to what gives you life. (8:24).
The life mentioned here is the real and eternal life which one is
blessed with in return for 'Iman and Islam. Now, we can move to a de-
tailed explanation of the cited verses.
Opening with almost a cartographic view of the war front at Badr,
verse 42 tells us that Muslims were on the nearest cliff (s .fe) and the
disbelievers were on the farthest one (2). The spot occupied by
Muslims was on the side of the terrain closer to Madinah, while the
disbelievers had taken the other side of the terrain which was farther
from Madinah. As for the trade caravan of Abu Sufyan, the main cause
of waging this Jihad, that too was closer to the army of disbelievers
which had come from Makkah but was out of the range of attack by
Muslims and moving by the sea shore at a distance of three miles. The
purpose of focusing on this battle plan is to say that Muslims were lo-
cated at a spot totally unsuitable and wrong strategically, a spot from

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where they had no chance of overpowering the enemy, in fact, no
chance of even saving their own lives - because, the side of the terrain
which was closer to Madinah happened to be a big sandy patch walk-
ing through which was hard and heavy. Then, they had no access to
water around the spot they were in, while the side farther from Madi-
nah where the disbelievers had set up their camps was smooth terrain
with a supply of water close by.
Then, by pointing out to the two edges of the sides occupied by the
two armies, it was made much too clear that the two forces were
standing face to face, under which condition, it was not possible to con-
ceal the strength or weakness of one party from the other. In addition
to that, it was also indicated that the army of the disbelievers of Mak-
kah was already at peace with the realization that their trade caravan
had moved away from the attacking range of Muslims. Now, if they
needed them at some stage, they too could come out to help them. As
compared to them, Muslims were in trouble in terms of their location
where they had no probability of getting support of men and materials
from anywhere. Then, it is already settled, and known to every educat-
ed Muslim, that the total count of Muslim 'army' was three hundred
and thirteen, while that of the disbelievers was one thousand. Mus-
lims did not have sufficient number of mounts, nor did they have
enough weapons. Against that, the army of the disbelievers was laced
with everything.
Besides, Muslims simply had not embarked on this Jihad as some
armed force ready to fight a war. Being an emergency measure to
block the passage of a trade caravan and to lower the morale of the en-
emy, only three hundred and thirteen Muslims had started off ill-
prepared, ill-equipped. It was only all of a sudden that there they
stood having to confront a thousand-strong force of armed men.
This verse of the Qur'an tells us that this event, though it came to
pass accidentally, with no intention behind it, but the truth. is that all
that happens in this world, accidentally and involuntarily - though, it
looks like some plain accident in terms of its level and form - is, in the
sight of the Creator of the universe, nothing but the well-set chain of a
formidable system. There is nothing in this system which can be called
abrupt or out of place. It will take the whole system to unravel itself to
man, only then, man could find out the full range of wisdom hidden be-

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hind what was, supposedly, an accidental happening.
Take this event of the battle of Badr as a test case. That it came to
pass in an accidental and involuntary manner had its own wise consid-
erations as stated in :ِوَلَوْ تَوَاعَدْ تُمْ لَاخْتَلَفُهُمْ فِى الْيُعَاد (And had you re-arranged it
with each other, you would have deviated from the appointment - 42).
It means that, had this battle also been fought like common battles
around the world, fought with all possible survey of available options,
mutual arguments and crisis resolutions, then, given the dictates of
circumstances, this battle would have never been fought. In fact, dif-
ferences would have crept in one way or the other - either, Muslims
themselves would have started thinking otherwise because of their be-
ing few and weak against adversaries who were many and strong; or
that both parties, the disbelievers and the Muslims, might have not
shown up on the battle ground as appointed mutually. As for Muslims,
they would have not had the courage to initiate action in view of their
being few and weak - and the disbelievers, in whose hearts Allah
Ta'ala had already put the awe of Muslims, would have been scared to
come out against them despite their superiority in number and
strength.
Therefore, that formidable Divine system created such conditions
on both sides as would not allow them time and occasion to think and
understand. The people of Makkah were so overwhelmed by the dis-
turbing plaint from the trade caravan of Abu Sufyan that they were
ready to march out without much deliberation. The Muslims were
prompted by the thought that they were going to take care of an ordi-
nary trade caravan and not a formal armed force arrayed against
them. But, Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, so willed that a war
starts between them so that the consequences of the victory of Islam
which are to emerge from behind this war become visibly manifest.
Therefore, it was said: ◌ًوَلكِنُ لِيَقْضِىَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُوُّلا (But [it happened like
this] so that Allah might accomplish what was destined to be done -
42). It means that, despite conditions being what they were, the war
had to be fought so that Allah might accomplish what was destined to
be done. And destined to be done was that arrayed against an army of
armed and equipped youngmen a thousand-strong, a motely group of
three hundred and thirteen ill-equipped and hunger-stricken Muslims
- and that too out of place in terms of the demanding war front - rams

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itself against what was a virtual mountain for them, then, the unbe-
lievable happens. The mountain turns into smithereens. This insignifi-
cant group of men wins. This is nothing but an all too visible demon-
stration of the fact that some big power was operating behind them,
something that thousand-strong army missed. Then, it is also evident
that Muslims were supported because of Islam and the disbelievers re-
mained deprived because of their disbelief, something which gave eve-
ry sensible human a criterion to distinguish truth from evil and genu-
ine from the fake. Therefore, at the end of the verse, it was said: 34 aula
-so that whoever is going to die may die know) هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ وَبَحْى مَنُ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَّةٍ
ingly, and whoever is going to live may live knowingly - 42). It means
that the loud and clear veracity of Islam vis-a-vis the falsity and hor-
ror of Kufr and Shirk was exposed for ever so that anyone who opts for
destruction should do so while fully realizing the consequences of his
or her action, and anyone who goes on to live should also live with full
realization of the choice so made. The caveat is: Let nothing be done
unknowingly and mistakenly, so be on guard.
The word: csu (halakah : death, destruction) in this verse means
Kufr or disbelief while ou (hayat : life) denotes Islam. In other words,
once the truth has come out in the open, the probability and excuse of
misunderstanding stand eliminated. Now, whoever takes to disbelief
as his or her life style is going towards destruction with open eyes.
And whoever takes to Islam takes to eternal life knowingly, conscious-
ly and deliberately. Then, it was said: " Jaulsks (And Allah is indeed
All-Hearing, All-Knowing - 42) that is, He knows the secrets in every-
one's heart, even the nature of everyone's belief and disbelief, as well
as the due reward and punishment for it.
Mentioned in verses 43 and 44, there is particular marvel of Divine
power which was designed to take place at the battle of Badr for the
express purpose of making sure that none of the two armies were to
put an end to the war itself by deserting the battlefield - because, it
was as a result of this very war that the manifestation of the veracity
of Islam was destined even as a ground reality, all earthy, material.
Such was the nature of this Divine marvel that the army of the dis-
believers which was though three times larger than that of Muslims,
yet Allah Ta'ala, by His perfect power alone, made their. number ap-
pear much less to Muslims so that it may not cause any difference of

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opinion or sense of weakness to affect them. This event took place
twice. Once, it was shown to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in a dream
which he related to all of them and which renewed their courage and
resolve. The second time, when the two groups stood facing each other
on the battlefield itself, their number was shown to Muslims as being
small. The event mentioned in verse 43 relates to the dream and that
in verse 44 to a state when they were wide awake.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud ar Ml yo, says: In our sight, the
army facing us looked as if - as I said to the man next to me - these
people would be ninety in number. That man said: No, they must be a
hundred.
In the last verse, along with this, it has also been mentioned:
2212 (and reduced your number in their eyes - 44). This could also
mean that Muslims were, in reality, already few in number, thus,
what was shown to disbelievers was their number as it was. And it
could also mean that the number shown to them was much reduced
than it really was - as it appears in many narrations that Abu Jahl on
seeing the Muslim 'army' said to his compatriots: The number of these
people does not seem to be any more than the number who would eat a
camel as their daily ration. In Arabia of those days, the measure used
to find out the number of men in an army was to first guess the num-
ber of animals slaughtered for their meals. One camel was understood
to be sufficient to feed one hundred people. Right here on this battle
site of Badr, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, in his effort to find out the
number of men in the army of the Quraysh of Makkah, had asked
some local people: How many camels are slaughtered in their army
camp every day? The answer given to him was: Ten camels daily. This
led him to estimate the number of men in their army as being one
thousand. In short, the total number of Muslims was shown as being
one hundred in the sight of Abu Jahl. Here too, the wisdom of showing
them in a reduced number was that the awe of Muslims may not so
adversely affect the hearts of disbelievers ahead of the actual confron-
tation that they bolt from the battlefield itself.
Special Note
From this verse, we also find out that there are occasions when, as
a matter of miracle and supernatural happening, optical observation
may prove incorrect - as it transpired here.

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 45 - 47
For this very reason, the statement: ◌ًلِيَقُضِىَ اللهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُوْلا (so that Al-
lah might accomplish what was destined to be done - 44) was repeated
here. It means that the Divine marvel and the phenomenon of super-
imposition on optical observation was manifested for the reason that
the will of Allah stands accomplished right upto the end, that is, by
giving Muslims victory despite their lack of numbers and materials,
the central objectives of this war, that is, the veracity of Islam and the
expression of unseen Divine support, should be fully achieved and es-
tablished for ever.
At the end of the verse, it was said : ◌ُوَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرجَعُ الْأُمُور (And to Allah all
matters are returned - 44). It means that He does what He wills and
He commands as He wills. He can make a minority overcome a majori-
ty and weakness overtake strength. He may make less become more
and more become less.
Verses 45 - 47
كَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيْتُمْ فِئَةً فَاتُبُتُوْا وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيْرًا
تَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٤٥﴾ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُوْلَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا
فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ وَاصْبِرُوُاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّبِرِيْنَ ﴿٤﴾
وَلَا تَكُؤُنُوا كَالَّذِيْنَ خَرَجُوْا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بَطَرًّا قَرِثَاءَ النَّاسِ
وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ، وَاللّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيْطٌ ﴿٤٧﴾
O those who believe, when you face a group (in battle),
stand firm and remember Allah much, so that you may
be successful. [45]
And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute,
lest you should show weakness and should lose your pre-
dominance, and be patient. Surely, Allah is with the pa-
tient. [46]
And do not be like those who set forth from their homes
waxing proud and showing off to people, preventing
(people) from the way of Allah. And Allah is All-
Encompassing of what they do. [47]
Commentary
Qur'anic Instructions for Success in Jihad
Given in the first two verses cited above is a special set of instruc-
tions for Muslims when they confront enemies on the battlefield.
These instructions from Allah Ta'ala are for them the master prescrip-

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tion of success and ascendancy in the present world as well as that of
salvation and prosperity in the eternal life to come. In fact, the secret
of unusual successes and victories achieved by Muslims in all wars
fought by them during the early period lies hidden behind their adher-
ence to these very golden guidelines - and they are:
1. Be Steadfast
The Arabic word used by the Qur'an is thibat which means to stand
firm, hold the ground, be steadfast. This includes firmness of the feet
and firmness of the heart both because a person whose heart is not
strong and firm can hardly be expected to have the rest of his body
hold the ground. This is something everyone knows and understands,
believer or disbeliever. Every nation of the world gives high priority to
this strength in its wars because all experienced people know it well
that the first and foremost weapon in the theater of war is nothing but
the firmness of heart and feet. Without these, all weapons are ren-
dered useless.
2. Remember Allah
The second principle is the Dhikr of Allah which is a weapon in its
own right, special and spiritual, something known to Muslims only
and not known to or neglected by the rest of the world. The world as
we know it today would do anything to get together state-of-the-art
weapon systems for their war plans, the latest in logistics and morale
boosting sessions to inculcate combat firmness among forces - but,
strangely enough, it is unaware and unexposed to this spiritual weap-
on of Muslims. This is the reason why Muslims, wherever they had to
confront some other nation while following these instructions precisely
as given, they were able to demolish superior forces of the adversary
laced with men, weapons and war materials. As for the inherent spiri-
tual benediction of the Dhikr of Allah, they have a place of their own
in our lives, nevertheless, it is also difficult to deny its efficacy in ena-
bling one to continue to hold on and remain standing firm on his feet.
To remember Allah and to be confident about it is like a highly
charged electronic energy which makes a weak person run through
mountains. No matter what the odds be against, personal discomfort
or emotional anxiety, this remembrance of Allah shoos all that into
thin air making the heart of man strong and his feet firm.
At this stage, let us keep in mind that the time of a raging battle is

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usually a terrible time when no one remembers anyone and everyone
is consumed with the thought of self-preservation. Therefore, the poets
of pagan Arabia take great pride in insisting that they remember their
beloved even during the heat of the battlefield. To them, this was a
proof of the power of heart and the firmness of love. A pagan poet has
said: ذكرتك والخطى يخطر بيننا (I remembered you even at a time when spears
were swinging dangerously between us).
The Holy Qur'an has prompted Muslims to engage in the Dhikr of
Allah even in this dangerous situation, and that too with the emphasis
on : $ (kathira : much).
Also worth pondering over at this point is the fact that no other
act of worship ('Ibadah), except the Dhikr of Allah, has been command-
ed in the entire Qur'an with the instruction that it be done abundantly
and profusely. Expressions like : ( (making Salah much) and: Que
(4 (fasting much) have not been mentioned anywhere. The reason is
that the Dhikr of Allah is easy to do, a convenient act of worship in-
deed. You do not have to spend a lot of time and labour doing it, nor
does it stop you from doing something else on hand. On top of that,
this is an exclusive grace from Allah Ta'ala who has not placed any
pre-condition or restriction of Wudu (ablution), Țaharah (state of purity
from major or minor impurities), dress and orientation to Qiblah
(facing the direction of Ka'bah) etc. in its performance. This can be
done by anyone under all states, with Wudu or without, standing, sit-
ting or lying down. And if we were to add to it the higher investigative
approach of Imam al-Jazri appearing in the famous collection of au-
thentic Islamic prayers, Hisn Hasin, where he states that the Dhikr of
Allah is not limited to the act of remembering Allah only verbally or by
heart, instead of which, any permissible act which is performed by re-
maining within the parameters of obedience to the Holy Prophet JulL.
duy tle shall also be counted as the Dhikr of Allah, then, given this ap-
proach, the sense of Dhikr of Allah becomes so common and easy that
we could call even a man in sleep a Dhakir (one who remembers Al-
lah). This is supported by what is said in some narrations: Bu JUJI
(The sleep of the 'Alim is included under 'Ibadah) because an 'Alim or
scholar of Islam who lives and acts in accordance with the demands of
his 'Ilm or knowledge of Islam is duty-bound to see that all his states
of sleeping and waking must remain within nothing but the boundries

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of obedience to Allah Ta'ala.
In the present context, the command to remember Allah abundant-
ly while on the battlefield may give the impression of being an addi-
tion of one more duty assigned to the mujahidin, something which may
usually demand concentrated hard work. But, certainly unique is the
property of the Dhikr of Allah. It does not subject its performer to
what would be hard labour. Instead, it brings in a kind of pleasure, en-
ergy and taste which actually goes on to help one accomplish a lot of
things one does in life. For that matter, there is nothing unusual about
it as we commonly notice that people who handle hard labour would
habitually take to a set of words or some beat or jingle or song and are
heard humming it while working. The Holy Qur'an has blessed Mus-
lims with an alternate for it, something which is based on countless
advantages and wise considerations. Therefore, towards the end of the
verse, it was said: 322if (so that you may be successful - 45). It
means if you went on to master these two tested techniques of stand-
ing firm and remembering Allah - and used it on the battlefield - then,
you can be sure that prosperity and success are all yours.
One method of remembering Allah on the battlefield is what we
generally recognize as the well-known battle cry of 'Allahu-Akbar' (the
Na'rah or cry of Takbir which is a positively voiced statement of belief
in the greatness of Allah in the setting of a battlefield). Thus, saying:
'Allahu-Akbar' is also a form of Dhikr or remembrance of Allah. In ad-
dition to this, it also includes the attitude of keeping the thought of Al-
lah always in sight, having confidence and trust in Him and remem-
bering Him with all your heart in it. As such, the term Dhikr of Allah
includes all that.
Moving to verse 46, we see that believers have been prompted to
follow a third instruction and that is: Jan ,2bí (obey Allah and His
Messenger) - because, help and support from Allah Ta'ala can be ex-
pected to come only through obedience to Him. Negligence and disobe-
dience can only be the causes of the displeasure of Allah and a certain
deprivation from whatever grace could come from Him. Thus, we have
before us three articles of the Qur'anic code of conduct for the battle-
field: (1) Firmness (2) Dhikr of Allah (3) Obedience. After that, it was
said : وَلَا تَنَازَعُوْا فَتَفُشَلُوا وَتَذُهَبَ رِيحُكُمُ وَاصْبِرُوا (and do not dispute, lest you should
show weakness and should lose your predominance, and be patient -
46).

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 45 - 47
Given here is a warning against negative aspects of conduct which
must be avoided. As for the negative conduct which impedes successful
war effort, it is nothing but mutual difference and disputation. There-
fore, it was said: p&G ý; (and do not dispute - 46) for mutual dissension
and discord would breed cowardice among them and they would soon
lose their image of dominance.
The verse points out to two end-products of this mutual dissension:
(1) That you would become personally weak and cowardly and (2) that
you would lose your predominance and turn low in the sight of the en-
emy. The fact that mutual disputation would make disputants appear
low in the sight of others is obvious, but how does it affect one's own
strength to the limit that it turns into weakness and cowardice? The
reason is that, given mutual unity and trust, everyone is backed up by
the strength of a whole group. Therefore, one individual feels the rela-
tive strength of his whole group in himself and once that mutual unity
and trust is gone what remains behind is no more than his own soli-
tary strength - which, obviously, means nothing in a killing field.
After that, it was said: 1221; (and be patient - 46). Looking at the
context of the statement, this appears to have been suggested as a suc-
cessful prescription of remaining safe from getting involved in dissen-
sion and disputes. To elucidate, it can be said that no matter how unit-
ed in thinking and objectives a group may be, but physical traits of
human individuals remain different after all. Then, the divergence of
opinion among the informed and experienced in the process of achiev-
ing a certain purpose is also inevitable. Therefore, in order to go along
with others and to keep them together, there is no alternative but that
one should be used to remaining patient over counter-temperamental
matters of concern and being accustomed to ignoring them when nec-
essary. In other words, one should not be so rigid and uncompromising
over his personal opinion that, in the event it was not accepted, he
would explode and fight. Sabr or patience is just another name for this
quality of resilience. These days everyone knows and says that mutual
dispute is very bad, but the master stroke of remaining safe from it -
that one trains himself to become used to remaining patient over what
does not match his physical temperament and that he does not worry
about making people say yes to his view and see that they go by it - is
something very few people have learnt to employ successfully. As a re-

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sult, all sermons of unity and harmony are rendered useless. So, it can
be conceded that one does not normally have the capability to make
the other person surrender to his view, but two things still remain pos-
sible: (1) That he himself accepts what the other person has to say (2)
and should the dictate of his reason and justice goad him not to accept
it, then, the least he could still do is to say nothing for the sake of
averting a possible dispute. This much is, after all, within one's power
and control. Therefore, alongwith the instruction to avoid dissension
and dispute, the Holy Qur'an has also exhorted every individual of a
group to observe patience so that avoiding disputes becomes easy in
practice.
Also worth pondering at this stage is the statement made in the
Qur'an when it has said: peGy (and do not dispute - 46). Here, it has
stopped mutual disputation, not any difference of opinion or its expres-
sion. Difference of opinion which is prompted by honesty and sincerity
never develops into disputation. Quarrels and disputations are gener-
ated when things go beyond ordinary difference of opinion, particular-
ly when gripped by the emotional attitude of making the other person
accept what one says and not to accept what the other person does.
And this emotional attitude is what the Holy Qur'an has eliminated by
saying: 1;21; (and be patient - 46). Then, at the end, by pointing out to
the most sublime gain to be made from the observance of patience, it
removes whatever unpalatable there may be about it. It was said: 20151
spill & (Allah is with the patient - 46). That they have the company of
Allah Ta'ala all the time and under all conditions is so great a wealth
that wealths of the world and beyond, as we do or do not know, are
just nothing as compared to that honour.
It was to make these very instructions become their ever-present
response, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم delivered the following ser-
mon right there on the site of combat during many a battles of Islam:
"O my people, do not look forward to fight the enemy in a com-
bat. Rather, pray that Allah keeps you in a state of peace and
well-being. However, when the inevitable happens and you
have to confront them, then, stand firm and be patient and be
assured that Paradise lies under the shade of swords."
[Muslim]
Another negative and detrimental aspect of conduct against which

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 48 - 49
warning has been given in verse 47 and from which abstinence has
been advised is that believers should not wax proud over their
strength and numbers nor should they be guilty of nursing some per-
sonal interest of theirs rather than remaining sincere to their mission
at hand, because these two approaches would usually bring down
great powers of the world on their knees.
Embedded in this verse, there is an allusion to the circumstances
under which the Quraysh of Makkah who had marched off from their
city to give military cover to their trade caravan with the heavy back-
ing of men and materials and waxing proud over their number and
strength. And even when the trade caravan had passed far beyond the
range of any possible attack by Muslims, they elected not to return
even then - because, they had other axes to grind by giving a little
demonstration of their valour on the site of combat.
According to authentic reports, when Abu Sufyan succeeded in get-
ting past the range of Muslim attack with his trade caravan, he sent a
courier to Abu Jahl bearing the message that there was no need for
him to go any further and that he should better return. Many other
Quraysh chiefs had also concurred with this advice. But, driven by his
pride, arrogance and the desire for recognition, Abu Jahl declared on
oath that they would not return until they reach the site of Badr and
celebrate their victory there for a few days.
The outcome was that he and his well-known accomplices found
themselves dumped there for ever. Muslims have been instructed to
abstain from the methods adopted by them.
Verses 48 - 49
وَإِذْ زَبَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطِنُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَقَالَ لَ غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ
النَّاسِ وَإِنِّىْ جَارٌ لَّكُمْ، قَلَمَّا تَرَاءَتِ الْفِتَتْنِ نَكَصَ عَلى عَقِبَيْهِ
وَقَالَ إِنِّى بَرِثْىٌ قِنْكُمْ إِنِّىٌّ آَرَى مَالَا تَرَوْنَ إِنِّىَ آَخَافُ اللّهَ،
وَاللَّهُ شَدِيْدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴿٤٨﴾ إِذْ يَقُوْلُ الْفِقُونَ وَالَّذِيْنَ فِىْ
قُلُوبِهِمْ تَرَضٌّ غَرَّهَؤُلاءِ دِيْنُهُمْ، وَمَنْ تَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ
اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿٤٩﴾
And when the Satan beautified their deeds for them

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and said, "None of the people is to overpower you to-
day, and I am a protector for you." But, when the two
groups saw each other, he turned back on his heels and
said, "I have nothing to do with you. I am seeing what
you do not see. I am scared of Allah, and Allah is severe
in punishment." [48]
When the hypocrites and those who have a malady in
their hearts said, "The belief of these people has delud-
ed them." And whoever places his trust in Allah, then,
Allah is Mighty, Wise. [49]
Commentary
Since its beginning, Surah al-Anfal has been dealing with the actu-
al events and attending circumstances of the battle of Badr alongwith
subsequent lessons learnt and related injunctions given.
One such event from here relates to the Satan who misled the dis-
believers of Makkah, exhorted them to go to battle against Muslims
and then he disengaged, and left them all by themselves right there in
the middle of the battlefield. This event has been mentioned at the be-
ginning of verse 48.
Did this deception of the Satan take the form of scruples put into
the hearts of the Quraysh? Or, did the Satan come to them in human
form and talked to the Quraysh face to face? Both probabilities exist
here. But, the words of the Qur'an seem to support the second eventu-
ality - that the Satan misled them by appearing in a human form be-
fore them.
According to a narration of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas Jila,
Was reported by Imam ibn Jarir, when the army of the Quraysh of
Makkah marched out from the city, they were terribly worried about a
possible danger from their neighbouring tribe of Banu Bakr, also an
enemy. They apprehended that once they went out to confront Mus-
lims, this tribe hostile to them may find an opportunity to attack their
homes and hurt their women and children there. No doubt, they had
demonstrated their readiness to respond to the plaintive appeal for
help made by Abu Sufyan, the leader of their trade caravan, but they
were dragging their feet because of this danger. In this perplexing sit-
uation, all of a sudden, the Satan appeared in the form and guise of
Suraqah ibn Malik holding a flag in his hand and flanked by a regi-
ment of tough fighting men. Suraqah ibn Malik was a big chief who

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 48 - 49
controlled the tribal area from where that danger of attack was expect-
ed. He stepped forward and addressed the army of Quraysh youngmen
through which he misled them in two ways. First, he said: ilskicJus
w& & (None of the people is to overpower you today - 48). By this, he
meant that he had a good idea of the strength of their adversary and
he could also see their own physical and numerical superiority, there-
fore, he assured them that they should stop worrying, march ahead
and prevail, for no one is going to prevail against them.
Then, he said: (I am a protector for you - 48). By saying this,
he was referring to their apprehensions against the tribe of Banu Bakr
who might attack their homes and families in Makkah during their
absence. Here, he was taking the responsibility that nothing of this
sort was going to happen as he was their supporter and caretaker. The
Quraysh of Makkah already knew about Suraqah ibn Malik being a
known and influential personality of the area. Hearing this assurance
from him, they became emotionally stable. They dismissed the threat
from the tribe of Banu Bakr from their hearts and became all set to go
and confront Muslims.
Thus, by employing this dual deception, the Satan drove these peo-
ple to their killing field and what he did for himself is described by the
Holy Qur'an in the following words: ◌ِفَلَمَّا تَرَآءَتِ الْفِئَتِ نَكَصَ عَلى عَقِبَيْه (So, when
the two groups [the disbelievers of Makkah and Muslims] saw each
other [at Badr], he turned back on his heels - 48).
Since a force of satans had also assembled in support of the disbe-
lievers of Makkah at the battle of Badr, therefore, Allah Ta'ala sent a
force of angels under the command of Jibra'il and Mika'il to meet their
challenge. According to a narration of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
reported by Imam Ibn Jarir and others, when the Satan who رضى الله عنه
was commanding his force in the human guise of Suraqah ibn Malik at
that time saw Archangel Jibra'il and the force of angels with him, he
lost his nerves. At that time, he was standing hand in hand with a Qu-
rayshi warrior, Harith ibn Hisham. All of a sudden, he tried to free his
hand clasped into the hand of Harith. When Harith asked him as to
why he was doing that, he whacked his chest with a blow and threw
him down. Now unchecked, he bolted out from the battlefield. Harith -
under the impression that he was Suraqah - shouted at him: O Sura-
qah, chief of Arabia, you had said that you will support us and here

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 48 - 49
you are doing this to us in the middle of a battle! The Satan - in the
guise of Suraqah - replied :إِنّيُ بَرِغَنٌ مِنْكُمْ إِنِّى أَرَى مَالَا تَرَونَ إِنِّيٌ آخَافُ الله (I have noth-
ing to do with you. I am seeing what you do not see. I am scared of Al-
lah - 48). Thus, he disengaged himself from the earlier compact be-
cause he was seeing a force of angels and parted ways with the
disbelievers on the plea that he feared Allah.
When the Satan saw the force of angels, he virtually saw trouble
for him as he knew their power. As for his statement that he was
scared of Allah, says Tafsir authority Qatadah, this was a lie forged by
him. Had he feared Allah, why would he disobey Him? But, other
Commentators have suggested that his fear is justified in its own place
because he is fully aware of the perfect power of Allah Ta'ala and that
He is severe at punishment. Therefore, there is no reason for not fear-
ing. However, bland fear without faith and obedience is useless.
Abu Jahl, when he noticed signs of weakness showing up in his
army because of the withdrawal of Suraqah and his force, he tried to
avert the awkward situation by appealing that they should not feel be-
ing affected by the sudden retreat of Suraqah for he had a secret un-
derstanding with Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to do that. In short, after
the retreat of the Satan, what was due to happen to them did. It was
on their return to Makkah that one of them met Suraqah ibn Malik.
This person scolded Suraqah telling him that he was responsible for
their defeat in the battale of Badr and certainly for all the losses that
followed in its wake because he had broken the backs of their fighting
men by retreating from the action on the battlefield. Suraqah said: I
never went with you, nor did I ever take part in anything you were do-
ing there. In fact, I heard of your defeat only after you had reached
Makkah.
After having reported all these narrations in his Tafsir, Imam Ibn
Kathir said: It is the customary practice of Satan, the accursed, that he
would cause man to become involved with evil and then leave him off
in the middle of it. The Qur'an has mentioned this habit of the Satan
repeatedly. One such verse says:
كَمَثَلِ الشَّبْطِنِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنسَانِ اكْفُرُ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قَالَ إِنِّى بَرِنْىٌّ ◌ِنْكَ إِنِىٌّ آَخَافُ
اللَّهُ رَبِّ الْعُلَّمِيْنَ
It is like the Satan when he tells man: "Disbelieve." Then, af-

246
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 48 - 49
ter he becomes a disbeliever, he says: "I have nothing to do
with you. I am scared of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds".
(59:16)
The Anatomy of Satanic Deception and Personal Defence
There are some elements of guidance we receive from what has
been mentioned in this verse:
(1) That the 'Shaitan' is man's enemy who employs all sorts of
tricks, guises and strategems to bring loss to him. There are occasions
when he would simply inject a scruple in the heart and harass his vic-
tim and there are times when he would deceive man by appearing be-
fore him.
(2) That Allah Ta'ala has given him the ability to appear before
man in various guises. There is a well-known book of Hanafi jurispru-
dence called آكام المرجان فى أحكام الجان :'Akam al-Marjan fi Ahkam al-Jann
where it has been proved in detail. Therefore, authorities among mys-
tic scholars who are recognized as masters in illumination (kashf) and
eye-witness (shuh ud) have warned people that it is dangerous to start
following a person simply by seeing him or hearing him say something
without taking the trouble of finding out his antecedents and circum-
stancial conditions. There could be couched Satanic inputs even in
what is known as illumination (kashf) and inspiration (ilham). So, the
ideal method of remaining safe against satanic deceptions is to follow
Divine Revelation faithfully.
Success Comes By Actually Being on the Straight Path and Not
By Simply Having Sincere Intentions
(3) That the most frequent reason why people get involved in disbe-
lief, polytheism or other impermissible doings is no other but that the
Satan, by making their evil deeds appear handsome, desirable and
beneficial, turns their hearts away from truth, as it is, and its conse-
quences, as they would be. Once so brain-washed, they would start
taking their false as the epitome of truth and their loss as the ultimate
gain, so much so that, very much like the votaries of truth, they would
be all set to lay down even their lives for the sake of their false no-
tions. It was for this reason that the army and the chiefs of Quraysh,
when they were departing from the Baytullah, had already supplicat-
ed before it by saying: اللهم انصر اهدى الطائفتين (O Allah, help the better-
guided group between the two of us) (See pages 183-184). Such was the

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 50 - 53
level of their unawareness that they simply walked into the snare of
the Satan and started taking themselves to be the ones better-guided
and truth-oriented and, unbelieveably enough, they would go to the
outer limits of sacrificing their lives and possessions in support of their
false stand - and that too with all 'sincerity' at their command!
From here we find out that bland sincerity is never sufficient un-
less the direction of deeds is correct.
In the verse which follows (49), mentioned there is a common say-
ing of the hypocrites of Madinah and the polytheists of Makkah. It was
almost in a strain of combined sympathy and contempt that it was
said about Muslims: , (The belief of these people has deluded
them). It means that those handful of Muslims had come all the way to
the battlefield of Badr to challenge an army so powerful and well-
equipped as if those poor people have been deluded by their faith
which seems to have thrown them into the jaws of death. Responding
to them, Allah Tarala said :ٌوَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيم (And whoever
places his trust in Allah, then, Allah is Mighty, Wise). The sense of the
statement is that one who places his total trust in Allah never runs
into disgrace because Allah is all-dominating and when it comes to
wisdom, there is no plan or intelligence or insight into the future
which can hold before it. In other words, those who know no more than
what is material would only place their trust in nothing but the mate-
rial. How would they know the secret power which lies in the treas-
ures of the One who has created everything material. This power ac-
companies those who believe in Allah Ta'ala and place their total trust
in Him.
Even in our day, there are those religiously-observing and inno-
cent-looking Muslims who would become ready targets for those who
claim to have advanced rationally and intellectually and who would
benignly dismiss them as old-timers who might as well be left alone.
But, should such people be armed with perfect faith and trust in Allah,
no harm can touch them - even if intended and tried.
Verses 50 - 53
وَلَوْ تَزَى إِذْ يَتَوَقَّى الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا الْمَِّكَةُ يَضُرِبُونَ وُجُوْهَهُمْ
وَآَدُبَارَهُمٌْ وَذُوْقُرْا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيُقِ ﴿ .. ﴾ ذُلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتُ

248
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 50 - 53
اَيْدِيْكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلُعَبِيْدِ (٥٢) كَدَابٍ الٍ فِرْعَوُنَ"
وَالَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَفَرُوْا بِائْتِ اللَّهِ فَأَخَذَ هُمُ اللهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْدُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيْدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴿٢﴾ ذُلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ
مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلى قَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِآَنْفُسِهِمْ" وَآَنَّ
اللَّهَ سَمِيْعٌ عَلِيْمُ ﴿٥٣﴾
And only if you were to see (them) when the angels
take out the souls of those who disbelieve, beating
their faces and their backs, and (saying) "Taste the
punishment of the flaming Fire. [50] That is due to what
your hands sent ahead, and that Allah is not cruel to
the slaves." [51]
(Their way is) like the way of the people of Pharaoh
and of those before them. They disbelieved the signs of
Allah. So Allah seized them for their sins. Surely, Allah
is strong, severe in punishment. [52]
All this because Allah is not to change a favour He has
conferred on a people unless they change their own
selves, and that Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [53]
Commentary
Mentioned in the first two of the verses cited above is the punish-
ment of disbelievers at the time of their death and the warnings given
,صلى الله عليه وسلم to them by the angels. Here, addressing the Holy Prophet
it has been said that had he seen the condition of the disbelievers at
that time when the angels of Allah were beating their faces and backs
as they extracted their souls and telling them to have a taste of the
punishment of burning in the Fire, then, he would have seen some-
thing awesome.
Some of the leading Commentators have declared this statement to
be about the particular disbelievers from among the Quraysh who had
come out to confront Muslims at the site of Badr where Allah Ta'ala
had sent an army of angels to help Muslims. Thus, the meaning comes
to be that the Quraysh chiefs who were killed in the battle of Badr
were killed at the hands of the angels who were hitting them from the
front on their faces and from the rear on their backs and were killing
them in this manner while giving them the dark tidings of the punish-

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 50 - 53
ment of Hell in the Hereafter.
Then, there are other Commentators who have kept the sense of
this verse general in view of the generality of the words used in it. Ac-
cording to them, the verse means: When a disbeliever dies, the angel of
death beats his face and back while taking out his soul. In some narra-
tions, it appears that they have lashes of fire and maces of iron in their
hands which they use to strike at the disbeliever condemned to death.
But, as this punishment is not related to this world of elements, rath-
er, is related to the universe of the grave which is known as Barzakh
(the post-death --- pre-ressurrection state), therefore, this punishment
is not generally seen optically.
Therefore, the modality used to address the Holy Prophet de JUL
, was: 'And only if you were to see,' you would have seen a scene full
of sobering lessons. This tells us that, after death, punishment is given
to disbelievers while they are in the state of Barzakh, but that phe-
nomenon is related to the universe of the Unseen ('alam al-ghayb),
therefore, it is not seen usually. The punishment of the grave finds
mention in several other verses of the Holy Qur'an as well, while Ha-
dith narrations on this subject just abound.
Addressing the disbelievers in the second verse (51), it was said
that the punishment of this world and that of the Hereafter was noth-
ing but what they had earned with their own hands. Since things done
usually take their shape through the work of hands, therefore, men-
tion was made of hands. The sense is that the punishment coming to
them was a direct outcome of their own deeds. And as for Allah Ta'ala,
He was not the kind of authority who would bring injustice upon His
servants and go about subjecting someone to punishment just for no
reason.
The third verse (52) tells us that the punishment of Allah visiting
these criminals is not something totally unprecedented. In fact, it is
nothing but the customary practice of Allah that He would give reason
and understanding to His servants so that they could act as guided.
Then, all around them, they have countless things they can think
about and go on to know Allah Ta'ala and recognize His great power,
and then do not stoop to the level of taking the weak ones from among
His creation as His partners, associates or equals and, after that, He
sends His Books and Messengers for additional warning. When the