النص المفهرس

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Messengers of Allah come, they leave no stone unturned in making
people understand the message. They even go to the outer limits of
demonstrating the manifestations of the inalienable subdueing power
of Allah Ta'ala in the form of miracles. Now, if a person or a people
were to close their eyes to all these things, give no ear to any of these
Divine warnings, then, for such people, there is the inevitable practice
of Allah Ta'ala: That they are visited by punishment in this world too,
and that they are subjected to the everlasting punishment of the Here-
after as well. It was said : ◌ْكَدَابٍ الٍ فِرْعَوُنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِم (Their way is) like the
way of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them - 52.' The Arabic
word: ob (da'b) used in the text means habit or way. Thus, the sense is
that the world already knows the customary practice of Allah Ta'ala
vis-a-vis the haughty and the contumacious like Pharaoh and his peo-
ple and has seen its manifestation when Pharaoh was made to drown
in the sea with all his power and people, and similar was the fate of
those before him, the people of 'Ad and Thamud, who were hit by many
kinds of punishment which eliminated them totally. Then, it was said:
RYK (52) which means when these people belied the verses and signs of
Allah Ta'ala, He seized them with His punishment because of their
sins. After that, the verse ends with the statement: JI fl (52) which
gives the reason why it happened the way it did - that Allah Ta'ala is
Strong. No one claiming any kind of strength and valour can, on that
basis alone, get away from His punishment. And then, certainly very
severe is the punishment which comes from Allah Ta'ala Himself.
Stated in the fourth verse (53) there is a standing rule which spells
out the condition under which Allah Ta'ala allows a people to continue
بِأَنَّ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةٌ أَنْعَمَهَا : enjoying blessings bestowed by Him. It was said
because Allah is not to change a favour He has) عَلى قَوُمِ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
conferred on a people unless they change their own selves - 53).
The first thing worth pondering about at this place is that Allah
Ta'ala has not set forth any rule as to the bestowal of blessing and fa-
vour, nor has He put any restriction and condition for it, nor has He
made it to be dependent on some good deed - because, had this been so,
then, the foremost favour bestowed on us is our very existence. Placed
in this marvelous menagerie of the power of Allah are thousands and
thousands of additional blessings which, it is all too obvious, were con-
ferred on us at a time when we did not exist nor any of our deed did.

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If blessings and favours from Allah Ta'ala were to wait for good
deeds from His servants, our being itself would have not materialized.
The blessing and the mercy of Allah Ta'ala is there all by itself as
an outcome of His being the Lord of all the worlds and the One who is
All-Merciful and Very-Merciful. However, what has been described in
this verse is a rule which governs the continuity of this favour and
mercy. According to this rule, when Allah Ta'ala favours a people with
His blessing, He does not take it back until such time that the people
themselves bring about changes in their conditions of living and ways
of doing things and thus become the very agency which invites the
punishment of Allah.
The change of conditions referred to here means a shift or change
from good deeds to bad deeds and from good states of being to bad
states of being, or that a person who, at the time of the coming of
blessings, was involved in certain sins and evils, then, once he had re-
ceived those blessings, he stoops lower and gets involved in deeds far
more evil.
It becomes evident from the details given above that peoples men-
tioned in previous verses, that is, the Quraysh disbelievers and the
people of Pharaoh, have their relevance to the present verse on the
grounds that these people were not all that good in their states of liv-
ing even at the time the blessings came. They were still the polytheists
and disbelievers they were. But, after having been blessed with fa-
vours, these people became far more dauntless in their evil deeds and
acts of wickedness.
The people of Pharaoh started inflicting all sorts of injustices
against the Bani Isra'il. Then they rose in hostility against Sayyidna
Musa WJI uke which was a grave addition to their past crimes. Through
these doings, they brought changes in their living conditions which led
them to more evils and when this happened, Allah Ta'ala too brought a
change in His blessing by changing it into retribution and punish-
ment. Similarly, the Quraysh of Makkah were though involved in pol-
ytheism and other evil practices, yet they did have a few good deeds to
their credit, such as, regard for kinship, hospitality, service of Hajj pil-
grims, respect for Baytullah etc. Allah Ta'ala showered on them many
material and spiritual blessings. On the material plane, great impetus
was given to their trading activities. In a country where no trading

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caravan belonging to anyone could pass through safely, their trade
caravans would go to Syria in the north and Yemen in the south and
return in safety and with success - something mentioned by the Qur'an
in Surah al-Quraysh (106) under: ◌ِرِحُلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْف (they used to make al-
ternate trading visits in winter and summer -106:2).
Then, on the spiritual plane in terms of their religion, they were
blessed with a favour so great as was never conferred upon any of the
past peoples - that the foremost among prophets, the last of the line,
sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam, was destined to rise among them, and
Qur'an, the last, the comprehensive Book of Allah Ta'ala was sent to
them through him.
But, these people, rather than correct themselves through grati-
tude and appreciation for these blessings of Allah Ta'ala, went on to
make a mess of their moral condition, making it far worse than it al-
ready was. They stopped treating their near relations well and started
inflicting savage injustices against their own brothers and nephews
who chose to embrace Islam. Rather than keep to their tradition of
hospitality, pledges were written and promulgated that a total boycott
of such Muslims be made, even to the limit of holding back the supply
of food and water to them. Instead of providing essential services for
Hajj pilgrims which they once considered to be their duty, they started
preventing Muslims from entering the Haram. These were the stand-
ing conditions on the ground which brought about a change in the dis-
believers of Quraysh - as a result of which came the counter-change
from Allah Ta'ala. He transformed His favours and blessings into retri-
bution and punishment, thus making them have a taste of disgrace in
the mortal world too, and then, it was through the noble person sent
as mercy for all the worlds that they invited their own destruction.
As based on trustworthy books of history, it has been said in Tafsir
Mazhari that Kilab ibn Murrah, who is the grandfather of the third
grandfather of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم geneologically, was a
staunch adherent of the faith of Sayyidna Ibrahim and Isma'il JI Late
right from the beginning, and he retained the role of leadership in this
faith, generations after generation. It was during the period of Qusayy
ibn Kilab that idol-worship started as a practice among people. Before
him, Ka'b ibn Lu'aiyy was their religious leader. He used to deliver a
sermon before everyone on the day of Jumu'ah which was called

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'Arubah in their dialect and tell his audience that the last among
prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم would rise from among their progeny. Everyone
will be bound to follow him. Whoever fails to have faith in him, no
deed of his shall be acceptable with Allah. Well-known are his poetic
compositions about the coming of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as
part of pagan poetry. Then, Qusayy ibn Kilab used to make arrange-
ments of food and water for all Hajj pilgrims, so much so, that these
صلى الله عليه things continued to be within the family of the Holy Prophet
J, until his blessed period. Given this historical perspective, it could
also be said that the change which affected the mass behaviour of the
Quraysh may as well mean that they had forsaken the faith of Sayyid-
na Ibrahim عليه السلام and taken to idol-worship.
However, a return to the subject of the verse tells us that there are
occasions when Allah Ta'ala would bestow His favour also on people
who do not seem to be deserving of it in view of their deeds. But,
should they start, after having received that favour, committing ex-
cesses and indulging in evil deeds more frequently, rather than turn
the direction of their deeds towards correction and betterment, then,
this favour is taken away from them and they become deserving of Di-
vine punishment.
At the end of the verse, it was said:ُوَأَنَّ اللهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِي (and that Allah is
All-Hearing, All-Knowing - 53). It means that Allah Ta'ala is the one
who hears everything they say and knows everything they do, there-
fore, there is no probability of some error or misunderstanding in the
decision He finally takes.
Verses 54 - 58
كَدَاُبِ الٍ فِرْعَوُنَ وَالَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴿ كَذَّبُوا بِائْتِ رَبِّهِمُ
فَأَهْلَكُنُهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَاَغْرَقْنَا الَ فِرْ عَوْنَ وَكُلٌّ كَانُوْا ظَلِمِيْنَ
﴿٥٤﴾ إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَاتٍ عِنْدَ اللهِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ
﴿هُ الَّذِيْنَ عُهَدُتَّ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنْفُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِىْ كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ
وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُوَّنَ ﴿٥٦﴾ فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَتَّهُمْ فِى الْحُرُبِ فَشَتِهُ بِهِمْ مَّنُ
خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ﴿٥٧) وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِنْ قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 54 - 58
فَائِبِذُ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلى سَوَاءِ﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَابِنِيْنَ ﴿٥٨)
(It is) like what did the people of Pharaoh and those be-
fore them. They belied the signs of their Lord. So, We
destroyed them for their sins and drowned the people
of Pharaoh, and they all were unjust. [54]
Surely, the worst of all the living, in the sight of Allah,
are those who reject Faith, so they do not believe [55] -
those from whom you have taken a pledge, then they
break their pledge each time, and they do not fear
Allah. [56]
So, if you find them in war, make them an example
(deterrent) for those behind them, so that they take a
lesson. [57] And if you apprehend a breach from a peo-
ple, then, throw (the treaty) towards them being right
forward. Surely, Allah does not like those who breach
trust. [58]
Commentary
The words used in the first of the verses cited above are almost the
كَدَأْبٍ الٍ فِرُعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَفَرُوا بايتٍ :same as have appeared a verse earlier in
, DI LEU " (Their way is) like the way of the people of Pharaoh
and of those before them - 52.' But, the purpose behind these two state-
ments differs in both. The purpose in the first verse (52) was to state
that the disbelief of those people became the cause of their punishment
while, in the present verse (54), the purpose is to state that, according
to the common law of Allah Ta'ala - when the blessings of Allah Ta'ala
descend upon a people and they fail to recognize their worth and value
and refuse to bow down before Him - then, His blessings are trans-
formed into misfortunes and punishments. When the people of Pha-
raoh and the peoples before them failed to appreciate the blessings of
Allah Ta'ala as due, blessings were taken away from them and they
were seized by punishment instead. Apart from this difference in pur-
pose, changes have also been introduced in words used at some places
which serve to release particular hints in the text. For example, in the
first verse (52), the words used were: Ul cut lyx (They disbelieved the
signs of Allah) while here, the words used are: 43Que ( ... the signs of
their Lord - 54). Thus, by mentioning the attribute: , (Rabb:Lord) in-
stead of the name, 'Allah,' hint was given that these people were terri-
bly unjust and insensate against truth, people who would just go

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ahead and start belying the signs of the very Being who was their
Rabb (sustainer, nourisher, cherisher) under whose blessings they all,
from their dawn of existence to their present condition, have been
brought up.
In addition to that, in the first verse (52), said there was: 02ku
Ak (so, Allah seized them for their sins) while what has been said
here is: ¡ RRu (so, We destroyed them for their sins - 54). This ex-
plains the brevity in the first statement because, in the first verse,
mentioned there was their being seized in punishment which could
take different forms. May be, they are overtaken by misfortunes with-
in their lifetime on this earth, or that their very existence in eliminat-
ed outright. In the present verse (54), by saying: 2'li (We destroyed
them), it was made clear that the punishment all those peoples de-
served was the punishment of death, therefore, they were destroyed.
The destruction of every set of such people took different forms. Since
the Pharaoh from among them claimed godhood and his people attest-
ed to his claim, therefore, he was mentioned particularly: 349, 3rt41;
(and drowned the people of Pharaoh - 54). As for the forms in which de-
struction came upon other peoples, it has not been described here.
However, details pertaining to these too have appeared in other verses
where it has been said that some of them were overrun by an earth-
quake, some others were made to sink into the earth, or transformed
into animals, or seized by wind storms - and finally, came the punish-
ment for the disbelievers of Makkah at the hands of Muslims in the
battle of Badr.
In the verse which follows immediately, it was said about the same
disbelievers: إنَّ شَرَ الدَّوَّابِ عِنْدَ اللهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا (Surely, the worst of all the living,
in the sight of Allah, are those who reject Faith - 55). Here, the word:
ETfs (dawabb) is the plural form of dabbah which literally means crea-
tures who walk on the earth. Therefore, this word covers human be-
ings and whatever of the animals walk on the earth. But, in common
usage, this word is used particularly for quadruped animals. Since
they were far below animals in their state of insensitiveness, they
were identified with that expression in the language. Thus, the mean-
ing of the verse is clear - that these people were the worst of animals
from among all animals and human beings. At the end of the verse, it
was said: 34'a (so they do not believe - 55). The sense is that these

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people have allowed their God-given abilities to go waste by making
the satisfaction of their physical needs the very purpose of their life,
therefore, having access to the refinements of Faith was just not possi-
ble for them.
Said ibn Jubayr said that this verse was revealed about six men
from the Jews about whom Allah Ta'ala has declared in advance that
they will never enter the fold of Faith.
In addition to that, through this word, the aim is to grant an ex-
emption from punishment for people who were though engaged at that
time, in tandem with disbelievers, in their struggle against Muslims
and Islam but the likelihood was that, in future, a time will come
when they will repent their past mistakes and embrace Islam. The fact
is that this is how it came to be. A very large group from among them
became, by embracing Islam, not only personally pious and righteous,
but rose to be - in word and deed alike - leaders among men and wom-
en of the world as heralds of moral betterment and paradigms of re-
sponsible conduct of life before the Creator.
The third verse (56):
الَّذِيْنَ عُهَدُتَّ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنْقُضُوْنَ عَهُدَ هُمْ فِىُّ كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ
(those from whom you have taken a pledge, then they break
their pledge each time, and they do not fear Allah)
is about the Jews of Madinah and those of Banu Qurayzah and Banu
Nadir. Mentioned in the previous verses was the descent of Divine
punishment on the disbelievers of Makkah in the battle of Badr at the
hands of Muslims, as well as their resemblance with disbelievers of
past communities. In this verse, mention has been made of the partic-
ular group of unjust people who became like serpents in the sleeves of
Muslims soon after their migration to Madinah. On the one hand, they
claimed to be at peace with Muslims while, on the other, they used to
conspire with the disbelievers of Makkah against Muslims. These peo-
ple were Jews by religion and the way Abu Jahl was the top leader of
the disbelievers of Makkah against Islam, similarly, the top anti-Islam
leader of the Jews of Madinah was called Ka'b ibn Ashraf.
When the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم graced the blessed city of Ma-
dinah after Hijrah, they saw the rise of Muslim power, were im-
pressed, even somewhat overawed by it, but the fire of their anti-

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Muslim feelings kept burning in their hearts all the time.
Islamic political wisdom demanded that, as far as possible, the
Jews of Madinah should be engaged to go along with Muslims under
some sort of bilateral treaty, so that they would not come to the assis-
tance of Makkan disbelievers. Because of their awe of Muslims, the
Jews too wished to have this very arrangement.
Towards Islamic Nationality: The First Step
After reaching Madinah, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم laid the ini-
tial foundation of political theory in Islam. The first step he took was
to eliminate prejudices of country and tribe from the Muhajirin
(Emigrants: those who had migrated from Makkah) and Ansar
(Residents of Madinah who helped the Muhajirin). In its place, he es-
tablished a new nationality in the name of Islam. This turned different
tribes from the Muhajirin and Ansar into brothers to each other. Then,
it was through him that Allah Ta'ala helped remove mutual differenc-
es among Ansars themselves which had been continuing for centuries.
Thus, not only did the Ansars enter a new era of brotherhood among
themselves, they became brothers to the Muhajirin as well.
Treaty with Jews: The Second Step
The background in which the second political step was taken was
marked by two adversaries of Muslims. The first were the disbelievers
of Makkah whose tortures had compelled them to leave Makkah. The
second were the Jews of Madinah who had then become the neigh-
bours of Muslims.
Out of these two, a treaty was concluded with the Jews and was
duly documented in details. The compliance of this treaty was made
incumbent on all Jews living in and around Madinah as well as on all
Muhajirin and Anșar. The full text of this treaty can be seen in &IJI
LLJI,: Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah of Ibn Kathir and Sirah of Ibn His-
ham and elsewhere. The most significant article of this treaty was
that, in the event of a mutual difference, the decision of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم shall be binding for all. There was another article
there which stipulated that the Jews of Madinah shall not provide any
assistance to any enemy against Muslims, either overtly or covertly.
But, at the time of the battle of Badr, these people committed a breach
of trust and supported the disbelievers of Makkah by supplying weap-
ons and other war materials to them. However, when the outcome of

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the battle of Badr appeared in the form of a clear victory for Muslims
and a disgraceful defeat for the disbelievers, they felt cowed down once
صلى الله عليه again. They presented themselves before the Holy Prophet
dy and apologized for the mistake they had committed at that time
and sought his forgiveness for it on the promise that they would com-
mit no breach of trust in the future.
Because Islamic forbearance and generosity was his way, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم accepted to renew the treaty once again. But,
these people were captives of their peculiar instinctive reflexes. When
they heard about the initial defeat and loss of Muslims in the battle of
Uhud, their ambitions went high. Their chief, Ka'b ibn Ashraf, himself
travelled to Makkah and exhorted the disbelievers of Makkah to
mount another attack on Muslims with fresh and full preparation in
which the Jews of Madinah will be with them.
This was the second breach of trust they committed against Islam.
In the present verse, by mentioning this repeated breach of trust,
brought into focus is the wickedness of these people, for they were the
people who themselves made a treaty with the Holy Prophet de Jul
, yet they were the ones who, each time, kept breaking their pledge
to abide by the treaty. At the end of the verse, it was said: sy +, (and
they do not fear Allah - 56). This could also mean that, since these ill-
fated people are drunk with worldly greed having no concern for the
life to come, therefore, they do not fear the punishment of the Here-
after. Then, it could also mean that such characterless people who
break pledges do meet their evil end in this world, yet these are the
kind of people who, because of their negligence and ignorance, do not
fear it.
Then, came the time when the whole world saw that these people
tasted the punishment for the evil role they played. Like Abu Jahl, the
chief of the disbelievers, Ka'b ibn Ashraf, the chief of the Jews, was
killed and the rest of the Jews of Madinah were expelled from the city.
In the fourth verse (57), Allah Ta'ala has given a standing instruc-
tion to His Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم about such evil breakers of solemn
pledges in the following words:
فَإِمَّا تَتْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِى الْحُرْبِ فَشَتِهُ بِهِمْ تَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
So, if you find them in war, make them an example
(deterrent) for those behind them, so that they take a lesson.

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Here, the word: "amis (tathqafannahum) means to get the upper
hand against them and the word: sa (sharrada) is a derivation from
the infinitive noun: s (tashrid) which essentially means to drive out
or scatter away. So, the verse means: 'If you overpower such people in
a war, give them a drastic punishment which becomes an instant les-
son for others - so that those who are busy bashing Islam behind the
cover of such people serving as their agent provacateurs should under-
stand clearly that there remains no alternative for them but to run for
their lives. The drive of the instruction is that these people should be
punished in a manner which makes an impression on the disbelievers
of Makkah and other hostile tribes and sucks away any courage they
may have to come back and confront Muslims in the future.
By saying: 3%su fe (so that they take a lesson - 57) at the end of
the verse, a hint has been given towards the universal mercy of the
Lord of all the worlds. This treatment makes it clear that the real pur-
pose of this exemplary punishment was not to take revenge or release
personal anger, in fact, this was being awarded in their own interest
and expedient gain whereby they may, perhaps, review conditions be-
fore them, regain some of their sanity, feel ashamed of what they did
and go on to correct themselves.
The Option to Cancel a Peace Treaty
In the fifth verse (58), the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been told
about an important article which forms part of the law of war and
peace. Here, after placing due stress on the importance of complying
with the terms of a treaty, an alternative has also been laid out to cov-
er a situation in which there may arise a danger of breach of trust
from the other party to the treaty any time during its legal tenure.
Given this situation, it remains no more necessary that Muslims
should continue to abide by their allegiance to the treaty. But, also not
permissible for Muslims is the taking of any initiative (pre-emptive ac-
tion of any kind) against the other party - before the treaty has been
clearly terminated. In fact, the correct approach is to pick up a peace-
ful and convenient occasion and let them know that their ill intentions
or treaty contraventions are no secrets to them, or their dealings ap-
pear to be dubious, for which reason, Muslims shall not consider them-
selves bound by the treaty. Consequently, they too were free to take
any action they wished to take. The words of the verse are:

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وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِنْ قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً فَانْبِذُ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلَى سَوَاْءٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَآيِنِيْنَ
And if you apprehend a breach from a people, then, throw (the
treaty) towards them being right forward. Surely, Allah does
not like those who breach trust - 58.
The sense of the verse is that taking any military initiative against
a people with whom a peace treaty has been signed is included under
breach of trust and Allah Ta'ala does not like those who are guilty of
Khiyanah, that is, those who commit breach of trust - even if this Khiy-
anah were to cause loss to hostile disbelievers, something also imper-
missible. However, should there be the danger of a breach of trust
from the other party, it is possible to go ahead and openly proclaim be-
fore them that Muslims shall not remain bound by the treaty in fu-
ture. But, this proclamation has to be in a manner which makes Mus-
lims and the other party like-wise, on the same footing. It means that
nothing should be done to create a situation in which preparations are
made to confront the other party in advance of this proclamation and
warning while they are caught unawares and remain unable to make
counter preparations for their defence. In short, the message given is:
Make whatever preparations have to be made, but do it only after the
proclamation and warning.
This, then, is the justice of Islam - that the rights of its enemies
who commit breach of trust are also guarded and that restrictions are
placed on Muslims - not on their adversaries - that they should not
make any aggressive preparations against them before having de-
clared that they have nothing to do with the treaty anymore. (Mazhari
and others)
Fulfillment of Trust Obligations: A Significant Episode
Based on a narration of Salim ibn 'Amir, it has been reported by
Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'I and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal that
Sayyidna Mu'awiyah & M +, had a no-war pact with a group of people
for a specified period of time. It occured to Sayyidna Mu'awiyah that
he should move his army and equipment close to those people so that
his forces could pounce on the enemy immediately on the expiry of the
period of their peace pact. But, exactly at the time when the army of
Sayyidna Mu'awiyah was getting ready to march ahead in the desired
direction, it was noticed that an aged person riding on a horse was
اَللَّهُ أَكْبُدُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَفَاءٌ لَا غَدُرًا : shouting a slogan very loudly. He was saying

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(Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar - Allah is Great, Allah is Great - we
should fulfill the pledge, we should not contravene it). He was saying
that with the famous cry of Allahu Akbar (which increased the relig-
ious gravity of the matter). The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:
When a cease-fire agreement or a peace pact with a people comes into
effect, it is necessary that no knot be opened or tied against their pro-
visions. Sayyidna Mu'awiyah at Ul go, was informed about it. When he
saw the herald of the saying, he recognized him. He was Sayyidna
‘Amr ibn 'Anbasah, a Şahabi. Sayyidna Mu'awiyah lost no time and or-
dered his army to march back so that he does not become one of those
who had committed a breach of trust by initiating war action while be-
ing within the time frame of a no-war pact. (Ibn Kathir)
Verses 59 - 62
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا سَبَقُوْاء إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُوْنَ ﴿٥٩)
وَآَعِدُوا لَهُمْ مَّا اشْتَطَعْتُمْ عِنْ هُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُّوْنَ
بِهِ عَدُوَّاللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَاخَرِيْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَهُمُ اللَّهُ
يَعْلَمُهُمْ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَىْءٍ فِئْ سَبِئْلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَ إِلَيْكُمُ
وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ ﴿٦﴾ وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلُّمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلُ
عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيْمُ ﴿٦١﴾ وَإِنْ تُرِيدُؤْآ آنُ
يَخْدَهُوْكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللهُ هُوَ الَّذِىُّ أَبَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَ
بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿٦٢﴾
And the disbelievers should never think that they have
surpassed. Surely, they will not frustrate (the Divine
will). [59]
And make ready against them whatever you can of the
power and of the trained horses whereby you frighten
the enemy of Allah and your own enemy and others be-
sides them whom you do not know. Allah knows them.
And whatever thing you spend in the way of Allah, it
will be paid to you in full, and you shall not be
wronged. [60]
And if they tilt towards peace, you tilt towards it, and
place your trust in Allah. Surely, He is the All-Hearing,

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the All-Knowing. [61]
And if they intend to deceive you, then, Allah is all-
sufficient for you. He is the One who supported you
with His help and with the believers ... [62]
Commentary
Mentioned in the first of the four verses cited above are disbeliev-
ers who had not participated in the battle of Badr, therefore, they sur-
vived or there were those of them who deserted the battlefield after
showing up as participants and were thus able to save their lives. It is
about these people that it was said in this verse that these people
should not think that they have made their escape good because the
battle of Badr was Divine punishment for disbelievers and escaping
from its grip was not possible for anyone. Therefore, it was said: "
EN'S : 'Surely, they will not frustrate [the Divine will] - 59'. It means
that these people cannot outsmart the will and power of Allah by their
cleverness. If He decides to seize them, they would be unable to move
even one step. May be, they are seized right here in this mortal world,
otherwise, their detention in the Hereafter is all too obvious.
This verse has given a clear indication that a sinner who finds
himself delivered from some hardship or pain, yet he fails to repent
and make amends, rather stands adamant and obstinate over his sin,
then, one should never take this to be a sign of success and everlasting
deliverance. In fact, such a person is in the grip of Allah Ta'ala all the
time and this respite given to him is actually adding on to his punish-
ment and distress - though, he may not realize it as such.
Production and Supply of Military Hardware for Jihad is a Re-
ligious Obligation
Given in the second verse (60), there are injunctions relating to
preparations for the defence of Islam against disbelievers. It was said:
W ;nel; (And make ready against them whatever you can - 60).
Here, by placing the restriction of: '&klu (whatever you can) with the
need to produce and supply war materials, the hint given is that it is
not necessary for your success that you go about acquiring the same
quantity and quality of military equipment as is available to your ad-
versary. Instead of that, it is quite sufficient that you put together
whatever supplies you can possibly acquire. If so, the help and support
of Allah Ta'ala shall be with you.

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 59 - 62
After that, some details about the direction of these preparations
were stated tersely. It was said: 133, (min quwwah : of power). It
means: Collect and keep ready the power to fight. Included here is
everything in the form of military equipment, weapons, means of
transportation and other relevant support - and also learning to stay
physically fit and training in fighting skills and strategy. The Qur'an,
however, does not mention the weapons commonly used during those
days at this place. Instead, by using the general word, 'quwwah' or
power, it has pointed out in the direction that this power could be dif-
ferent in terms of every age, country or area. The weapons of those
days were arrows, swords and spears. Then came the age of guns and
cannons and now is the time of bombs and rockets (and what not). The
word: 'Quwwah' or power used here covers everything. Therefore, Mus-
lims of today should acquire nuclear capability as far as they can - and
tanks and fighter planes and submarines - because all these are in-
cluded within the sense of this very 'Quwwah' or power. It should also
be borne in mind that should we need to learn any art or science to
achieve this end and if such effort be made with the intention that it
will be employed to defend Islam and Muslims and to meet any aggres-
sive challenges from the disbelievers - then, that too will fall under the
procedure of Jihad and will carry reward.
After having mentioned the word: 'Quwwah' (power) in a general
sense, also mentioned there was a particular form of power in clear
terms by saying: halbes& (and of the trained horses). The word: bly
(Ribat) is used in its sense as a verbal noun as well as in the sense of:
byy (marbut). Taken in the first sense, it would mean to tie horses and
in the second, tied horses. The outcome of both is the same, that is, to
breed, break and train horses and hold them tied in readiness with the
intention of using them in Jihad, or to assemble together a collection of
such trained horses. Out of the supplies needed in a war, horses were
mentioned particularly for the reason that those were times when the
most effective mode of winning a war against countries and peoples of
that period was no other but horses. Even today, there are inaccessible
areas which cannot be overtaken without horses. Therefore, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: Allah Ta'ala has placed barakah on the fore-
head of horses.
There are other sound Ahadith in which the Holy Prophet Je Ano

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, has declared the efforts to procure and assemble war materials and
the learning of the ability to use them efficiently to be a great act of
'Ibadah deserving supreme rewards from Allah. Similarly, equally
great returns have been promised for making and shooting arrows.
And since the real purpose of Jihad is to protect and defend Islam
and Muslims - and defence as conceived in every period of time and by
every set of people remains different - therefore, the Holy Prophet
Carry out Jihad against) جَاهِدُوا الُْرِكِينَ بِآَمُوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمُ وَاَلْسِنَتِكُمُ: said اللّه عليه وسلم
the Mushriks with your belongings, and your ownselves and your elo-
quence (of speech or writing). (Hadith reported by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i and
(رضى الله عنه Ad-Darimi from Sayyidna Anas
This Hadith tells us that the way Jihad - defensive or initiated - is
waged with weapons, it is also carried out at times with the power of
speech, and the Jihad carried out with the power of pen or writing is
governed by the same injunction which governs speech. When Islam
and Qur'an are defended through the medium of speech or writing
against attacks from the forces of disbelief and atheism, or from
agents of disinformation, distortion and interpolation, that too is in-
cluded in Jihad as based on this clear and definitive textual authority
of the Qur'an (Nass).
After having given the command to make war materials ready for
use, also described there was the wisdom of assembling these materi-
als together - and its real purpose - in the following words: IF He's
fle, (whereby you frighten the enemy of Allah and your own enemy -
60). It means that the real purpose of acquiring and storing military
hardware, whether for initiated action or defence, is not to indulge in
an exercise of killing and being killed. The purpose, in fact, is to bring
down the force of Kufr and Shirk and fill the hearts of their protago-
nists with awe so that they stay suppressed. On occasions, that can be
done by the power of the spoken or the written word only. Then, there
are other occasions when fighting and killing become necessary. So,
defence is obligatory (fard) as dictated by the prevailing condition.
Then it was said that Muslims do know some of those people who
are to be impressed with preparations and readiness for combat - and
these are people engaged in an ongoing confrontation with Muslims,
that is, the disbelievers of Makkah and the Jews of Madinah. Then,
there were other people too, those whom the Muslims did not know

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yet. The reference here is to the disbelievers and polytheists of the
whole world who had not come up against Muslims, yet in future, they
too were to clash against them. This verse of the Holy Qur'an has told
Muslims clearly that, in case they do make full preparations to fight
against their present adversary, it will not only cow them down but
will also cast its shadows over disbelievers living in distant lands, as it
did happen in the case of Cyrus and Ceaser and others of those days.
They all were deterred and suppressed during the age of the rightly-
guided Khulafa' of Islam.
It goes without saying that the process of putting war materials to-
gether and fighting a war has to be backed financially and when it
comes to actual production or procurement of military support, that
too can be made available through investment of money. Therefore, at
the end of the verse, the great merit and reward of spending wealth in
the way of Allah has been described by saying that 'the return for
whatever you spend in the way of Allah shall be given to you in full.'
There are times when this return is received in the form of war spoils
right here in this mortal world as well, otherwise, the return to be re-
ceived in the Hereafter stands already determined - and, as obvious,
that is more praiseworthy.
The third verse (61) takes up injunctions of peace and aspects relat-
ed to it. It was said : وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلُمِ فَاجٌنَحُ لَهَا (And if they tilt towards peace,
you tilt towards it). The word: L (salm) with fatha on sin, or: L (silm
with kasrah on sin are both used in the sense of peace. The meaning of
the verse - as fairly evident from the translation - is that should the
disbelievers incline towards peace on some occasion, you too should in-
cline towards it. At this point, it should be borne in mind that the im-
perative form has been used here to carry the sense of choice. Thus,
the intended sense is that at a time when disbelievers are inclined to-
wards peace, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also has the choice of mak-
ing peace, if he feels peace is in the best interest of Muslims.
And the restriction of: ['3) (if they tilt) tells us that peace can be
made only when the desire to have peace comes from the disbelievers -
because, should Muslims themselves start proposing peace without
their desire to have it, then, this would be taken as a sign of their
weakness.
However, should there arise a situation in which Muslims are to-

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tally encircled and find no way out except a peace for security deal,
then, initiating a peace proposal is also permissible as ruled by Mus-
lim jurists and as proved through hints given in the directives of the
Holy Qur'an and Sunnah (nuşus).
And since the proposal of peace initiated by the enemy does have
the probability that they might use it as a strategy of deceit, make
them negligent and then make a surprise attack, therefore, at the end
صلى الله عليه وسلم of the verse, the instruction given to the Holy Prophet
was :ُوَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَِّيْعُ الْعَلِيم (and place your trust in Allah. Surely, He
is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing - 61). It means that Allah Ta'ala hears
what they say and also knows the intentions and designs concealed in
their hearts. He is sufficient to help you, therefore, do not base your
decisions to do things on such probabilities which cannot be proved.
The safest policy was to entrust all such apprehensions and scruples
with Allah.
After that, in the fourth verse (62), the same subject has been taken
up with added clarity where it was said:
وَإِنْ تُرِيُّدُؤْآَ أَنْ يَخْدَعُوْكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللهُ هُوَ الَّذِينَ آَبَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
And if they intend to deceive you, then, Allah is all-sufficient
for you. He is the One who supported you with His help and
with the believers.
It means that should this very probability turn out to be the reality
on the ground - that their intention is bad and they stop at nothing
short of a deceptive strike against you - even then, you do not have to
bother about it because Allah is sufficient as your supporter. This has
been true earlier too. Things have worked for the Holy Prophet & with
nothing but the help and support of Allah Ta'ala. He was always there
behind him, a fact which is the very basis of his victory and success.
Then, it was for everyone to witness that He made a group of Muslims
rise around him who became his helping hands in the mission. All
these arrangements were the outward causes of the phenomena. The
thing to believe is that the real and absolute Master who fused togeth-
er all causes of victory and success in a visible form shall never leave
him alone to be deceived by the enemy even today. It was under this
Divine promise when, after the revelation of this verse, it never hap-
pened throughout the entire span of his life that any deceit or ambush
from his enemies brought any harm to him. Therefore, the scholars of

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Tafsir have said that this promise for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is
very much like the promise made in:ِوَاللهُ يَعْصِعُكَ مِنَ النَّاس (and Allah shall
keep you protected from the people - 5:67) when, after the revelation of
this verse, the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم had asked his noble Compan-
ions who guarded him against any such dangers that they should now
feel relieved and forget about their security concerns regarding his
person. This tells us that this promise was special to the Holy Prophet
Bayan al-Qur'an) As for others, they should do things in). صلى الله عليه وسلم
terms of formal arrangements after assessing prevailing conditions.
Verses 63 - 66
وَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ، لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَافِى الْآَرْضِ جَمِيْعًا مَّاَ اَلَّفْتَ
بَيْنَ قُلُؤُبِهِمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللّهَ اَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌّ حَكِيْمٌ ﴿٦٣﴾
يَآَيُّهَا التَّبِىُ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿١٤)
◌َيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ خَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ، إِنُ تَكُنُ قِّنْكُمْ
عِشْرُوْنَ صِبِرُوْنَ يَغْلِبُوْا مِائَتَيْنِ، وَإِنْ يَّكُنُ قِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُآ
اَلْفًّا قِنَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّ يَفْقَهُوُنَ ﴿٦٥﴾ اَلُْنَّ خَفَّفَ
اللهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيْكُمُ ضَعْفًا، فَإِنْ يَّكُنُ قِّنْكُمْ قِائَةٌ
صَابِرَةٌ تَغْلِبُوْا مِائَتَيْنِ، وَإِنْ يَكُنُ مِّنْكُمْ اَلْفٌ تَغْلِبُؤْآَ اَلْفَيْنِ
بِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللهُ مَعَ الصُّبِرِيْنَ ﴿٦٦)
... and united their hearts. Had you spent all that is on
earth, you would have not united their hearts. But Al-
lah did unite their hearts. Surely, He is Mighty, Wise.
[63]
O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you, and the believers
who followed you. [64]
O Prophet, rouse the believers to fight. If there are
twenty among you, who are patient, they will overcome
two hundred; and if there are one hundred among you,
they will overcome one thousand of those who disbe-
lieve, for they are a people who do not understand. [65]
And Allah has made it easy on you and He knew that
there is weakness in you. So, if there are one hundred

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among you, who are patient, they will overcome two
hundred; and if there are one thousand among you,
they will overcome two thousand by the will of Allah.
And Allah is with the patient. [66]
Commentary
The first (63) of the four verses from Surah Al-Anfal cited above de-
scribes the cause of Muslim victory and the method through which it
was achieved. In the verse appearing previous to it (62), the address
was to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم where he was told that it was but
Allah who had helped him in His own special way, and through the
community of Muslims with him. This verse is telling us that help
from the community of Muslims can only be made available when this
community is mutually in agreement with each other and united as
one. Thus, the power and weight it carries emerges to the measure of
cohesion and unity it has. If relationship based on mutual unity is
strong, the whole community is strong and if this mesh of relation-
ships is loose, the whole community turns incoherent and weak. In
this verse, Allah Ta'ala has mentioned his particular blessing which
was bestowed on common Muslims for their help and support to the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whereby their hearts were filled with per-
fect unity and love. Though, before the migration of the Holy Prophet
to Madinah, deadly wars had been fought between two of صلى اللّه عليه وسلم
their tribes, Aws and Khazraj. As for mutual disputes, they were a
regular feature of their lives. But, it was the barakah of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that Allah Ta'ala made sworn enemies loving
brothers to each other. So, the real cause of the establishment and sur-
vival of the new Islamic state at Madinah and that of its dominance
over enemies was nothing but the help and support given by Allah
Ta'ala - and the apparent cause was the mutual love and unity among
Muslims.
Alongwith it, also made clear in this verse is the fact that uniting
the hearts of different people and infusing them with love and concern
for each other is something beyond human control. This can be done
only by Him who has created all. If someone were to spend the entire
wealth of the world to make this happen by creating love in the hearts
of people who hate each other, even then, this feat shall remain be-
yond his reach and control.

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Real and Lasting Unity among Muslims depends on Obedience
to Allah Ta'ala
This also tells us that uniting the hearts of people and making
them mutually filled with love for each other is a blessing from Allah
and it is also obvious that this blessing cannot be hoped for in the
presence of disobedience to Allah Ta'ala, in fact, for any hope to have
His blessing, obedience to Him and the seeking of His pleasure are
binding conditions.
No sensible person from any religion or community would differ
about unity among individual and social groups as being commendable
and beneficial. Therefore, everyone who is concerned about reforming
people puts stress on uniting them together. But, the world at large
(as we have found it and fashioned it) is unaware of the reality of
things - that full and lasting unity cannot be forged and received on an
assembly line through pragmatic designs. This can be achieved only
through obedience to Allah Ta'ala and the seeking of His pleasure. The
Holy Qur'an has pointed out to this reality in several verses. For in-
stance, at one such place, it was said: وَاعْتَصِحُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلا تَفَرَّقُوا (Hold the
cord of Allah firmly, all of you, and do not be divided - 3:103). Given
here is the method of avoiding differences and dissensions. The meth-
od is that everyone should firmly hold on to the cord of Allah - the
Qur'an or the Shari'ah of Islam - and, as a result, everyone shall stand
united together all by themselves and all mutual differences would
evaporate from the scene. As for the normal difference of opinion, that
is something else. If it remains within its limits, it never becomes the
cause of dissensions and disputes. Dispute and disorder erupt only
when the limits of Shari'ah are crossed. In our day, everyone loves to
harp on unity. But, the meaning of unity everyone is fond of taking is:
If people agree to what I say, everyone will stand united. And others
too who are equally concerned about unity would very much like them
to agree to what they say, and thus claim that this is the only way for
all to be united. Although, when a normal difference of opinion is inev-
itable, even necessary, among reasonable and honest people, then, it is
evident that should everyone make his or her agreement with the oth-
er person depend on the eventuality that the other person agrees to
what he or she says, then, mutual unity cannot materialize until the
Day of Doom. Instead of all that, there is just no sound and natural
format of unity other than that which has been given by the Holy