Indexed OCR Text

170
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 7 - 10
Badr has been given as one thousand at this place, while in Surah 'Al-
'Imran (3: 124) the number mentioned is three thousand and five thou-
sand. The reason for this lies in three different promises made under
different circumstances. The first promise was that of one thousand
angels, the reason for which was the prayer of the Holy Prophet AL
du Lle and the supporting plaint of common Muslims with him. The
second promise of three thousand angels which appears first in Surah
'Al-'Imran was made at a time when Muslims heard about the addi-
tional forces coming to join the Quraysh army. It has been reported in
Ruh al-Ma'ani as based on a narration of Al-Sha'bi from Ibn Abi
Shaybah, Ibn al-Mundhir and others that on the day of the battle of
Badr when Muslims heard that Kurz ibn Jabir Muharibi was coming
with additional armed support for the disbelievers, they were
disturbed and agitated. Thereupon, the verse of 'Al-'Imran: 31kake gif
Shall it not suffice you that your Lord": ◌ُِّدَّكُمُ رَبُّكُمُ بِقَلْقَةِ الَفٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَِّكَةِ مُنْزِلِيْنَ
should help you with three thousand of the angels sent down (for
you)?" - 3:124) was revealed and referred to wherein is the promise of
sending a force of three thousand angels from the heavens in order to
support believers.
As for the third promise of five thousand, it was made subject to
the condition that should the enemy launch a sudden offensive, a
supporting force of five thousand angels will be sent down. That
promise appears in the verse which follows verse 124 of Surah 'Al-
'Imran (3) cited immediately above. Given here are the words in which
it has been mentioned:
بَلَى إِنْ تَصْبُوْا وَتَتَّقُوا وَيَأْتُؤْكُمُ ◌ِنٌ فَوْرِهِمْ هَذَا يُمْدِدُكُمْ رَبُّكُمُ بِخَمُسَةِ الْآَفٍ
مِنَ الْمَلِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِيْنَ
"Why not? If you stay patient and fear Allah and they come
upon you even in this heat of theirs, your Lord will reinforce
you with five thousand of the angels having distinct marks"
(3:125).
Some Commentators have said that this promise had three condi-
tions: (1) Fortitude, (2) Taqwa or fear of Allah and (3) Sudden and all-
out attack by the opposing forces. Out of these, the first two conditions
were already fulfilled by the noble Companions for no departure from
these was witnessed in this battlefield from the beginning to the end.

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 7 - 10
But, what did not take place was the third condition of a sudden
attack. Therefore, things did not reach the point where the army of
five thousand angels was to be inducted.
So, this matter remained revolving between one and three thou-
sand which also lends to the probability that the figure of three thou-
sand may mean the one thousand sent earlier to which an additional
force of two thousand was added and made to be three thousand - and
it is also probable that these three thousand were in addition to the
first one thousand.
At this stage, it is also interesting to note that the promise of
sending three groups of angels in these three verses (8:9; 3:124; 3:125)
mentions a quality particular to each group. In the present verse,
verse 9 of Surah Al-Anfal, where the promise is for one thousand, the
word used to describe the quality of these angels is gas'' (murdifin:
translated here as 'one following the other'). Perhaps, the indication
already given within the text is that there are others too coming
behind these angels. Then, in the first verse of Surah 'Al-'Imran (3:124)
quoted above, the quality of the angels has been given as: 300 ;.
(munzalin : translated as 'sent down [for you]'). The sense is that these
angels will be made to descend from the heavens. In this, there is a
hint towards the special arrangement made in this connection - that
the angels already present on the earth will not be employed for this
mission, instead of which, it will be by special appointment and
despatch that these angels will be sent down from the heavens to
fulfill the assignment they have been sent to carry out. After that, we
have the second verse (3:125) of Surah 'Al-'Imran where the figure of five
thousand has been mentioned. There, the quality of the angels has
been stated to be: 25? (musawwim in: translated as 'having distinct
marks') that is, they shall be appearing in a particular dress and
distinctive signs and marks. This is corroborated by Hadith narrations
which report that the headgear of angels that descended during the
battle of Badr was white and that of the angels who were sent down to
help believers in the battle of Hunayn was red.
Finally, towards the end of the verse (10), it was said: fru,
"S"BEDELI (And the help is from none but Allah. Surely, Allah is
Mighty, Wise). Here, Muslims have been warned that all help, what-

172
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 11 - 14
ever and from wherever it may be, open or secret, is from Allah Ta'ala
alone and issues forth through His power and control only. The help
and support of angels is also subject to nothing but His command.
Therefore, all believers must look up to none but the most pristine
Being of Allah who is One and with Whom there is no partner or asso-
ciate - because, He is the possessor of Power and Wisdom at its
greatest.
Verses 11 - 14
إِذْ يُغَيِّيْكُمُ الْتُّعَاسَ آمَنَةً مِنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءَ
لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجُزَ الشَّيْطِنِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلى
قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الْآَقْدَامَ ﴿١١﴾ إِذْ يُؤْحِىْ رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلِكَةِ
أَنِّى مَعَكُمْ فَقَبِّئُوا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوَاء سَأُلْقِىْ فِىْ قُلُوُبِ الَّذِيْنَ
كَفَرُوا الُّعُبَ فَاضُرِبُوْا فَوْقَ الْأَعْنَاقِ وَاضْرِبُوا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ
بَانِ ﴿١٢) ذُلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَّقُوا اللهَ وَرَسُوْلَهُ وَمَنْ تُشَاقِقِ اللهَ
وَ رَسُوْلَةُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيْدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴿١٣) ذُلِكُمْ قَدُوُقُوْهُ وَأَنَّ
لِلْكُفِرِيْنَ عَذَابَ النَّارِ ﴿١٤)
When He covered you with drowsiness, as tranquility
(descending) from Him and sent down upon you water
from the heavens, so that He might purify you with it,
and remove from you the impurity of Satan, and so that
He might strengthen your hearts and make (your) feet
firm therewith. [11]
When your Lord revealed to the angels: "I am with you.
So, make those who believe firm. I shall cast terror into
the hearts of those who disbelieve. So, strike over the
necks, and smite them (so as to even reach) every
finger-joint of theirs." [12]
That is because they were hostile to Allah and His
Messenger. And whoever becomes hostile to Allah and
His Messenger, then, Allah is severe at punishment. [13]
That is what you have to taste and for the disbelievers
there is the punishment of the Fire. [14]

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 11 - 14
Commentary
Being enumerated from the very beginning are blessings of Allah
Ta'ala which descended upon His obedient servants. The events of the
battle of Badr are parts of the same chain. Out of the many blessings
bestowed by Allah Ta'ala during the battle of Badr, the very first
blessing is the bringing out of Muslims for this Jihad, which finds
mention in: agassi& (When your Lord made you leave your home - 5).
The second blessing is the promise of providing the support of angels
which has been made in: 'un's&3 (And when Allah was promising you -
7). The third blessing is the answer to the prayer made and the fulfill-
ment of the promise of support given, which has been mentioned in: 31
sie (When you were calling your Lord for help - 9). The fourth
blessing finds its description in the first of the set of four verses cited
immediately above (11). Mentioned here are two blessings for the
believers: (1) The removal of anxiety and fatigue through a mass
descension of drowsiness; and (2) the provision of water for them
through rains which aslo made the battlefield smooth for them and
muddy for the enemy.
According to the details of what happened there, when this first
ever confrontation between kufr (disbelief, infidelity) and Islam
turned into a certain battle, the army of the disbelievers of Makkah
had already reached and set up camp at a place which was located on
high grounds with water close to them. When the Holy Prophet Ll L.
du ble and the Companions arrived at that place, the lower part of
valley fell to their lot. The Holy Qur'an has portrayed the lay-out of
this battlefield in verse 42 of this very Surah by saying: 5 Binsky ET 31
ali'nt (When you were on the nearest cliff, and they were on the
farthest one - 8:42) a detailed description of which shall appear later.
The spot reaching where the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had first
camped was considered strategically inappropriate by Sayyidna Hubab
ibn al-Mundhir we All go, who knew this territory well. Keeping this in
view, he respectfully inquired: 'Ya Rasulallah! Does this place you
have selected happen to be in compliance to a command from Allah
Ta'ala in which we have no say, or it has been taken to as simply based
on opinion and expedience?' He said: 'No, this is not something
Divinely ordained. This can be changed or re-located.' After that, Sayy-

174
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 11 - 14
idna Hubab ibn al-Mundhir submitted: 'If so, it is better to move
forward from this spot, reach a water source close to the armed force of
Makkan chiefs and take it over. We are sure to have an abundant
supply of water there.'The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم accepted his
proposal, marched ahead, took over the spot with water, had a water
tank built there and saw to it that an ample supply of water has been
stored in it.
After he had taken care of this strategic need, Sayyidna Sa'd ibn
Mu'adh de Algo, said: "Ya Rasulallah! We would like to put up a
shaded structure for you at a secure place where you could stay and
where your riding animals could be nearby you. The plan behind this
arrangement is that we shall wage our Jihad against the enemy and if
Allah were to bless us with victory, then, our plan is well-served for
this is what we like for you. But, God forbid, should things turn out
otherwise, then, you would be in a position to ride your camel and go
back to join the rest of your Companions left behind in Madinah -
because, I am strongly inclined to believe that they are no less than us
in terms of sacrifice for the cause and love for you. In fact, if they had
any idea of the eventuality that you will have to fight against this
armed force, then, none of them would have chosen to stay behind. I
am sure when you are back in Madinah, they will continue to be your
companions in the mission.' On this gallant and noble offer, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed for them. So, a ragtag awning of some
modest sort was set up for him in which there was no one but he
(رضى الله عنه Sayyidna Muradh. رضى الله عنه himself and Sayyidna Abu Bakr
sword in hand, stood on the door, guarding.
This was the first night of confrontation. A bunch of three hundred
and thirteen mostly unarmed souls stood against a thousand strong
armed force, being three times more in numbers. They had already
occupied the better spot of the battlefield. The lower part of the valley
which was sandy and difficult to move around had fallen to the lot of
Muslims. Everyone was concerned. Anxiety was natural. The Satan
also started instigating some people: Here you are, claiming to be on
the path of truth and at a time so crucial you are busy making
Tahajjud prayers rather than go and take some rest. But, cast a look
at the ground reality - you will see your enemy casting his heavy

175
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 11 - 14
shadows on you being far superior to you from all angles. Under these
conditions, Allah Ta'ala cast a unique kind of drowsiness on Muslims
which made every Muslim, whether or not he intended to sleep, go to
sleep compulsively.
Hafiz al-Hadith, Abu Ya'la reports that Sayyidna 'Ali al-Murtada
as JI yo, said: On that night of the battle of Badr, there remained no
one from among us who did not go to sleep. Only the Holy Prophet
y tle All remained awake throughout the night and kept busy with
the Salah of Tahajjud right through dawn.
Quoting the Sahih, Ibn Kathir reports that, on that night, when the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was busy with the Salah of Tahajjud in his
'Arish, the twig-roofed hutment set up for him, he too was somewhat
affected by drowsiness. But, immediately coming out of it with a smile,
he said: "O Abu Bakr, here comes good news for you. This is Jibra'il de
WWI standing near the cliff" and saying this, he walked out of the.
hutment reciting the verse which follows: ◌َسَعُهُزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلَّوُنَ الدُّه (Soon the
gathered group of the enemy will be defeated and they will turn [their]
backs - 54:45). According to some narrations, when he came out, he
pointed towards various spots and said: "This is the spot where Abu
Jahl will be killed, and this is for so and so, and this is for so and so.'
Then, events turned out to be precisely as he had indicated. (Tafsir
Mazharī)
And as it happened during the battle of Badr where Allah Ta'ala
cast a particular kind of drowsiness on all Companions of the Prophet
in order to remove their fatigue and tension, so it did during the battle
of 'Uhud.
Sufyan al-Thawri e Ji, reports on the authority of Sayyidna
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud are Al +, that sleep during the state of war is a
sign of peace and tranquility from Allah Ta'ala - and sleep during the
state of Salah is from the Satan. (Ibn Kathir)
The second blessing Muslims received that night was that rains
came and totally overturned all battle plans. The spot occupied by the
Quraysh army was hit by heavy rains which made it muddy and diffi-
صلى الله عليه cult to walk through. Then, the spot where the Holy Prophet
, and his Companions were camped was sandy and difficult to walk

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 11 - 14
through at the very outset. When rains came, this spot received the
lighter part of it which helped firm up the sandy surface making the
ground nice and easy to walk on.
The first of the four verses appearing above (11) mentions these
very two blessings - sleep and rain - which, by upturning the blueprint
of the battlefield, washed off the Satanic scruples which were both-
ering some weak combatants, scruples like: 'Here we are, on the side of
truth, yet appear to be all subdued and overshadowed while there
stands our enemy who is, despite being on the side of falsehood,
basking in the sunshine of power, majesty and confidence!'
So, Muslims are being told in this verse to remember the time
when Allah was covering them up with drowsiness to make tranquility
from Him descend upon them, and He was sending down rains upon
them so that He purifies them with that water - and removes from
them the impurity of Satanic instigations and scruples, and
strengthens their hearts, and makes their feet firm.
Mentioned in the second verse (12) is the fifth blessing which was
beamed at Muslims in this battlefield of Badr. That came through the
command addressed to the angels sent by Allah Ta'ala to help
Muslims, in which He said: 'I am with you. So, you make believers
firm. I am going to cast terror into the hearts of disbelievers. So, strike
over their necks, and smite them [so as to even reach] every finger-
joint of theirs.'
Here, the angels have been charged with two duties: (1) That they
should encourage, exhort and empower Muslims with steadfastness
which can be done either by appearing on the battlefield, increase
their group strength and participate with them in fighting, or also by
using their unobserved ability to dispose matters (tasarruf) they would
make the hearts of Muslims firm and empower them to operate more
effectively. (2) The second duty entrusted with them was that the
angels should themselves engage in fighting and attack disbelievers.
From this verse (at least for the purpose on hand), it is apparent that
the angels did both. They acted upon the hearts of Muslims, increased
their courage and strength, and took part in the actual fighting as
well. This is also confirmed by some Hadith narrations which have
been reported in details in Tafsir Al-Durr Al-Manthur and Mazhari
.

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 15 - 19
and where eye witnesses to the participation of angels in actual
fighting have been documented on the authority of the noble Şahabah.
In the third verse (13), it was said that the reason for whatever
happened during this confrontation between kufr and Islam was that
those disbelievers were hostile to Allah and His Messenger and
whoever becomes hostile to Allah and His Messenger, then, for him
the punishment of Allah is customarily severe. This tells us that, on
the one hand, Muslims were the blessed ones in the battle of Badr for
victory became theirs. On the other hand, by sending punishment on
disbelievers through Muslims, they were chastised a little for their evil
doings - while, the much heavier punishment awaits them in the Here-
after - both of which have been described in the fourth verse (14) by
saying: ◌ِذلِكُمْ فَذُوقُؤُهُ وَأَنَّ لِلْكُفِرِينَ عَذَابُ النَّار (That is what you have to taste, and for
the disbelievers there is the punishment of the Fire).
In other words, what is being said here is: This is a little punish-
ment from Us. So, taste it and better realize that, after this, the
punishment of the fire of Jahannam is due to come for disbelievers, a
punishment which is severe, lasting and unimaginable.
Verses 15 - 19
◌َيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُواْ إِذَا لَقِيْهُمْ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّؤُهُمُ
الْآَدْبَارَ ﴿٢٥) وَمَنْ تُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمِذٍ دُبُرَّةً إِلَّ مُتَحَرِّفًا لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ
مُتَحَتِّزًا إِلَى فِئَّةٍ فَقَدْ جَآءَ بِغَضَبٍ ◌ِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأُولُهُ جَهَنَّمُ،
وَبِتُّسَ الْمُصِيْرُ ﴿١٦﴾ فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُؤُهُمْ وَلكِنَّ اللَّهُ قَتَلَهُمُ صَوَمَا
رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلكِنَّ اللَّهُ رَمِى وَلِي ◌ُبْلِىَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْهُ بَلَّ؟
حَسَنَّاء إِنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٧) ذُلِكُمُ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ مُؤْهِنُ كَيْدٍ
الْكُفِرِينَ ﴿١٨) إِنْ تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدٌ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتْعُ « وَإِنْ تَنْتَهُوْا
فَهُوَ خَيْرًا لَّكُمُ, وَإِنْ تَعُدُوًا نَعُدُ« وَلَنْ تُغْنِىَ عَنْكُمُ فِنَتُكُمْ
ع
شَيْئًا وَلَوْكَثُرَتُ « وَأَنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ ا
$ 193
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
O those who believe, when you face the disbelievers
marching to battle, then, do not turn your backs on

178
Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 15 - 19
them. [15] And whoever turns his back on them that
day, unless maneuvering for battle or turning to join a
company, turns with wrath from Allah, and his abode is
Jahannam and it is an evil place to return. [16]
So, you did not kill them, but Allah killed them. And
you did not throw when you threw but Allah did throw,
so that He may bless the believers with a good favour.
Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [17] Apart
from that, Allah is the One who frustrates the device of
the disbelievers. [18]
If you pray for victory, 'victory' has come upon you.
And if you give up, it is better for you. And if you
repeat, We shall repeat. And your people shall not
suffice you at all, even though they are many in
number; and Allah is with the believers. [19]
Commentary
Out of the verses appearing above, the first two (15-16) tell us about
a military law of Islam. The word: J; (zahf) translated here literally as
'marching to battle' denotes the confrontation and intermingling
between the two armies. The sense is that once a war is on, turning
back and deserting the battlefield is not permissible for Muslims.
The second verse (16) refers to an exception to this rule, and to a
severe punishment for illegal deserters.
The exception covers two states: (1) ◌ٍإِلَّمْتَحَرِّقًا لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَبِّزًاً إلى فِئَة (unless
maneuvering for battle,) (2) ◌ٍأَوْ مُتَحَيّزًاً إلى فِئَة (or turning to join a company)
that is, when a war is on, turning one's back is permissible only under
two conditions. Firstly, this turning back from the battlefield should
simply be strategic, just to hoodwink the enemy and certainly not to
bolt away from the battlefield in reality. In short, the purpose in sight
should be to launch a blitzkrieg or a lightning attack on the enemy by
making them complacent about what may look like a real retreat. This
is the meaning of the statement: Jus up! ft (unless maneuvering for
battle) because the word: = (taharruf) is used to refer to turning away
towards a certain side obliquely. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
The second state of exception in which it is permissible to turn
one's back from the battlefield is that one realizes the weakness of
one's combating force and moves back to gather additional support

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 15 - 19
from Mujahidin and come back into the battle with added strength.
This is what the sentence: a ) gi (or turning to join a company)
means because the word: ' (tahayyuz) literally means to join up and
ús (fi'ah) signifies a group, company or force. Thus, the sense is that
should one back out from the battlefield with the intention of joining
up with one's group, assembling the needed fighting support and
returning to attack again, then, this is permissible.
After having mentioned this exception, the text describes the
punishment of those who deserted the battlefield or turned their backs
illegally without being under conditions which have been granted
exception. The words are: ◌ُفَقَدْ بَآءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَاُوسُ جَهَتَّمُ وَيِفُسَ المُصِيْر that is, the
deserter and dodger of a Jihad battle only 'turns back with wrath from
Allah, and his abode is Jahannam (Hell) and it is an evil place to
return.'
From these two verses (15-16) comes the governing rule that, no
matter how large in numbers, and superior in strength and power, the
adversary may be, it is Haram (forbidden, unlawful) for Muslims to
turn their backs from fighting them - with the exception of two condi-
tions: (1) That this turning back is not for deserting the battlefield,
instead, is a feinted move or strategic ploy, (2) and that it is with the
intention to return with auxiliary forces and resume attacking afresh.
When these verses were revealed during the battle of Badr, this
was the operating order of the time, that is, take on the enemy, irre-
spective of its numbers, strength and power, and irrespective of your
own numbers and strength as compared to it, then do not turn back
from the combat and run for life. This is how it was in Badr. Only
three hundred and thirteen Mujahidin were facing one thousand, three
times their number. It was later on that injunctions relaxing restric-
tions were revealed in verses 65 and 66 of Surah Al-Anfal, now under
study. In verse 65, twenty Muslims have been commanded to wage
Jihad against two hundred disbelievers, and one hundred Muslims
against one thousand of them. Then, in verse 66, the following law of
additional relaxation was revealed:
اَلْتُ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيُكُمُ ضَعْفًا ، فَإِنٌ يَّكُنُ مِنْكُمُ قِّائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ
◌َّغُلِبُوْا مِائَتَيْنِ

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 15 - 19
Now Allah Ta'ala has granted relief to you in view of your
weakness whereby one hundred steadfast Muslims shall be
able to overcome two hundred disbelievers.'
The indication given here is that Muslims are, after all, expected to
overcome an adversary twice their number, therefore, it is not permis-
sible for them to turn their backs. However, if the numerical strength
of the adversary turns out to be more than twice their number, then,
under such a condition, it is permissible to disengage and leave the
battlefield.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas aus Ul », said: 'A person who fled
against three did not 'flee' but one who fled against two is a deserter,
that is, is answerable for a major sin.' (Ru al-Ma'ani). Now, this is the
injunction which holds good right through the Last Day. According to
the consensus of the majority of the Muslim Ummah, and in the view
of the Four Imams, the exact Islamic Legal position in this case is:
Until such time the number of the adversary does not go beyond twice,
it is Haram to desert the battlefield, and is a major sin.
In the Sahihayn (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), it has been reported from
صلى الله عليه وسلم that the Holy Prophet رضى الله عنه Sayyidna Abu Hurairah
identified seven things as fatal for a person. He counted fleeing from
the battlefield also as one of these. And the Holy Qur'an rated the
early retreat of the noble Companions during the battle of Hunayn as
a Satanic slip which confirms that it is a great sin. The actual state-
ment of the Qur'an is: aurait) ( Satan has but made them slip -
3:155)
Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud have reported the incident of Sayyidna
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar as Uly, that once he left the battlefield, took
refuge in Madinah and presented himself before the Holy Prophet L.
du ude All where he confessed to his misconduct and expressed his utter
dismay and confusion on having become a sinning deserter of the
battlefield. The Holy Prophet وصلى الله عليه وسلم far from being displeased
with him, rather comforted him by saying: بل أنتم العكارون وانا فئتكم (No, you
are not of those who flee from battles, instead of that, you are here to
seek support after which you are to go back into the battle and attack
once again, and I am, for you, the support). Here, the Holy Prophet
te Ji has made it very clear that the act of those who fled into

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Madinah for refuge is included under the exception which permits
leaving the battlefield in order to assemble and bring back additional
support. It was actually on the basis of the specially high degree of
fear, awe and recognition of the greatness of Allah Ta'ala which was
part of his persona that Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar Le digo, was
disturbed even at this maneuvered retreat as well and went to the act
of presenting himself before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as if he had
committed some crime.
In the third verse (17), after recounting the rest of the event which
transpired at the battle of Badr, Muslims have been instructed that
they should not take the defeat of many by some and of the strong by
the weak in the miraculous victory of the battle of Badr to be the
outcome of their own effort and deed. In fact, they should be looking
towards the most sacred Being of Allah whose help and support totally
re-wrote all plans in this Battle.
The details of this event mentioned in the verse have been reported
by Ibn Jarir, Al-Țabari, Al-Baihaqi and others as based on narrations
from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas as Mo, and others.
On the day of the confrontation at Badr, says the report, when the
armed force of one thousand men of Makkah entered into the valley
from behind the cliff, it did not hide its contempt for Muslims being
low in numbers and weak in combat fitness. And on top of it, it came
waxing proud over its numbers and strength, betraying great arro-
gance. At that time, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم raised his hands of
prayer saying: 'Ya Allah! Here come Your beliers, the Quraysh of
Makkah, all proud and arrogant. The promise of victory You have
made to me, let that promise be fulfilled soon.' (Ruh al-Bayan) Thereupon,
angel Jibra'il came and said: 'You take a handful of dust and throw it
towards the army of the enemy.' He did what he was asked to do. And
according to a report of Ibn Abi Hatim based on a narration of Ibn
Zayd, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم picked up a handful of dust and
pebbles thrice; the first he threw towards the right of the army, the
second towards the left, and the third towards the center. The outcome
was that these one to three handfuls of dust and pebbles were Divinely
spread out miraculously all over them, so much so that not one man
from the force was left without having received part of this dust and

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these pebbles over his eyes and face. Naturally, this caused a rampage
in the army. Muslims pursued them. The angels were with them,
fighting and killing. (Mazharī, Ruh)
Finally, some fighting men from the opposing side were killed,
some were taken prisoners, the rest ran away and the battle was won
by the Muslims.
This great victory was achieved by Muslims in the background
which was initially full of dismay and hopelessness. So, when they
returned from the battlefield, they started talking about it. The
Companions got busy relating their deeds on the battlefield. Revealed
thereupon was this verse: He du Elle i (So, you did not kill them,
but Allah killed them -17) through which they were instructed not to
wax proud over their effort and deed, for that which happened there
was not simply the outcome of their personal effort and deed. In fact, it
was purely and simply the fruit of the help and support given by Allah
Ta'ala - and the enemies killed at their hands were not really killed by
them, rather, they were killed by Allah Ta'ala.
وَمًا : it was said ,صلى الله عليه وسلم Similarly, addressing the Holy Prophet
And you did not throw when you threw, but Allah) رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلِكِنَّ اللَّهُ رَمِى
did throw). It means that the specific outcome of the act of throwing,
whereby it would reach the eyes of every fighting man in the enemy
force and frighten them all, was not the direct effect of 'his' throwing.
It was, in fact, the perfect power of Allah Ta'ala which generated the
format of this situation. To quote Rumi for a chic poetic explanation:
کارما برکارها دارد سبق
مارمیت اذ رمیت گفت حق
'And you did not throw when you did,' said Allah,
'Our Act
precedes all other
acts.'
Certainly valuable for Muslims - more valuable than their victory
in Jihad - was this instruction which disengaged their minds from
means and tied it up with the master-provider of all means, and
through it, saved them from falling into the trap of pride and arro-
gance which generally intoxicates victorious nations. After that it was
said that victory and defeat are subservient to the command of Allah
وَلِيُبْلِىَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلاء:and that His support is with those who are obedient
us (so that He may bless the believers with a good favour). It means

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that Allah blessed the believers with this great victory in order to give
them the best of return for their obedience and struggle. The literal
meaning of the word: < > (bala') is test or trial. As for the test taken by
Allah Ta'ala, it sometimes comes when someone is put to distress or
hardship - and there are occasions when this is done by giving
someone comfort and wealth. Here, the name of hasan (good) bala'
(trial) has been given to a test which is taken by giving comfort,
wealth, support and victory to find out if people who are so blessed
take it to be a favour from Allah and are grateful for it, or take it to be
the outcome of their personal excellence, become proud and arrogant
and undo what they did - because, there is no room for pride from
anyone before Allah Ta'ala.
In contrast to this, yet another benefit which came out of this
ذْلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُؤْهِرُ كَيْدِ الْكُفِرِينَ :victory has been described in the fourth verse as
(Apart from that, Allah is the One who frustrates the device of the
disbelievers - 18). In other words, it can be said that Muslims were
blessed with this victory for yet another reason, that is, the plans of
the disbelievers should be rendered ineffective through it, something
which would make them understand that Divine support is not with
them - and no plan can succeed without it.
The fifth verse (19) carries an address to the defeated disbelievers
from the tribe of Quraysh and refers to an event which came to pass
when the Quraysh army was about to depart Makkah on their mission
to confront Muslims.
According to the report of that event, when the army of Qurayshi
disbelievers was ready to march against Muslims, the commander of
the army, Abu Jahl and other chiefs had made earnest prayers holding
the covering drapes of the Baytullah in their hands before leaving
Makkah. Strange as it would seem, they did not specifically pray for
their own victory. Rather, the prayer they made was in general terms
and its words were:
"O Allah, let victory come to the superior-most out of the two
armies, and to the better-guided out of the two groups, and to
the nobler out of the two parties, and to the religion and faith
which is more sublime out of the two." (Mazhari)
It is interesting that these dim-witted people were under the

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impression that they were the ones higher and superior and better-
guided as compared to Muslims, therefore, they surmised that the
prayer they were making was in their own favour. They actually
wanted that Allah would, through their prayer, give His verdict as to
who was true and who was false. Thus, when they win, their victory
would become the Divine verdict on their being on the side of truth.
But, they did not know that the prayer they were making was
really a curse for their own selves, and that it was a supplication for
the good of Muslims. After the end of the battle came, the Qur'an told
them :ُإِنْ تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدُ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتُح (If you pray for victory, "victory" has come
upon you) that is, 'if you are looking for a Divine verdict, that is before
you - truth has triumphed and falsehood has been defeated. Then: 31,
35 % (if you give up it is better for you) that is, 'now is the time
when, if you abandon your disbelief and hostility, it will turn out to be
better for you.' And, if you still decide to revert back to your wicked-
ness and the threat of armed aggression, then, Allah too will revert
back and support Muslims: 225 1;3,4531; (And if you repeat, We shall
وَلَنُ تُغْنِىَ عَنْكُمْ فِتَهُكُمُ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَفُرَتُ : repeat). In that case, the consequence would be
(And your people shall not suffice you at all, even though they are
many in number) that is, 'your numerical superiority and group
strength shall be of no avail against the help and support given by
Allah.' As for the help and support of Allah : ◌َوَأَنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِين (Allah is with
the believers) that is, 'how can any group or power work for you when
Allah Ta'ala, the very possessor of absolute power, is with the
Muslims?'
Verses 20 - 24
◌َآَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُزَا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُوْلَهُ وَلَا تَوَلَّزًا عَنْهُ وَأَنْهُمْ
تَسْمَعُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلَا تَكُوْنُوْا كَالَّذِيْنَ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا
يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿٢١﴾ إِنَّ شَرًّا الدَّوَاتِ عِنْدَ اللهِ القُمُ الْبُكُمُ الَّذِيْنَ
لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٢٢) وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيُهِمْ خَيْرًا لَّاَسُمَعَهُمْ، وَلَوْ
أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَّلَّوْا وَهُمْ تُعُرِضُوْنَ ﴿٢٢﴾ ◌َتُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا
اسْتَجِبُهُوْا لِلَّهِ وَلِرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحُبِيْكُمْ , وَاعْلَمُوْا أَنَّ

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 20 - 24
اللَّهَ يَحُوْلُ بَيْنَ الْمُرَءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهَ إِلَيْهِ تَحُشَّرُونَ ﴿٢٤﴾
O those who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger,
and do not turn away from Him while you are listening.
[20] And do not be like those who say, "We have heard"
while they do not listen. [21] Surely, the worst of all
animals in the sight of Allah are deaf and the dumb
who do not understand. [22] And had Allah seen in them
some good, He would have made them listen. And had
He made them listen, they would have turned away
paying no heed. [23] O those who believe, respond to
Allah and the Messenger when He calls you to what
gives you life, and be sure that Allah intervenes
between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall
be gathered. [24]
Commentary
The event of the battle of Badr which has been described in a
somewhat detailed manner in the previous verses contains many
lessons in hard advice and wisdom both for those who adhere to Islam
and those who stick to disbelief. These appear intermittently during
the course of relevant narrations and serve as warning signals.
For example, in the previous verses, after having recounted the
defeat and disgrace of the disbelievers of Makkah, it was said: xsu cui
JEsuis (That is because they were hostile to Allah and His
Messenger - 13). It means that the disbelievers of Makkah were
defeated despite their numerical and logistic strength and the real
reason behind it was that they had elected to act hostile to Allah and
His Messenger. In this, there lies a chastening lesson for people who
bypass the most perfect power of the Creator and Master of the
heavens and the earth - the power that is visible and the power that is
invisible - and who opt for placing their reliance on material strengths
only, or just choose to cheat their own selves by hoping and praying
that the help and support of Allah will be by their side despite all their
acts of disobedience to Him.
In the present verse, the other side of this very problem has been
taken up by addressing Muslims. Stated briefly, the truth of the
matter is that Muslims were blessed with this great victory despite
their low numbers and ill-equipped fighting force only through the

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help and support of Allah Almighty - and this Divine help and support
is the outcome of their obedience to Allah. This obedience is what
Muslims have been obligated with and to this they have to adhere
firmly : بَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُؤُاَ اَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَة (O those who believe, obey Allah and His
Messenger). In the sentence which follows, the same subject has been
further emphasized by saying: 3225 21;26 pis ; (and do not turn away
from him while you are listening). The sense is that once you have
listened to the Qur'an, the true word of Allah, do not go about doing
things against the norms of genuine obedience.
Listening denotes listening to what is the truth and it has four
degrees in terms of effective response. (1) The hearer with ears simply
heard some voice but neither tried to understand it, nor understood it,
nor believed in or relied upon it, nor did he act accordingly. (2) He
heard it through his ears all right, even understood it, but did neither
believe in it nor acted accordingly. (3) He heard, he understood, even
believed and trusted, but did not act accordingly. (4) He heard, he
understood, he believed, he trusted - and acted accordingly as well.
It is obvious that the real purpose of listening is fully realized only
through the fourth degree - which is the station of perfect believers. As
for the earlier three degrees, the act of listening described there is
imperfect and incomplete which, in a manner of saying, could be set
aside as just not listening - as readily pointed to in the verses
appearing next. The third degree mentioned above has the ingredients
of hearing the truth, understanding it and believing in it, but lacks
corresponding deeds. Here, the real purpose of listening is though not
realized as it should be, yet belief has its own importance and can not
be rejected as useless. This degree pertains to sinning Muslims. Then
there is the second degree where we find only listening and under-
standing but no belief and no corresponding deed. This degree is that
of the munafiqin (hypocrites) for they do listen to the Qur'an, under-
stand it too, even have a feigned claim to desired belief and deed, but
the reality is that they do not believe and do what is right and due.
Finally, the first degree is that of polytheists and disbelievers who
listened to the message of truth and the 'ayat of the Qur'an with their
own ears but were never motivated enough to understand and think
about that.

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Surah Al-Anfal : 8 : 20 - 24
In the verse cited above (20), the address is to Muslims who have
been told that they do listen to the message of truth after all, that is,
the initial requirement of listening, understanding and believing is
present in their attitude as it is, but they have to do more than that.
They must act, do what must be done and do it fully and faithfully.
They have been asked not to do anything which would take them away
from the path of obedience so that the real purpose of listening to the
word of truth stands realized fully.
For added emphasis on the same subject, it was said in the second
verse (21) :َوَلَا تَكُرُنُوا كَالَّذِينَ قَالُوا سَمِعُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُون (and do not be like those who
say, "we have heard" while they do not listen). Meant here are
common disbelievers who claim to be listening but make no such claim
about believing. Also meant here are the hypocrites who go beyond the
elementary listening which they already do. In fact, they also claim to
understand what that they listen to and to believe in it as well. But,
the truth of the matter is that they both remain deprived of genuine
deliberation and correct understanding. Therefore, their listening falls
under the category of not listening. So, Muslims have been forbidden
from becoming like them.
The third verse (22) strongly condemns those who do not listen to
what is the truth thoughtfully and let it go unaccepted. The Qur'an
has declared such people to be worse than animals. The words used
are : ◌َإِنَّ شَرَ الدَّوَّاتِ عِنْدَ اللهِ القُّ الْبُكُمُ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يَعْقِلُون (Surely, the worst of all animals in
the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb who do not understand).
The word: Ul,. (dawabb) is the plural form of: zīs (dabbah). Literally,
everything that walks on the earth is called 'dabbah.' But, in usage,
only quadruped animals are called 'dabbah.' So, the sense of the verse
is that the worst quadrupeds in the sight of Allah are the ones deaf
against listening to the truth and dumb when it comes to accepting it.
Even someone deaf and dumb could, if he has the least fund of reason
in him, make himself understood by simple gestures in a two-way
communication. But, these people are not only deaf and dumb, they
are short on reason also. It is obvious that for a person, who is deaf,
dumb; and devoid of reason too, the lines of communication shall
remain blocked and there will be no way they would understand or be
made to understand.

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In this verse, Allah Ta'ala has made it clear that human beings
have been created with the best of destiny. They have been made the
superior-most among the created and the universe has been placed at
their service. These are great blessings which lie embedded in and
dependent on listening to truth and obeying it. Once human beings
turn their backs on listening to the truth, understanding and
accepting it, all these blessings are sucked away from them and they
are relegated to some species worse than animals.
It appears in Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan that human beings are, in terms
of their original creation, superior to all animals, but are lower in rank
as compared to angels. But, when human beings strive on the pathway
of obedience to Allah, their creator, they rise higher in status than
angels too. However, should they turn away from the pathway of
obedience to Allah, they are condemned to become the lowest of the
low, far too worse than animals.
وَلَوْ عَلِمَّ اللَّهُ فِيْهِمْ خَيْرًا لَّأَسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوَّاسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوًا: In the fourth verse (23), it was said
Si0 5 (And had Allah seen in them some good, He would have made
them listen. And had He made them listen, they would have turned
away paying no heed). In other words, the sense of the verse is: Had
Allah seen in them some pliability towards receiving good counsel, He
would have blessed them with the ability to listen with faith - and if,
in their present state of being with no desire to receive truth, He were
to make them listen to what is true, they would have certainly turned
away from it paying no heed.
The word: „ (khayr: good) at this place means the desire to find out
the truth, for it is the quest for truth which opens the doors of deliber-
ation and understanding and it is this very quest which enables one to
believe and act. Thus, whoever has no quest for truth is as if he has no
good in him. If such people did have some good in them, it is obvious
that it would have been within the knowledge of Allah Ta'ala. Now,
when they have no good in them as borne by the knowledge of Allah
Ta'ala, it tells us that they stand deprived of every possible good in the
real sense. Therefore, if they were to be invited to ponder, deliberate
and believe in the truth within this state of deprivation, they would
have never accepted it - rather, they would have turned away from it
and run. This aversion, that is, would not be because of any flaw in the

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religion they may have noticed which made them reject it. In fact, they
just did not pay heed to what was the truth.
Incidentally, the stipulation made above also helps remove the
nagging logical doubt which bothers many a learned people. They
surmise that this is the first form of analogical deduction where the
surrender of the middle premise seems to be yielding the wrong
outcome. The answer is that the middle premise has not been repeated
here because the sense of the first word: „az (la asma'ahum: He
would have made them listen) is separate from the second: ' i'; (wa
lau asma'ahum: and had He made them listen) which carries its own
sense apart from the first. Meant in the first is listening to accept and
listening to benefit from, while the sense of the second is bland
listening with nothing to it.
In the fifth verse (24), believers have been addressed once again.
Commanded to obey Allah and His Messenger in a particular manner,
they have been told that the thing to which Allah and His Messenger
invite you is something which brings no benefit to Allah and His
Messenger per se. Instead of that, all Divine injunctions have been
prescribed for nothing but their own benefit. So, said in the manner
pointed to above, was : ◌ْإِسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ ◌ِماَ يُحِيْكُم (respond to Allah
and the Messenger when He calls you to what gives you life).
What is the 'life' mentioned in this verse? Since several probabil-
ities exist in its interpretation, learned commentators have taken
different interpretive positions. According to Suddiyy, that life-giving
thing is 'Iman (faith) because the disbeliever is dead. Qatadah said:
That is Qur'an in which lies all life and success of both the worlds,
Dunya and 'Akhirah. Mujahid said: That is truth. Ibn Ishaq said: It
means Jihad through which Allah Ta'ala conferred honour on
Muslims. All these probabilities mentioned here are sound as they are.
There is no contradiction in them. The larger sense is that 'Iman,
Qur'an or the following of truth are things which put life into the heart
and the life of the heart is nothing but that everything which becomes
a barrier between the Creator and the created, barriers like inertia
and desire, should be removed from the way of truth leaving it free
from whatever obstructions there are in order that the heart is filled
with the light of insight into the Creator.