No. | Transliteration | English | Arabic |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Yas'aloonaka 'anil anfaali qulil anfaalu lillaahi war Rasooli fattaqul laaha wa aslihoo zaata bainikum wa atee'ul laaha wa Rasoolahooo in kuntum mu'mineen | They ask thee concerning (things taken as) spoils of war. Say: "(such) spoils are at the disposal of Allah and the Messenger: So fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves: Obey Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe." | يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنْفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ ۖ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ ۖ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ |
2. | Innamal mu'minoonal lazeena izaa zukiral laahu wajilat quloobuhum wa izaa tuliyat 'alaihim Aayaatuhoo zaadat hum eemaananw wa 'alaa Rabbihim yatawakkaloon | For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord; | إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ |
3. | Allazeena yuqeemoonas Salaata wa mimmaa razaqnaahum yunfiqoon | Who establish regular prayers and spend (freely) out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance: | الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ |
4. | Ulaaa'ika humul mu'minoona haqqaa; lahum darajaatun 'inda Rabbihim wa magh firatunw wa rizqun kareem | Such in truth are the believers: they have grades of dignity with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous sustenance: | أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ |
5. | Kaamaaa akhrajaka Rabbuka mim baitika bilhaqq; wa inna fareeqam minal mu'mineena lakaarihoon | Just as thy Lord ordered thee out of thy house in truth, even though a party among the Believers disliked it, | كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ |
6. | Yujaadiloonaka fil haqqi ba'da maa tabaiyana ka'annamaa yasaaqoona ilal mawti wa hum yanzuroon | Disputing with thee concerning the truth after it was made manifest, as if they were being driven to death and they (actually) saw it. | يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَمَا تَبَيَّنَ كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ |
7. | Wa iz ya'idukumul laahu ihdat taaa'ifataini annahaa lakum wa tawaddoona anna ghaira zaatish shawkati takoonu lakum wa yureedul laahu ai yuhiqqal haqqa bikalimaatihee wa yaqta'a daabiral kaafireen | Behold! Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: Ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the Unbelievers;- | وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّهُ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ أَنَّهَا لَكُمْ وَتَوَدُّونَ أَنَّ غَيْرَ ذَاتِ الشَّوْكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَيَقْطَعَ دَابِرَ الْكَافِرِينَ |
8. | Liyuhiqqal haqqa wa yubtilal baatila wa law karihal mujrimoon | That He might justify Truth and prove Falsehood false, distasteful though it be to those in guilt. | لِيُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ وَيُبْطِلَ الْبَاطِلَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ |
9. | Iz tastagheesoona Rabbakum fastajaaba lakum annee mumiddukum bi alfim minal malaaa'ikati murdifeen | Remember ye implored the assistance of your Lord, and He answered you: "I will assist you with a thousand of the angels, ranks on ranks." | إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّي مُمِدُّكُمْ بِأَلْفٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ |
10. | Wa maa ja'alahul laahu illaa bushraa wa litatma'inna bihee quloobukum; wa man nasru illaa min 'indil laah; innal laaha Azeezun Hakeem (section 1) | Allah made it but a message of hope, and an assurance to your hearts: (in any case) there is no help except from Allah: and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. | وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ |
11. | Iz yughashsheekumun nu'assa amanatam minhu wa yunazzilu 'alaikum minas samaaa'i maaa'al liyutah hirakum bihee wa yuzhiba 'ankum rijzash Shaitaani wa liyarbita 'ala quloobikum wa yusabbita bihil aqdaam | Remember He covered you with a sort of drowsiness, to give you calm as from Himself, and he caused rain to descend on you from heaven, to clean you therewith, to remove from you the stain of Satan, to strengthen your hearts, and to plant your feet firmly therewith. | إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الْأَقْدَامَ |
12. | Iz yoohee Rabbuka ilal malaaa'ikati annee ma'akum fasabbitul lazeena aamanoo; sa ulqee fee quloobil lazeena kafarur ru'ba fadriboo fawqal a'naaqi wadriboo minhum kulla banaan | Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them." | إِذْ يُوحِي رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ سَأُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ فَاضْرِبُوا فَوْقَ الْأَعْنَاقِ وَاضْرِبُوا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ |
13. | Zaalika bi annahum shaaaqqul laaha wa Rasoolah; wa mai yushaqiqil laaha wa Rasoolahoo fa innal laaha shadeedul 'iqaab | This because they contended against Allah and His Messenger: If any contend against Allah and His Messenger, Allah is strict in punishment. | ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَاقُّوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ |
14. | Zaalikum fazooqoohu wa anna lilkaafireena 'azaaban Naar | Thus (will it be said): "Taste ye then of the (punishment): for those who resist Allah, is the penalty of the Fire." | ذَٰلِكُمْ فَذُوقُوهُ وَأَنَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابَ النَّارِ |
15. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo izaa laqeetumul lazeena kafaroo zahfan falaa tuwalloohumul adbaar | O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ |
16. | Wa mai yuwallihim yawma'izin duburahooo illaa mutaharrifal liqitaalin aw mutahaiyizan ilaa fi'atin faqad baaa'a bighadabim minal laahi wa ma'waahu Jahannamu wa bi'sal maseer | If any do turn his back to them on such a day - unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)! | وَمَنْ يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًا لِقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا إِلَىٰ فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ |
17. | Falam taqtuloohum wa laakinnal laaha qatalahum; wa maa ramaita iz ramaita wa laakinnal laaha ramaa; wa liyubliyal mu'mineena minhu balaaa'an hasanaa; innal laaha Samee'un Aleem | It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things). | فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ |
18. | Zaalikum wa annal laaha moohinu kaidil kaafireen | That, and also because Allah is He Who makes feeble the plans and stratagem of the Unbelievers. | ذَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَافِرِينَ |
19. | In tastaftihoo faqad jaaa'akumul fathu wa in tantahoo fahuwa khairul lakum wa in ta'oodoo na'ud wa lan tughniya 'ankum fi'atukum shai'anw wa law kasurat wa annal laaha ma'al mu'mineen (section 2) | (O Unbelievers!) if ye prayed for victory and judgment, now hath the judgment come to you: if ye desist (from wrong), it will be best for you: if ye return (to the attack), so shall We. Not the least good will your forces be to you even if they were multiplied: for verily Allah is with those who believe! | إِنْ تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتْحُ ۖ وَإِنْ تَنْتَهُوا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ تَعُودُوا نَعُدْ وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ |
20. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo atee'ul laaha wa Rasoolahoo wa laa tawallaw 'anhu wa antum tasma'oon | O ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak). | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَوَلَّوْا عَنْهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ |
21. | Wa laa takoonoo kallazeena qaaloo sami'naa wa hum laa yasma'oon | Nor be like those who say, "We hear," but listen not: | وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ |
22. | Inna sharrad dawaaabbi 'indal laahis summul bukmul lazeena laa ya'qiloon | For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb,- those who understand not. | إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ |
23. | Wa law 'alimal laahu feehim khairal la asma'ahum; wa law asma'ahum latawallaw wa hum mu'ridoon | If Allah had found in them any good. He would indeed have made them listen: (As it is), if He had made them listen, they would but have turned back and declined (Faith). | وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَأَسْمَعَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوْا وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ |
24. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanus tajeeboo lillaahi wa lir Rasooli izaa da'aakum limaa yuhyeekum wa'lamooo annal laaha yahoolu bainal mar'i wa qalbihee wa anahooo ilaihi tuhsharoon | O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calleth you to that which will give you life; and know that Allah cometh in between a man and his heart, and that it is He to Whom ye shall (all) be gathered. | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ |
25. | Wattaqoo fitnatal laa tuseebannal lazeena zalamoo minkum khaaaassatanw wa'lamooo annal laaha shadeedul 'iqaab | And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment. | وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ |
26. | Wazkurooo iz antum qaleelum mustad 'afoona filardi takhaafoona ai yatakhat tafakumun naasu fa aawaakum wa aiyadakum binasrihee wa razaqakum minat taiyibaati la'allakum tashkuroon | Call to mind when ye were a small (band), despised through the land, and afraid that men might despoil and kidnap you; But He provided a safe asylum for you, strengthened you with His aid, and gave you Good things for sustenance: that ye might be grateful. | وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ أَنْتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ |
27. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa takhoonal laaha war Rasoola wa takhoonooo amaanaatikum wa antum ta'lamoon | O ye that believe! betray not the trust of Allah and the Messenger, nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you. | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ |
28. | Wa'lamooo annamaaa amwaalukum wa awlaadukum fitnatunw wa annal laaha 'indahooo ajrun azeem (section 3) | And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with Whom lies your highest reward. | وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ |
29. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanooo in tattaqul laaha yaj'al lakum furqaananw wa yukaffir 'ankum saiyi aatikum wa yaghfir lakum; wallaahu zul fadlil 'azeem | O ye who believe! if ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded. | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ |
30. | Wa iz yamkuru bikal lazeena kafaroo liyusbitooka aw yaqtulooka aw yukhrijook; wa yamkuroona wa yamkurul laahu wallaahu khairul maakireen | Remember how the Unbelievers plotted against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee out (of thy home). They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah. | وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ |
31. | Wa izaa tutlaa 'alaihim Aayaatunaa qaaloo qad sami'naa law nashaaa'u laqulnaa misla haazaaa in haazaaa illaaa asaateerul awwaleen | When Our Signs are rehearsed to them, they say: "We have heard this (before): if we wished, we could say (words) like these: these are nothing but tales of the ancients." | وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا قَالُوا قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَٰذَا ۙ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ |
32. | Wa iz qaalul laahumma in kaana haazaa huwal haqqa min 'indika fa amtir 'alainaa hijaaratam minas samaaa'i awi'tinaa bi 'azaabin aleem | Remember how they said: "O Allah if this is indeed the Truth from Thee, rain down on us a shower of stones form the sky, or send us a grievous penalty." | وَإِذْ قَالُوا اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَٰذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ |
33. | Wa maa kaanal laahu liyu'az zibahum wa anta feehim; wa maa kaanal laahu mu'az zibahum wa hum yastaghfiroon | But Allah was not going to send them a penalty whilst thou wast amongst them; nor was He going to send it whilst they could ask for pardon. | وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ |
34. | Wa maa lahum allaa yu'az zibahumul laahu wa hum yasuddoona 'anil Masjidil-Haraami wa maa kaanooo awliyaaa'ah; in awliyaaa' uhooo illal muttaqoona wa laakinna aksarahum laa ya'lamoon | But what plea have they that Allah should not punish them, when they keep out (men) from the sacred Mosque - and they are not its guardians? No men can be its guardians except the righteous; but most of them do not understand. | وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلَّا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوا أَوْلِيَاءَهُ ۚ إِنْ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ |
35. | Wa maa kaana Salaatuhum 'indal Baiti illa mukaaa anw-wa tasdiyah; fazooqul 'azaaba bimaa kuntum takfuroon | Their prayer at the House (of Allah) is nothing but whistling and clapping of hands: (Its only answer can be), "Taste ye the penalty because ye blasphemed." | وَمَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ إِلَّا مُكَاءً وَتَصْدِيَةً ۚ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ |
36. | Innal lazeena kafaroo yunfiqoona amwaalahum liyasuddoo 'an sabeelil laah; fasayunfiqoonahaa summa takoonu 'alaihim hasratan summa yughlaboon; wal lazeena kafarooo ilaa Jahannnama yuhsharoona | The Unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder (man) from the path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend; but in the end they will have (only) regrets and sighs; at length they will be overcome: and the Unbelievers will be gathered together to Hell;- | إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَسَيُنْفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ |
37. | Liyameezal laahul khabeesa minat taiyibi wa yaj'alal khabeesa ba'dahoo 'ala ba'din fayarkumahoo jamee'an fayaj'alahoo fee Jahannnam; ulaaa'ika humul khaasiroon (section 4) | In order that Allah may separate the impure from the pure, put the impure, one on another, heap them together, and cast them into Hell. They will be the ones to have lost. | لِيَمِيزَ اللَّهُ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ وَيَجْعَلَ الْخَبِيثَ بَعْضَهُ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فَيَرْكُمَهُ جَمِيعًا فَيَجْعَلَهُ فِي جَهَنَّمَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ |
38. | Qul lillazeena kafarooo iny yantahoo yughfar lahum maa qad salafa wa iny ya'oodoo faqad madat sunnatul awwaleen | Say to the Unbelievers, if (now) they desist (from Unbelief), their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist, the punishment of those before them is already (a matter of warning for them). | قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِنْ يَعُودُوا فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ الْأَوَّلِينَ |
39. | Wa qaatiloohum hattaa laa takoona fitnatunw wa yakoonaddeenu kulluhoo lillaah; fainin tahaw fa innallaaha bimaa ya'maloona Baseer | And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do. | وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ ۚ فَإِنِ انْتَهَوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ |
40. | Wa in tawallaw fa'lamooo annal laaha mawlaakum; ni'mal mawlaa wa ni'man naseer (End Juz 9) | If they refuse, be sure that Allah is your Protector - the best to protect and the best to help. | وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۚ نِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ |
41. | Wa'lamooo annamaa ghanimtum min sha'in fa anna lillaahi khumusahoo wa lir Rasooli wa lizil qurba walyataamaa walmasaakeeni wabnis sabeeli in kuntum aamantum billaahi wa maaa anzalnaa 'ala 'abdinaa yawmal Furqaani yawmaltaqal jam'aan; wal laahu 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer | And know that out of all the booty that ye may acquire (in war), a fifth share is assigned to Allah,- and to the Messenger, and to near relatives, orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer,- if ye do believe in Allah and in the revelation We sent down to Our servant on the Day of Testing,- the Day of the meeting of the two forces. For Allah hath power over all things. | وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ |
42. | Iz antum bil'udwatid dunyaa wa hum bil'udwatil quswaa warrakbu asfala minkum; wa law tawaa'attum lakhtalaftum fil mee'aadi wa laakil liyaqdiyal laahu amran kaana maf'oolal liyahlika man halaka 'am baiyinatinw wa yahyaa man haiya 'am baiyinah; wa innal laaha la Samee'un 'Aleem | Remember ye were on the hither side of the valley, and they on the farther side, and the caravan on lower ground than ye. Even if ye had made a mutual appointment to meet, ye would certainly have failed in the appointment: But (thus ye met), that Allah might accomplish a matter already enacted; that those who died might die after a clear Sign (had been given), and those who lived might live after a Clear Sign (had been given). And verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things). | إِذْ أَنْتُمْ بِالْعُدْوَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ بِالْعُدْوَةِ الْقُصْوَىٰ وَالرَّكْبُ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ ۚ وَلَوْ تَوَاعَدْتُمْ لَاخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِي الْمِيعَادِ ۙ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا لِيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَىٰ مَنْ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَسَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ |
43. | Iz yureekahumul laahu fee manaamika qaleela; wa law araakahum kaseeral lafashiltum wa latanaaza'tum fil amri wa laakinnal laaha sallam; innahoo 'aleemum bizaatis sudoor | Remember in thy dream Allah showed them to thee as few: if He had shown them to thee as many, ye would surely have been discouraged, and ye would surely have disputed in (your) decision; but Allah saved (you): for He knoweth well the (secrets) of (all) hearts. | إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ وَلَوْ أَرَاكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ سَلَّمَ ۗ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ |
44. | Wa iz yureekumoohum izil taqaitum feee a'yunikum qaleelanw wa yuqallilukum feee a'yunihim liyaqdiyal laahu amran kaana maf'oolaa; wa ilal laahi turja'ul umoor (section 5) | And remember when ye met, He showed them to you as few in your eyes, and He made you appear as contemptible in their eyes: that Allah might accomplish a matter already enacted. For to Allah do all questions go back (for decision). | وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَيْتُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِيلًا وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا ۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ |
45. | Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanooo izaa laqeetum fi'atan fasbutoo wazkurul laaha kaseeral la'allakum tuflihoon | O ye who believe! When ye meet a force, be firm, and call Allah in remembrance much (and often); that ye may prosper: | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوا وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ |
46. | Wa atee'ul laaha wa Rasoolahoo wa laa tanaaza'oo fatafshaloo wa tazhaba reehukum wasbiroo; innal laaha ma'as saabireen | And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For Allah is with those who patiently persevere: | وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ۖ وَاصْبِرُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ |
47. | Wa laa takoonoo kallazeena kharajoo min diyaarihim bataranw wa ri'aaa'an naasi wa yasuddoona 'an sabeelil laah; wallaahu bimaa ya'maloona muheet | And be not like those who started from their homes insolently and to be seen of men, and to hinder (men) from the path of Allah: For Allah compasseth round about all that they do. | وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بَطَرًا وَرِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ |
48. | Wa iz zaiyana lahumush shaitaanu a'maalahum wa qaala laa ghaaliba lakumul yawma minan naasi wa innee jaarul lakum falammaa taraaa'atil fi'ataani nakasa 'alaa aqibaihi wa qaala innee bareee'um minkum innee araa maa laa tarawna inneee akhaaful laah; wallaahu shadeedul 'iqaab (section 6) | Remember Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them, and said: "No one among men can overcome you this day, while I am near to you": But when the two forces came in sight of each other, he turned on his heels, and said: "Lo! I am clear of you; lo! I see what ye see not; Lo! I fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment." | وَإِذْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَقَالَ لَا غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَإِنِّي جَارٌ لَكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَتِ الْفِئَتَانِ نَكَصَ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ وَقَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكُمْ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ مَا لَا تَرَوْنَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ ۚ وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ |
49. | Iz yaqoolul munaafiqoona wallazeena fee quloobihim maradun gharra haaa'ulaaa'i deenuhum; wa mai yatawakkal 'alal laahi fa innal laaha 'azee zun Hakeem | Lo! the hypocrites say, and those in whose hearts is a disease: "These people,- their religion has misled them." But if any trust in Allah, behold! Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. | إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ غَرَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ دِينُهُمْ ۗ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ |
50. | Wa law taraaa iz yatawaf fal lazeena kafarul malaaa'ikatu yadriboona wujoohahum wa adbaarahum wa zooqoo 'azaabal hareeq | If thou couldst see, when the angels take the souls of the Unbelievers (at death), (How) they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the penalty of the blazing Fire- | وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۙ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ وَذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ |
51. | Zaalika bimaa qaddamat aideekum wa anal laaha laisa bizallaamil lil 'abeed | "Because of (the deeds) which your (own) hands sent forth; for Allah is never unjust to His servants: | ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ |
52. | Kadaabi Aali Fir'awna wal lazeena min qablihim; kafaroo bi Aayaatil laahi fa akhazahu mul laahu bizunoobihim; innal laaha qawiyyun shadeedul 'iqaab | "(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them: They rejected the Signs of Allah, and Allah punished them for their crimes: for Allah is Strong, and Strict in punishment: | كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ |
53. | Zaalika bi annal laaha lam yakumu ghaiyiran ni'matan an'amahaa 'alaa qawmin hattaa yughaiyiroo maa bianfusihim wa annallaaha samee'un 'Aleem | "Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)." | ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ۙ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ |
54. | Kadaabi Aali Fir'awna wallazeena min qablihim; kazzaboo bi Aayaati Rabbihim faahlaknaahum bizunoobihim wa aghraqnaa Aala Fir'awn; wa kullun kaanoo zaalimeen | (Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and those before them": They treated as false the Signs of their Lord: so We destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh: for they were all oppressors and wrong-doers. | كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ ۚ وَكُلٌّ كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ |
55. | Inna sharrad dawaaabbi 'indal laahil lazeena kafaroo fahum laa yu'minoon | For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him: They will not believe. | إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ |
56. | Allazeena'aahatta min hum summa yanqudoona 'ahdahum fee kulli marratinw wa hum laa yattaqoon | They are those with whom thou didst make a covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear (of Allah). | الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتَ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ |
57. | Fa immaa tasqafannahum fil harbi fasharrid bihim man khalfahum la'allahum yazzakkaroon | If ye gain the mastery over them in war, disperse, with them, those who follow them, that they may remember. | فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ |
58. | Wa immaa takhaafana min qawmin khiyaanatan fambiz ilaihim 'alaa sawaaa'; innal laaha laayuhibbul khaaa'ineen (section 7) | If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for Allah loveth not the treacherous. | وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِنْ قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً فَانْبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَاءٍ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَائِنِينَ |
59. | Wa laa yahsabannal lazeena kafaroo sabaqooo; innahum laa yu'jizoon | Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly): they will never frustrate (them). | وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَبَقُوا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُونَ |
60. | Wa a'iddoo lahum mastata'tum min quwwatinw wa mirribaatil khaili turhiboona bihee 'aduwwal laahi wa 'aduwwakum wa aakhareena min doonihim laa ta'lamoo nahum Allaahu ya'lamuhum; wa maa tunfiqoo min shai'in fee sabeelil laahi yuwaffa ilaikum wa antum laa tuzlamoon | Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. | وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ |
61. | Wa in janahoo lissalmi fajnah lahaa wa tawakkal 'alal laah; innahoo Huwas Samee'ul 'Aleem | But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things). | وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ |
62. | Wa iny yureedooo any-yakhda'ooka fainna hasbakal laah; Huwal lazeee aiyadaka binasrihee wa bilmu'mineen | Should they intend to deceive thee,- verily Allah sufficeth thee: He it is That hath strengthened thee with His aid and with (the company of) the Believers; | وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا أَنْ يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ |
63. | Wa allafa baina quloobihim; law anfaqta maa fil ardi jamee'am maaa allafta baina quloobihim wa laakinnallaaha allafa bainahum; innaahoo 'Azeezun Hakeem | And (moreover) He hath put affection between their hearts: not if thou hadst spent all that is in the earth, couldst thou have produced that affection, but Allah hath done it: for He is Exalted in might, Wise. | وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ |
64. | Yaaa aiyuhan Nabiyyu hasbukal laahu wa manittaba 'aka minal mu'mineen (section 8) | O Prophet! sufficient unto thee is Allah,- (unto thee) and unto those who follow thee among the Believers. | يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَسْبُكَ اللَّهُ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ |
65. | Yaaa aiyuhan Nabiyyu harridil mu'mineena 'alal qitaal; iny-yakum minkum 'ishroona saabiroona yaghliboo mi'atayn; wa iny-yakum minkum mi'atuny yaghlibooo alfam minal lazeena kafaroo bi anahum qawmul laa yafqahoon | O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding. | يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ ۚ إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ |
66. | Al'aana khaffafal laahu 'ankum wa 'alima anna feekum da'faa; fa-iny yakum minkum mi'atun saabiratuny yaghliboo mi'atayn; wa iny-yakum minkum alfuny yaghlibooo alfaini bi iznil laah; wallaahu ma'as saabireen | For the present, Allah hath lightened your (task), for He knoweth that there is a weak spot in you: But (even so), if there are a hundred of you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred, and if a thousand, they will vanquish two thousand, with the leave of Allah: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. | الْآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا ۚ فَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ |
67. | Maa kaana li Nabiyyin ai yakoona lahooo asraa hatta yuskhina fil ard; tureedoona aradad dunyaa wallaahu yureedul Aakhirah; wallaahu 'Azeezun Hakeem | It is not fitting for a prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but Allah looketh to the Hereafter: And Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. | مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ |
68. | Law laa Kitaabum minal laahi sabaqa lamassakum fee maaa akhaztum 'azaabun 'azeem | Had it not been for a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe penalty would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took. | لَوْلَا كِتَابٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيمَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ |
69. | Fakuloo mimmaa ghanimtum halaalan taiyibaa; watta qullaah; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem (section 9) | But (now) enjoy what ye took in war, lawful and good: but fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. | فَكُلُوا مِمَّا غَنِمْتُمْ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ |
70. | Yaaa aiyuhan Nabiyyu qul liman feee aideekum minal asraaa iny-ya'lamillahu fee quloobikum khairany yu'tikum khayram mimmaaa ukhiza minkum wa yaghfir lakum; wallaahu Ghafoorur Raheem | O Prophet! say to those who are captives in your hands: "If Allah findeth any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." | يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِمَنْ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ مِنَ الْأَسْرَىٰ إِنْ يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِمَّا أُخِذَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ |
71. | Wa iny-yureedoo khiyaa nataka faqad khaanullaaha min qablu fa amkana minhum; wallaahu 'Aleemun Hakeem | But if they have treacherous designs against thee, (O Messenger!), they have already been in treason against Allah, and so hath He given (thee) power over them. And Allah so He Who hath (full) knowledge and wisdom. | وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ |
72. | Innal lazeena aamanoo wa haajaroo wa jaahadoo bi amwaalihim wa anfusihim fee sabeelil laahi wallazeena aawaw wa nasarooo ulaaa'ika ba'duhum awliyaaa'u ba'd; wallazeena aamanoo wa lam yuhaajiroo maa lakum minw walaayatihim min shai'in hatta yuhaajiroo; wa inistan sarookum fid deeni fa'alaiku munnasru illaa 'alaa qawmin bainakum wa bainahum meesaaq; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Baseer | Those who believed, and adopted exile, and fought for the Faith, with their property and their persons, in the cause of Allah, as well as those who gave (them) asylum and aid,- these are (all) friends and protectors, one of another. As to those who believed but came not into exile, ye owe no duty of protection to them until they come into exile; but if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom ye have a treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) Allah seeth all that ye do. | إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَٰئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُوا مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلَايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ يُهَاجِرُوا ۚ وَإِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ |
73. | Wallazeena kafaroo ba'duhum awliyaaa'u ba'd; illaa taf'aloohu takun fitnatun fil ardi wa fasaadun kabeer | The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another: Unless ye do this, (protect each other), there would be tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief. | وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ |
74. | Wallazeena aamanoo wa haajaroo wa jaahadoo fee sabeelil laahi wallazeena aawaw wa nasarooo ulaaa'ika humul mu'minoona haqqaa; lahum maghfiratunw wa rizqun kareem | Those who believe, and adopt exile, and fight for the Faith, in the cause of Allah as well as those who give (them) asylum and aid,- these are (all) in very truth the Believers: for them is the forgiveness of sins and a provision most generous. | وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ |
75. | Wallazeena aamanoo min ba'du wa haajaroo wa jaahadoo ma'akum fa Ulaaa'ika minkum; wa ulul arhaami baduhum awlaa biba'din fee Kitaabil laah; innal laaha bikulli shai'in 'Aleem (section 10) | And those who accept Faith subsequently, and adopt exile, and fight for the Faith in your company,- they are of you. But kindred by blood have prior rights against each other in the Book of Allah. Verily Allah is well-acquainted with all things. | وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا مَعَكُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مِنْكُمْ ۚ وَأُولُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ |
Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
Name
The Surah takes its name Al-Anfal (The
Bounties) from the first verse.
The Period of Revelation
It was revealed in 2 A. H. after the Battle of Badr, the first battle
between Islam and kufr. As it contains a detailed and comprehensive review of
the Battle, it appears that most probably it was revealed at one and the same
time. But it is also possible that some of the verses concerning the problems
arising as a result of this Battle might have been revealed later and
incorporated at the proper places to make it a continuous whole. At any rate, in
the whole Surah there is nothing that might show that it is a collection of a
couple of discourses, that have been patched up together.
Historical Background
Before reviewing the Surah, it is
worthwhile to consider the events that led to the Battle of Badr.
During
the first decade or so of the Prophethood at Makkah, the Message had proved its
firmness, and stability. This was the result of two things. First, the
Messenger, who possessed the highest qualities of character, was performing his
Mission with wisdom, foresight and magnanimity. He had shown by his conduct that
he had made up his mind to carry the movement to a successful end and,
therefore, was ready to face all sorts of dangers and obstacles in the way.
Secondly, the Message was so charming that it attracted the minds and hearts of
the people irresistibly towards itself. So much so that all obstacles of
ignorance, superstition and petty prejudices failed to check, its advance. That
is why the Arab upholders of the ways of "ignorance,' who looked down upon it in
its initial stages, had' begun to reckon it as a serious menace during the last
period of the stay of the Holy Prophet at Makkah, and were bent on crushing it
with all the force at their command. But in spite of the above-mentioned
strength, the movement still lacked certain things to lead it to victory:-
First, it had not yet been fully proved that it had gathered round it a
sufficient number of such followers who not only believed in its truth, but also
had such an intense devotion to its principles that they were ready to expend
all their energies and all that they possessed in the struggle for its success
and establishment. So much so that they were ready to sacrifice their lives in
the fight against the whole world itself even though they should be their own
nearest relative. It is true that the followers of Islam had endured the
severest persecutions at the hands of the Quraish of Makkah and had given a good
proof of the firmness of their faith and their strong relation with Islam, yet
further trials were required to show that Islam had succeeded in acquiring such
a band of followers which considered nothing dearer than its ideal and was ready
to sacrifice life for it.
Secondly, though the voice of Islam had
reached' every part of the country, its effects were yet scattered and its
acquired strength was spread here and there: it had not yet gathered sufficient
force essential for a decisive conflict with the old established order of
"ignorance".
Thirdly, Islam had yet no home of its own and had not
established itself firmly anywhere in the land where it could consolidate its
power and make it a base for further action. For the Muslims were scattered all
over the country and were living among the unbelievers as aliens whom their
bloodthirsty enemies wanted to uproot from their own homes.
Fourthly, the
Muslims had not yet had an opportunity to demonstrate practically the blessings
of the system of life based on Islam. There was neither any Islamic culture, nor
any social, economic or political system; nor were there any established
principles of war and peace for their guidance. Therefore the Muslims had no
opportunity for demonstrating those moral principles on which they intended to
build their entire system of life; nor had it been proved on the touchstone of
trial that the Muslims as a community were sincere in their proclamation of the
Message.
Allah created opportunities for making up these
deficiencies.
During the last four years or so of the Prophet's
stay at Makkah, the voice of Islam had been proving effective at Yathrab and the
people for various reasons had been accepting the message more readily than
other clans of Arabia. So much so that in the twelfth year of Prophethood on the
occasion of Haj a deputation of 75 people met the Holy Prophet in the darkness
of night. These people not only accepted Islam, but also offered to give him and
his followers a home. As this was a most epoch making opportunity provided by
Allah, the Holy Prophet took advantage of it.
The significance of this
offer was quite clear to the people of Yathrab, and they fully realized that
this was not an invitation to a mere fugitive, but to the Messenger of Allah so
that he should become their leader and ruler. Likewise they knew that they were
not inviting the Muslim refugees to give them shelter from persecution but to
assemble them from all over the country for their integration with themselves to
form an organized community. Thus the offer of the people of Yathrab was to make
Yathrab the "City of Islam." Accordingly the Holy Prophet accepted their
invitation and made it the first "City of Islam" in Arabia.
And the
people of Yathrab were fully aware of the implications of this offer. It was
indeed a declaration of war against the whole of Arabia, and an invitation to
their own social and economic boycott as well. And when the Ansar from Yathrab
declared their allegiance to the Holy Prophet at Aqabah, they knew fully well
its consequences. During the course of the formal declaration of allegiance,
Asad-bin- Zurarah, the youngest of all the delegates from Yathrab, stood up and
said, "0 people of Yathrab! Just listen to me and consider the matter carefully
in all its aspects. Though we have come to him, regarding him only as a
Messenger of Allah, we should know that we shall be inviting the enmity of the
whole of Arabia. For when we take him away to Yathrab, we shall be attacked and
our children may be put to the sword. Therefore if you have the courage in your
hearts to face it, then and then only, you should declare your allegiance to him
and Allah will give you its reward. But if you love your lives more than him and
his Message, then leave this matter and frankly excuse yourselves, for at this
time Allah may accept your excuses."
Abbas bin Ubadah bin Naalah, another
member of the delegation, reiterated the same thing, saying,
Do you
understand the implication of the declaration of your allegiance to this
person?" (Voices, "Yes, we know it.") "You are challenging the whole world to
war by your declaration of allegiance to him. There is every likelihood of a
serious menace to your lives and properties. Therefore consider it well. If you
have any idea lurking in your minds that you will then hand him over to his
enemies, it is much better to leave him alone now, because that conduct shall
bring shame and disgrace to you in this world and the next. On the other hand,
if you have sincerely resolved that you will endure all kinds of consequences
that will follow as a result of this invitation, then it would be the best thing
to take the oath of allegiance to him because, by God, this will surely bring
good to you in this world as well as in the next world."
At this all the
members of the delegation cried with one voice, "We are ready and prepared to
risk all our wealth and our noble kith and kin for his sake."
It was then
that the famous oath of allegiance, which is known as the "Second Oath of
Allegiance at Aqabah" was taken.
On the other side, the people of Makkah
also understood fully well the implications of this matter from their own point
of view. They realized that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), who, they knew
well, had a great personality and possessed extraordinary abilities, was going
to gain a strong footing, by this allegiance. For this would help integrate his
followers, whose constancy, determination, and unwavering fidelity to the
Messenger had been tried, into a disciplined community under his wise leadership
and guidance. And they knew that this would spell death for their old ways of
life. They also realized the strategic importance of. Al-Madinah to their trade,
which was their chief means of livelihood.
Its geographical position was
such that the Muslims could strike with advantage at the caravans traveling on
the trade route between Yemen and Syria, and thus strike at the root of their
economy and that of other pagan clans very effectively. The value of the trade
done by the people of Makkah alone on this route, not to count that of raif and
other places, amounted to about two hundred thousand dinars annually.
As
the Quraish were fully aware of the implications of the oath of allegiance at
Aqabah, they were greatly perturbed when they got wind of it the same night. At
first they tried to win over the people of Al-Madinah to their side. But when
they saw that the Muslims were migrating to Al- Madinah in small groups, they
realized that the Holy Prophet was also going to emigrate soon from there. Then
they decided to adopt an extreme measure to prevent this danger.
A few
days before his migration, the Quraish held a council to consider the matter.
After a good deal of argument; they decided that one person should be taken from
each of the families of Quraish other than that of Banu Hashim to put an end to
the life of the Holy Prophet. This was to make it difficult for the family of
the Holy Prophet to fight alone with all the other families of the Quraish and
thus to force them to accept blood-money for his murder-instead of taking
revenge from them, but by the grace of Allah their plot against the life of the
Holy Prophet failed because of his admirable foresight and full trust in Allah,
and he reached Al- Madinah safe and sound. When they could not prevent his
emigration, it occurred to them to exploit Abdullah bin Ub`ai who had begun to
cherish a grievance against the Holy Prophet since his arrival at Al-Madinah. He
was an influential chief of Al-Madinah and the people had agreed to make him
their king. But when the majority of Aus and Khazraj clan became Muslims and
acknowledged the Holy Prophet as their leader, guide and ruler, all his hopes of
becoming a king came to an end. Therefore the Quraish wrote to him, "As you have
given shelter to our enemy, we tell you plainly that you should either fight
with him yourself or exile him from your city otherwise we swear by God that we
will invade your city, kill your males and make your females our slave girls."
This letter added fuel to the flames of his jealousy and he was inclined to do
some mischief, but the Holy Prophet took timely precautions and defeated his
evil designs.
The Quraish got another opportunity to hold out a threat.
When Sa'ad bin Mu'az, another chief of Al-Madinah, went to Makkah to perform `Umrah,
Abu Jahl interrupted him at the very door of the Kabah, saying, "Do you think we
will let you perform `Umrah in peace while you give shelter and help to
renegades from us? Had you not been a guest of Ummayyah bin Khalf, you would not
have gone alive from here." Sa'ad replied, "By Allah, if you prevent me from
this, I will retaliate in a worse manner and block your route near Al-Madinah."
This incident virtually led to a declaration from the people of Makkah that they
would prevent the Muslims from a pilgrimage to the Kabah, and from the people of
Al- Madinah that as a retaliation they would block their trade route to Syria
against the opponents of Islam. As a matter of fact there was no other
alternative for the Muslims than to keep a strong hold on this route so as to
force the Quraish, and the other clans, whose interests were vitally bound with
this route, to reconsider their inimical and antagonistic attitude towards them.
That is why the Holy Prophet attached the greatest importance to this problem.
As soon as he was free from making the preliminary arrangements for organizing
the newly formed Muslim Community and settling peace terms with the neighboring
Jewish habitations, he adopted two measures in this connection:-
First,
he entered into negotiations with those clans who lived between the Red Sea and
this route so as to make alliances with them or at east to persuade them to make
treaties of neutrality with the Muslims. He was successful in this, and he
entered into a treaty of non-alignment with Juhainah, which was a very important
clan of the hilly tract near the sea coast. Then, at the end of the first year
of Hijrah, he made a treaty of defensive alliance with Bani Damrah, who lived
near Yanb'u and Zawal Ushairah. In 2 A. H. Bani Mudlij also joined the alliance,
as they were the neighbors and allies of Bani Damrah. Then ii so happened that
quite a large number of these people were converted to Islam as a result of the
missionary work done by the Muslims.
Secondly, he successively sent small
bands of his men on this route to serve as a warning to the Quraish, and himself
accompanied some of them. In the first year of Hijrah, four expeditions were
sent there, that is, the expedition under Hamzah, the expedition under Ubaidah
bin Harith, the expedition under Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas and the Al-Abwa'
expedition under the Holy Prophet himself. In the first month of the second year
two more incursions were made on the same route. These are known as Buwat
Expedition and Zawal Ushairah Expedition. Two things about all these expeditions
are noteworthy. First, no blood was shed and no caravans were plundered in any
of these expeditions. This proves that the real object of these expeditions was
to show to the Quraish which way the wind was blowing. Secondly, not a single
man from the people of Al-Madinah was sent by the Holy. Prophet on any of these
incursions. All the bands consisted purely of the immigrants from Makkah so that
the conflict should remain between the people of the Quraish themselves and
should not further spread by the involvement of other clans. On the other side,
the Quraish of Makkah tried to involve others also in the conflict. When they
sent bands towards Al-Madinah, they did not hesitate to plunder the people. For
instance, an expedition under the leadership of Kurz bin Jabir al-Fihrl
plundered the cattle of the people of Al-Madinah from the very vicinity of the
city to show what their real intentions were.
This was the state of
affairs when, in Sha'aban, 2 A. H. (February or March, 623 A. D.) a big trade
caravan of the Quraish, carrying goods worth $50,000 or so, with only a guard of
thirty to forty men, on its way back from Syria to Makkah, reached the territory
from where it could be easily attacked from Al-Madinah. As the caravan was
carrying trade goods worth thousands of pounds, and was scantily guarded,
naturally Abu Sufyan, who was in charge of it, from his Past experience feared
an attach from the Muslims. Accordingly, as soon as he entered the dangerous
territory, he dispatched a camel rider to Makkah with a frantic appeal for help.
When the rider reached Makkah, he, following an old custom of Arabia, tore open
the ears of his camel, cut open his nose and overturned the saddle. Then rending
his shirt from front and behind, he began to cry aloud at the top of his voice,
"O people of Quraish dispatch help to protect your caravan from Syria under the
charge of Abu Sufyan, for Muhammad with his followers is in pursuit of it;
otherwise I don't think you will ever get your goods. Run, run for help." This
caused great excitement and anger in the whole of Makkah and all the big chiefs
of the Quraish got ready for war. An army, consisting of 600 armored soldiers
and cavalry of 100 riders with great pomp and show marched out for a fight. They
intended not only to rescue the caravan but also to put to an end, once for all,
the new menace from the Muslims who had consolidated themselves at Al-Madinah.
They wanted to crush that rising power and overawe the clans surrounding the
route so as to make it absolutely secure for future trade.
Now the Holy
Prophet, who always kept himself well informed of the state of affairs, felt
that the decisive hour has come and that was the right time when he must take a
bold step; otherwise the Islamic Movement would become lifeless for ever and no
chance would be left for it to rise again. For if the Quraish invaded Al-Madinah,
the odds would be against the Muslims. The condition of the Muslim Community was
still very shaky because the immigrants (Muhajirin) had not been able to
stabilize their economy during the short period (less than two years) of their
stay at Al-Madinah; their helpers, (the Ansar) had not yet been tried; and the
neighboring Jewish clans were antagonistic. Then there was a strong group of
hypocrites and mushriks in Al- Madinah itself; above all, the surrounding clans
lived in awe of the Quraish and had all their religious sympathies with them.
The Holy Prophet, therefore, felt that the consequences of this possible
invasion would not be favorable to the Muslims.
The second possibility
was that they would not invade Al-Madinah but try only to escort their caravan
safely and securely by a mere show of force. In that case, too, if the Muslim
remained inactive, it would affect their reputation adversely. Obviously, this
weak stand in the conflict would embolden the other Arabs also and make the
position of the Muslims very insecure in the country and the surrounding clans
would, at the instance of the Quraish, start hostilities against them, and the
Jews, the hypocrites and the mushriks of Al- Madinah would openly rise against
them and not only endanger their security of life, property and honor but make
it difficult for them even to live there.
The Muslims would not be able
to inspire the enemy with awe so as to keep safe from them their life, property
and honor. A careful study of the situation led the Holy Prophet to make up his
mind to take a decisive step and go into the battle with whatever little
strength he could muster, for thus and thus only could he show whether the
Muslim Community had the right to survive or was doomed to perish.
When
he arrived at this momentous decision, he called the Muhajirin and the Ansar
together and placed the whole position before them, without any reservation. He
said, "Allah has promised that you will confront one of the two, the trade
caravan coming from the north or the army of the Quraish marching from the
south. Now tell me which of the two you want to attack!" A large majority of the
people replied that they wanted to attack the caravan. But the Holy Prophet who
had something else before him, repeated the same question. At this Miqdad bin 'Amr,
a Muhajir, stood up and said, "0 Messenger of Allah! Please march to the side to
which your Lord commands you; we will accompany you wherever you go. We will not
say like the Israelites, 'Go and let you and your Lord fight we will wait'. In
contrast to them we say, 'Let you and your Lord fight; we will fight by your
side to our last breath'." Even then he did not announce any decision but waited
for a reply from the Ansar who had not yet taken any part in any battle of
Islam. As this was the first opportunity for them to prove that they were ready
to fulfill their promise of fighting for the cause of Islam, he repeated the
question without directly addressing them. At this, Sa'ad bin Mu'az, an Ansar,
stood up and said, "Sir, it appears that you are putting the question to us."
When the Holy Prophet said, "Yes", the Ansar replied, "We have believed in you
and confirmed that what you have brought is the Truth, and have made a solemn
pledge with you that we will listen to you and obey you. Therefore, 0 Messenger
of Allah, do whatever you intend to do. We swear by Allah Who has sent you with
the Truth that we are ready to accompany you to the sea shore and if you enter
it, we will plunge into it. We assure you that not a single one of us will
remain behind or forsake you, for we will not hesitate at all to go to fight,
even if you should lead us to the battlefield tomorrow. We will remain steadfast
in the battle and sacrifice our lives in the fight. We do hope that by the grace
of Allah our behavior will gladden your heart. So, trusting in Allah's blessing,
take us to the battlefield."
After these speeches it was decided that
they should march towards the army of the Quraish and not towards the trade
caravan. But it should be noted that the decision was of an ordinary nature. For
the number of people, who came forward to go to the battlefield, was only a
little more than three hundred (86 Muhajirs, 62 from Aus and 170 from Khazraj).
Then the little army was ill-armed and hardly equipped for battle. Only a couple
of them had horses to ride and the others had to take their turn in threes and
fours on the back of a camel, out of the 70 they had in all. Above all, they had
not got enough weapons for the battle; only 60 of them had armors. It is,
therefore, no wonder that with the exception of those who were prepared to
sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam, the majority of those who had
joined the expedition, were so filled with fear that they felt as if they were
knowingly going into the jaws of death. Then there were people who always looked
at things from a selfish point of view. Though they had embraced Islam, they did
not realize that their faith would demand the sacrifice of their lives and
properties from them; they were of the opinion that it was a mad expedition
prompted by irrational enthusiasm for religion. But the Holy Prophet and the
true Believers had realized the urgency of that critical hour which required the
risk of life: therefore they marched straight to the south-west, wherefrom the
army of the Quraish was coming. This is a clear proof of the fact that from the
very beginning they had gone out to fight with the army and not to plunder the
caravan. For if they had aimed at plundering the caravan they would have taken
the north- westerly direction and not the south- westerly one.
The two
parties met in combat at Badr on the seventeenth of Ramadan. When the two armies
confronted each other and the Holy Prophet noticed that the Quraish army
outnumbered the Muslims by three to one and was much better equipped, he raised
his hands up in supplication and made this earnest prayer with great humility:
"O Allah! Here are the Quraish proud of their war material: they have come to
prove that Thy Messenger is false. O Allah! now send that success that Thou hast
promised to give me. O Allah! If this little army of Thy servants is destroyed,
then there will be left none in the land to worship Thee."
In this combat
the emigrants from Makkah were put to the hardest test for they had to fight
against their own near and dear relatives and put to the sword their fathers,
their sons, their paternal and maternal uncles and their brothers. It is obvious
that only such people could have come out successful in this hardest of tests as
had accepted the Truth sincerely and cut off all relations with falsehood. And
in another way the test to which the Ansar were put was not less hard. So far
they had only alienated the powerful Quraish and their allies by giving shelter
to the Muslims against their wishes but now, for the first time, they were going
to give fight to them and to sow the seeds of a long and bitter war with them.
This was indeed a very hard test for it meant that a small town with a
population of a few thousand inhabitants was going to wage a war with the whole
of Arabia. It is obvious that only such people could take this bold step who
believed in the Truth of Islam so firmly that they were ready to sacrifice every
personal interest for its sake.
So Allah accepted the self-sacrifices of
the Muhajirin and the Ansar because of their true faith, and rewarded them with
His success. The proud, well- armed Quraish were routed by these ill-equipped
devotees of Islam. Seventy men of their army were killed and seventy captured as
prisoners and their arms and equipment came into the hands of the Muslims as
spoils of war. All their big chiefs, who were their best soldiers and who had
led the opposition to Islam, were killed in this Battle. No wonder that this
decisive victory made Islam a power to be reckoned with. A Western research
scholar says that before the Battle of Badr, Islam was merely a religion and a
state but after the Battle it became the state religion, nay, the state itself.
Topics of Discussion
It is this great Battle that has been reviewed
in this Surah. But let it be noted that in some respects this review is quite
different from the reviews that are usually made by the worldly commanders after
a great victory.
Instead of gloating over the victory, the moral
weaknesses that had come to the surface in that expedition have been pointed out
so that the Muslims should try their best to reform themselves.
It has
been impressed upon them that the victory was due to the success of Allah rather
-than to their own valor and bravery so that the Muslims should learn to rely on
Him and obey Allah and His Messenger alone.
The moral lesson of the
conflict between the Truth and falsehood has been enunciated and the qualities
which lead to success in a conflict have been explained.
Then the Surah
addresses the mushriks, the hypocrites, the Jews and the prisoners of this war
in a very impressive manner that should teach them a good lesson.
It also
gives instructions in regard to the spoils of war. The Muslims have bean told
not to regard these as their right but as a bounty from Allah. Therefore they
should accept with gratitude the share that is granted to them out of it and
willingly accede to the share which Allah sets apart for His cause and for the
help of the needy.
Then it also gives normal instructions concerning the
laws of peace and war for these were urgently needed to be explained at the
stage which the Islamic Movement had entered. It enjoined that the Muslims
should refrain from ways of "ignorance" in peace and war and thus should
establish their moral superiority in the world. It also meant, to demonstrate to
the world in actual practical life the morality which it had been preaching to
the world from the very beginning of Islam and had been enjoining that practical
life should be based on the same.
It also states some articles of the
Islamic Constitution which help differentiate the status of the Muslims living
within the limits of Dar-ul-Islam (the Abode of Islam) from that of the Muslims
living beyond its limits.
Subject: Problems of Jihad
This surah
enunciates general principles of war (one aspect of Jihad) and peace while
reviewing the Battle of Badr and uses them for the moral training of the
Muslims.
Topics and their Interconnection
This portion deals with
the problems of the "Spoils of War". The Quran says that these are not the
spoils of war but the "Bounties of Allah" and proves this by showing that the
victory at Badr (and in all other battles, too,) was won by His succor and not
by the efforts of the Muslims. It also declares (in v. 40) that the war aim of
the Muslims should be to eliminate all unfavorable conditions for the
establishment of Islam and not to gain spoils. Moreover, the spoils, being the
bounties of God, belong to Allah and His Messenger and they alone are entitled
to allocate them. Then after conditioning the Muslims to accept these things,
the different shares have been allocated in v. 41. 1 - 41
The Battle of
Badr was ordained by Allah so that Islam should triumph over "ignorance". The
lesson from this is that the Muslims should trust in God and prepare themselves
for war and should not be beguiled by Satan as the disbelievers were. 42 - 54
Sanctity of treaties has been enjoined and the Muslims commanded to observe
them as long as the other party does not break them. 55 - 59
The Muslims
should always be prepared for war on every front, but should be ready to make
peace if the other party is inclined towards it. 60 - 66
In these verses,
instructions about prisoners of war have been given. 67 - 71
In order to
keep the Muslims joined together against their enemies, they have been taught to
have cordial relations with one another. 72 - 75
1A dispute arose among the Muslims concerning the division of the spoils of
victory after the Battle of Badr, Allah used this opportunity for the benefit of
the Muslims and gave instructions for the solution of the problems of peace and
war.
As Badr was the first battle fought under the flag of Islam,
naturally the Muslims were unaware of the Islamic laws about war and the
problems, created by it. Some preliminary instructions had already been given in
Surahs Al-Baqarah and Muhammad, but more instructions were needed for the
"humanization of war", because their notions were still the same that they had
during the pre-Islamic days. That is why according to the old usage each Muslim
claimed to be the rightful owner of the spoils which came in his hand after the
victory. But there were others, who had gone in pursuit of the enemy instead of
plundering the spoils, They claimed that they, too, were entitled to a share of
the spoils, for, they said, "If we had not pursued the enemies to a long
distance, they would have come back and by a surprise attack turned the victory
into a defeat". There were still others, who were standing guard for the Holy
Prophet: they also claimed a share, saying that they had rendered the greatest
service in the Battle by protecting the person of the Holy Prophet, for, without
this, there could have been no victory at all. But the people of the first group
who possessed the spoils, were adamant and were not amenable to any reason
whatever; for them, possession was the strongest of all arguments. By and by,
the dispute began to take a very serious turn.
It was at this
psychological moment that Allah sent down Surah Al-Anfal and chose the same
thorny problem for the introduction of the review of the Battle of Badr. And it
is a miracle of the Divine Book that it solved the thorny problem in a few
words. The very first sentence- "They ask you concerning the bounties?"-that
introduced the problem contained its solution. The use of the Arabic
word(anfal), bounties', instead of (ghana'im),spoils of victory', provided the
answer to the problem. The word(anfal) is the plural of (nafl). It means
something which is in addition to the thing to which one is entitled by right.
When that something is from the servant, it denotes the additional service to
what is obligatory on the servant, but when it is from the master it denotes the
additional reward which is bestowed on the servant as a bounty over and above to
what the servant is entitled. The verse, therefore, implies: "Are you having a
dispute concerning the bounties of Allah? If these are not the spoils of
victory, but the bounties of Allah, who arc you to decide about their division?
It is for the Giver of the bounties to decide whom to give and how much. "
This conception of the spoils of victory helped to bring about a great moral
reform in the attitude towards war. Muslims do not go to war for the sake of
material gains but for the sake of reforming the moral and social evils in the
world in accordance with the principles of the Truth; and that they wage war
only when the opposing forces make it impossible for them to carry out the
reform work by means of preaching and teaching. Therefore the reformers must
keep in view only that aim and object and not the material gains that may be
bestowed on them by Allah as His bounties. That is why the Muslims were warned
after the very first battle for the cause of Islam to guard themselves against
the material gains of the battle lest these should become the sole aim and
object of the fight.
This also brought about a great reform in connection
with the division of the spoils of war. Formerly these spoils became the
property of anyone who got possession of them, or of the commander or of the
king who became the owner of the whole of them. In the first case, the
selfishness of the soldiers of the victorious army led to a bitter competition
for the grabbing of spoils and sometimes even brought about a civil war with all
its horrible consequences. In the second case, the soldiers would resort to
pilfering, which would degrade them to the low level of thieves. The Qur'an
reformed these evils by declaring the spoils of war to be the property of Allah
and His Messenger, and then further on in v. 41 by laying down equitable shares
for its fair division. The first reform demanded that all these spoils, be they
worth much or little, should be brought at one place before the chief commander.
Then by the second reform, one-fifth of this should be kept for the Islamic
State for the cause of Allah and for the help of the poor, and the remaining
part should be divided among all those who had taken part in the battle. In this
way the evils of the age of "ignorance" were reformed to the satisfaction of
all.
Here this subtle point should also be kept in view: the Qur'an
leaves the problem of the division after declaring that these bounties belong to
Allah and the Messenger, and does not even touch it so that the minds should
first be prepared for obedience and its acceptance: Then in v. 41 it gives the
Command for the division of the spoils. That is why these have been called the
`bounties' here and the `spoils' of war in v. 41.
2This implies that a
man's Faith increases on every occasion he acknowledges the Revelations of Allah
to be true, and submits to them. Most surely his Faith increases and grows,
whenever he surrenders himself to the Book of Allah and to the teachings of the
Holy Prophet though they may be against his own desires, his opinions, his
conceptions, his theories, his habits, his interests, his lusts, his comforts,
his affections and his friendships. For, instead of changing the teachings, he
changes himself in accordance with the Commands of Allah and the instructions of
the Holy Prophet, and accepts them for his guidance. In contrast to this, if a
believer hesitates to accept these, his Faith begins to decrease and fade away.
This also shows that Faith is not something that is incapable of growth and
increase and which always remains in one and the same state, but it is capable
of both improvement and decay. Every denial of the Truth corrupts its quality,
and likewise every acknowledgment and acceptance improves it. But as far as the
grading of the rights and ranks of the people, according to the acceptance or
denial of the Truth, is concerned, all the Muslims shall be placed in one and
the same position, and likewise the non-Muslims. In the Islamic society, the
legal rights and obligations of all the Muslims shall be the same, irrespective
of the differences in the quality of the Faith. In the same way, the non-Muslims
shall be Zimmis or belligerents or allies of the same rank, irrespective of the
quality of their denial of the Islamic Faith.
3The promise, that the
shortcomings of the believers shall be forgiven, gives great solace to them, for
everyone, however great and good he may be, is liable to commit offenses and it
is not at all possible that a human being will always do such deeds as conform
in every case to the highest standard and are absolutely free from defect,
deficiency and fault. Allah, however, shows one of His greatest blessings to
those who perform obligatory duties, and forgives their shortcomings by His
grace, and rewards His servants with a far greater recompense than the one they
deserve. Otherwise, if His rule had been to reward and punish each and every
virtue and vice separately, then even the most righteous people could not have
escaped punishment.
4The verse may mean either of the two things: as
translated it means at that time the Truth required that they should go to the
fight but they were afraid of this; and now the Truth required that they should
not argue concerning the spoils of war and wait for the Command, but they did
not seem to submit to this for the sake of the Truth. The second meaning will be
this: "In the Battle of Badr, you have seen with your own eyes the good results
of following the Truth. Although you were afraid of going to the fight as if you
were being driven towards death, yet by obeying Allah and His Messenger, you won
a great victory: likewise, if you now abide by the Truth in regard to the
division of the spoils and submit to the Command of Allah and obey the decision
of the Holy Prophet instead of yielding to the desires of your hearts, you will
see good results with your own eyes".
Incidentally, verses 5-6 refute all
those traditions about the Battle of Badr that are related in the books on the
life of the Holy Prophet and his wars. They say that the real plan of the Holy
Prophet and his followers was to plunder the caravan and accordingly they had
marched out of AI-Madinah for the same purpose. But when they had traveled some
distance, they learned that an army of the Quraish was corning for the
protection of the caravan, and they held a council to decide whether to attack
the caravan or the army. The Qur'an, however, contradicts this. It says that
Allah brought forth the Holy Prophet from his home with the Truth at the very
beginning and he had this Truth before him that they should meet the army of the
Quraish in a decisive battle. For these consultations were held before they had
started from AI-Madinah and not after. It was then that some Muslims were
arguing with the Holy Prophet concerning the Truth that they should go to meet
the army of the Quraish, though it had become quite evident to them. That was
why these people felt as though they were being driven towards death, when they
were commanded to march out of Al-Madinah at the very start of the expedition.
5That is, the trade caravan, or the army of the Quraish.
6That is,
the trade caravan, that was accompanied by a guard band numbering between thirty
and forty.
7This makes it clear that the march of the army of the
Quraish towards AI-Madinah amounted to a challenge from the system of
'ignorance' to the system of Islam, as stated in the Introduction to this Surah.
Allah willed that the Muslims should accept that challenge and fight a decisive
battle for the survival of Islam in Arabia. If the Muslims had not marched out
boldly on that occasion, they would have lost all chances of their survival.
Their bold march and victory at Badr in the very first battle crushed the power
of the Quraish and created such favorable conditions for Islam that after this
it went on defeating the system of "ignorance".
8The Muslims experienced
the same thing during the Battle of Uhd. (III: 154). On both these critical
occasions, Allah filled the hearts of the Muslims with such peace and security
that they were overpowered by drowsiness.
9On the eve of the Battle of
Badr, there was a rainfall, which helped the Muslims in three ways. First, they
got an opportunity of storing water in reservoirs. Secondly, it made the sandy
ground hard in the upper part of the valley where the Muslims were camping and
they could move about with steady footsteps. Thirdly, it created difficulties
for the army of the disbelievers who were camping in the lower part of the
valley for the rain-water gathered there and made the ground marshy and their
feet sank into the mud.
"The defilement caused by Satan" was the fear and
confusion he had imbued in their minds because of the coming battle. The
God-sent rainfall and slumber at that critical occasion helped to remove that
fear and confusion.
10From what we have learned about the basic
principles from the Qur'an, we are of the opinion that the angels were not
employed directly to take part in fighting and killing but probably they were
used to help the Muslims in making their strokes hard and effective. But the
true knowledge is with Allah.
11Up to this place references have been
made one by one to some events in connection with the Battle of Badr: this is to
show the real significance of the Arabic word anfal. At the very beginning of
the Surah, it is decreed that 'bounties belong to Allah and the Messenger and
not to you because the spoils are not the fruit of your efforts.' As a proof of
this, these events have been enumerated for the consideration of the Believers
and they have been asked to judge for themselves how much they contributed to
the spoils by their courage and bravery and how these owed to the bounty of
Allah.
12The address has been suddenly turned to the disbelievers
because of the mention of the punishment they deserved.
13The Qur'an
does not forbid an orderly retreat if necessitated by military strategy. It is
lawful to retreat if there is a hard pressure of the enemy, and the fighting
troops retreat to get re-enforcements or to join another pan of the army in the
rear. However, what has been forbidden is a rout in utter defeat, involving
disorderly and cowardly flight for safety. Such a retreat is obviously a heinous
sin, because it is to save one's own life and it deserves the most painful
retreat in Hell. Any one, who runs away in disorder from the battlefield, does
so because he loves his own life more than the cause for which he professed to
fight. Accordingly the Holy Prophet condemns this emphatically, saying, "There
are three sins which make virtue vain-shirk, violation of the rights of parents
and flight from the battlefield, when fighting in the Way of Allah." Likewise in
another Tradition, he mentions seven sins that are ruinous and destructive for
the Life-after-death. One of these is that one should turn one's back to the
disbelievers and run away from the conflict between Islam and kufr. Such a rout
is condemned because, besides being a cowardly act, it leads to serious
consequences: the flight of one soldier may cause the rout of a platoon and that
in turn of a regiment or of the whole army. Then it is also possible that the
rout of the army might ruin the whole country.
14This refers to an event
that happened during the Battle of Badr. After single bouts, when a general
fight was going to ensue, the Holy Prophet took a handful of sand and threw it
towards the army of the disbelievers, saying, "May their faces be scorched." At
the same time he made a gesture and the Muslims attacked the disbelievers in a
body.
15This refers to the prayer that was offered by the Quraish at the
Ka'abah before they marched for the fight. The mushriks held the curtains of the
Ka`abah and prayed: "O Allah! grant victory to the better of the two parties."
Abu Jahl particularly invoked Allah's decision, saying, "O God! grant victory to
that party which is in the right, and disgrace that one which is the aggressor.
"
Accordingly Allah gave His decision and granted their prayer to the
letter by giving a signal victory to the Muslims to show that they were the
better of the two parties and were in the right.
16This exposes the
attitude of the hypocrites, who heard the Truth with their ears, yet did not
accept and believe in it: they professed to believe but did not obey the
Commands.
17That is, "Those who do not listen to the Truth and do not
utter it with their tongues, are deaf and dumb concerning the Truth."
18As those hypocrites had no love for the Truth and no desire to work in its
cause, they would have turned their backs from the Battle at the first critical
juncture, even if Allah had helped them to obey the Command and march to the
battlefield. Thus their company would have proved to be harmful rather than
useful.
19In vv. 21-23, the Believers were warned to guard against
behaving like the hypocrites and here the remedy is being prescribed for it. The
most effective antidote against hypocritical behavior is the belief in Allah and
the life in the Hereafter. If a person sincerely believes that he has to deal
with that Allah Who knows everything-even the intentions, desires, designs,
thoughts, etc., hidden in the hearts arc known to Him- and that one has
ultimately to return to Him, he will try his best to refrain from such a
behavior. That is why the Qur'an mentions these two articles of Faith over and
over again as a remedy to cure the evil of hypocrisy.
20"That mischief"
refers to those collective evils that are not confined to individuals but are so
widespread that a large number of persons in a locality become addicted to these
at the same time. In such a case, it is not the wrongdoers alone who are seized
by the scourge of Allah but also those few people who arc involved in those
evils. This is because they put up with life in such evil surroundings.
In order to illustrate this, let us consider the case of a town from the point
of view of its sanitary conditions. If filth lies scattered at a few places, its
evil effects remain confined to that particular locality or localities and only
those people who keep their houses or persons dirty suffer from the consequent
diseases. But if filth gets scattered all over the town and there is no one to
prevent it and restore sanitary conditions, then the air, the water and the soil
will all be contaminated and become so poisonous as to cause the outbreak of an
epidemic in the whole town. Obviously it will not discriminate between those who
scattered the tilth and those who refrained from it, but will affect all the
people who live in those surroundings. The same is the case of moral impurity,
corruption and obscenity. If these evils are found in some persons individually
but the fear of the good people of the society keeps them under check, the evil
effects remain confined to the wrongdoers alone. On the other hand, if the
collective conscience of the society becomes so weak that it cannot keep the
evil suppressed, and the wrongdoers, the indecent and the unmoral people become
so bold that they begin to commit their filthy acts openly, that mischief takes
the forth of an epidemic of immorality. Then even those good people who remain
content with their own individual goodness and adopt a passive attitude towards
the widespread evils, fall victims to the consequent scourge because they did
nothing to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
In this way Allah
impresses upon the Muslims the importance of the mission of reform and guidance
for which the Messenger had risen and to which he was inviting them, as if to
say, "There is life for you as individuals and as Community in this work. If you
do not sincerely exert for its achievement and for the eradication of evils, an
epidemic of evils will break out which will involve in its scourge all of you,
even though there may be some among you who might. not have been guilty of
either the commission of those evils or of their spread; nay, they might have
been leading good lives as individuals" . The same thing has already been
enunciated in VII :164. And this may be regarded as the fundamental principle of
that war which has been permitted by Islam for the reform of the people in
general.
21The words "...so that you may be grateful" are very
significant in the context in which they occur. They require that the Muslims
should not merely acknowledge the kindness of Allah that He brought them out of
their weak position in Makkah to the security of Al-Madinah and provided them
with pure and good things of life. They should also show their gratitude in a
practical manner and obey Allah and His Messenger and work sincerely and
devotedly for the success of his mission, facing bravely, with trust in God, the
dangers, hardships, obstacles and misfortunes that come in the way. They should
firmly believe that if they sincerely exert in the way of Allah, He will most
surely become their Guardian and Helper as before and bring them out safely from
all sorts of dangers. Thus gratitude does not mean mere acknowledgment; it has
to be given a practical shape as well. It is not gratitude if one acknowledges
the kindness of a benefactor but does nothing to please him or serve him
sincerely or entertains doubts about the kindness of the benefactor in future;
it is ingratitude.
22"Your trusts" is a very comprehensive term and
includes all those things that are entrusted to anyone for fulfillment, whether
they concern individuals or communities. For instance, one should not violate
treaties and agreements or betray secrets of community or misappropriate
property and office entrusted to one's care. (For further details, please refer
to E.N. 88 of An-Nisa).
23Worldly goods and children generally prove to
be the greatest temptations that lead a person to the ways of hypocrisy,
treachery and dishonesty. That is why Allah has warned the Believers to be on
their guard against indulging in too much love of money and children, as if to
say, "This world is a big Examination Hall, and Your wealth and Your children
are two of its question papers. These have been given to you only to test
whether you fulfill their prescribed rights and keep the prescribed limits;
whether you walk straight on the Right Way while carrying the burden of
responsibilities or swerve from it because of the attractions of allurements and
temptations; and whether you control your "self' which is liable to become their
slave in a way that it remains the slave of Allah, and at the same time renders
their rights in the way He has prescribed.
24The Believers have been
assured that if they behave in a God-fearing way, Allah will provide them with
the criterion (that is, the true knowledge and the right understanding of all
affairs), to enable them to discern between right and wrong. Thus, if they so
intend, they will be able to do the Will of God and follow the way He approves
of. That criterion will serve as a signal at every turning, every crossing,
every up and down and show them the Right Way, the Way of God, and warn them of
the false ways, the ways of Satan.
25This plot was made at the time when
the Quraish realized that the Holy Prophet also was going to migrate to
Al-Madinah. They felt that if he succeeded in emigrating from Makkah, he would
be out of their reach and become formidable. Accordingly they held an urgent
meeting of their chiefs in Dar-un-Nadvah (Council House) to discuss the matter
and come to a final decision in regard to him. Some were of the opinion that he
should be chained and imprisoned for life. But this plan was not approved for it
was feared that his Companions would go on working for the mission and would do
their best to release him, even at the risk of their own lives, as soon as they
would gain some power. The others proposed that he should be exiled from Makkah
for that would at least relieve them of the `disorder' he was creating among
them. Then it would not matter for them where he lived and what he did. But the
chiefs rejected this plan, saying, "This man possesses the art of a charming
speech and of winning hearts. If he leaves this place, he may go to the other
Arab clans and win them over to his side, and then after gaining power, he may
attack Makkah". At last Abu Jahl, putting forward his plan, said, "Let us select
from each of our families one strong, stout and smart young man of high rank.
They should all attack Muhammad at one and the same time and kill him. In this
way, the responsibility for his blood will be divided equally among all the
families of the Quraish, and it will not be possible for Banu `Abd Manaf, the
family of Muhammad, to fight with all of them and they will be forced to accept
blood-money for him". They approved this plan unanimously and nominated young
men to kill him at the appointed time. Accordingly the would-be murderers
reached their places on the night fixed for the crime, but the Holy Prophet,
throwing dust in their eyes, escaped safely from Makkah. Thus their plot ended
in utter failure at the eleventh hour.
26These words were not uttered as
a prayer but as a challenge. What they really meant was this: Had this been
really the Truth sent down by God, He would have rained down stones on us from
heaven or sent down some other painful torment on us, in consequence of its
rejection by us. But as nothing of the sort has happened, it means that it is
neither the Truth nor has it been sent down by Allah.
27This is the
answer to their challenge that was implied in their seeming prayer. They have
been told that a torment was not sent down during the Makkan period because of
the presence of the Messenger in their midst. For Allah gives respite to the
people to reform themselves as long as the Messenger continues to invite them to
the Truth, as He does not deprive them of the opportunity of reforming
themselves by sending down a scourge before the expiry of the term. The second
reason is that Allah does not send down a scourge on an habitation as long as
there remain in it any people, who tray ask His forgiveness for their past
negligences and deviations and mend their ways. However, a scourge is sent down
on the habitation when the Messenger considers that he has done all he could to
admonish its people and emigrates from it or is expelled from it or is murdered
by its people. This is because that habitation proves practically that it cannot
tolerate in it even the presence of any good element.
28They have been
further warned to this effect: "Now that you have incurred a torment, you should
be ready for it for nothing will save you now from it" . The Quraish were under
the delusion that they would not be visited by any torment because they were the
guardians and keepers of the House of God. This misunderstanding has been
removed by declaring, so to say, "They arc not its lawful guardians for mere
inheritance does not entitle them to its guardianship. The pious people alone
are the rightful guardians of this Sacred Place. The people of the Quraish have
forfeited that right now if they had any right to it, because they were barring
the way of the really pious people to this House, which is dedicated to the
exclusive worship of Allah. The Quraish were behaving not as the guardians and
keepers and servants of the House but as its masters, and prevented anyone they
liked from visiting it. As regards their worship in the House, it was nothing
more than making meaningless noises by whistling and clapping of hands: it was
void of devotion towards Allah and of His remembrance and of all its
requirements. How could they, then, expect any favor from Allah or any guarantee
of immunity from His scourge?"
29They have been told that the scourge of
Allah had visited them in thy shape of utter defeat in the Battle of Badr, which
had given life to the Islamic Way and brought death to their way of 'ignorance'.
This was necessary to remove their wrong notion that the scourge of Allah came
only in the shape of rain or storm from the heavens or the like.
30"They
have become bankrupt", for all their efforts, abilities, time and wealth
ultimately proved to be absolutely worthless. It not only failed to earn any
interest or profit for them but has also driven them to utter ruin.
31Here the war aim of Islam, which had previously been declared in 11: 193, has
been repeated. This aim has two aspects-- the negative and the positive. On the
negative side, the aim of war is to abolish (fitnah), and on the positive, it is
to establish Allah's Way completely and in its entirety. This is the only
objective for which it is lawful, nay, obligatory for the believers to fight.
There is no other object for which fighting is lawful, and it does not behoove
the believers to resort to fighting for any other objective. (For fuller
details, please see E.N.'s 204 and 205 of Al-Baqarah.)
32This verse
contains the answer to the question which) was asked about the division of
spoils at the very beginning of the Surah. There it was merely said that 'these
are the bounties of Allah and belong to Him and His Messenger, and the authority
to divide these belongs to them. `In this verse, the verdict on the spoils has
been given. After the battle is over, the fighters should bring all the spoils
to the leader and hide nothing of these. Then one-fifth should be set apart for
the requirements stated in this verse, and the remaining four-fifths divided
among those who took part in the fighting. That is why the Holy Prophet used to
announce after every fight, "These spoils belong to you, and I have no share in
these for my own person except one-fifth only and that, too, is spent for your
common good. Therefore bring here everything-even a needle and its thread. Do
not hide anything, big or small, for this is a shameful thing and leads to Hell"
.
This one-fifth share of Allah and His Messenger has been reserved for
the cause of Allah and for the establishment of His Way.
During his
life-time, by the relatives were meant the relatives of the Holy Prophet. A
share from the one-fifth of the spoils was to be given to those relatives of the
Holy Prophet who wen dependent on him for now he had to devote the whole of his
time to the cause of Allah's religion and it was not possible for him to earn
for the maintenance of the members of his own family and of the relatives who
were dependent on him. But there has been a difference of opinion regarding this
share of the relatives after his death. Some are of the opinion that this share
was abolished after the death of the Holy Prophet; others say that this share
should go to the relatives of his successor. But there arc still others who hold
that this share should be spent for the needy persons from among his offspring.
According to my research, this share was given to the needy ones of his
offspring during the time of his rightly guided successors.
33"What We
sent down on Our servant" means His timely succor that brought about the victory
in the Battle of Badr.
34That is, "It should be proved that whichever
(Islam or ignorance) survived in the Battle, really deserved to live, and
whichever perished, ought to have perished" . It should be noted that here the
conflict for survival was not between different persons as such but between
Islam and ignorance' as represented by the Believers and the disbelievers.
35As Allah hears everything and sees everything and knows everything, He is
running His universe with wisdom and justice and will allow the right alone to
survive.
36This happened when the Holy Prophet was marching from Al
Madinah towards the battlefield and it was not then known how large the army of
the disbelievers was. In this dream, he saw the army and concluded from what he
saw that it was not large. He related what he saw in his dream to the Muslims,
and this filled them with courage and they marched on boldly towards the enemy.
37As the Arabic word (sabr) which has been translated into fortitude is very
comprehensive in meaning, 'practice fortitude' implies: "Keep your feelings and
passions under control; avoid rashness, bewilderment, despair, and greediness:
keep cool and calm and make considered decisions; remain firm and steadfast in
the face of dangers and difficulties; don't take any wrong step even under the
greatest provocations; don't lose your senses even when you are attacked by
afflictions and are in a sad plight; don't take any hasty action in your
impatience to achieve your objective without delay with the help of some seeming
effective device and don't be enticed by the temptation of some worldly interest
or gain or lust" . Allah helps those who practice fortitude (sabr) in accordance
with the above implications.
38The Muslims have been forewarned never to
behave like the disbelievers of Makkah, who had marched arrogantly out of their
homes and who were debarring the Muslims from the Way of Allah. They had singing
girls with them and they held singing, dancing and drinking parties at many
halting places. Moreover, they made a great display of their power, grandeur,
numerical strength and equipment before the clans and habitations which came in
their way and freely bragged that none could have the courage to fight with
them. This was the state of their morality but the objective for which they were
marching out was even worse than this. They had not marched out to raise the
standard of truth, righteousness and justice, but to prevent it from rising up.
Their objective was to annihilate the only people who were exerting to raise up
that standard. This bad example was held out before the Muslims so that they
should guard against such behavior for their Faith required that their conduct
should be righteous and their war aim should be pure and noble.
It may
also be noted that this guidance was not needed only at that time but it is
equally needed even today and will be needed in future as well, for the moral
condition of the armies of the modern `civilized' nations is the same as of the
disbelievers of Makkah. Prostitutes indecent recreations and wine constitute
their essential parts, and they do not ask for these things secretly but openly
and brazen-facedly. More than that! their soldiers openly demand from their own
people that they should present their own daughters to them for the
gratification of their lusts. How can, then, any other people expect from them
that they would spare their women and will not make them the plaything of their
passions? As regards their arrogance, suffice it to say that each and every
soldier and officer of their army is an embodiment of pride and vanity. Then
their politicians are never tired of bragging like this: 'None is able to defeat
us today for none is more powerful than we". And their war aims are still more
wicked. Whereas everyone of their leaders most solemnly and cunningly assure the
world that they have nothing but the good of humanity before them, they might
have, in fact, all other aims but this. They wage war in order to capture all
the resources of the earth that God has created for all mankind, and to
monopolize these for the benefit of their own country and nation, and make all
other people their servants and dependents. That is why the Qur'an forbids the
Muslims to follow the evil ways of those wicked people and enjoins them to
refrain from expending their wealth and life for the achievement of the
objective for which the wicked people fight.
39This was the opinion of
the hypocrites and the worldly-wise people of Al-Madinah. When they saw that the
small band of Muslims was going to fight with the large and superior force of
the Quraish they said to one another, "Over enthusiasm for their religion has
made these people mad and they are going to meet with utter destruction. As they
have been blinded by their Prophet, they cannot see that they are going into the
very mouth of death" .
40That is, "Allah does not withdraw His favor
from any people until they themselves prove by their conduct that they have
become unworthy of it".
41"Those ..... who violate the treaties....."
were the Jews. On his migration to AI-Madinah, they were the first people with
whom the Holy Prophet had entered into an alliance to co-operate for mutual
good. He did his very best to establish good relations with them, for he
considered them to be nearer to Islam than the mushriks, and he preferred their
way to those of the mushriks, whenever a choice had to be made between the two.
But their scholars and rabbis did not at all like the pure doctrine of Tauhid,
taught by him, and the high standard of morality presented by him, and the
exertions put in by him for the establishment of the Right Way. Therefore, in
spite of the treaties they were persistently trying to defeat the New Movement.
Accordingly, they adopted several measures: they conspired with the hypocrites
of AI-Madinah against the true Muslims: they incited the clans of Aus and
Khazraj against each other in order to kindle the fire of the old enmity that
existed between the two before the advent of Islam and had led to bloody feuds,
and they contrived plots with the Quraish and other hostile clans to ruin the
Muslims. Though the Jews had all along been violating the written treaty the
Holy Prophet had made with them, their enmity and jealousy had become even more
furious than before, after the victory at Badr. For they had expected that the
Movement would receive a crushing blow at the hands of the Quraish, but the
result had been quite the reverse of it. Therefore they increased their inimical
activities all the more in order to prevent Islam from becoming a formidable
force. So much so that on hearing the news of the defeat of the Quraish, one of
their leaders, Ka`ab bin Ashraf, cried out in anguish, "Today the bowels of the
earth are far better for us than its surface". Accordingly, he himself went to
Makkah and recited exciting elegies to incite the people of Quraish to wreak
their vengeance. More than that: the people of one of their clans, Bani Qainqa
`, setting aside the good neighborly manners, began to tease the Muslim women
who used to go to their habitations for business. When the Holy Prophet reproved
them, they gave an impudent reply and said, "We are not weak like the Quraish:
we are a people who know how to fight even to the death: you will have an
experience of our courage when you encounter us. "
42That is, "If we
'have made a treaty with a certain people and they disregard its obligations and
take part in a fight against us we shall also be absolved from the obligations
of the treaty and fight against them. Likewise if we are fighting against any
people and find any of our allies among the enemies we should not hesitate to
kill them and treat them as enemies. For by discarding the obligations of the
alliance as individuals, they forfeit all the rights of an ally in regard to the
security of life and property."
43This verse lays down a very clear and
strict rule for the breaking of a treaty when necessary, and enjoins the Muslims
to "throw their treaty openly before them" . According to this verse, it is
unlawful to make a unilateral decision of its termination, even if the Muslims
felt that the other party with whom they had entered into an alliance, was not
observing the treaty strictly and properly, or if they were afraid that the
other party would turn treacherous on the first opportunity. Therefore it
forbids them to treat the other party in a way as if there had been no treaty
with it at all. On the other hand, this verse binds the Muslims to inform the
other party in clear words, before taking any step against it, that the treaty
with it had been terminated. This is essential so that the other party should
have no misunderstanding whatsoever that the treaty was still in force. The Holy
Prophet based the international policy of Islam on this verse. He decreed, "The
one that has made a treaty with another party is bound by it until the expiry of
its teen. Or if obliged, then one should throw it before the other party so that
both may be set on equal footing" . Then he extended the same principle to all
other affairs, saying, "Behave not treacherously even towards those who are
treacherous to you" . And he had impressed the same so deeply on the minds that
this principle was observed most strictly both in letter and in spirit. That is
why when Amir Mu'aviyah assembled his army near the frontiers of the Roman
Empire with the intention that he would invade their territory immediately after
the expiry of the term of the treaty, Hadrat Amar bin `Anbasah, a Companion of
the Holy Prophet, strongly protested against this and recited the same Tradition
before him according to which even concentration of army was a piece of
treachery. The Amir had to submit to this, and he gave up the concentration of
army.
It may also be noted that the practice of unilateral abrogation of
treaties `and invading the enemy without any declaration of war was common
during the time of `ignorance' in the ancient times and is also in vogue in the
civilized ignorance: of today. For example, during World War' II, Germany
invaded Russia, and Britain and Russia took military action against Iran without
any formal declaration of war. It may be noted that the pleas put forward for
such breaches and violations are very flimsy: it is argued that if a declaration
of war had been made beforehand, the other party would have taken precautionary
measures and given a tough fight; or that if they had not taken action, their
enemy would have forestalled them. But they seem to forget that if moral
responsibilities were to be set aside on such lame excuses, then there remains
no crime and no sin that cannot be justified on one plea or the other, and every
thief, every robber; every adulterer, every murderer and every forgerer can put
forward a justification for his crime or sin. But it is strange that the modem
leaders have two standards of judgment. While they justify the acts of treachery
in the international sphere, they condemn the same when these are committed in
their own national sphere.
There is, however, an exception to the above
principle. The Islamic Law allows the Muslims to attack the other party, if it
violates the treaty openly and takes some specific inimical action against them.
In such a clear case, this verse does not bind them to give a due notice of the
termination of the treaty, but grants them the right to take military action
against such a treacherous party without giving any ultimatum. The Muslim
jurists have deduced this exception from a precedent set by the Holy Prophet.
When the Quraish openly broke the treaty of Hudaibiyah, in regard to Bani
Khuza`ah, he did not consider it obligatory to give them a notice that he, too,
had terminated the same. He, therefore, invaded Makkah without giving them any
notice. But here we must strike a note of warning. In order to take advantage of
this exception, we must consider all the circumstances under which the Holy
Prophet thought it right to invade Makkah. In that case, and in that alone, it
is lawful for us to follow the precedent set by him; otherwise we are liable to
take undue advantage of it. We learn from the books of Hadith and Sirat that the
following circumstances led him to take this step:
(1) The violation of
the treaty by the Quraish was so glaring that there was absolutely no doubt that
there had been a breach and they themselves confessed that the treaty had come
to an end. That is why they sent Abu Sufyan to AI-Madinah for its renewal.
Though that was a proof that they also knew that the treaty had come to an end,
it does not mean that this exception will be justifiable only if those who
violate the treaty also know it and confess it. The exception will be only
justifiable if the violation would be quite clear and beyond any doubt.
(2) After the violation of the treaty, the Holy Prophet did not indicate in any
way whatever by word or by deed or by implication- that in spite of the
violation of the treaty by them he regarded the treaty to be still in force; nor
did he continue such relations with them as might indicate the same. All the
traditions show that he rejected the offer of the renewal of the treaty made by
Abu Sufyan.
(3) He openly took the military action against the Quraish
and did nothing at all to show an outward display of peace while harboring
secret intentions of war.
This is the excellent precedent set by the Holy
Prophet in this matter. An exception to the injunction contained in this verse
can, therefore, be made under such specific circumstances that existed on the
occasion, and that, too, in the same straightforward noble way.
Besides,
it is lawful for the Muslims to use force for the settlement of an issue if and
when they find that the other party is neither willing to solve it by mutual
talk nor by international arbitration, but is bent upon using force. In such a
case, this verse makes it incumbent on the Muslims to make a clear and open
declaration to this effect before taking any action. Islam considers a secret
military action as immoral and does not allow it, if the Muslims are not
prepared to make an open declaration of war.
44This means, "You should
always keep in readiness the necessary military equipment and an organized
standing army so that you may be able to take military action immediately
without the least delay, should the enemy attack you suddenly. These
precautionary measures should be taken so that there should be no confusion and
no hurry to urge you to enlist half-trained and ill-equipped volunteers; nor
would there be any fear that the enemy would take you unawares and inflict
irreparable losses on you before you could get ready for the defense".
45That is, "Your relations with other nations should be based on your trust in
God for `He is sufficient for you'. Therefore you should boldly face the enemy
both in war and in peace. When the enemy desires to have a talk with you for
peace, you should be willing and ready to negotiate with the other party without
any hesitation. Do not reject the offer on the pica that the other party is not
sincere and has treacherous intentions. for no one can have correct knowledge of
the intentions of others: If the other party is sincere in its offer, then it
will be wrong to reject it and continue the bloodshed. And if the enemy has
treacherous intentions, then Allah will protect you from them because of your
courage and moral superiority. In that case, fight bravely with the treacherous
enemy so as to teach them such a lesson as may prove a deterrent".
46This refers to the blessing of Islam which led to the union of the hearts of
the different Arab clans and integrated them into a strong community, although
before this there had been permanent enmities between them for centuries. This
favor of God had been very conspicuous in the case of Aus and Khazraj clans of
Al-Madinah. These two clans had been mortal enemies, and the bloody war of
Bu'ath had taken place between them only two years before this. It was really a
miracle that such enmities had been changed into such a union as was witnessed
by the Islamic Community during the time of the Holy Prophet. It was quite
obvious that this thing could not have been accomplished through any human
powers or resources, for whatever had been accomplished, it had been
accomplished by His grace and whatever will be accomplished, it will be
accomplished by His grace.
47Here the word "understanding" has been used
in the same sense as `morale' is used now-a-days. Understanding is a better
scientific term than morale-the moral and mental condition which enables persons
to keep up courage and enthusiasm, etc. For it is obvious that the one, who
understands clearly the objective for which he is fighting would realize that it
is more precious than his own life which would be meaningless if that object was
lost, will possess a fighting power far greater than of the one who has no clear
understanding of the object for which he is fighting, even though the two may be
equal in their physical powers. Above all, the one who has the right
understanding of the Reality, of the existence of Allah, of his own position in
the universe, of his relation with Allah, of the life and death in this world,
of the life in the Next World, of the distinction between Truth and falsehood,
of the consequences of the victory of falsehood over Truth, has much more power
even than those who fight for their country, their nation or for the sake of a
class, even if the latter had the right understanding of their cause. Thus it is
clear that the power of the Believers, who have full understanding of their
object, is ten times that of disbelievers of the same capability. But along with
this understanding, the practice of fortitude is also essential for gaining and
maintaining that power.
48This reduction of the ratio of the power of a
Muslim to that of a nonMuslim from ten to one, to two to one does not mean that
this was due to sane deterioration in the morale of the Muslims. It simply means
that in v. 65 the general principle of the ratio of the power of the Believers
and the disbelievers was enunciated and in v. 66 that principle was applied in
accordance with the then existing condition of their morale. At that time (A.H.
2) the morale of the Muslims had not attained perfection, for many of them had
only recently entered the fold of Islam and were still under preliminary
training. Afterwards when their morale reached the desired standard under the
guidance of the Holy Prophet, the ratio of ten to one was actually established,
and was demonstrated practically in the battles during his last years and during
the time of his rightly-guided successors.
49As regards the question why
Allah rebuked the Muslims in v. 68 for taking ransom, the commentators have
cited some traditions. According to these, after the Battle of Badr, a
consultation was held in regard to the prisoners taken from the army of the
Quraish. Hardrat Abu Bakr was of the opinion that they should be set at liberty
after the payment of ransom but Hadrat `Umar opined that they should be slain.
The Holy Prophet agreed to the opinion of Hadrat Abu Bakr and set them at
liberty after the payment of their ransom. At this, Allah sent down this verse
as a rebuke. But this interpretation is open to some objections.
The
first difficulty of these interpreters is that they are unable to give a
satisfactory explanation that might fit into the words: "Had there not been a
decree that had already been given by Allah....". They say that it refers to the
decree that was predestined by Allah or it means that Allah had already decreed
to snake spoils of war lawful though He had not sent down this decree to the
Holy Prophet. But it is obvious that a thing does not become lawful unless it is
made so by an explicit Command. The second difficulty is that according to this
explanation, the Holy Prophet himself and his followers become guilty of the sin
of taking ransom for prisoners. Therefore one would think many times before
accepting an explanation that is based on traditions emanating from a single
source.
In my opinion, Allah rebuked the Muslims for not complying fully
with the condition laid down in the Ordinance in XLVII: 4: "So kill the
disbelievers until you crush them down; after this you may take them as
prisoners; and then set them at liberty as a favor or for a ransom after the
battle comes to an end. According to this previous Ordinance, there was nothing
wrong in taking prisoners of war and charging ransom for them, but what was
wrong was that they did not fully comply with the prior condition, that is,
`until you crush them down' . For we learn that, when after the Battle of Badr
the army of the Quraish was put to rout, many Muslims began to gather spoils or
to take prisoners and only a few of them went in pursuit of the enemy to crush
them. Had all the Muslims gone in pursuit of them, they would have crushed down
their power then and there. Therefore Allah rebuked the Muslims (and not the
Holy Prophet) as if to say, "O Muslims ! you have not yet fully understood the
meaning of the mission of the Prophet. He is not sent to take prisoners and
charge ransoms or gather spoils. The main objective of his mission is to crush
down the powers of disbelief. But you are overwhelmed by the worldly Breeds
again and again. During the course of this campaign, you at first desired to
attack the trade caravan instead of the army of the Quraish. Then you began to
gather spoils and take prisoners, and afterwards entered into a dispute
regarding the division of spoils. Had We not previously given you permission for
taking ransom (XLVII :4), We would have inflicted a severe chastisement on you.
Very well, now you may enjoy what you have taken, but you should, in future,
fear Us and refrain from incurring Our displeasure.
Imam Jassas also is
of the same opinion (as expressed in his book Ahkamul-Qur an), and therefore the
above interpretation is worth considering. This view is also supported by a
Tradition related in Sirat-i-Ibn Hisham. According to this, the Holy Prophet
noticed signs of disapproval on the face of Sa`ad bin M'uaz on the occasion,
when the Muslims were gathering the spoils and taking prisoners. So the Holy
Prophet said, "O Sa`ad, it appears that you do not approve this conduct of the
Muslims". Sa`ad replied, "It is so, O Messenger of Allah. This is the first
victory that Allah has given us over the mushriks. Therefore it would have been
much better for us to crush down their power completely than to save their lives
by taking them prisoners" . (Volume II, pp. 280-281).
50This verse
contains a very important article of the Islamic Constitution . and lays down
the terms of the relationship (vilayat-guardianship) between the Muslims.
According to it, "Those Muslims only shall be bound by the relationship of
vilayat who are either the inhabitants of Dar-ul-Islam or emigrate to it. As for
the Muslims living outside the territorial borders of the Islamic State, there
shall be the relationship of Islamic brotherhood only, but there shall be no
relationship of vilayat with them. Likewise there shall be no relationship of
vilayat with those Muslims who visit the Dar-ul-Islam as foreigners in the
capacity of the subjects of Dar-ul-Kufr, without emigrating to it permanently"
The Arabic word ( vilayat) is very comprehensive in meaning and
'guardianship' does not convey its full significance. It denotes the
relationship of help, succor, protection, support, friendship, guardianship and
the like between the citizens and the State and vice versa, and between the
citizens themselves. Thus it is clear that this verse confines the limits of the
Islamic, political and constitutional citizenship to its territorial boundaries
only and excludes from this particular relationship the other Muslims who live
beyond its territorial boundaries.
The legal implications of this
negation of guardianship are very extensive, but this is not the occasion for
their statement. Here it will suffice to say that according to this, the Muslims
of Dar-ul-Kufr cannot become the inheritors of the Muslims of Dar-ul-Islam and
vice versa, nor can they be the legal guardians of one another, nor can there be
inter-marriages between them; nor can the Islamic State appoint a citizen of
Dar-ul-Kufr on any responsible post, until that one renounces the relationship
of citizenship with Dar-ul-Kufr. Moreover, this verse affects also the foreign
policy of the Islamic State and frees it from the responsibility of the Muslims
living outside its territorial borders by restricting it only to the Muslims
living within its territory. The Holy Prophet also declared the same thing,
saying, "I owe no responsibility for the protection of any Muslim who resides
among the mushriks"
This foreign policy of Islam cuts at the very roots
of such disputes as are generally responsible for creating international crises.
For it is obvious that if states refuse to shoulder any responsibilities for the
protection, etc., of the minorities living outside their territorial borders,
there cannot arise such disputes concerning them as lead to wars over and over
again.
51Though the Muslims living outside the territorial borders of
the Islamic State have been excluded from political protection in the preceding
verse, this fact does not deprive them of the brotherly relationship of Faith.
Therefore it is obligatory on the Islamic State and its inhabitants, to help
their wronged and oppressed brethren if they ask for help. But even in this
case, they should observe the International Law and the universally accepted
moral code. If Dar-ul-Islam has made a treaty with the persecuting people of
Dar-ul-Kufr the Muslims of Dar-ul-Islam are forbidden to give any help to the
oppressed Muslims in Dar-ul-Kufr if that is against the moral obligations of the
treaty.
In this verse the word (mithaq) has been used for treaty. It
implies everything that gives the guarantee of peace in the known sense to the
parties concerned even though there might not be any explicit mention of a
no-war agreement.
Moreover, the original words of the Arabic Text-
"....between you and thetas there is a treaty"- clearly show that a treaty of
the Islamic State with a non-Islamic State is not merely a treaty between the
two states but between the two nations. Therefore it is morally binding on both
the Islamic State and the Muslims living in the Islamic State. The Islamic Code
does not tolerate that the Muslim subjects should be left free from the
obligations of the treaty which a Muslim government makes with other countries
or nations. Of course, those Muslims who reside outside the territorial borders
of the State that makes a treaty are free from this obligation. that is why Abu
Busair, Abu Jandal and other Muslims who were not the subjects of Dar-ul-Islam
were not bound by the terms of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah, which the Holy Prophet
had made with the disbelievers of Makkah.
52The sentence-"unless you
also help one another"-has two meanings: (1) If it is considered in connection
with the previous sentence, "the disbelievers help one another," it means: "If
you, the Believers, will not help one another just as the disbelievers help one
another, there will be mischief and great disorder on the earth" . (2) But if it
is considered in connection with the instructions given in v. 72, it will mean:
if the people living in Dar-ul- Islam (a) do not become the guardians and
protectors of one another, (b) do not consider the Muslims, who have not
migrated to Dar-ul-Islam and live in Dar-ul-Kufr, outside their political
protection, (c) do not. give help to the persecuted Muslims, living outside
Dar-ul-Islam, when they ask for it, and if at the same time, they do not observe
the law that the Muslims living in Dar-ul-Islam would not help those Muslims
living in Dar-ul-Kufr among the people with whom they made a treaty of peace,
and (d) do not break all their friendly relations with the disbelievers,-then
there will be mischief and great chaos in the world.
53This is to remove
a misunderstanding. After migration to AI-Madinah, the Holy Prophet had
established the relationship of brotherhood between the Muhajirin and the Ansar,
which gave rise to the misunderstanding that they had become the inheritors of
one another. This verse says that inheritance shall be determined by the
blood-relationship and not by the relationship of brotherhood in the Faith.