Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 16–23

48. Al-Fath · The Victory

Madinan29 verses

قُل لِّلْمُخَلَّفِينَ مِنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ سَتُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ أُو۟لِى بَأْسٍۢ شَدِيدٍۢ تُقَٰتِلُونَهُمْ أَوْ يُسْلِمُونَ ۖ فَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ يُؤْتِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَجْرًا حَسَنًۭا ۖ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ كَمَا تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا

48:16Say to the Bedouins who stayed behind, ‘[Later on] you will be called against a people of a great might: they will either embrace Islam, or you will fight them. So if you obey, Allah will give you a good reward; but if you turn away like you turned away before, He will punish you with a painful punishment.’1

لَّيْسَ عَلَى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌۭ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌۭ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌۭ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ ۖ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ يُعَذِّبْهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا

48:17There is no blame on the blind, nor is there any blame on the lame, nor is there blame on the sick [if they are unable to go out with the troops to face the enemies]; and whoever obeys Allah and His Apostle, He will admit him into gardens with streams running in them, and whoever refuses to comply, He will punish him with a painful punishment.

۞ لَّقَدْ رَضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَٰبَهُمْ فَتْحًۭا قَرِيبًۭا

48:18Allah was certainly pleased with the faithful when they swore allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down composure on them, and requited them with a victory near at hand

وَمَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةًۭ يَأْخُذُونَهَا ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًۭا

48:19and abundant spoils that they will capture, and Allah is all-mighty, all-wise.

وَعَدَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةًۭ تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَٰذِهِۦ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِىَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَنكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ ءَايَةًۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَٰطًۭا مُّسْتَقِيمًۭا

48:20Allah has promised you abundant spoils, which you will capture. He has expedited this one for you, and withheld men’s hands from you, so that it may be a sign for the faithful, and that He may guide you to a straight path.2

وَأُخْرَىٰ لَمْ تَقْدِرُوا۟ عَلَيْهَا قَدْ أَحَاطَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرًۭا

48:21And other [spoils as well] which you have not yet captured: Allah has comprehended them, and Allah has power over all things.3

وَلَوْ قَٰتَلَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوَلَّوُا۟ ٱلْأَدْبَٰرَ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيًّۭا وَلَا نَصِيرًۭا

48:22If the faithless fight you, they will turn their backs [to flee]. Then they will not find any protector or helper.

سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًۭا

48:23[It is] Allah’s precedent that has passed before, and you will never find any change in Allah’s precedent.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 18

1.Indeed it is a very serious situation when our side is unarmed and we are on journey in an alien land while the enemy is in his own territory and also well armed and fully prepared to fight and how daring it is to enter their area with the intention of performing Umrah. To take the allegiance for death is a great accomplishment for which the faithful must be happy, leave alone the pleasure of Allah and the Prophet because it is upon their hands that the allegiance is given. However here it is worth remembering a saying of Amirul Momineen (a.s.) : More than the performance of a good deed we must worry to save it. If a good deed is performed it would be a momentary success if later that is destroyed and all the efforts will be in vain. As Islam has mentioned about the people who apostasies that all their good deeds are destroyed. The Almighty Allah guaranteed satisfaction to those who gave the allegiance of Rizwan. He bestowed them with peace of mind, a near victory was granted and also showed them with benefits and bounties and saved them from the mischief of people and guided them to the straight path. Now it was their duty not to be proud upon all these things and they should have kept their character safe all their lives. For if after this they become deviated, or broke the allegiance, or fled from Jihad or did not help the religion all these bounties will change into calamities. As seen in the life of many people who did not honour the demands of treaty and could not protect their deeds and as a result they were doomed to perdition.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The mention of Mukhallefeen again and again occurs with their quality so that the enormity of the crime is understood and this word is the subject that for their evil deeds they are left behind.

  2. 1

    This battle implies the engagement of Hunain, Tabuk and Taif where the opponents had only two choices whether to accept Islam or to be prepared for continuous Jihad. And in such situations except for the blind, the lame and the sick Muslims no one is excused from participation in the battle. And these people are also not forgiven if instead of 1ihad the situation calls for self-defence and the Islamic army has no minimum required soldiers left.

  3. 2

    The first profit implies the benefits obtained by the peopel of the oath of Rizwan and the second are the common benefits that the several Muslims are promised. The first of whom is the peace treaty of Hudaibiya and then the victory of Khyber.

  4. 3

    That is, there are many benefits which are not yet in your power but they are going to come your way in the future. That Allah has control of it and He has also promised you regarding them. Some commentators have applied it to the conquest of Mecca and Hunain and some consider it to be the later conquests of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). And it is very much possible that the ayat has indication to all of these.