Verses 9–16
8. Al-Anfaal · The Spoils of War
Madinan75 verses
إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّى مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلْفٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ
8:9When you appealed to your Lord for help, He answered you: ‘I will aid you with a thousand angels in a file.’1
وَمَا جَعَلَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِۦ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَمَا ٱلنَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
8:10Allah did not appoint it but as a good news, and to reassure your hearts. Victory comes only from Allah. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, all-wise.2
إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ ٱلنُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةًۭ مِّنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ لِّيُطَهِّرَكُم بِهِۦ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمْ رِجْزَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ ٱلْأَقْدَامَ
8:11When He covered you with a trance as a [sense of] security from Him, and He sent down water from the sky to purify you with it, and to repel from you the defilement of Satan, and to fortify your hearts, and to make [your] feet steady with it.3
إِذْ يُوحِى رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ أَنِّى مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ۚ سَأُلْقِى فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلرُّعْبَ فَٱضْرِبُوا۟ فَوْقَ ٱلْأَعْنَاقِ وَٱضْرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍۢ
8:12Then your Lord signaled to the angels: ‘I am indeed with you; so steady the faithful. I will cast terror into the hearts of the faithless. So strike their necks, and strike their every limb joint!’4
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَآقُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ ۚ وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
8:13That, because they defied Allah and His Apostle. And whoever defies Allah and His Apostle, Allah is indeed severe in retribution.
ذَٰلِكُمْ فَذُوقُوهُ وَأَنَّ لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
8:14‘Taste this, and [know] that for the faithless is the punishment of the Fire.’
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ زَحْفًۭا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ ٱلْأَدْبَارَ
8:15O you who have faith! When you encounter the faithless advancing [for battle], do not turn your backs [to flee] from them.
وَمَن يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ دُبُرَهُۥٓ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًۭا لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا إِلَىٰ فِئَةٍۢ فَقَدْ بَآءَ بِغَضَبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَأْوَىٰهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
8:16Whoever turns his back [to flee] from them that day—unless [he is] diverting to fight or retiring towards another troop—shall certainly earn Allah’s wrath, and his refuge shall be hell, an evil destination.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 9
1.There were only 313 Muslims and that also ill equipped; and there were only one or two horses in the Battle of Badr and enemies were one thousand strong and all of them were well armed. Obviously terror should have overtaken Muslims as the enemies had also gained control on the water supply. Allah sent divine help to Muslims in different fashions in these circumstance and made the people of Quran attentive forever that if they fight in the way of Allah with sincerity the door of divine help would remain open but there is no cure for deceit, boasting or personality cult. The following were the phenomena of divine help in the Battle of Badr:
(1) Angels were sent for the satisfaction of heart.
(2) Sleep overcame the Muslims to remove their tiredness.
(3) Rain fell to purify them.
(4) Water was collected for bathing and to cure satanic instigations.
(5) Ground was made hard by rainwater and it slippery for the infidels.
(6) Angels were appointed for their steadfastness.
(7) Created fear in the hearts of enemies and lowered their spirits.
Even today the doors of mercy are open if people of Palestine, Afghanistan and Muslims of other areas create the fortitude of religious war in the way of Allah and should not be fond of leadership of society and should not betray to the enemies.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Providence had promised the help of one thousand,. three thousand and five, thousand angels in sequence to reassure the Muslims.
- 2
The ayat clearly indicates, that the help of the angels’ was the good news of victory and for reassurance of the Muslims, although Jihad had to be waged by the Muslims themselves. It was the duty of the Muslims to perform Jihad and the angels’ were obliged to impart assurance to their hearts and to make them firm footed.
- 3
One benefit of the rain was purification and, another advantage was the cure of satanic doubt that the enemies were having control over the water pond, and all of them die of thirst. The third benefit was the firming up of sandy land where it was difficult or rather impossible to more swiftly.
- 4
Some people say this command is for the angels as the previous order was also for them. Others however say that it is applicable to the Muslims because Jihad after all is the duty of the Muslims.
Benefit
The word Mawa and refuge is used for Hell and it proves that those who flee shall always be in search of a refuge while they do not realise that this Hell is the only place of refuge for them.