Surah Al-Fath 48:1-10 - Quran Translation Commentary

4. It is HE who sent down tranquility into the hearts⁶ of the believers that they might obtain added faith with their faith.⁷ The owner of all forces of the earth and the skies is Allah alone.⁸ And Allah is ever Knower, Wise.⁹

5. (HE granted this victory) so that He may admit the believing men and believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow. They will dwell therein for ever, and so that HE may remove their ills from them and this is with Allah the supreme achievement.¹⁰

6. And punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and polytheist men and polytheist women¹¹ who think evil thought concerning Allah. For them is the evil turn of fortune. The wrath of Allah is on them and Allah has cursed them and has made ready for them hell, a very evil destination.

7. Allah’s are the forces of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.

8. (O Prophet!) We have sent you as a witness ¹² and a bearer of glad tidings ¹³ and a warner.¹⁴

9. So that you may believe in Allah and His messenger, and may back (support) him and honour Him¹⁵ and recite holiness(praise) of Allah morning and evening.¹⁶

10. (O Prophet !) Those who were swearing allegiance to you were, in reality, swearing allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah was over their hand¹⁷ Then whosoever will break his oath will do so only to his soul’s hurt. And whosoever will fulfill his covenant with Allah ¹⁸ HE will bestow on him a great Reward.

Commentary

1. Means the conquest of Makkah. The pact of Hudaibiyah was its harbinger. Makkah was conquered within two years after this pact, that is, in Ramazan of 2nd Hijri. Thus the Quranic foretelling that “WE granted you a manifest victory” came true. The apparent aspect of the treaty of Hudaibiyah was unpalatable to the Muslims because they had to return without performing the intended Umrah that year But the far-reaching sight of Allah and His prophet could observe these sweet and pleasing consequences thereof and it is a fact that the series of Islamic victories began only after the treaty of Hudaibiyah. Describing its strategies, Allamah Ibne Qaiyim writes :- “This was the forerunner of the biggest victory through which Allah granted honour and prestige to His prophet and His army. People entered Islam in large numbers. Thus, this treaty was the door, as well as the key of this victory was its announcement in advance………….” This treaty was a great victory because thereby people got peace and tranquility and the Muslims got the opportunity to meet the disbelievers, to invite them to Islam, to make them hear the holy Quran and to hold open discussion on Islam. Those persons who were hiding their Islam (Faith) came out in the open and, during the period of the pact, those whom Allah guided accepted Islam. That is why Allah called it the “manifest victory”..... Apparently this treaty was depriving Muslims of their rights but it contained within it honour, help and victory.” (Zadul- Maa’d, Vol:2,p.130) It is noteworthy that in our present age, some people are spreading their wrong ideas by referring to the treaty of Hudaibiyah thereby damaging the spirit of jihaad. They interpret it in such a way as if Islam is a weak opponent of its enemies and that Muslims should bow down before them. The truth is that in Islam there are both war and peace. The pact of Hudaibiyah was signed in peculiar extraordinary circumstances and its offer was made by the disbelievers of Makkah, not by Muslims. The Muslims were already directed earlier through Surah Muhammad not to be the first in peace seeking. ‘‘So he not weak, nor cry out for peace.” (Muhammad : 35) Again it is a fact that before the treaty of Hudaibiyah, the wars were fought in Badr in the year 2 H.E. and in Uhad in 3 H.E. and in Khandaq , in 5 H.E. Like wise, after the end of the Hudaibiyah pact, Makkah was captured forcibly and war was also declared in Hunain and, in Tabook, even the Roman empire was challenged. Is it not then unevenness and inconsistency to ignore all these important events and to try to formulate a particular mentality by referring to the treaty of Hudaibiyah in a wrong context?

2. This is a pointer to the fact that the mission of the prophet is fulfilled after the conquest of Makkah. The aim of his coming is achieved because, the cleaning of the centre of monotheism by purging out the polytheists, [(by the hands of the last prophet (peace be upon him)] and handing over that centre to the Muslim ummah and raising Islam in such a way that it may subdue all other religions was the final goal for attaining which he was sent. After the fulfillment of this final aim the time for his departure from this world comes near and hence he is given the good tidings that the conquest of Makkah has also brought with it the Decree of Pardon (Maghfirat). Here is an advance announcement from your Lord that all your faults are pardoned. This good news granted Divine acceptance to all the efforts made by the holy prophet and it was the Divine appreciation of his noble prophetic work, Even after this good news the holy prophet used to perform so much worship that his legs used to get swollen as a result of long standing during night prayers (namaz). When the holy companions asked him were all of his earlier and later faults not already pardoned, he replied: ‘‘Should I not be a thankful slave?” (Bukhari, Kitabut Tafseer)

Regarding the question whether or not the holy prophet ever committed any faults, this point has been explained in note No :79 of Surah Momin which may be kept in mind. It is an established and agreed matter that prophets never commit sins. We have been ordered to obey them and only he can be obeyed unconditionally who is Maasoom (infallible). This automatically proves that prophets are infallible. But it does not mean that they never erred. To err is human. There is a vast difference between an unintentional fault or error and a willful sin. Then Divine revelation cautions them on their faults or errors so they rectify it instantly. Therefore, there is no question of there being any wrong example for the people. Quran itself has mentioned some of the errors of prophets stating that they were cautioned about them and that they returned toward Allah with a sense of being His slaves. Prophets were also ever-praying for the remittance of their faults. Prophet Ibrahim used to pray:- “ And who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgment.” (Ash- Shu’ra:82). And the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to beg pardon more than seventy times a day. (Bukhari, kitaabud Da’waat)

3. Perfecting of favour means to bless with good abundantly, to grant honour and glory and to raise one’s status.

4. That is: Even after attaining victory he will be guided by Allah on the right path. This is a pointer to the fact that very often a man becomes proud and arrogant after gaining victory and he adopts a wrong path, but the holy prophet is not like that. He is Allah’s messenger and is passing through all stages by HIS grace and in the light of HIS guidance. Hence he will continue to tried the right path even after becoming victorious. And subsequent events confirmed this statement. The way in which he lived his life after conquering Makkah and the way he used his power in the most responsible manner is his exemplary record of stirring deeds. He had entered Makkah as conqueror but his head was bowed. He did not take any revenge from his enemies, but said: “You are not in a clutch today.”

5. That is such a Divine help for you that whosoever clashes with you will be reduced to dust. This prediction is found in Bible also :- “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew:21:43-44) And a Hadith says: “I am assisted with awe.” (Muslim, Kitabul Masajid)

6. That is: During the event of Hudaibiyah when Muslims were covered with Ihram and war was almost imposed on them they could have become very restless but Allah helped them with Sakeenat (peace of mind) therefore they were assuredly satisfied and they got ready to enter Makkah risking their lives. They did not display any weakness and were even hesitating to accept the peace treaty. This shows the extent of their courage and spirit of selfsacrifice.

7. Means their Faith strengthened further. So far as belief is concerned it is the same in every right minded Muslim. But the quality of Faith becomes higher due to his elegance of deeds and his sacrifices for religion. Several Quranic ayah explain this fact. Please see Surah Anfal: Ayah2,Note 3 and Surah Taubah: Ayah 124, Note 226.

8. Therefore no one can stop him from conquering whatever he wants.

9. Hence every decision of Him is based on knowledge and wisdom.

10. This victory has also brought with it the good tidings of the Hereafter for the believers. Their toils bore fruit. Their efforts got acceptance and they gained entry into the Garden (Paradise). Special mention is made of believing women because they had proved very helpful in attaining this goal. They were encouraging their men folk during this mission. According to a Hadith, the companions asked: the holy prophet: “You are given the good tidings regarding the pardoning of all your former and latter errors but what about us? The prophet recited this ayat meaning the paradise is for you.” (Tirmizi, Abwaabut Tafseer)

11. This means, whereas the conquest of Makkah will be a blessing for the believers it will be a cause of torment for the hypocrites and the polytheists.Accordingly they continued to be crushed after the conquest of Makkah.

12. For explanation please see Surah Ahzab, Note 99.

13. For explanation please see Surah Ahzab, Note 100.

14. For explanation please see Surah Ahzab, Note 101.

15. The prophet’s position is very high. Therefore you should rise up to assist and support him after believing in his prophethood. Moreover you must also honour and respect him. It should be kept in mind that ‘Tuazziroohu’ (support him) and ‘Tuwaqqirrohu’ (honour him) are the words which can be appropriate only for a prophet. Therefore the preposition ‘hu’ is related only to the prophet. In Surah Aaraf too the word Azzaroohu’ (they supported him) is used only for the prophet.

16. ‘Sabbihoohu’ (recite His holiness) wherein also is the preposition ‘hu’ (he) It also can be for Allah only because reciting of holiness can be made only of Allah. Hence we have translated it as recite holiness of Allah.’

17. This refers to the pledge of Rizwaan which the holy prophet had taken from his companions at Hudaibiyah as a promise that they would not turn their backs even if they had faced death. (Details have been explained in the following ayah.) This swearing which was made on the hand of the holy prophet was, in fact, a promise to Allah, because, the prophet is the emissary of Allah and whatever order he issues is only from Allah. Hence a promise to him is a promise to Allah. This fact has been described as “Allah’s hand was on their hand”. It should be well understood that the swearing described in Quran is on the hand of the prophet only. The importance of it is manifest from the statement that a swearing on his hand is a swearing on Allah’s hand. Hence this Baiyat or pledge is exclusively with the prophet. Apart from this there is another pledge which is mentioned in the Hadith and it is the pledge on the hand of the khalifa (caliph).It is meant for accepting the political power of the caliph. In those days the manner of selecting the head of the state was not and could not be as it is now in today’s democratic governments. Therefore the caliph was being elected in the consultation. with important and leading persons. They used to make Baiyat on his hand which meant a promise of obedience to the caliph in good deeds. This indicated that they have accepted him as a caliph. Therefore, after the departure of the holy prophet from this world, the pledge made on the hands of the rightly-guided caliphs was of this kind. It meant acceptance of the political power (authority) of the caliph so that a collective system may be established and under that system rules and regulations may be followed provided they may not come into conflict with the Shariat. Regarding the Baiyat which a peer (saint) takes from his disciple (mureed) it is a clear innovation (bid’at) which has neither been ordered by the shariah nor adopted by the honourable companions of the holy prophet. Moreover there are many kinds of evils or perversions in it like excess in the faith of the peers, hero worship, to think that such Baiyat is enough for salvation in the Hereafter. False arrogance of the peers, misleading of the followers (mureeds) by the peers, imposing tariqat (sufism) in place of shariat and to keep people indulged in innovations instead of the holy prophet’s ways etc. Therefore Islam has nothing to do with this kind of pledge (Baiyat).

18. According to the general rule of Arabic grammar it should be ‘alaih-e-llah’ that is: the ‘he’ O of ‘alaih’ should have ‘zer’ beneath it. But in the ayah this ‘he’ O has a ‘pesh’ on it and hence it is read: ‘alaihullah’. This kind of change is usually being effected so as to create fluency in Arabic language. Here also reading ‘alaih’ with pesh has made it a fluent recitation. Indeed the fluency in the word of Allah surpasses even the flow of a running stream of water.