Surah Al-Anfal 8:11-19 - Quran Translation Commentary

11. (And remember the time) when he caused you to be overcome by drowsiness, as peace from Him ¹⁷ and sent down rainwater from the sky so that He might purify you and to remove the impurity of Satan from you, and so that He might strengthen your hearts and thereby to plant your feet firmly¹⁸.

12. At that time your Lord was revealing to the angels (saying): “I am with you, so keep firm those who believed¹⁹. I will cast terror into the hearts of disbelievers. So strike on their necks, and strike on every finger of theirs²⁰.

13. This because they opposed Allah and His messenger, and whoever opposes Allah and His messenger, then Allah is strict in punishment.

14. This is your punishment, so taste it. And indeed for the infidels is the punishment of Fire²¹.

15. O You who believe! when you encounter as an army the infidels (in a battle), do not turn your backs to them.

16. And whoever on such a day turns his back to them, except as a strategy of war or to join another group (of his own), he shall incur the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell, an evil refuge²².

17. You did not slay them, but Allah slew them, and (O prophet!) you did not throw (dust when you threw dust towards them), but Allah threw it ²³, in order that He might test the believers by a gracious trial. Verily, Allah is Hearer, Knower.

18. That is so; and Allah weakens the tactics of the infidels²⁴.

19. If you sought judgment, so the judgment has come to you²⁵. If you desist, it will be better for you. And if you repeat (your acts), so shall We,²⁶ and however superior in number your forces may be, it will be of no avail to you. And Allah is with those who believe²⁷. O you who believe!

Commentary

17. This event took place in the night before the morning of the battle. This was a night of great terror and restlessness. It is obvious that on such occasions sleep evades men. Therefore, there was no question of deep slumber for Muslims on the eve of the battle. However, it was necessary for them at least to doze for some time so that they might be able to fight in the morning with vigour. Allah caused them to be overcome by drowsiness. which helped them in shedding their fear and enabled them to feel fresh in the morning and fight valiantly in the battle.

18. On the eve of the battle Muslims were anxious about their supply of water. Allah caused rainwater to fall, which proved helpful in various ways. After a long journey Muslims needed to take a bath to remove the dust, but their greater need was to have water for their cleanliness and wuzu (ablutions) before the prayers. Muslims were camping in an open ground. The rainwater bathed them and also enabled them to collect water in a tank which they dug for the purpose. Another advantage of the rainwater was that their doubts and misgivings were removed, for Satan was putting various misgivings in their minds, particularly the suggestion that the conditions are not suitable for Muslims. The third benefit was that it provided the much needed freshness and the Muslims considered it to be a symbol of Divine help. which strengthened their hearts. Fourthly. the place where Muslims were camping was sandy. and with the falling of the rainwater on it, the ground became firm and it became easier for them to maneuvre. In this way this rain of blessing proved so much beneficial for the Muslims that it changed the entire scenario of the battle. On the other hand this rainfall proved to be disastrous for the infidels, for where they were camping it caused it to become muddy, and it became very difficult for their soldiers to have a firm foothold and fight effectively.

19. That is: It was this work which was entrusted to the angels. namely to boost the’ morale of the people of faith. so that they might offer stubborn resistance to the infidels. As for the point: how angels are helpful in boosting the morale of the people of faith. it is a matter connected with the Unseen. about which we cannot have any knowledge, Therefore, it would suffice for us to understand that as by the machination of Satan for creating doubts men falter and stumble, similarly as a result of the inspiration by the angles men’s feet get a firm foothold.

20. It does not mean that the angels were commanded to strike with the sword on the necks of the infidels. If it were to be so, then they would not have been commanded to strike on the fingers of the infidels. The angels were asked to strike on their necks and on their fingers. The words of Quran (Fadhriboo fauqal a ‘naq) do not mean to cut the necks but they mean to strike on, or rather over, the necks. This strike is the same unseen fact as is the angels’ boosting the morale of Muslims, that it is connected with the internal state and not with the outward action. As the result of the striking of the angels on the necks of the infidels was this that their necks became easy prey for the swords of the Muslims, and the result of their striking on the fingers was this that their hold on their weapons became loose and they could not attack Muslims with strong and firm hands.

21. That is: In the world you received the punishment at the hands of the angels and you were disgraced. But the matter did not end there, the punishment in the Hereafter is still pending, for every disbeliever has to enter the Hell and undergo the severe punishment of burning therein forever.

22. Islam wants to prepare its own valiant and brave soldiers, who only know to forge forward in the path of Allah making Allah as their goal. Therefore, there are no words like retreat and running away in its dictionary. Quran warns of severe punishment to those who would turn their back in fighting against the infidels, and in a hadith the Prophet ( Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) has listed it among the seven mortal sins:

“And on the day of fighting to turn one’s back is one of the seven mortal sins.” (Muslim-Kitabul Iman).

However, as stated in the Verse, there are two instances which do not come under the definition of turning one’s back or running away from fighting: one is to retreat as a tactical maneuver, and then to re-attack with redoubled force, and the other is to join another fighting group of one’s own army near the fighting front as a tactical measure.

23. In the Battle of Badr when the fighting started, the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) took a handful of sand and threw it towards the infidel army, saying: “Let their faces be disfigured” and at the same time the Muslim soldiers pounced upon the disbelievers. This resulted in the killing of their great leaders and the disbelievers had to suffer a disgraceful defeat. This event is recorded in the ‘Seerat Ibn Hasham’ (Vol. 2 page. 268). In the said Verse the allusion is to this event only. It means that it was the work of Allah alone which made the strike of the Muslims tellingly effective against the infidels, and to blow the dust thrown by the Prophet into the eyes of infidels, therefore, the victory that the Muslims gained in this battle was possible only With the help of Allah alone.

24. That is: In the Battle of Badr the disbelievers were defeated convincingly. If after this they played any tricks, Allah would blunt their tricks. And it is a fact that after this the disbelievers hatched various conspiracies and indulged in great intrigues, but Allah aborted all their conspiratorial attempts, and they were made totally helpless to stem the advancing tide of the Islamic revolution.

25. Through this battle the polytheists wanted to come to a final decision with regard to truth and falsehood. and their leader. Abu Jahl had prayed to God that whoever of the contending parties might be guiltier of cutting the cord of kinship be destroyed. By granting victory to Muslims and subjecting the idolaters to an ignominious defeat, Allah delivered His judgment that the Muslims were on the right path and their opponents were the followers of falsehood.

26. This is an advice to the polytheists as well as a warning, Advice in this sense that after seeing the outcome of the Battle of Badr. if they give up their antagonism against Islam, it would be in their own interest in that they would be spared disgrace and destruction; and warning in this sense that if they still persisted in their antagonism against Islam, then God would also again submit them to further disgrace and destruction.

27. This prophecy of the Quran proved to be true up to the hilt, the idolaters waged wars against Islam and its prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) subsequently. with bigger armies. but their superiority in numbers, etc, proved to be of no avail to them. In all these wars between faith and disbelief. the outcome of every battle showed that Allah was with the people of faith.