Surah 8. Al-Anfal

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-19 [2], 20-28 [3], 29-37 [4], 38-44 [5], 45-48 [6], 49-58 [7], 59-64 [8], 65-69 [9], 70-75 [10]

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Quran Text of Verse 45-48یٰۤاَیُّهَاO youالَّذِیْنَwhoاٰمَنُوْۤاbelieveاِذَاWhenلَقِیْتُمْyou meetفِئَةًa forceفَاثْبُتُوْاthen be firmوَ اذْكُرُواand rememberاللّٰهَAllahكَثِیْرًاmuchلَّعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتُفْلِحُوْنَۚ(be) successful 8. Al-Anfal Page 183وَ اَطِیْعُواAnd obeyاللّٰهَAllahوَ رَسُوْلَهٗand His Messengerوَ لَاand (do) notتَنَازَعُوْاdisputeفَتَفْشَلُوْاlest you lose courageوَ تَذْهَبَand (would) departرِیْحُكُمْyour strengthوَ اصْبِرُوْا ؕand be patientاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahمَعَ(is) withالصّٰبِرِیْنَۚthe patient ones وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَكُوْنُوْاbeكَالَّذِیْنَlike those whoخَرَجُوْاcame forthمِنْfromدِیَارِهِمْtheir homesبَطَرًاboastfullyوَّ رِئَآءَand showing offالنَّاسِ(to) the peopleوَ یَصُدُّوْنَand hinder (them)عَنْfromسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) Allahوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahبِمَاof whatیَعْمَلُوْنَthey doمُحِیْطٌ (is) All-Encompassing وَ اِذْAnd whenزَیَّنَmade fair-seemingلَهُمُto themالشَّیْطٰنُthe Shaitaanاَعْمَالَهُمْtheir deedsوَ قَالَand he saidلَاNo (one)غَالِبَ(can) overcomeلَكُمُ[to] youالْیَوْمَtodayمِنَfromالنَّاسِthe peopleوَ اِنِّیْand indeed, I amجَارٌa neighborلَّكُمْ ۚfor youفَلَمَّاBut whenتَرَآءَتِcame in sightالْفِئَتٰنِthe two forcesنَكَصَhe turned awayعَلٰیonعَقِبَیْهِhis heelsوَ قَالَand saidاِنِّیْIndeed, I amبَرِیْٓءٌfreeمِّنْكُمْof youاِنِّیْۤIndeed, Iاَرٰیseeمَاwhatلَاnotتَرَوْنَyou seeاِنِّیْۤindeed, Iاَخَافُ[I] fearاللّٰهَ ؕAllahوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahشَدِیْدُ(is) severeالْعِقَابِ۠(in) the penalty

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Translation of Verse 45-48

45. O you who believe! when you encounter an army,⁶⁸ hold firm and remember Allah much so that you may be successful.⁶⁹

46. And obey Allah and His messenger, and do not dispute with one another,⁷⁰ lest you become weak and your reputation suffer a setback. Have patience.⁷¹

47. Verily , Allah is with those who are patient. And do not be like those who left their homes in a vainglorious manner, showing off to the people, and (who) debar (men) from the way of Allah.⁷² And Allah surrounds all that they do.

48. And (that was a very testing time) when Satan made their deeds fair-seeming in their eyes them. And said to : “No man can overcome you today and I am there to help you”. But when the two armies came within sight of each other , he took to his heels, saying: “I have no concern with you. I am seeing what you do not see. I fear Allah and Allah is strict in punishment. ”⁷³

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Commentary

68. That is: Whenever you are required to fight the infidels.

69. Success (Falah) means success in the real sense, that is Allah’s help in this world and Allah’s great reward in the next world. To achieve this success two things are necessary: to hold firm at the time of confrontation and fighting, and to remember Allah much. Allah’s help comes down when the people of faith fulfil this responsibility of theirs. One point that emerges from this is that the Muslims who fight any war for material benefits do not receive Allah’s help.

70. Discipline is very important at the time of war, and disputes and differences of opinion cause disorder and disruption in the side. Therefore, they are emphatically asked not to cause disruption and disorder due to indiscipline.

71. In having patience is also included the discipline of obeying orders even if it is against one’s opinion, so that in the battle of truth and falsehood there should be no disruption among Muslims.

72. This is an allusion to the army of the idolaters that had set forth from Makkah, full of vanity and showing off their splendour, and whose objective was to stop the growth and progress of the religion of truth. Muslims were directed not to copy their ways. It is a permanent directive that has been given to the Muslims in order that their army should always be distinct from the army of the disbelievers in every battle. They are the soldiers of Allah and their task is to open up the path of Allah for Allah’s creatures, therefore, in wars also their position should be that of the worshippers.

73. Satan plays his tricky games in such a way that man does not feel or know that Satan is standing before him and is prompting him to follow the wrong path. He establishes his contact with man’s self (mind) in a very clandestine way, and goes on giving suggestions, which take the shape of ideas prompting him to do evil. If a man’s self is awake, then he feels that it is a bad idea that has come into his mind, and he does not pay any heed to it. what Satan said to his disciples (idolaters) at the time of the Battle of Badr was similar to this, which is supported by the following Verse of the Quran, which says:

“Like Satan when he asks man to deny, and when he denies (truth), he says: “I have no concern with you. I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Al- Hashr-16).

It is obvious that Satan does not say all these things openly, but he does it by suggesting sinful and evil ideas and prompting man to deny Allah. when man commits the sin, Satan does not accept responsibility for the act but abandons him to fall in the pit of destruction. A similar suggestion was given by Satan to the infidels at the time of the Batle of Badr.

The second argument in favour of this statement is the first part of the Verse under comment in which it is said that Satan made their deeds alluring to them. It is obvious that Satan accomplished this job in his own clandestine way and not by appearing in a human form. Therefore, the statement of Satan should also be taken in the same vein. (And only Allah knows the correct meaning of His own words).

As for Satan’s saying that what he sees, they do not see, it means that he was seeing the angels who were coming down at that time to help Muslims, and he could not put up a fight against the angels. Therefore, he said that he feared Allah. And when he gave this suggestion to the infidels (in sign language) there should be no wonder if the infidels might have thought, for at least a little time, that the defeat which was staring them in the face might have been the wrath of God which is falling on them.