Verse:59 Commentary Commentary

Mentioned in the first of the four verses cited above are disbelievers who had not participated in the battle of Badr, therefore, they survived or there were those of them who deserted the battlefield after showing up as participants and were thus able to save their lives. It is about these people that it was said in this verse that these people should not think that they have made their escape good because the battle of Badr was Divine punishment for disbelievers and escaping from its grip was not possible for anyone. Therefore, it was said: إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُونَ 'Surely, they will not frustrate [ the Divine will ] - 59'. It means that these people cannot outsmart the will and power of Allah by their cleverness. If He decides to seize them, they would be unable to move even one step. May be, they are seized right here in this mortal world, otherwise, their detention in the Hereafter is all too obvious.

This verse has given a clear indication that a sinner who finds himself delivered from some hardship or pain, yet he fails to repent and make amends, rather stands adamant and obstinate over his sin, then, one should never take this to be a sign of success and everlasting deliverance. In fact, such a person is in the grip of Allah Ta` ala all the time and this respite given to him is actually adding on to his punishment and distress - though, he may not realize it as such. Verse:60 Commentary Production and Supply of Military Hardware for Jihad is a Religious Obligation

Given in the second verse (60), there are injunctions relating to preparations for the defence of Islam against disbelievers. It was said: وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم (And make ready against them whatever you can - 60). Here, by placing the restriction of: مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم (whatever you can) with the need to produce and supply war materials, the hint given is that it is not necessary for your success that you go about acquiring the same quantity and quality of military equipment as is available to your adversary. Instead of that, it is quite sufficient that you put together whatever supplies you can possibly acquire. If so, the help and support of Allah Ta ala shall be with you.

After that, some details about the direction of these preparations were stated tersely. It was said: مِّن قُوَّةٍ (min quwwah : of power). It means: Collect and keep ready the power to fight. Included here is everything in the form of military equipment, weapons, means of transportation and other relevant support - and also learning to stay physically fit and training in fighting skills and strategy. The Qur'an, however, does not mention the weapons commonly used during those days at this place. Instead, by using the general word, قُوَّةٍ 'quwwah' or power, it has pointed out in the direction that this power could be different in terms of every age, country or area. The weapons of those days were arrows, swords and spears. Then came the age of guns and cannons and now is the time of bombs and rockets (and what not). The word: قُوَّةٍ 'Quwwah' or power used here covers everything. Therefore, Muslims of today should acquire nuclear capability as far as they can - and tanks and fighter planes and submarines - because all these are included within the sense of this very قُوَّةٍ 'Quwwah' or power. It should also be borne in mind that should we need to learn any art or science to achieve this end and if such effort be made with the intention that it will be employed to defend Islam and Muslims and to meet any aggressive challenges from the disbelievers - then, that too will fall under the procedure of Jihad and will carry reward.

After having mentioned the word: قُوَّةٍ 'Quwwah' (power) in a general sense, also mentioned there was a particular form of power in clear terms by saying: مِن رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ (and of the trained horses). The word: رِّ‌بَاطِ (Ribat) is used in its sense as a verbal noun as well as in the sense of: مَربُوط (marbut). Taken in the first sense, it would mean to tie horses and in the second, tied horses. The outcome of both is the same, that is, to breed, break and train horses and hold them tied in readiness with the intention of using them in Jihad, or to assemble together a collection of such trained horses. Out of the supplies needed in a war, horses were mentioned particularly for the reason that those were times when the most effective mode of winning a war against countries and peoples of that period was no other but horses. Even today, there are inaccessible areas which cannot be overtaken without horses. Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: Allah Ta` ala has placed barakah on the forehead of horses.

There are other sound Ahadith in which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has declared the efforts to procure and assemble war materials and the learning of the ability to use them efficiently to be a great act of ` Ibadah deserving supreme rewards from Allah. Similarly, equally great returns have been promised for making and shooting arrows.

And since the real purpose of Jihad is to protect and defend Islam and Muslims - and defence as conceived in every period of time and by every set of people remains different - therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: جَاھِدُوا المُشرِکینَ بِاَموَالِکُم وَ اَنفُسِکُم وَ اَلسِنَتِکُم (Carry out Jihad against the Mushrikin with your belongings, and your own selves and your eloquence (of speech or writing). (Hadith reported by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i and Ad-Darimi from Sayyidna Anas ؓ .

This Hadith tells us that the way Jihad - defensive or initiated - is waged with weapons, it is also carried out at times with the power of speech, and the Jihad carried out with the power of pen or writing is governed by the same injunction which governs speech. When Islam and Qur'an are defended through the medium of speech or writing against attacks from the forces of disbelief and atheism, or from agents of disinformation, distortion and interpolation, that too is included in Jihad as based on this clear and definitive textual authority of the Qur'an (Nass).

After having given the command to make war materials ready for use, also described there was the wisdom of assembling these materials together - and its real purpose - in the following words: تُرْ‌هِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّـهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ " (whereby you frighten the enemy of Allah and your own enemy - 60). It means that the real purpose of acquiring and storing military hardware, whether for initiated action or defence, is not to indulge in an exercise of killing and being killed. The purpose, in fact, is to bring down the force of Kufr and Shirk and fill the hearts of their protagonists with awe so that they stay suppressed. On occasions, that can be done by the power of the spoken or the written word only. Then, there are other occasions when fighting and killing become necessary. So, defence is obligatory (fard) as dictated by the prevailing condition.

Then it was said that Muslims do know some of those people who are to be impressed with preparations and readiness for combat - and these are people engaged in an ongoing confrontation with Muslims, that is, the disbelievers of Makkah and the Jews of Madinah. Then, there were other peoples too, those whom the Muslims did not know yet. The reference here is to the disbelievers and polytheists of the whole world who had not come up against Muslims, yet in future, they too were to clash against them. This verse of the Holy Qur'an has told Muslims clearly that, in case they do make full preparations to fight against their present adversary, it will not only cow them down but will also cast its shadows over disbelievers living in distant lands, as it did happen in the case of Cyrus and Ceaser and others of those days. They all were deterred and suppressed during the age of the rightly-guided Khulafa' of Islam.

It goes without saying that the process of putting war materials together and fighting a war has to be backed financially and when it comes to actual production or procurement of military support, that too can be made available through investment of money. Therefore, at the end of the verse, the great merit and reward of spending wealth in the way of Allah has been described by saying that 'the return for whatever you spend in the way of Allah shall be given to you in full.' There are times when this return is received in the form of war spoils right here in this mortal world as well, otherwise, the return to be received in the Hereafter stands already determined - and, as obvious, that is more praiseworthy. Verse:61 Commentary The third verse (61) takes up injunctions of peace and aspects related to it. It was said: وَإِن جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا (And if they tilt towards peace, you tilt towards it). The word: سَلم (salm) with fatha (′)on sin (س), or: سِلم (silm with kasrah ( ِ ) on sin (س) are both used in the sense of peace. The meaning of the verse - as fairly evident from the translation - is that should the disbelievers incline towards peace on some occasion, you too should incline towards it. At this point, it should be borne in mind that the imperative form has been used here to carry the sense of choice. Thus, the intended sense is that at a time when disbelievers are inclined towards peace, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also has the choice of making peace, if he feels peace is in the best interest of Muslims.

And the restriction of: إِن جَنَحُوا (if they tilt) tells us that peace can be made only when the desire to have peace comes from the disbelievers - because, should Muslims themselves start proposing peace without their desire to have it, then, this would be taken as a sign of their weakness.

However, should there arise a situation in which Muslims are totally encircled and find no way out except a peace for security deal, then, initiating a peace proposal is also permissible as ruled by Muslim jurists and as proved through hints given in the directives of the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah نُصُوص (nusus).

And since the proposal of peace initiated by the enemy does have the probability that they might use it as a strategy of deceit, make them negligent and then make a surprise attack, therefore, at the end of the verse, the instruction given to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was: وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ (and place your trust in Allah. Surely, He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing - 61). It means that Allah Ta` ala hears what they say and also knows the intentions and designs concealed in their hearts. He is sufficient to help you, therefore, do not base your decisions to do things on such probabilities which cannot be proved. The safest policy was to entrust all such apprehensions and scruples with Allah. Verse:62 Commentary After that, in the fourth verse (62), the same subject has been taken up with added clarity where it was said:

وَإِن يُرِ‌يدُوا أَن يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّـهُ ۚ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِ‌هِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿62﴾

And if they intend to deceive you, then, Allah is all-sufficient for you. He is the One who supported you with His help and with the believers.

It means that should this very probability turn out to be the reality on the ground - that their intention is bad and they stop at nothing short of a deceptive strike against you - even then, you do not have to bother about it because Allah is sufficient as your supporter. This has been true earlier too. Things have worked for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with nothing but the help and support of Allah Ta` ala. He was always there behind him, a fact which is the very basis of his victory and success. Then, it was for everyone to witness that He made a group of Muslims rise around him who became his helping hands in the mission. All these arrangements were the outward causes of the phenomena. The thing to believe is that the real and absolute Master who fused together all causes of victory and success in a visible form shall never leave him alone to be deceived by the enemy even today. It was under this Divine promise when, after the revelation of this verse, it never happened throughout the entire span of his life that any deceit or ambush from his enemies brought any harm to him. Therefore, the scholars of Tafsir have said that this promise for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم very much like the promise made in: وَاللَّـهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ (and Allah shall keep you protected from the people - 5:67) when, after the revelation of this verse, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had asked his noble Companions ؓ who guarded him against any such dangers that they should now feel relieved and forget about their security concerns regarding his person. This tells us that this promise was special to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . (Bayern al-Qur'an) As for others, they should do things in terms of formal arrangements after assessing prevailing conditions. Verse:63 Commentary Commentary

The first (63) of the four verses from Surah Al-Anfal cited above describes the cause of Muslim victory and the method through which it was achieved. In the verse appearing previous to it (62), the address was to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم where he was told that it was but Allah who had helped him in His own special way, and through the community of Muslims with him. This verse is telling us that help from the community of Muslims can only be made available when this community is mutually in agreement with each other and united as one. Thus, the power and weight it carries emerges to the measure of cohesion and unity it has. If relationship based on mutual unity is strong, the whole community is strong and if this mesh of relationships is loose, the whole community turns incoherent and weak. In this verse, Allah Ta` ala has mentioned his particular blessing which was bestowed on common Muslims for their help and support to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whereby their hearts were filled with perfect unity and love. Though, before the migration of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to Madinah, deadly wars had been fought between two of their tribes, Aws and Khazraj. As for mutual disputes, they were a regular feature of their lives. But, it was the barakah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that Allah Ta` ala made sworn enemies loving brothers to each other. So, the real cause of the establishment and survival of the new Islamic state at Madinah and that of its dominance over enemies was nothing but the help and support given by Allah Ta` ala - and the apparent cause was the mutual love and unity among Muslims.

Alongwith it, also made clear in this verse is the fact that uniting the hearts of different people and infusing them with love and concern for each other is something beyond human control. This can be done only by Him who has created all. If someone were to spend the entire wealth of the world to make this happen by creating love in the hearts of people who hate each other, even then, this feat shall remain beyond his reach and control.

Real and Lasting Unity among Muslims depends on Obedience to Allah Ta` ala

This also tells us that uniting the hearts of people and making them mutually filled with love for each other is a blessing from Allah and it is also obvious that this blessing cannot be hoped for in the presence of disobedience to Allah Ta` ala, in fact, for any hope to have His blessing, obedience to Him and the seeking of His pleasure are binding conditions.

No sensible person from any religion or community would differ about unity among individual and social groups as being commendable and beneficial. Therefore, everyone who is concerned about reforming people puts stress on uniting them together. But, the world at large (as we have found it and fashioned it) is unaware of the reality of things - that full and lasting unity cannot be forged and received on an assembly line through pragmatic designs. This can be achieved only through obedience to Allah Ta` ala and the seeking of His pleasure. The Holy Qur'an has pointed out to this reality in several verses. For instance, at one such place, it was said: وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّ‌قُوا (Hold the cord of Allah firmly, all of you, and do not be divided - 3:103). Given here is the method of avoiding differences and dissensions. The method is that everyone should firmly hold on to the cord of Allah - the Qur'an or the Shari'ah of Islam - and, as a result, everyone shall stand united together all by themselves and all mutual differences would evaporate from the scene. As for the normal difference of opinion, that is something else. If it remains within its limits, it never becomes the cause of dissensions and disputes. Dispute and disorder erupt only when the limits of Shari' ah are crossed. In our day, everyone loves to harp on unity. But, the meaning of unity everyone is fond of taking is: If people agree to what I say, everyone will stand united. And others too who are equally concerned about unity would very much like them to agree to what they say, and thus claim that this is the only way for all to be united. Although, when a normal difference of opinion is inevitable, even necessary, among reasonable and honest people, then, it is evident that should everyone make his or her agreement with the other person depend on the eventuality that the other person agrees to what he or she says, then, mutual unity cannot materialize until the Day of Doom. Instead of all that, there is just no sound and natural format of unity other than that which has been given by the Holy Qur'an - that both parties sit together and agree to what a third party has to say, and this third party has to be the one about whom it is certain that the decision of this party will be free of error. It goes without saying that Allah alone can be such a decision-maker. It is for this reason that, in the present verse, it has been advised that everyone should hold on to the cord of Allah firmly and jointly whereby mutual disputes will evaporate in thin air and perfect unity shall prevail.

In Surah Maryam, it was said: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنُ وُدًّا ﴿96﴾ (Surely, among those who believe and do good deeds, the All-Merciful [ Allah ] generates love - 19:96). This verse makes it clear that the real method through which hearts shall be filled with genuine love and intense fellow feeling is adherence to the dictates of Faith and insistence on doing what is good and right. Without it, even if some kind of unity could be artificially arrived at, that 'unity' will be simply baseless and weak making it disintegrate at the slightest provocation or pressure - something commonly noticed in the experiences of peoples around the whole world. In short, for our instant purpose, this verse explains how the blessing which was bestowed by Allah Ta` ala on the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم - a blessing which was to generate mutual love into the hearts of all tribes of Madinah making them all set to help and support the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went on to turn his supporters into an iron wall for him. Verse:64 Commentary In the second verse (64) as well, by stating the same subject briefly, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been comforted by telling him that sufficient for him is Allah Ta` ala in the real sense, and the group of believers in the physical sense. So, he should have no fear of an enemy, no matter how big, strong, numerous or well-equipped. Commentators have said that this verse was revealed before actual fighting started in the battle of Badr so that Muslims, small in numbers and virtually unequipped, would not be overawed by the heavy numerical and technical superiority of their adversary.