Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 8 Al-Anfal, Ayat 59-64

وَلَا يَحۡسَبَنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا سَبَقُوۡا​ ؕ اِنَّهُمۡ لَا يُعۡجِزُوۡنَ‏  ﴿8:59﴾ وَاَعِدُّوۡا لَهُمۡ مَّا اسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ قُوَّةٍ وَّمِنۡ رِّبَاطِ الۡخَـيۡلِ تُرۡهِبُوۡنَ بِهٖ عَدُوَّ اللّٰهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمۡ وَاٰخَرِيۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهِمۡ​ ۚ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَهُمُ​ ۚ اَللّٰهُ يَعۡلَمُهُمۡ​ؕ وَمَا تُـنۡفِقُوۡا مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ يُوَفَّ اِلَيۡكُمۡ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لَا تُظۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿8:60﴾ وَاِنۡ جَنَحُوۡا لِلسَّلۡمِ فَاجۡنَحۡ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى اللّٰهِ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِيۡعُ الۡعَلِيۡمُ‏ ﴿8:61﴾ وَاِنۡ يُّرِيۡدُوۡۤا اَنۡ يَّخۡدَعُوۡكَ فَاِنَّ حَسۡبَكَ اللّٰهُ​ؕ هُوَ الَّذِىۡۤ اَيَّدَكَ بِنَصۡرِهٖ وَبِالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿8:62﴾ وَاَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ​ؕ لَوۡ اَنۡفَقۡتَ مَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ جَمِيۡعًا مَّاۤ اَلَّفۡتَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ وَلٰـكِنَّ اللّٰهَ اَلَّفَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ عَزِيۡزٌ حَكِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿8:63﴾ يٰۤـاَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ حَسۡبُكَ اللّٰهُ وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏  ﴿8:64﴾

(8:59) Let not the deniers of the truth be deluded that they will gain any advantage. Surely, they, can never overcome Us! (8:60) Make ready for an encounter against them all the forces and well-readied horses you can muster44 that you may overawe the enemies of Allah and your own enemies and others besides them of whom you are unaware but of whom Allah is aware. Whatever you may spend in the cause of Allah shall be fully repaid to you, and you shall not be wronged. (8:61) If they incline to peace, incline you as well to it, and trust in Allah. Surely He is All-Hearing. All-Knowing. (8:62) And should they seek to deceive you, Allah is sufficient for you.45 He it is Who strengthened you with His succour and the believers (8:63) and joined their hearts. Had you given away all the riches of the earth you could not have joined their hearts, but it is Allah Who joined their hearts.46 Indeed He is All-Mighty. All-Wise. (8:64) O Prophet! Allah is sufficient for you and the believers who follow you.

Notes

44. Muslims should he equipped with military resources and should have a standing army in a state of preparedness, in order that it may be used when needed. Never should it happen that the Muslims are caught unawares and have to hurriedly look around right and left to build up their defences and collect arms and supplies in order to meet the challenge of the enemy. For then it might be too late and the enemy might have accomplished its purpose.

45. In international dealings Muslims should not act with timidity. They should rather have faith in God and should act with courage and bravery. However, as soon as the enemy is inclined to reconciliation, they should welcome the move and should not he reluctant to make peace even if they are unsure whether or not the enemy is sincere about peace, and whether or not he intends to use the settlement as a ruse to Commit later treachery.

Since it is impossible to know the true intention of others, allowance should be made for their words. If the enemy is sincere in his offer of reconcoliation, the Muslims should not continue bloodshed because his sincerity, in their eyes, is suspect. On the contrary, if the enemy is insincere, the Muslims should have courage, thanks to their trust in God, and should go forth for reconciliation. They should stretch out the hand of peace in answer to the enemy's outstretched hand, for that is an index of their moral superiority. As for the hand of friendship which has been hypocritically stretched out in enemity, Muslims should have the strength to smash that hand to pieces.

46. Here the allusion is to that strong bond of love and brotherhood that developed among the Arabs who embraced Islam and whose conversion brought them solidarity. This strong solidarity existed despite the fact that they came from a variety of tribes which had long-standing traditions of mutual enmity. This was a special favour of God on the Muslims, especially evident in the case of the Aws and Khazraj. It was barely a couple of years before their acceptance of Islam that the two clans virtually thirsted for each other's blood. During the battle of Bu'ath both seemed set to exterminate each other. (Ibn Hisham, vol. 1. pp. 427-8-Ed.) To turn such severe enmity into deep cordiality and brotherhood within a span of two or three years and to join together mutually repellent elements into a unity as firm as that of a solid wall as was witnessed in regards to the Muslim community during the life of Prophet (peace be upon him) was doubtlessly beyond the power of any mortal. Were anyone to depend on worldly factors alone, it would have been impossible to bring about such an achievement. God's support was the deciding factor in this development and this only serves to emphasize that Muslims should always seek and depend on God's support and favour rather than on worldly factors.