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Towards Understanding the Quran
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Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Ahzab 33:9-15 [2/9] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you
ٱلَّذِينَwho
ءَامَنُواْbelieve!
ٱذْكُرُواْRemember
نِعْمَةَ(the) Favor
ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
عَلَيْكُمْupon you
إِذْwhen
جَآءَتْكُمْcame to you
جُنُودٌ(the) hosts
فَأَرْسَلْنَاand We sent
عَلَيْهِمْupon them
رِيحًاa wind
وَجُنُودًاand hosts
لَّمْnot
تَرَوْهَا‌ۚyou (could) see them.
وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُAnd Allah is
بِمَاof what
تَعْمَلُونَyou do
بَصِيرًاAll-Seer.
﴿٩﴾
إِذْWhen
جَآءُوكُمthey came upon you
مِّنfrom
فَوْقِكُمْabove you
وَمِنْand from
أَسْفَلَbelow
مِنكُمْyou,
وَإِذْand when
زَاغَتِgrew wild
ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُthe eyes
وَبَلَغَتِand reached
ٱلْقُلُوبُthe hearts
ٱلْحَنَاجِرَthe throats,
وَتَظُنُّونَand you assumed
بِٱللَّهِabout Allah
ٱلظُّنُونَا۟the assumptions.
﴿١٠﴾
هُنَالِكَThere -
ٱبْتُلِىَwere tried
ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَthe believers
وَزُلْزِلُواْand shaken
زِلْزَالاً(with a) shake
شَدِيدًاsevere.
﴿١١﴾
وَإِذْAnd when
يَقُولُsaid
ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَthe hypocrites
وَٱلَّذِينَand those
فِىin
قُلُوبِهِمtheir hearts
مَّرَضٌ(was) a disease,
مَّا`Not
وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُAllah promised us
وَرَسُولُهُۥٓand His messenger
إِلَّاexcept
غُرُورًاdelusion.`
﴿١٢﴾
وَإِذْAnd when
قَالَتsaid
طَّآئِفَةٌa party
مِّنْهُمْof them,
يَـٰٓأَهْلَ`O People
يَثْرِبَ(of) Yathrib!
لَاNo
مُقَامَstand
لَكُمْfor you,
فَٱرْجِعُواْ‌ۚso return.`
وَيَسْتَــْٔذِنُAnd asked permission
فَرِيقٌa group
مِّنْهُمُof them
ٱلنَّبِىَّ(from) the Prophet,
يَقُولُونَsaying,
إِنَّ`Indeed,
بُيُوتَنَاour houses
عَوْرَةٌ(are) exposed,`
وَمَاand not
هِىَthey
بِعَوْرَةٍ‌ۖ(were) exposed.
إِنNot
يُرِيدُونَthey wished
إِلَّاbut
فِرَارًاto flee.
﴿١٣﴾
وَلَوْAnd if
دُخِلَتْhad been entered
عَلَيْهِمupon them
مِّنْfrom
أَقْطَارِهَاall its sides
ثُمَّthen
سُئِلُواْthey had been asked
ٱلْفِتْنَةَthe treachery,
لَأَتَوْهَاthey (would) have certainly done it
وَمَاand not
تَلَبَّثُواْthey (would) have hesitated
بِهَآover it
إِلَّاexcept
يَسِيرًاa little.
﴿١٤﴾
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
كَانُواْthey had
عَـٰهَدُواْpromised
ٱللَّهَAllah
مِن قَبْلُbefore,
لَاnot
يُوَلُّونَthey would turn
ٱلْأَدْبَـٰرَ‌ۚtheir backs.
وَكَانَAnd is
عَهْدُ(the) promise
ٱللَّهِ(to) Allah
مَسْــُٔولاًto be questioned.
﴿١٥﴾

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اذۡكُرُوۡا نِعۡمَةَ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ اِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُوۡدٌ فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ رِيۡحًا وَّجُنُوۡدًا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا​ ؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِيۡرًا ۚ‏  اِذۡ جَآءُوۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ فَوۡقِكُمۡ وَمِنۡ اَسۡفَلَ مِنۡكُمۡ وَاِذۡ زَاغَتِ الۡاَبۡصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الۡقُلُوۡبُ الۡحَـنَـاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ الظُّنُوۡنَا ؕ‏  هُنَالِكَ ابۡتُلِىَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ وَزُلۡزِلُوۡا زِلۡزَالًا شَدِيۡدًا‏  وَاِذۡ يَقُوۡلُ الۡمُنٰفِقُوۡنَ وَالَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗۤ اِلَّا غُرُوۡرًا‏  وَاِذۡ قَالَتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ يٰۤـاَهۡلَ يَثۡرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمۡ فَارۡجِعُوۡا​ ۚ وَيَسۡتَاۡذِنُ فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمُ النَّبِىَّ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِنَّ بُيُوۡتَنَا عَوۡرَة​ٌ  ​ۛؕ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوۡرَةٍ  ۛۚ اِنۡ يُّرِيۡدُوۡنَ اِلَّا فِرَارًا‏   وَلَوۡ دُخِلَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنۡ اَقۡطَارِهَا ثُمَّ سُـئِلُوا الۡفِتۡنَةَ لَاٰتَوۡهَا وَمَا تَلَبَّثُوۡا بِهَاۤ اِلَّا يَسِيۡرًا‏  وَلَقَدۡ كَانُوۡا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ لَا يُوَلُّوۡنَ الۡاَدۡبَارَ​ ؕ وَكَانَ عَهۡدُ اللّٰهِ مَسۡـُٔوۡلًا‏ 
Translation
(33:9) Believers,18 call to mind Allah's favour to you when enemy hosts invaded you. Then We sent against them a wind and hosts that you did not see although19 Allah was observing all that you were then doing. (33:10) When they came upon you from above you and from below you,20 when your eyes were stupefied with horror and your hearts leapt to your throats, and you began to entertain diverse thoughts about Allah. (33:11) The believers were then put to a severe test and were most violently convulsed.21 (33:12) And call to mind when the hypocrites and all those with diseased hearts said: “All that Allah and His Messenger had promised us22 was nothing but deceit.” (33:13) And when a section of them said: “(O people of Yathrib), now there is no place for you to stay, so turn back.”23 (And call to mind) when a section of them was seeking permission from the Prophet to leave, saying: “Our houses are exposed (to attack),”24 although they were not exposed (to attack); 25 they only wished to flee (from the battle-front). (33:14) If the enemy were to enter the town from various directions, and they were summoned to act treacherously,26 they would have succumbed to it and would have shown little reluctance in doing so. (33:15) They had earlier covenanted with Allah that they would not turn their backs in flight. And a covenant made with Allah must needs be answered for.27
Commentary

18. In( Ayats 9-27), an appraisal has been made of the battle of the Trench and the raid against the Bani Quraizah. These were revealed at the end of the raid. One should keep the details of these events in view as given in the introduction above.

19. The windstorm did not lash the enemy forces immediately on their arrival but it occurred while the siege of Al-Madinah had lasted about a month. “Armies whom you did not see” implies the hidden powers which operate in the affairs of men under Allah’s command and of which men are totally unaware. Man regards the occurrence of events and incidents as resulting from apparent causes and does not take into account the hidden forces at work, whereas in most cases these very hidden forces play the decisive role. As these forces function under the command of Allah’s angels, the “armies” may imply the angels as well though there is no indication here of sending the armies of the angels.

20. It may mean: The enemies came upon you from every side, and also that those coming from Najd and Khaiber came from above and those coming from Makkah from below you.”

21. “The believers”: All those who accepted the Prophet (peace be upon him) as Allah’s Messenger and became included among his followers, which comprised both the true believers and the hypocrites. In this paragraph Allah has made mention of the Muslim community as a whole. In the following three paragraphs the attitude of the hypocrites has been commented upon, and the next two deal with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the true believers.

22. That is, “Promises to the effect that the believers will get Allah’s support and succor and will be helped to attain victory in the end.”

23. This sentence has two meanings: The apparent meaning is that there is no chance for them to stay at the Trench against the polytheists; therefore, they should return to the city. And the hidden meaning is that there is no chance for them to remain in Islam; therefore, they should return to their ancestral religion, so that they might escape the danger in which they had involved themselves by earning the hostility of the whole of Arabia. The hypocrites uttered such mischievous things so that they could make the one who would listen to them understand the intended hidden meaning, but in case someone took exception to their words, they could say they had been misunderstood.

24. That is, when the Bani Quraizah also joined the invaders, the hypocrites had a good excuse for defection and they started asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) for leave to go and protect their houses and families, which, they said, had been endangered, whereas at that time the Prophet (peace be upon him) was responsible for the defense and protection of all the people of Al-Madinah. After the treachery of the Quraizah it was for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to devise plans for the protection of the city and its people and not of the soldiers of the army individually.

25. That is, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had already made arrangements for protection against the danger, which were a part of the collective scheme of defense being implemented by him as commander of the Islamic forces. Therefore, there was no immediate danger in the face of which these people could justifiably make such an excuse.

26. “Exhorted to treachery”: Urged by the disbelievers to join them to vanquish the Muslims after entering the city as conquerors.

27. That is, they had felt regret at the weakness they had shown on the occasion of the battle of Uhud and pledged to Allah that they would compensate for their error in any trial that they would confront in the future. But Allah cannot be deceived by empty words. He puts to one or the other test everyone who makes a pledge with Him so that his sincerity of intention or otherwise is found out. Therefore, just after two years of the battle of Uhud, He made them confront an even more serious danger and discovered how far they were sincere in their pledge.