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Ayah
Word by Word
قَدۡ
Surely
كَانَ
it was
لَكُمۡ
for you
ءَايَةٞ
a sign
فِي
in
فِئَتَيۡنِ
(the) two hosts
ٱلۡتَقَتَاۖ
which met
فِئَةٞ
one group
تُقَٰتِلُ
fighting
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَأُخۡرَىٰ
and another
كَافِرَةٞ
disbelievers
يَرَوۡنَهُم
They were seeing them
مِّثۡلَيۡهِمۡ
twice of them
رَأۡيَ
with the sight
ٱلۡعَيۡنِۚ
(of) their eyes
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
يُؤَيِّدُ
supports
بِنَصۡرِهِۦ
with His help
مَن
whom
يَشَآءُۚ
He wills
إِنَّ
Indeed
فِي
in
ذَٰلِكَ
that
لَعِبۡرَةٗ
surely (is) a lesson
لِّأُوْلِي
for the owners
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرِ
(of) vision
قَدۡ
Surely
كَانَ
it was
لَكُمۡ
for you
ءَايَةٞ
a sign
فِي
in
فِئَتَيۡنِ
(the) two hosts
ٱلۡتَقَتَاۖ
which met
فِئَةٞ
one group
تُقَٰتِلُ
fighting
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَأُخۡرَىٰ
and another
كَافِرَةٞ
disbelievers
يَرَوۡنَهُم
They were seeing them
مِّثۡلَيۡهِمۡ
twice of them
رَأۡيَ
with the sight
ٱلۡعَيۡنِۚ
(of) their eyes
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
يُؤَيِّدُ
supports
بِنَصۡرِهِۦ
with His help
مَن
whom
يَشَآءُۚ
He wills
إِنَّ
Indeed
فِي
in
ذَٰلِكَ
that
لَعِبۡرَةٗ
surely (is) a lesson
لِّأُوْلِي
for the owners
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرِ
(of) vision
Translation
Already there has been for you a sign in the two armies which met [in combat at Badr] - one fighting in the cause of Allāh and another of disbelievers. They saw them [to be] twice their [own] number by [their] eyesight.1 But Allāh supports with His victory whom He wills. Indeed in that is a lesson for those of vision.
Footnotes
1 - The believers saw the disbelievers to be double their own number preceding the battle of Badr, while, in fact, they were three times their number.
Tafsir
There has already been a sign, an example (the verb qad kaana, 'there has been', is used to separate [the statement to follow from the previous one]), for you in two hosts, two parties, that met, one another in battle, on the day of Badr; one company fighting in the way of God, in obedience to Him, namely, the Prophet and his Companions, who numbered three hundred and thirteen men, most of them on foot, with two horses, six plates of armour and eight swords; and another unbelieving; they, the disbelievers, numbering almost a thousand, ﷺ them, the Muslims, twice the like of them, that is, more numerous than themselves, as the eye sees, in manifest vision, witnessing; and God granted them victory despite their fewer number; for God confirms, He strengthens, with His help whom He will, granting him victory. Surely in that, which is mentioned, is a lesson for people of vision, those who are discerning: so will you not be warned by this and become believers?
"On the Day of Resurrection, No Wealth or Offspring Shall Avail
Allah says;
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْيًا وَأُولَـيِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ
Verily, those who disbelieve, neither their properties nor their offspring will avail them whatsoever against Allah; and it is they who will be fuel of the Fire.
Allah states that the disbelievers shall be fuel for the Fire,
يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ الظَّـلِمِينَ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَهُمُ الْلَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ
The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to wrongdoers. Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode (i.e. painful torment in Hell-fire). (40:52)
Further, what they were granted in this life of wealth and offspring shall not avail them with Allah, or save them from His punishment and severe torment.
Similarly, Allah said,
فَلَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَلُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَـدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَـفِرُونَ
So let not their wealth nor their children amaze you; in reality Allah's plan is to punish them with these things in the life of this world, and that their souls shall depart (die) while they are disbelievers. (9:55)
and,
لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِى الْبِلَـدِ
مَتَـعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِيْسَ الْمِهَادُ
Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you. A brief enjoyment; then, their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest. (3:196-197)
Allah said in this Ayah,,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
Verily, those who disbelieve,
meaning, disbelieved in Allah's Ayat, denied His Messengers, defied His Books and did not benefit from His revelation to His Prophets.
لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْيًا وَأُولَـيِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ
Neither their properties nor their offspring will avail them whatsoever against Allah; and it is they who will be fuel of the Fire.
meaning, they will be the wood with which the Fire is kindled and fed.
Similarly, Allah said,
إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ
Certainly you (disbelievers) and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell! (21:98)
Allah said next
كَدَأْبِ الِ فِرْعَوْنَ
Like the Da'b of the people of Fir`awn.
Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas said that the Ayah means,
""Like the behavior of the people of Fir`awn.""
This is the same Tafsir of Ikrimah, Mujahid, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, and others.
Other scholars said that the Ayah means,
""Like the practice, conduct, likeness of the people of Fir`awn.""
These meanings are all plausible,
for the Da'b means practice, behavior, tradition and habit.
The Ayah indicates that the disbelievers will not benefit from their wealth or offspring. Rather, they will perish and be punished.
وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُواْ بِأيَاتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ
and those before them; they belied Our Ayat. So Allah punished them for their sins.
This is the same end the people of Fir`awn and the previous nations met, those who rejected the Messengers, the Ayat, and proofs of Allah that they were sent with.
وَاللّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
And Allah is severe in punishment.
meaning, His punishment is severe and His torment is painful. None can escape Allah's grasp, nor does anything escape His knowledge. Allah does what He wills and prevails over all things, it is He to Whom everything is humbled and there is no deity worthy of worship, nor any Lord except Him.
Threatening the Jews With Defeat and Encouraging Them to Learn a Lesson From the Battle of Badr
Allah commands the Prophet Muhammad to;
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
Say to those who disbelieve:
Allah commanded the Prophet Muhammad to proclaim to the disbelievers.
سَتُغْلَبُونَ
You will be defeated, (in this life),
وَتُحْشَرُونَ
And gathered together, (on the Day of Resurrection),
إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وَبِيْسَ الْمِهَادُ
to Hell, and worst indeed is that place of rest.
Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar recorded that Asim bin Umar bin Qatadah said that;
when the Messenger of Allah gained victory in the battle of Badr and went back to Al-Madinah, he gathered the Jews in the marketplace of Bani Qaynuqa.
Therefore, Allah said
قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ ايَةٌ
There has already been a sign for you,
meaning, O Jews, who said what you said! You have an Ayah, meaning proof, that Allah will make His religion prevail, award victory to His Messenger, make His Word apparent and His religion the highest.
فِي فِيَتَيْنِ
In the two armies,
meaning, two camps,
الْتَقَتَا
that met,
in combat (in Badr).
فِيَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ
One was fighting in the Cause of Allah, (the Muslims),
وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ
And as for the other, in disbelief.
meaning, the idolators of Quraysh at Badr.
Allah's statement,
يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ
They ﷺ them with their own eyes twice their number,
means, the idolators thought that the Muslims were twice as many as they were, for Allah made this illusion a factor in the victory that Islam had over them.
It was said that the meaning of Allah's statement,
يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ
(They ﷺ them with their own eyes twice their number),
is that the Muslims ﷺ twice as many idolators as they were, yet Allah gave them victory over the disbelievers.
Abdullah bin Mas`ud said,
""When we looked at the disbelievers' forces, we found that they were twice as many as we were. When we looked at them again, we thought they did not have one man more than we had. So Allah's statement,
وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَيْتُمْ فِى أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِيلً وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِى أَعْيُنِهِمْ
And (remember) when you met, He showed them to you as few in your eyes and He made you appear as few in their eyes."" (8:44)
When the two camps ﷺ each other, the Muslims thought that the idolators were twice as many as they were, so that they would trust in Allah and seek His help. The idolators thought that the believers were twice as many as they were, so that they would feel fear, horror, fright and despair. When the two camps stood in lines and met in battle, Allah made each camp look smaller in the eyes of the other camp, so that they would be encouraged to fight each other,
لِّيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْراً كَانَ مَفْعُولاً
so that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained. (8:42),
meaning, so that the truth and falsehood are distinguishable, and thus the word of faith prevails over disbelief and deviation, so that the believers prevail and the disbelievers are humiliated.
In a similar statement, Allah said;
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ
And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force. (3:123)
In this Ayah Allah said,
وَاللّهُ يُوَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَن يَشَاء إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لاَُّوْلِي الَابْصَارِ
And Allah supports with His victory whom He wills. Verily, in this is a lesson for those who understand.
meaning, this should be an example for those who have intelligence and sound comprehension. They should contemplate about Allah's wisdom, decisions and decree, that He gives victory to His believing servants in this life and on the Day the witnesses stand up to testify."
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